Category: Meg Cabot; paranormal romance Rating: ** Read May 23-May 25
"All in all, I am a pretty normal, everyday American teenage girl. Except, of course, for the fact that I can talk to the dead . . . I have to tell you, sometimes I prefer the company of the undead to the company of my peers. Sixteen-year-olds can be really scary."
Summary: Susannah Simon is a mediator, meaning she can see, converse, and interact with ghosts. Most of the ghosts she encounters are waiting around to solve some unfinished business before moving on to the afterlife, and she typically takes it upon herself to help them reunite with their loved ones or solve the mystery of their death. Or perform an exorcism and kick some ghost butt when she needs to. Shadowland, the first of the Mediator book series, is all about Suze's adjustment to her new life when she moves from New York to live with her new stepfather and stepbrothers in northern California. She meets Jesse, a hunky Spanish ghost inhabiting her new bedroom, and Heather, the ghost of the ex-sophomore class vice president who is seeking revenge.
Personal Reaction: This was my first Meg Cabot read, and I don't think the genre is for me. I was liking the book well enough until the final chapters and climax. All of the pieces just fell in place too easily, which made the resolution seem dull and predictable. I also had a difficult time connecting with or even liking the protagonist. Suze is a little underdeveloped and flat for my taste.
Readers as young as 7th grade could enjoy this book, especially because there were no major language or drug/sex/alcohol references. The only questionable subject matter is the violence with which Suze "handles" the ghosts. It's not graphic, but it's there. I didn't really care for it. I wish Cabot had found more creative ways for Suze to deal with the ghost problem than just punching them in the face.
Rating: **
Read May 23-May 25
"All in all, I am a pretty normal, everyday American teenage girl. Except, of course, for the fact that I can talk to the dead . . . I have to tell you, sometimes I prefer the company of the undead to the company of my peers. Sixteen-year-olds can be really scary."
Summary: Susannah Simon is a mediator, meaning she can see, converse, and interact with ghosts. Most of the ghosts she encounters are waiting around to solve some unfinished business before moving on to the afterlife, and she typically takes it upon herself to help them reunite with their loved ones or solve the mystery of their death. Or perform an exorcism and kick some ghost butt when she needs to. Shadowland, the first of the Mediator book series, is all about Suze's adjustment to her new life when she moves from New York to live with her new stepfather and stepbrothers in northern California. She meets Jesse, a hunky Spanish ghost inhabiting her new bedroom, and Heather, the ghost of the ex-sophomore class vice president who is seeking revenge.
Personal Reaction: This was my first Meg Cabot read, and I don't think the genre is for me. I was liking the book well enough until the final chapters and climax. All of the pieces just fell in place too easily, which made the resolution seem dull and predictable. I also had a difficult time connecting with or even liking the protagonist. Suze is a little underdeveloped and flat for my taste.
Readers as young as 7th grade could enjoy this book, especially because there were no major language or drug/sex/alcohol references. The only questionable subject matter is the violence with which Suze "handles" the ghosts. It's not graphic, but it's there. I didn't really care for it. I wish Cabot had found more creative ways for Suze to deal with the ghost problem than just punching them in the face.