What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mediator #1-2
The Mediator, Vol. 1: Shadowland / Ninth Key
Shadowland and Ninth Key are the first two books in the thrilling, romantic Mediator series, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot. Suze is a mediator—a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business on earth. But after a cross-country move to sunny California, Suze is looking forward to a fresh start and a life free of spectral interventions. Too bad Suze can't escape the undead that easily. She might not mind Jesse, the sexy ghost who haunts her bedroom, but there are plenty of other poltergeists out there with less friendly intentions. Some of them are out for revenge...of the murderous kind. And Suze might be the only one who can stop them. Binge-read the first two books in the New York Times bestselling Mediator series in this bind-up, from the author of The Princess Diaries .
516 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2010
75 people are currently reading
3530 people want to read
About the author
Meg Cabot
282 books35.4k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
October 20, 2010
"I may have been dead for the past hundred and fifty years, Susannah," Jesse said, "but that doesn't mean I don't know how people say good night. And generally, when people say good night, they keep their tongues to themselves."
This books was loads of fun. It kept me entertained with it’s witty characters, action packed plot and a budding romance.
The plot was fast paced and well written. It was a little bit predictable, so I thought. But Cabot through in a few unexpected surprises.
Suze is a character who isn’t afraid to kick some butt. She won’t take crap from anybody and will stick up for her friends. Jesse is a sweetie and a bit of a mysterious character. We haven‘t got his full story yet and it will be interesting to find out why as a ghost he is still hanging around. Suze and Jesse have some great chemistry even if they both won’t admit they have feelings for each other yet. But the most entertaining character is Doc (Suze 12 year old stepbrother who knows facts about everything). There is a scene in the book where he is giving his 16 year old brother a lecture in front of their parents about condoms and how effective they are. It had me laughing out loud and getting some very strange looks.
Overall, if you a looking for a book to brighten your day read this. You’ll find yourself smiling the whole way through!
This books was loads of fun. It kept me entertained with it’s witty characters, action packed plot and a budding romance.
The plot was fast paced and well written. It was a little bit predictable, so I thought. But Cabot through in a few unexpected surprises.
Suze is a character who isn’t afraid to kick some butt. She won’t take crap from anybody and will stick up for her friends. Jesse is a sweetie and a bit of a mysterious character. We haven‘t got his full story yet and it will be interesting to find out why as a ghost he is still hanging around. Suze and Jesse have some great chemistry even if they both won’t admit they have feelings for each other yet. But the most entertaining character is Doc (Suze 12 year old stepbrother who knows facts about everything). There is a scene in the book where he is giving his 16 year old brother a lecture in front of their parents about condoms and how effective they are. It had me laughing out loud and getting some very strange looks.
Overall, if you a looking for a book to brighten your day read this. You’ll find yourself smiling the whole way through!
December 31, 2015
TBR Reduce Challenge #2- 2011 (Jess)
For the oddest reason I've always struggled with Meg Cabot books. She's obviously a skilled writer but something about her style annoys me that I can't seem to shake, so I was surprised that I really enjoyed this one!
Love You to Death & High Stakes were both really great fun books. I enjoyed the supernatural concept and adored the characters. Suze, Jesse, Father Dom and even the brothers Doc, Dopey and Sleepy were pretty cool.
The whole concept kinda remind me of the whole Buffy-vibe, well, minus the slayer/vampire bit, but Suze is kick-ass like that, she also has a bit of a chip on her shoulder which is why the attitude looks so good on her, but it's good to see it crumbling, even if it's just a little bit at a time.
It seems that I've gotten quite attached to Jesse and I hope to Gawd that I'm not headed for heart-fail once I've finished off this series. I can already tell a relationship of some sort is in the works for these two and I'm only hoping that they find there HEA.
All in all? Looks like I finally found a Cabot series that I'm actually enjoying and looking forward to continuing with the next installments.
Fun, feisty and fantastic. Loved it!
For the oddest reason I've always struggled with Meg Cabot books. She's obviously a skilled writer but something about her style annoys me that I can't seem to shake, so I was surprised that I really enjoyed this one!
Love You to Death & High Stakes were both really great fun books. I enjoyed the supernatural concept and adored the characters. Suze, Jesse, Father Dom and even the brothers Doc, Dopey and Sleepy were pretty cool.
The whole concept kinda remind me of the whole Buffy-vibe, well, minus the slayer/vampire bit, but Suze is kick-ass like that, she also has a bit of a chip on her shoulder which is why the attitude looks so good on her, but it's good to see it crumbling, even if it's just a little bit at a time.
