Unlovely

October 15, 2014
As Harley begins dating one of a group of ballerinas, he starts to become suspicious of the potentially threatening behavior of the rest.Back from his first year of college, he's on the rebound from the sad ending of his lifelong friendship and recent romantic relationship with Mairin, who has now gotten pregnant by and is about to marry an unsavory and rough-cut local. Harley's initially thrilled-and stunned-to be dating the graceful and lovely Cassandra; there has been a vast gulf between town residents and the sophisticated ballerinas at Ocean Watch, the local, prestigious ballet academy. The tragic and perhaps not accidental death of a young man at the school several years ago has created an even wider divide. After Cassandra is given the starring role in Giselle, Harley senses both a change in her behavior and an uncomfortable parallel between those disturbing ballerinas and the equally creepy, classic ballet. With Mairin's life spiraling downward, Harley discovers that the unpredictable Cassandra is an inadequate and maybe even dangerous substitute. The narrative moves believably from predictable romance to somewhat chilling horror; it takes too long for fans of that genre but does add spice to the tale. Recommended for those who want more than just a romance-or for readers who have an innate dislike for slender, graceful young women with long legs and necks and great posture. (Suspense. 14-18)

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December 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Harley Jamison has returned to his island home after his first year of university, not expecting to feel as much of a stranger as he does. His former girlfriend Mairin (with whom it was assumed Harley would spend the rest of his life) has a new guy, is pregnant, and doesn't seem happy. In an attempt to convince himself that he's over her, Harley becomes involved with a student from the dance school nearby. Having grown up in the town, he's well aware that the residents view the dancers with a hostile suspicion, mostly due to the death of a local boy who was killed in a fall from one of the school's upper-story windows, but Cassandra is charming and very beautiful. When Cassandra is cast in the lead role of Giselle, she changes, becoming unpredictable and eerily mimicking the behavior of the ballet's doomed heroine. Scenes in which she lures Harley to the school's grounds late at night have an aura of dangerous unreality, but rather than being drawn into the suspense, readers are merely observers. An additional purchase for librarians looking to beef up their YA thriller collections.-Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach Public Library, Los Alamitos, CA

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