Elixir

September 20, 2010
Disney and pop star Duff's first novel is a largely predictable paranormal love story, breathlessly narrated by Clea, a homeschooled senior and photojournalist, who travels the world on photo shoots. Clea is recovering from her surgeon/humanitarian father's disappearance and presumed death a year ago, after he funded a dig for ancient vials of the elixir of life in Brazil. But when a sexy stranger starts appearing in her photos, Clea is suddenly barraged by dreams of past lives, loving this same man in each one. When she shows the photographs to her cute friend/bodyguard-of-sorts, Ben, he reveals that this stranger has been appearing in family photos since she was a baby. Clea and Ben meet the stranger, Sage, in Brazil, and all three head to Japan, following in the footsteps of Clea's father. Two groups desperate for the elixir are pursuing Sage, and tensions (and the love triangle) heat up as enemies close in. Clea is a likable though unmemorable heroine, and the writing is passable but never exceptional. The open ending leaves Sage's short-term fate (and Clea's eternal one) for later books. Ages 14–up.

December 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-Clea Raymond, 17, lives a charmed life. She travels the world with her best friend, Rayna, partying in countries near and far. Her mother is kept busy by her work as a United States Senator, but she loves her daughter with all her heart. And Clea has a cute guy trailing her every move-her bodyguard/voice of reason, Ben. Everything would be just perfect, except for the fact that her beloved father, a world-renowned surgeon, has gone missing while on a humanitarian mission in Rio. She can't stop thinking about him and his disappearance, and one night she stumbles onto something that might help her find him. Looking through photos she took on vacation, Clea notices a strange man who lurks in the background of every picture. Then, she starts having dreams about him. She's always a different woman in a different time period with him-and she always dies a brutal death. With the help of Ben, Clea travels to Rio to try and figure out the mystery behind her father's disappearance and the identity of the stranger in her pictures and her dreams. This entertaining book has a good mix of romance and suspense with a little reincarnation thrown in for good measure. Clea is caught up between the love she feels for the mystery man and the feelings she starts to have for Ben. Yet she soon figures out that there's more to this love triangle than she realizes. The fast-paced story will keep readers turning the pages until the very end, which hints of a sequel. Even those not impressed by the author's star power will enjoy this tale of love across the ages.-Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 Seventeen-year-old Clea, the daughter of a senator and a famed surgeon, is a paparazzi magnet, photojournalist, and world traveler. Things change when she notices a handsome, timeless young man in her vacation pictures. Even more unsettling, in some photos he seems to float, and the specter soon haunts her dreams as well. Vivid visions of past lives with this man make Clea curious and lead her to the jungles of Brazil, where her father has gone missing while on a search for the elixir of life. Whether readers are drawn to this because of Duffs Lizzie McGuire fame or are taken in by the surprisingly solid premise, they may be disappointed by the authors execution. The love between Clea and her mystery man, Sage, never quite reaches believability, and overall, the story reads like a friends hasty rehashing of a movie plot. The abridged nature of the narration also suffers from more telling than showing. However, with its paranormal-romance angle and celebrity coauthor, this title will still be in demand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)