It seems that I've gotten quite attached to Jesse and I hope to Gawd that I'm not headed for heart-fail once I've finished off this series. I can already tell a relationship of some sort is in the works for these two and I'm only hoping that they find there HEA.
All in all? Looks like I finally found a Cabot series that I'm actually enjoying and looking forward to continuing with the next installments.
Fun, feisty and fantastic. Loved it!
October 23, 2017
***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Cute book about a girl that can see/communicate/kick the ass of ghosts. I have the paperback and there were still many typos, which I’m only really used to finding on ebooks, I had to fight the urge to underline them and post it back to the author 🙈
It’s probably a book I’d have loved as a 14year old! Here’s the whole story summed up: Very young protagonist, her mum remarried and has moved them across the country to be with the new husbands family, she meets a ghost who lives in her new room , commence swooning over the 150year old dead guy that haunts said new room, she meets a cute guy at school, is then chased by his psycho ex-girlfriend ghost, almost killed a few times, head teacher/priest of her school can also see ghosts, she saves a boys life, makes new friends, does an exorcism and swoons a little bit more.
Next book! Meets another guy, gets haunted by a wailing ghost at 1am, swooning, chases after new guys Dad to give him a message from the waily ghost, who is mentally ill and convinced he’s a vampire, stabs him with a pencil, figures out he’s just an ill human, guys Uncle turns out to be a serial killer she accidentally uncovered, gets kidnapped, almost dies, smashes an aquarium and electrocutes the Uncle, swooning. Oh and she gets a cat.
So...there’s a lot going on there really, good book for teenagers, not really my cup of tea but I unfortunately purchased the trilogy in my book haul, so more reviews of this series to come! 😘
Cute book about a girl that can see/communicate/kick the ass of ghosts. I have the paperback and there were still many typos, which I’m only really used to finding on ebooks, I had to fight the urge to underline them and post it back to the author 🙈
It’s probably a book I’d have loved as a 14year old! Here’s the whole story summed up: Very young protagonist, her mum remarried and has moved them across the country to be with the new husbands family, she meets a ghost who lives in her new room , commence swooning over the 150year old dead guy that haunts said new room, she meets a cute guy at school, is then chased by his psycho ex-girlfriend ghost, almost killed a few times, head teacher/priest of her school can also see ghosts, she saves a boys life, makes new friends, does an exorcism and swoons a little bit more.
Next book! Meets another guy, gets haunted by a wailing ghost at 1am, swooning, chases after new guys Dad to give him a message from the waily ghost, who is mentally ill and convinced he’s a vampire, stabs him with a pencil, figures out he’s just an ill human, guys Uncle turns out to be a serial killer she accidentally uncovered, gets kidnapped, almost dies, smashes an aquarium and electrocutes the Uncle, swooning. Oh and she gets a cat.
So...there’s a lot going on there really, good book for teenagers, not really my cup of tea but I unfortunately purchased the trilogy in my book haul, so more reviews of this series to come! 😘
July 24, 2011
This is my ALL TIME favorite series,
and I won't try to describe how awesome it is,
and believe me, I would know exactly how awesome... I've read each book about 7 or 8 times. And more to come.
and I won't try to describe how awesome it is,
and believe me, I would know exactly how awesome... I've read each book about 7 or 8 times. And more to come.
March 1, 2011
I got until page 152 before I decided to shut the book.
It is fast-paced and action-packed but I am not sure whether it is because the young-at-heart that is in me is dying and i am entering middle age or because this book is channeling Buffy The Vampire Slayer so much that i just find it plain boring. Needless to say I hope it is the second option.
Suze is a ghost slayer rather than vampire but since ghost can't die she is the one who sends them on their way, therefore a mediator. The nerdy friend, instead of being red-haired is, in this case, an albino, already we have an Angel in the name of Jesse on the way.
I am rather sorry because the writing flows and it is catchy but i really can't be bothered to finish this book. After all: so many books, so little time and i won't waste it reading something i am not enjoying.
It is fast-paced and action-packed but I am not sure whether it is because the young-at-heart that is in me is dying and i am entering middle age or because this book is channeling Buffy The Vampire Slayer so much that i just find it plain boring. Needless to say I hope it is the second option.
Suze is a ghost slayer rather than vampire but since ghost can't die she is the one who sends them on their way, therefore a mediator. The nerdy friend, instead of being red-haired is, in this case, an albino, already we have an Angel in the name of Jesse on the way.
I am rather sorry because the writing flows and it is catchy but i really can't be bothered to finish this book. After all: so many books, so little time and i won't waste it reading something i am not enjoying.
