The Year of Disappearances

Ariella's summer is not going according to plan. First, her family self-destructed, then the bees disappeared or began dying, and now her new friends are evaporating. But she's not without hope. She knows the abilities granted to her as a half-vampire will help her, but will they be enough to save her friends? Joyce Bean proves herself an excellent choice for this first-person narrative. She fully captures Ariella, projecting her point of view with all the emotion and attitude of the strong character she is. Bean is particularly good at juggling some of the other eclectic characters in this story, but she always manages to keep the focus on the concerns of Ariella. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

March 17, 2008
Fourteen-year-old Ariella “Ari” Montero, who’s half human and half vampire, wants to know why bees are vanishing as well as humans in Hubbard’s smooth supernatural thriller, the sequel to The Society of S
(2007). Ari has moved to Homosassa Springs, Fla., hoping for happiness with her reunited parents, but after a hurricane hits and a fire almost kills Ari and her scientist dad, he leaves. Ari is further upset when a new friend, Mysty, disappears. The precocious Ari enrolls in college, dates and gets a crush on a visiting (vampire?!) politician, but is horrified when Autumn, another new friend, is murdered. After Ari’s father returns and becomes ill, she and her mom wind up fighting for her dad’s survival. The ending promises greater challenges ahead. Though Ari sometimes sounds more like 40 than 14, Hubbard’s intriguing tale poses a tantalizing question: will humans or vampires ultimately inherit Earth?