The White Glove War

June 15, 2012
In the second installment of the Magnolia League series, the stakes are higher, the drama more palpable and the hoodoo even hairier. In 1957, on an island off Savannah, a few daring women struck a bargain with the formidable Doc Buzzard, a bargain that would keep them and their descendants beautiful, prosperous and powerful. Now, two of these descendants are ready to formally join the League as its newest members: Hayes, a natural Magnolia in the making who was born and raised in Savannah, and the outsider Alexandria, who grew up on a commune and has only recently morphed into a true socialite. Hippie-at-heart Alex has an ulterior motive for this seeming transformation--to save her mother's soul from her grandmother's clutches. On this quest, Alex discovers that her grandmother is not the only Magnolia to have ventured into darker dealings with the Buzzards, and that she just might have more of a friend in would-be rival Hayes than she had ever dreamed. The harrowing story is told by Hayes and Alex, their alternating perspectives keeping the tale fresh and transforming the previously one-dimensional Hayes into a complex character with her own goals and convictions. Though lighter on the romance, this creepy, cliffhanging thrill ride will still delight Magnolia League fans and leave them desperate for the next episode. (Supernatural thriller. 12 & up)

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August 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-This follow-up to The Magnolia League (Little, Brown, 2011) picks up with Alex, 16, playing the part of the impeccable granddaughter and member of the Magnolia League, a powerful society of women who maintain their beauty through magic. She has even dumped her beloved Thaddeus. After discovering that her grandmother is keeping her dead mother's spirit trapped between life and the afterlife, Alex vows to do anything to get her mother back. She forms an alliance with Sina, a hoodoo priestess who works for the Magnolia League even though she detests the group. Alex will give Sina dirt to help her destroy the group and Sina will draw upon her highest magical resources to bring Alex's mother back over into life. Meanwhile Thaddeus's sister and dutiful Magnolia member's perfect facade is falling apart, and Alex seems to be at the root of it. On top of everything, she is plagued by a spirit called "Gray Man," who destroys everything in his path. Alex's few clumsy romantic encounters with Thaddeus are awkwardly portrayed, partly due to his character's lack of real depth. The chapters alternate between various first-person narrators and a few oddly inserted third-person chapters, making for an uneven and hard-to-follow story. A vividly terrifying scene in which Sina coerces the evil spirit of the Gray Man to leave Alex alone is the high point of this otherwise scattered and confusing sequel. This one is for established fans.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

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