June 3, 2015
It's been a long time since I read the original mediator series (and lost my books!), but I remember loving them, so when I found that the books are coming out in gorgeous covers, I just had to buy them! And the fact me and my lovely friend Habiba on Instagram - I chose to re-read these books <3
I still love Jesse and Suzie! I do, but the magic of reading paranormal for the first time is sadly gone and hence the 4 star rating! But I do love it! And I find myself learning new facts altogether.
It is after all true - you never read the same book twice :)
For The Love of Fictional Worlds
I still love Jesse and Suzie! I do, but the magic of reading paranormal for the first time is sadly gone and hence the 4 star rating! But I do love it! And I find myself learning new facts altogether.
It is after all true - you never read the same book twice :)
For The Love of Fictional Worlds
March 31, 2019
I loved this book!! Great story!! Gave me ghost whisperer vivbs!! Love this author's books!!
November 15, 2011
I would like to give 3.5 stars to this book. This book is actually two books in one, book one would get 3 stars and book two 4 stars. I really looked forward to reading this book. I haven't read that many books about ghosts, so I was really looking forward to it. I like this book and story, but I just don't like the beginning. The book begins whenn the lead character Suze is moving from New York to California. In the beginning it is really slow, with many details that aren't really necessary to the story.
So the first 90 pages are pretty boring, after that the story get's really interesting. Suze is a mediator who has to guide ghosts who are still in the living world to the world thereafter. This sounds really peacefull, but in fact Suze can "kick some serieus ghost butt", as she likes to state. She actually get's in fights with the ghosts. She quickly adapts to her new home and has two ghosts to bother with.
One is an agressive ghost of someone who recently died and now haunts the school. The other one is Jesse, who haunts her new bedroom. The text on the back of this book makes it sounds like she falls instantly in love with him, while in fact this is a really slow process. I like it that they don't fall in love immediately.
Further I have to say that I like Suze, she is not afraid to get in fights with the ghosts she has to guide to the hereafter. And doesn't back off easily.
To conclude, this book starts off really slow and there are too much details and descriptions that are unecessary to the story. After the first half of the book this seems to disapear and it becomes a really good story about Suze, a likeable character who helps ghost to the afterlife in a sometimes gressive way. Altough she also helps ghosts the normal way, by talking to them. I like the fact that this book is about ghosts, because it something different and I think ghosts are an interesting supernatural creature that can use some more attention in this genre. I am definitely reading the rest of this series. I am looking forward to read more of Suze's adventures.
So the first 90 pages are pretty boring, after that the story get's really interesting. Suze is a mediator who has to guide ghosts who are still in the living world to the world thereafter. This sounds really peacefull, but in fact Suze can "kick some serieus ghost butt", as she likes to state. She actually get's in fights with the ghosts. She quickly adapts to her new home and has two ghosts to bother with.
One is an agressive ghost of someone who recently died and now haunts the school. The other one is Jesse, who haunts her new bedroom. The text on the back of this book makes it sounds like she falls instantly in love with him, while in fact this is a really slow process. I like it that they don't fall in love immediately.
Further I have to say that I like Suze, she is not afraid to get in fights with the ghosts she has to guide to the hereafter. And doesn't back off easily.
To conclude, this book starts off really slow and there are too much details and descriptions that are unecessary to the story. After the first half of the book this seems to disapear and it becomes a really good story about Suze, a likeable character who helps ghost to the afterlife in a sometimes gressive way. Altough she also helps ghosts the normal way, by talking to them. I like the fact that this book is about ghosts, because it something different and I think ghosts are an interesting supernatural creature that can use some more attention in this genre. I am definitely reading the rest of this series. I am looking forward to read more of Suze's adventures.
January 3, 2011
Suze has just moved to California, and transferred into a new school there. Her first day is a little different than she imagined though when a nasty spirit decides to try and scare Suze away from the school, but Suze has dealt with ghosts like this before, and isn't afraid to show it who's boss...
This book was mainly about introducing us to the cast of characters, many of which are pretty loveable. I really liked the ghost mediating aspect of it and thought that it was something interesting to read about. I thought Suze's spunky attitude was funny and I liked reading her interaction with Jesse, can't see where that goes in the future! A predictable story, but quite sweet, and an enjoyable quick read.
--------------------------------------------------
When a crying ghost appears in her bedroom, Suze is asked to track down and pass on a message to someone. But as Suze gets close to who she thinks is the recipient, she starts to worry that he's not entirely human...
