The Marked Girl

March 28, 2016
When three royal refugees from a magical realm are stranded in modern-day Los Angeles, courtesy of an uprising back home and a one-way portal, they befriend aspiring filmmaker Liv Phillips, an orphan who may be the key to finding their way back. Liv feels oddly responsible for Prince Cedric and his companions, but as she helps them search for the legendary scrolls that can open a new portal, she too is marked for death by the malevolent “wraths” tracking the prince’s party. In this ambitious yet overcomplicated debut, Klingele turns the typical portal fantasy inside out by bringing her characters to Earth; however, the complex backstory and rapidly expanding cast tend to overwhelm the sense of wonder and excitement she creates. Certain elements, such as the identity of the villain behind Cedric’s troubles, and a potential traitor in their midst, are broadly telegraphed, while the simmering romantic elements fail to light much of a spark. It all leads to an unsurprising cliffhanger that leaves much unfinished. Ages 13–up. Agent: Reiko Davis, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency.

April 1, 2016
A teen girl's destiny crosses with that of a prince from another world. In the parallel world Caelum, magic and monsters are real, and physically gifted Guardians--trained to fight the evil wraths--rule and protect. Then, in the middle of the night, crown prince Cedric is woken by wraths who have infiltrated the castle, neutralized the guards, and imprisoned the rest of the royal family. Cedric, together with his betrothed and a friend, only barely escapes through a portal to present-day Los Angeles, where they briefly encounter aspiring filmmaker and foster kid Liv. Two months later, Liv spots Cedric again and is dragged into his wrath-dodging life and quest to find the legendary scrolls that will enable the return to his world (and that story-savvy Liv openly declares "the MacGuffin"). The deeper Liv becomes involved with Cedric, the more she discovers that she might have a connection to the magic between the worlds after all--and the more she puts loved ones at risk. The pacing, punctuated by effective action sequences, keeps pushing forward at a good clip, but the story itself is downright predictable, with character-developing revelations and reversals right on schedule, an anemic star-crossed love triangle, and a sequel hook inevitable from the story premise alone. That said, the world-hopping magic will surely earn some readers' loyalty. Some secondary characters aside, the cast is largely white. Fast, light, and lacking in substance. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Filmmaker Liv is working on a summer project when three mysterious teens dressed in nightgowns and carrying a sword suddenly appear. After her prop sword gets switched with the teens' real one, Liv tries to get rid of it by donating it to a museum, only to spot one of the teens in a museum security shirt. Her interest sparked, she follows and gets pulled into their quest to get home. Prince Cedric; his lethal fiancee, Kat; and his snarky cousin Merek fled through a portal between worlds when the Wraths took over their country, Caelum. The only way to get back is by finding lost scrolls before the Wraths, who are hunting them, do-and unbeknownst to Liv, her life history holds the key. Debut novelist Klingele balances high-stakes action, plot twists, and comedic scenes of the trio learning about modern L.A., while keeping the plot rolling at a fairly quick pace. Liv is a strong main character who uses realistic self-defense when appropriate and has 911 on speed dial when she does something potentially dangerously stupid. Her background as a foster kid influences her reactions, and Klingele shows the various sides of the foster care system. Liv's caseworker, Joe, is one of the few people whom she really trusts, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been in a variety of homes and hasn't run away before. By contrast, the romantic aspects of the book aren't as strong, and the descriptions of Caelum sound like a generic medieval fantasy setting. The ending clearly indicates a sequel, where hopefully these issues will be rectified.

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