After Midnight

April 1, 2011
Viehl (Dreamveil, 2010) marks her debut for teens with this, the first in a trilogy. Trick Youngblood aims to settle with his younger siblings, Cat and Gray, in Lost Lake, Fla. Cat is glad, especially after she learns, no thanks to her brothers, that the farm is an inheritance from her late parents, about whom she knows little. This is one of many secrets her brothers are keeping. Cat has one, too: Jesse Raven. Inexplicably drawn together, they meet nightly, with Jesse braving the garlic-laden, iron barb wire surrounding the farm ("pest control" according to Trick). Predictably, when their families uncover the bond, they conspire to keep Cat and Jesse apart. Readers will identify with never-been-kissed Cat, who narrates the story. Jesse, while romantic, is strangely lifeless, as are many of the characters. An eternity passes before Cat realizes that Jesse is a vampire, and the revelation of Cat's lineage (part Van Helsing–part vampire) is anticlimactic. Instead, the action depends on a bullying episode at school, which spins on an anachronistic portrayal of a mentally ill classmate. Several threads are left unexplored, such as the inbred abilities of the siblings and the bad blood between the clans—all, no doubt, to be revealed in future books. The youngest Twilight fans with a taste for chaste romance will devour this; others will find their hunger unsated. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2011

Gr 8-10-Since her parents' deaths when she was young, Catlyn Youngblood, a sophomore, has never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. She dreams of the day when she can settle down with her adult brothers and live a normal teenage life. She gets her wish when the family moves to Lost Lake, FL, but things quickly become complicated. Not only does she have a difficult time fitting in at school, but she also senses that something in not quite right in her new surroundings. Horseback riding late one night, Catlyn meets Jesse Raven, a good-looking but mysterious boy to whom she is immediately drawn. She learns that his family is surrounded by secrets and that these secrets are rooted in the history of Lost Lake. Between their nightly rendezvous and Catlyn's investigation, she discovers that her family and the Ravens are linked in ways she never expected. After Midnight is an engaging read that is full of suspense, intrigue, and romance. Viehl addresses issues such as loyalty to family while being true to oneself, all woven in with a paranormal setting. However, while certain parts are intense, the pacing is a bit off and at points seems to drag. The ending is also a bit rushed with so much happening that readers will be left wanting more. Fans will have to wait for the next installment.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

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