High Stakes is just as good as the first book in the series, and builds upon the story started there. I really enjoyed the evolving relationships in this book, mainly between Suze and Jesse and Suze and her new little brother Doc, who is so adorable! The story is engaging and kept me gripped right until the end, although I did find the ending was kind of repetitive as a similar thing happened at the end of the first book, and that was a little disappointing. Over all, these books are enjoyable for a light, easy read.
This book was mainly about introducing us to the cast of characters, many of which are pretty loveable. I really liked the ghost mediating aspect of it and thought that it was something interesting to read about. I thought Suze's spunky attitude was funny and I liked reading her interaction with Jesse, can't see where that goes in the future! A predictable story, but quite sweet, and an enjoyable quick read.
--------------------------------------------------
When a crying ghost appears in her bedroom, Suze is asked to track down and pass on a message to someone. But as Suze gets close to who she thinks is the recipient, she starts to worry that he's not entirely human...
High Stakes is just as good as the first book in the series, and builds upon the story started there. I really enjoyed the evolving relationships in this book, mainly between Suze and Jesse and Suze and her new little brother Doc, who is so adorable! The story is engaging and kept me gripped right until the end, although I did find the ending was kind of repetitive as a similar thing happened at the end of the first book, and that was a little disappointing. Over all, these books are enjoyable for a light, easy read.
February 7, 2021
Love You To Death
Read from: September 2020 to January 2020
Ahhh man.
I read this series a fair few years ago when I was in my early teens.
I just loved getting back into it and remembering everything that happened.
Meg Cabot is amazing. Just with her ideas & writing.
Can't wait to re-read the rest.
High Stakes
Read in: February
I really enjoyed re-reading this book as well. I love the character Jesse so much. He is sooooo swoon-worthy and how he looks after Susannah is amazing!
Read from: September 2020 to January 2020
Ahhh man.
I read this series a fair few years ago when I was in my early teens.
I just loved getting back into it and remembering everything that happened.
Meg Cabot is amazing. Just with her ideas & writing.
Can't wait to re-read the rest.
High Stakes
Read in: February
I really enjoyed re-reading this book as well. I love the character Jesse so much. He is sooooo swoon-worthy and how he looks after Susannah is amazing!
March 26, 2011
Susanna is one of my favourite female characters, if not my number one favourite character. I always enjoy books more when the female roles are badass and strong willed (I have some feminist traits) and Susanna is definatley both of these. It even had the whole forbidden love thing going on which is always a bonus.
And even though I've never been much of a Meg Cabot fan, I absolutley adore these two stories.
And even though I've never been much of a Meg Cabot fan, I absolutley adore these two stories.
November 13, 2010
in the first story 'love you to death' Meg Cabot introduces the main character,Susannah Simon, really well. all the books, from what i can tell, are going to be exciting and adventurous. the story is made even better because they are all written from Suze's point of view.
February 11, 2011
3,5 stars.
I liked this book. I especially liked bad-ass Suze. But I thought there wasn't a lot of character development. Also not a lot of moments between Jesse en Suze. So I liked the book but it wasn't a breath taking book.
I liked this book. I especially liked bad-ass Suze. But I thought there wasn't a lot of character development. Also not a lot of moments between Jesse en Suze. So I liked the book but it wasn't a breath taking book.
July 7, 2010
i extremely enjoyed this book it was amazing and really funny !!!! she reminds me of myself apart from the seeing ghosts thing ! i really look forward to reading 3&4
August 15, 2010
absolutely brilliant, though it was a bit repetitive that both of the boys had to move away that she liked at the end of both books...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2017
Oh Sussanah! I like that you are sassy!
July 15, 2016
2.5* for both books
February 24, 2013
OMG
its too ghostly
with exorcism and stuff it was fabulous
i recommend this book to all paranormal lovers
its too ghostly
with exorcism and stuff it was fabulous
i recommend this book to all paranormal lovers
April 1, 2018
I read The Mediator Series in middle school, so so many years ago. Coming back to Suze and Jesse and the mediator business is like going back to how I felt when I had all the time in the world to read five books at a time in less than a week's time. This UK edition combines the first two books: Shadowland and Ninth Key, and let me tell you, I remembered SO much of the plot and of Jesse/Suze even though it's been ages since I've picked up a copy. So that tells you something about how much I ADORED this series back then and how much I still do, even if it's because of Suze/Jesse.
