Flicker & Burn

June 15, 2013
Sara Jane, high school student and reluctant Mafiosa, continues to explore her psychic powers and search for her kidnapped family in this sequel to Cold Fury (2012). She and her best friend, fat schlub Doug Stuffins, have holed up in the Bird Cage Club, her family's hideout, where she studies her family's secret notebook for clues to their hinted-at "ultimate power." When in public, she watches for the mysterious black ice cream trucks, which are driven by grotesque, asexual creatures; they were behind her family's disappearance and are, terrifyingly, now pursuing her. She juggles her romance with dreamy Max from school with her responsibilities as Outfit counselor at large, which find her using her hereditary "cold fury" gaze to keep the peace. As in the first book, genuinely intriguing details about the Outfit clash with the book's paranormal elements. Sara Jane's conveniently discovered psychic ability to generate electricity feels superfluous; the "ice cream creatures" are creepy but so over-the-top they clash with the real-life menace of such figures as Lucky, the Outfit boss (who, brilliantly, achieves catharsis by watching sad Disney movies). Narrator Sara Jane does a lot of telling, not showing, as she makes choices readers will find both inconsistent with her character development and repugnant. The occasional flash of humor or graceful turn of phrase is not enough to save this sophomore outing but holds out hope for future, better integrated tales. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)

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August 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to Cold Fury (Putnam, 2012), Sara Jane Rispoli is being hunted by "ice cream creatures," androgynous, red-eyed beings that travel the streets of Chicago dispensing frozen treats to children; they are intent on capturing Sara Jane, but she has no idea why. She is desperately searching for her missing family and hopes that the answer to finding them lies in the pages of Volta, the last chapter of a notebook written by her great-grandfather in an obscure Italian dialect. The book belongs to the Outfit, a mafialike organization. Sara Jane is also trying to understand and gain control of "ghiaccio furioso," her ability to call up the cold fury that makes the Rispolis an invaluable asset to the Outfit. With the help of a friend, she is able to determine the revenge-fueled motives of the man directing her pursuers. The protagonist concludes that if she can find him, she'll discover where her family is being held. She realizes that he is after the gene that controls ghiaccio furioso and will keep her family hostage until he can obtain enough of her blood to control the power it provides. Sara Jane's willingness to do whatever she feels is necessary to free her family, including increasing her distasteful involvement with the Outfit, makes her a flawed heroine. The ever-thickening plot, heart-racing action, and gory details will keep the pages turning.-Cary Frostick, Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

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