Ashes to Ashes

August 15, 2014
Supernatural and real-life drama collide in a revenge fantasy run amok. Once again, readers will find themselves on Jar Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, in the company of (mostly) moneyed youth with little more to do than foment drama among themselves. Once again, the not-so-well-laid plans of ritzy (but good-hearted!) Lillia Cho and rough-around-the-edges (but good-hearted!) Kat DeBrassio will go awry. Once again, readers will wonder, what is going on with Mary Zane? What's going on is she's dead, and she has been all along, her spirit trapped on Jar Island and bent on exacting vengeance against Reeve, whom she blames for her suicide years ago. Why did she wait so long for revenge? Why don't Lillia and Kat try harder to find her or discuss the strange things they're noticing, and how do they suddenly become expert spell-casters when it's time to fight back? This trilogy has had readers pondering the differences between a read so bad it's good and one that is merely lamentably bad. The former includes cliched characters, predictable plotlines and clunky dialogue, but it also possesses a spirit of insouciance, a joie de vivre that propels readers breathlessly on. In short, it is a fun page-turner. The latter is a slog. Whittled down to a stand-alone, this might have been a classic of so-bad-it's-goodness. Instead, the series ends as it began: a tedious, overstuffed mess. (Paranormal suspense. 15-18)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-Following immediately after Rennie's death in Fire with Fire' (S. & S., 2013), Mary has realized that her suicide attempt was successful and her ghostly self is trapped on Jar Island. Lillia and Reeve are trying to hide their new relationship out of respect for Mary's and Rennie's feelings, and Kat is still reeling from everything that's happened as a result of their revenge plot. Mary is still fixated on making Reeve pay for what he did to her, and as she becomes aware of her powers, she schemes against him-and against Kat and Lillia, who have betrayed her trust and friendship. This one final act is all the ghost needs to be set free, with everyone who's hurt her punished-regardless of their intent or if they even deserve it. Han and Vivian complete their revenge-fueled trilogy with twists, turns, and intrigue, along with plenty of action to keep the plot rocketing along. Teens who have read the first two installments will be clamoring for this conclusion. Some strong language and sexual situations make this title most appropriate older teens. For fans of Sara Shepard's "The Lying Game" series (HarperCollins).-Brandy Danner, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.