To tell you the truth, reading this series as a twenty-one-year-old is different than reading it as a, what, twelve-year-old? For one, some things within Suze's pov did not age well and were super cringy. I wasn't totally in love with the repetitive nature of the way Suze summarized what happened a mere three chapters ago.. And another thing, I did not like Adam and didn't care for the way he was just there to be a guy for Cee Cee to crush on. I can pretty much just say that it's not a surprise these books published in 2000 are a little, how do you say, yikes at times.
But even through all that, my heart is all wrapped up around Jesse de Silva and his absolutely charming nature.
HONESTLY. LIKE. I JUST ADORE HIM. AND I WILL, FOREVER AND ALWAYS. Truly, I don't remember a YA guy who makes me swoon as much as he does. Jesse is on a whole other level that no fictional guy can reach tbh.
Anyways, let's talk about Suze. Susannah Simon. Kickass mediator. I love how honest she is and how she makes mistakes but she still does what she thinks is best. Plus I love the whole ghost business and the slight slow burn romance between Jesse and Suze.
Let me get someone to call me querida like Jesse de Silva calls Suze in all soft and caressing tones and I'll be a pile of mush just because of this series.
OH and I almost forgot. Doc! I love him and the way he looks up to Suze so much. He's adorable and I appreciate the fact that she is more honest to him about her ghost business than anyone else.
3.5 really, but I'm keeping it at 4 🌟's for reasons (Jesse de Silva).
To tell you the truth, reading this series as a twenty-one-year-old is different than reading it as a, what, twelve-year-old? For one, some things within Suze's pov did not age well and were super cringy. I wasn't totally in love with the repetitive nature of the way Suze summarized what happened a mere three chapters ago.. And another thing, I did not like Adam and didn't care for the way he was just there to be a guy for Cee Cee to crush on. I can pretty much just say that it's not a surprise these books published in 2000 are a little, how do you say, yikes at times.
But even through all that, my heart is all wrapped up around Jesse de Silva and his absolutely charming nature.
It wasn't fair. It really wasn't. Dead guys should not look anywhere near as good as Jesse looked, leaning there against my bedpost with the sun slanting in and catching the perfectly sculpted planes of his face...
He lifted that eyebrow, the one with the scar in it. 'Something wrong, querida?' he asked.
He was smiling now. 'I see. Against the rules?'
'Yeah,' I said. 'Big time.'
'Then you didn't warn me-' He took a step towards me. '-because you're starting to like me or anything like that?'
HONESTLY. LIKE. I JUST ADORE HIM. AND I WILL, FOREVER AND ALWAYS. Truly, I don't remember a YA guy who makes me swoon as much as he does. Jesse is on a whole other level that no fictional guy can reach tbh.
Anyways, let's talk about Suze. Susannah Simon. Kickass mediator. I love how honest she is and how she makes mistakes but she still does what she thinks is best. Plus I love the whole ghost business and the slight slow burn romance between Jesse and Suze.
"So could you, um, do me a favor?' Jesse straightened. He seemed pretty surprised. I don't really ask him to do me favors all that often. 'Of course, querida,' he said, and my heart gave a little flipflop inside my chest at the caressing tone he always gave that word. I didn't even know what it meant.
Let me get someone to call me querida like Jesse de Silva calls Suze in all soft and caressing tones and I'll be a pile of mush just because of this series.
OH and I almost forgot. Doc! I love him and the way he looks up to Suze so much. He's adorable and I appreciate the fact that she is more honest to him about her ghost business than anyone else.
3.5 really, but I'm keeping it at 4 🌟's for reasons (Jesse de Silva).
August 20, 2025
📚#26-27 in My Meg Cabot Read Through
Returning to my Meg Cabot binge with a first time reading The Mediator. This series has been on my radar a long time, of course, because it's Meg. I just never got the chance to read it as a teen and then as an adult I haven't really liked supernatural books. I bought a copy with the first two books, Shadowland and Ninth Key, to save money by the way. I'm sure Meg would approve.
The shining light of this series is the main character, Susannah "Suze" Simon. Meg is really good at crafting really likable and hilarious main characters, while also making sure they're not just a copy/paste of her other characters. Suze is a tenth-grader who moves to Carmel, California from New York City, following her mother's remarriage. And she just so happens to be a "mediator," a person who helps ghosts move on basically. Of course, she's not exactly happy with her role. She'd prefer to just be a "normal" teenager. Much of the series' humor comes from this. Her inner monologue is hands down my favorite part of reading these first two books.
In Shadowland, Suze encounters a particularly nasty ghost at her new school, where she also meets a fellow mediator, Father Dominic. The ghost, Heather, is not happy and is actively trying to kill her ex Bryce, whom Suze just so happens to have a date with. Suze is a little overconfident in her abilities and nearly gets herself killed, but thankfully the ghost that lives in her room, Jesse, saves her.
