Afterlight

February 1, 2016
Australian high school senior Sophie Teague is left living above her Gran’s bar and hotel following the deaths of her mother, a former stripper, and father, an ex-biker gang member. When Sophie sees a news report about a missing girl who resembles her mother, she doesn’t give it a second thought until the same girl repeatedly appears by her bed as a ghost, beckoning Sophie to perform heroic deeds through a jigsaw of clues. Just when Sophie’s popularity as “The Saviour of Sancerre Street” hits its zenith, she learns that her crush, Jordan, can also see the girl, who Sophie has come to call Eve. Together they dig into Eve’s disappearance as Jordan, a gatekeeper of a spiritual world steeped in guardianship rituals, tries to keep Sophie safe. The more they delve into Eve’s last moments, the further they fall in love, but that may not be enough to save them. Though Jordan’s underworld dealings feel extraneous at times, Lim (The Astrologer’s Daughter) delivers satisfying action and romance throughout, continually raising the stakes on the way toward a chilling, violent ending. Ages 14–up.

February 15, 2016
A misfit Australian teen reluctantly pursues a strong connection with the dead to solve a murder. After Sophie Teague's parents die in a motorcycle accident, she carries on with life as best she can, helping her loving Gran run an unpretentious bar and hotel in an ethnically diverse working-class neighborhood of Melbourne, but remains poleaxed by grief. Though she switches schools for "a fresh start," her lanky, 6-foot frame and brilliant mane of curly red hair render getting through her last year of high school under the radar an impossible dream. When a pleading, faintly malevolent spirit appears, wordlessly insisting that Sophie settle some karmic debts, the kindhearted teen does the right thing, even at great personal risk. Her good deeds result in brutal attention from the meanest girls in school as well as assistance and romance from Jordan, whose tough exterior belies a tender heart and considerable skill as a necromancer. As in her triumphant The Astrologer's Daughter (2015), Lim carefully unspools her tightly plotted fantastical mystery with a reluctant, socially maladroit heroine and an unlikely partner at the center. Her insistent focus on murders of people at society's fringes and the ability of teen girls to right truly foul injustices are both most welcome, though they don't quite overcome the letdown of a too-hasty conclusion. Readers will hold out hope for a second installment set in Lim's richly imagined world. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Shortly after Sophie Teague's parents are killed in a motorcycle accident, a ghost visits her in the night. Eve, a beautiful ghost dressed in black, returns nightly seeking Sophie's help. It starts with visions that send Sophie off around Melbourne to find a school, a car, and a boy. She ends up saving the boy from being kidnapped. Eve continues to visit Sophie at night and impart images to her that help Sophie find and tie up loose ends. The only other person who can see Eve is "the most seriously beautiful guy in year 12," Jordan Haig. The novel is told from the first-person point of view of Sophie, a self-deprecating, insecure teenage girl with a sarcastic sense of humor. This is a story of grief, as well as a mystery thriller with supernatural aspects and some romance. Due to some profanity, this book would be best for mature teens. The ending leaves readers wanting more, but it is unclear if there will be a sequel or if this is a stand-alone. Fans of Meg Cabot's "The Mediator" series (HarperCollins) will enjoy the similar story line of a teen girl who is a liaison between the living and the dead. VERDICT This quick read will have teens rooting for Sophie to save the day, help Eve, and make them believe ghosts exist.-Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY

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