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.