death and the girl next door

death and the girl next door. Darynda Jones. 2012

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Lorelei McAlister has been trying to find out why her parents mysteriously disappeared years ago. When a new boy shows up at school, she realizes Jared might finally be able to reveal the truth...if only she's ready to hear it.

Booktalk
Lorelei McAlister is struggling through yet another anniversary of the disappearance of her parents. It's been years, but there's still no new leads to report or information coming forward. Until a new boy at school shows up. Jared Kovach seems to know more about Lorelei than anyone else and it seems he knows a lot about her fellow classmate, the quiet and brooding Cameron Lusk, as well. In fact, the longer he stays the more he appears to be mysteriously connected to other people in Riley's Switch. Determined to figure out all of her town's secrets, Lorelei and her friends start digging into the new boy's true identity. Who is Jared exactly and more importantly, will he finally be able to answer the questions surrounding the disappearance of Lorelei's parents?

Thoughts: Average
Forbidden love. Lots of flirting. Gorgeous men vying to protect Lorelei at every turn. All typical YA book backbone. What wasn't typical were the supernatural beings being represented. This book was definitely not what I expected.

Pros: The writing itself was well-done. The dialogue was funny and didn't weigh the novel down. I also thought the plot was well-paced and kept your attention by moving you along. The element of suspense stayed with you as well. Just when you thought you had the next move figured out, the author surprised you.

Cons: The plot was difficult for me to follow. I often felt like I missing crucial information that was necessary to understand a scene or conversation. Also, it seemed like the characters had more knowledge about what was going on than I did and, being out of the loop, I couldn't always keep up. Who knew what and how much they knew was hard to ascertain as well - especially towards the end.

 The search for Lorelei's parents continues in March 2013 with death, doom and detention.

Image credit: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Girl-Next-Darynda-Jones/dp/0312625200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350858889&sr=8-1&keywords=death+and+the+girl+next+door

Evermore (The Immortals #1)

Noel, Alyson.  Evermore.  New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009.  Print.

Awards

2009 #1 New York Times Bestseller

2009 International Bestseller

2009 USA Today List of Top 100 Best-Selling Books of 2009

2009 Publishers Weekly Bestseller

2009 New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age 2010

2009 TeensReadToo Star Gold Award

Flamingnet Reviews Top Choice Award

Justine Page Turner Pick

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After a car crash kills her entire family, Ever is left with physic abilities and no way to control them until she meets Damen Auguste.  Ever thinks Damen might be able to help her deal with this unwanted “gift”, but she soon finds out he’s got secrets and mysterious powers of his own.

Booktalk

It was a mistake.  An accident.  Something that wasn’t supposed to happen.  Ever didn’t mean to linger; she desperately wanted to follow her family after the car crash as they crossed over from this life into the afterlife.  If only she hadn’t gotten distracted in that beautiful field with the pulsating trees and shimmering grass.  It’s too late now though because while her entire family has moved on, Ever is still stuck in this world, living with her aunt and trying to adjust at Bay View High.  She’s also stuck with something else – the ability to see people’s auras and hear their thoughts.

Ever is just starting to give up on the idea that she can get her old life back – until gorgeous Damen Auguste transfers from New Mexico.  Damen’s the only one who can silence the noise and turn off the random energy around her.  Damen’s the only one whose entire life story she can’t see just by accidentally brushing up against him in the hallway.  Except, how can she “explain that ever since the accident, the only people whose thoughts [she] can’t hear, whose lives [she] can’t know, and whose auras [she] can’t see, are already dead?” 

*This book was recommended to me by Chloe (15 years old).  She enjoys this series because "it's not like other fantasy books" she's read.  Also, the novel explores the ability to "see people's auras and thoughts, things that could be real to some people", if one chooses to believe it.*

Image credit:  http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/evermore.php