Ninth Key picks up almost immediately where the previous book leaves off. Suze gets a message from a wailing ghost who asks her to tell "Red" that he didn't kill her. While searching for this "Red," Suze is lead astray by accident and stumbles onto a murder plot involving a local businessman. Said businessman also just so happens to have a cute son that Suze likes.
Jesse, being a ghost, is an interesting character. I kinda thought he was going to be Suze's love interest from the beginning, but Meg instead opts for a slow burn. It's not even until Ninth Key that Suze acknowledges having a crush on him to herself. I much prefer it this way and I'm looking forward to learning more about Jesse in the next installments. I'm also enjoying Suze's stepbrothers, whom she nicknames "Sleepy," "Dopey," and "Doc," though not to their faces [lol]. And, of course, her new friends CeeCee and Adam have lots of potential. Not to mention the cat, Spike.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading these first two books for the characters and the mysteries. I wasn't overly wowed, but that's mostly because supernatural isn't my thing. I do like the lore behind the ghosts and mediators and I'm sure there's more, so we'll see. Next up, Reunion!
Returning to my Meg Cabot binge with a first time reading The Mediator. This series has been on my radar a long time, of course, because it's Meg. I just never got the chance to read it as a teen and then as an adult I haven't really liked supernatural books. I bought a copy with the first two books, Shadowland and Ninth Key, to save money by the way. I'm sure Meg would approve.
The shining light of this series is the main character, Susannah "Suze" Simon. Meg is really good at crafting really likable and hilarious main characters, while also making sure they're not just a copy/paste of her other characters. Suze is a tenth-grader who moves to Carmel, California from New York City, following her mother's remarriage. And she just so happens to be a "mediator," a person who helps ghosts move on basically. Of course, she's not exactly happy with her role. She'd prefer to just be a "normal" teenager. Much of the series' humor comes from this. Her inner monologue is hands down my favorite part of reading these first two books.
In Shadowland, Suze encounters a particularly nasty ghost at her new school, where she also meets a fellow mediator, Father Dominic. The ghost, Heather, is not happy and is actively trying to kill her ex Bryce, whom Suze just so happens to have a date with. Suze is a little overconfident in her abilities and nearly gets herself killed, but thankfully the ghost that lives in her room, Jesse, saves her.
Ninth Key picks up almost immediately where the previous book leaves off. Suze gets a message from a wailing ghost who asks her to tell "Red" that he didn't kill her. While searching for this "Red," Suze is lead astray by accident and stumbles onto a murder plot involving a local businessman. Said businessman also just so happens to have a cute son that Suze likes.
Jesse, being a ghost, is an interesting character. I kinda thought he was going to be Suze's love interest from the beginning, but Meg instead opts for a slow burn. It's not even until Ninth Key that Suze acknowledges having a crush on him to herself. I much prefer it this way and I'm looking forward to learning more about Jesse in the next installments. I'm also enjoying Suze's stepbrothers, whom she nicknames "Sleepy," "Dopey," and "Doc," though not to their faces [lol]. And, of course, her new friends CeeCee and Adam have lots of potential. Not to mention the cat, Spike.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading these first two books for the characters and the mysteries. I wasn't overly wowed, but that's mostly because supernatural isn't my thing. I do like the lore behind the ghosts and mediators and I'm sure there's more, so we'll see. Next up, Reunion!
May 27, 2025
Shadowland by Meg Cabot was just the reset I needed after some underwhelming detours outside my usual genres. I’d always associated Cabot with lighthearted contemporary reads, so discovering this paranormal young adult series was a welcome surprise. Even better, it’s narrated by Johanna Parker—who I adored as the voice of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Hearing her again was like catching up with an old friend.
The story follows Suze Simon, a headstrong teen who sees ghosts, though she’s not fully aware of what being a mediator truly entails until she moves to California and meets a local priest who shares her abilities. At her new Catholic school, Suze finds herself targeted by a recently deceased mean girl who is far from finished with high school drama. As the ghost’s actions turn destructive, Suze realizes she has no choice but to intervene.
True to her rebellious nature, Suze goes behind the priest’s back and attempts a pagan ritual to force the spirit out. She’s not exactly religious and definitely not one to wait around for traditional solutions. Unsurprisingly, the plan backfires and escalates the situation before she can bring it under control.
This book reminded me why I keep returning to the paranormal genre. It’s my comfort zone, and Suze—with her sarcasm, toughness, and just enough heart—made it a satisfying return. I’ll definitely be continuing with The Mediator series. Sometimes stepping away from your usual reads makes you appreciate what you love even more.
