The Awakening

Starred review from September 15, 2007
Gaby Cody has never lived a normal life. Born from the body of a woman stricken dead by lightning, raised in foster care until a priest took her in, she has never dated or even been kissed. Preternaturally strong, she knows evil exists because God sends her to fight it, armed with a big knife and superquick reflexes. When called to fight evil, she is filled with horrific pain that propels her in the direction she needs to go and alters her appearance. The evil beings she slays look demonic to her but normal to others, so Gaby must always try to blend in and avoid detection, or risk being labeled a murderer and prevented from fulfilling her mission. After slicing and dicing an evil pedophile covered with hideous tumors, Gaby encounters police detective Luther Cross, who is drawn to her but suspicious. Meanwhile, a diabolical doctor is experimenting on evil cancer patients. The first book in a new series, The Awakening features a unique heroine, a wonderful hero, and a likable sidekickGabys landlord, timid comic-book store owner Mort, who loves a graphic-novel series that Gaby secretly writes. The gritty, atmospheric, inner-city setting, graphic violence, and raw language are perfect for a story that unfolds, scene by scene, like a graphic novel and cries out to be graphic-novelized en route to the movies. May this be just the first in a long series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)