Who Needs Magic?

June 15, 2013
Two teen fairy godmothers with drastically different styles duel it out in this mostly clever follow-up to Don't Expect Magic (2011). Doubt plagues 15-year-old Delaney from the start of this sequel. She has newly come to terms with the wish-granting magic passed along to her by her father, but months have gone by since she granted the wish of her boyfriend, Flynn, and no further wish recipients have materialized. Adding to her woes are a rivalry with Ariella, an f.g. with powers that seem to dwarf her own, and Flynn's inattentiveness due to his summer job. With so many things going wrong, Delaney retreats to her old ways, hiding her feelings and telling no one about her struggles. While readers will be sympathetic to her plight, it's likely some will find her angst--"And then the moment's gone in an instant, cruelly yanked away from me, like always"--a bit self-serving. However, as in the first, Delaney's tendency toward gloom can also be wickedly funny, such as her thought that her dad's relentless attempts to win over the son of his new girlfriend are "[s]ort of like a prisoner-of-war interrogation with a domestic twist." A fun paranormal comedy with an overarching message about being one's true self and the power of honesty, it will be welcomed by fans of the first. (Paranormal comedy. 12 & up)

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