The story follows Suze Simon, a headstrong teen who sees ghosts, though she’s not fully aware of what being a mediator truly entails until she moves to California and meets a local priest who shares her abilities. At her new Catholic school, Suze finds herself targeted by a recently deceased mean girl who is far from finished with high school drama. As the ghost’s actions turn destructive, Suze realizes she has no choice but to intervene.
True to her rebellious nature, Suze goes behind the priest’s back and attempts a pagan ritual to force the spirit out. She’s not exactly religious and definitely not one to wait around for traditional solutions. Unsurprisingly, the plan backfires and escalates the situation before she can bring it under control.
This book reminded me why I keep returning to the paranormal genre. It’s my comfort zone, and Suze—with her sarcasm, toughness, and just enough heart—made it a satisfying return. I’ll definitely be continuing with The Mediator series. Sometimes stepping away from your usual reads makes you appreciate what you love even more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2021
3 Stars
This was my favourite series as a teenager. I was a huge Meg Cabot fan. And so, to complete this world off (as I missed the adult additions to this world), I decided to reread it from the start so Proposal and Remembrance make sense.
What once were my favourite characters sadly no longer hold up. Is it interesting enough to read? Yeah, I found it an easy read. Do I still adore Jesse? You know it. But my biggest issue is Suze as a character. I don't ever remember her being so egocentric and judgemental. What's blown off as teenager sass actually comes across as really entitled and ungrateful behaviour to me now as an adult. She thinks so highly of herself and sticks her nose into so many place it's not needed that I spent a lot of time cringing that this was once a character I adored. I certainly don't remember what 16 felt like and yet read a fair amount of young adult, and hardly find it this hard to relate to character.
Despite the disappointment of Suze, I still enjoyed revisiting this world, and will continue on with the series to complete it as set out.
This was my favourite series as a teenager. I was a huge Meg Cabot fan. And so, to complete this world off (as I missed the adult additions to this world), I decided to reread it from the start so Proposal and Remembrance make sense.
What once were my favourite characters sadly no longer hold up. Is it interesting enough to read? Yeah, I found it an easy read. Do I still adore Jesse? You know it. But my biggest issue is Suze as a character. I don't ever remember her being so egocentric and judgemental. What's blown off as teenager sass actually comes across as really entitled and ungrateful behaviour to me now as an adult. She thinks so highly of herself and sticks her nose into so many place it's not needed that I spent a lot of time cringing that this was once a character I adored. I certainly don't remember what 16 felt like and yet read a fair amount of young adult, and hardly find it this hard to relate to character.
Despite the disappointment of Suze, I still enjoyed revisiting this world, and will continue on with the series to complete it as set out.
March 10, 2023
I liked the basic premise, a teenager who can see ghosts, and who can "handle" them if they're causing trouble. It felt "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in that respect. The heroine thinks highly of herself and her gift and seems to relish taking matters in her own hands. In fairness, the ghosts around her really do seem to be causing a fair bit of trouble. In this book, the ghost of a teenager who committed suicide is lingering around to wreak havoc (and exact revenge) on people who wronged her in life.
But a lot of story elements were problematic to me. The suicide isn't handled with the care and respect that it deserves. The ghost who won't disappear is mad about a boy who broke up with her (which reinforces stereotypes about the source of a woman's worth being a man's attention, an implication that the author never really addresses). Taking those stereotypes further, the ghost hates the heroine for having the boy's romantic attention. It felt a bit Jerry Springer-esque, as if someone was about to ring a bell and a catfight was about to break out.
Not that the heroine was much better than the ghost. She seemed...mean. Like, mean-spirited and kind of rude and not all that likable, the kind of heroine I wouldn't want my actual teen to read. It made it difficult to root for her. None of these characters seemed ironic and there was no indication in the writing that the author saw how hard to relate to any of these characters were.
I don't usually write two-star reviews, and it's something I don't like doing. If I dislike a book, I would rather not publish a review at all than say something unkind. I've decided to publish this review because I feel that the handling of the suicide could be harmful and I would rather risk scorn than prevent someone who might be harmed by the portrayal from hearing a perspective on this book.
But a lot of story elements were problematic to me. The suicide isn't handled with the care and respect that it deserves. The ghost who won't disappear is mad about a boy who broke up with her (which reinforces stereotypes about the source of a woman's worth being a man's attention, an implication that the author never really addresses). Taking those stereotypes further, the ghost hates the heroine for having the boy's romantic attention. It felt a bit Jerry Springer-esque, as if someone was about to ring a bell and a catfight was about to break out.
