Secrets and Shadows

January 1, 2011
You'd think life couldn't get more complicated than discovering your boyfriend is a werewolf, as Jess did in 13 to Life (2010). Pietr and his Russian-American family are all werewolves, a product of Cold War experimentation. Normal, middle-American Jess will do anything to protect her friends from the forces stalking them, which range from the CIA to the Russian mafia. Pietr's mother is a prisoner of the CIA, and, worse, Pietr is openly dating Jess' friend Sarah. His motivations for doing so (and Jess' motivations for dating football star Derek) are murky but tie into the general air of mystery. Is there anyone in this town who isn't secretly part of the semi-scientific paranormal conspiracy? Complications ensue, with plenty of threads left unresolved for the inevitable next volume. For passionate lovers of the genre only, but they'll appreciate the virginal sexual tension, the snarled das and nyets, the testosterone-fueled feuds and the titillating glimpses of tragic history. (Paranormal romance. 12-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-This story picks up where 13 to Life (St. Martins, 2010) left off, with 16-year-old Jessica missing her mother, who passed away, and pining for her boyfriend, who just happens to be a werewolf pretending to date her unstable best friend. Jessica has to choose between Pietr, the werewolf, and Derek, a handsome jock who seems to have a dark secret, all while working with Pietr's siblings to rescue their mother from the CIA. Some plotlines feel quite reminiscent of the "Twilight" series (Little, Brown), with a supernatural love interest rejecting his human paramour for her own good, although his family embraces her. But Delany's story has some clunky slow parts and takes far longer to engage readers. However, it ends with a suspenseful bang, and avid fans of the first book, and of paranormal romance in general, will certainly be left wanting more.-Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2011
Grades 7-10 Jessicas love for Pietr Rusakova is only one reason she is in danger from people who would stop at nothing to capture and control the young werewolf and his siblings; she may hold the cure for the man-made mutation that created the Rusakovas in the first place. The large cast of characters and plot points from 13 to Life (2010) return, but the focus on the young lovers and great sense of impending disaster sharpen this rousing second outing. New readers can dive in without reading the first book, and new fans wont be long in arriving.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)