Not that the heroine was much better than the ghost. She seemed...mean. Like, mean-spirited and kind of rude and not all that likable, the kind of heroine I wouldn't want my actual teen to read. It made it difficult to root for her. None of these characters seemed ironic and there was no indication in the writing that the author saw how hard to relate to any of these characters were.
I don't usually write two-star reviews, and it's something I don't like doing. If I dislike a book, I would rather not publish a review at all than say something unkind. I've decided to publish this review because I feel that the handling of the suicide could be harmful and I would rather risk scorn than prevent someone who might be harmed by the portrayal from hearing a perspective on this book.
February 25, 2020
My copy of these books are so beaten up by how many times I've picked them up. I fully reread both of the stories in this one for the fun of it and I'm glad I did because there is so much stuff I'm picking up on that little me had nooooo idea was going on. My homeboy in this series was SO obvious that he liked the protagonist but when I was younger I was straight wondering right along with Suze. Now as an adult I'm just here SCREAMING at her that this boy could not be more obvious! Anyway, this entire series is great, there's action, the entire cast is utterly hilarious, its fun and charming and interesting. I think this series would translate well into a show, maybe a movie, but god I will kill for it. I've read a fair few of Meg Cabot's books as a teen and this series is her best work and I will not hear criticism
February 28, 2020
This book is such a gem, I was cackling to myself the whole way through. I’m not even exaggerating when I say the main character Susannah has ten times the personality of most ya protagonists we get these days - and I’m here for it.
I’m kinda sad that the more recent ya paranormal fantasy books take themselves so seriously when this is the ridiculousness I could be getting.
Don’t get me wrong, half of the plots are absolutely unbelievable but it gets away with that because the whole tone of the book is so light hearted and fun that you don’t really care about that - it’s just a good time.
Would recommend this to anyone with a sense of humour.
Ps. This book is literally buffy with ghosts. This isn’t a bad thing.
I’m kinda sad that the more recent ya paranormal fantasy books take themselves so seriously when this is the ridiculousness I could be getting.
Don’t get me wrong, half of the plots are absolutely unbelievable but it gets away with that because the whole tone of the book is so light hearted and fun that you don’t really care about that - it’s just a good time.
Would recommend this to anyone with a sense of humour.
Ps. This book is literally buffy with ghosts. This isn’t a bad thing.
May 28, 2017
This was a fun read. Going by the title my first thought was that it is a tragic love story perhaps. But it turned out to be something so amazing. This book is recommended if you are in the mood for some light reading. The concept of a Mediator who serves as a connection between the living and the dead is appealing. I like the character of Suze, she is one brave girl who can be a complete badass if necessary.
July 7, 2019
This book is written in an engaging style and the main character Susannah is a great character, a bit quirky and a typical teenage girl.
Susannah is a mediator, which to quote the sixth sense, she sees dead people! Many adventures ensue, oh and there’s a dead ghost, who happens to be a hottie living in her bedroom!
If I was a young teenager, I would absolutely adore this book, as an adult I enjoyed them too!
Susannah is a mediator, which to quote the sixth sense, she sees dead people! Many adventures ensue, oh and there’s a dead ghost, who happens to be a hottie living in her bedroom!
If I was a young teenager, I would absolutely adore this book, as an adult I enjoyed them too!
May 10, 2021
I read this whole series as a teenager and loved it! The ending is so satisfying and well done!
My one critique is that I bought this version, which I believe was distributed in the UK/EU and then I came back to the states and bought the American versions and they have differences! She doesn't refer to her step brothers by their funny nicknames. I recommend getting the UK/EU copies if you can, I like them more.
My one critique is that I bought this version, which I believe was distributed in the UK/EU and then I came back to the states and bought the American versions and they have differences! She doesn't refer to her step brothers by their funny nicknames. I recommend getting the UK/EU copies if you can, I like them more.
October 17, 2017
Different! The novel has a serious feel of the 'Young Adult' to it, probably because the main character is a 16 year-old girl from New York but I like the premise of Suzannah aka "The Mediator" having to help the Undead crossover. The ensuing adventures as she tries to fulfill this role are very entertaining and I will read the sequels.
August 20, 2019
I wanted to really like this book. The premise was intriguing, the dialogue is fun, but it seemed very dated, without any definitive period cues other than infrequent mentions of Janet Jackson or the Beastie Boys. The romantic aspects of this story were painfully shallow, too. This might have been a better story without feeling that was shoehorned in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews