Crush

October 11, 2004
Misfit Goth-girl Elizabeth Mason endures what may be the worst 18th birthday ever when she discovers her dysfunctional family isn't her real one, and that they have purposely kept her origins from her in an attempt to hide a terrifying secret. This secret rears its unwelcome head when Liz discovers that, from now on, she transforms into a brutal monster named Crush whenever she bleeds. Her savage, man-hating alter ego swiftly sets about obtaining bone-crunching vengeance against anyone who's made Liz's life miserable. The short list includes catty popular high school girls, an obnoxious creep whose attempts at flirtation veer toward sexual harassment and a local redneck who is convinced Liz is a witch. Further complicating matters is a clandestine group, headed by the masked Mr. Vesper, who has a marked interest in Liz's unusual predicament, and a trio of murderous teen werewolves dispatched to lure her into the open for unknown but undoubtedly sinister purposes. As her enemies loom, Liz must determine how to cope with the unexpected existence of the ultra-violent Crush, with only her two best friends by her side. The polished, fresh artwork complements the fast-moving, thoughtful script and offers readers an intriguingly skewed journey into Hulk territory.

May 1, 2005
Gr 10 Up -"There are many different types of monsters in the world -&and today I have changed into the worst kind of all -&an adult." So begins the morning of Liz Mason's 18th birthday. In a world of subtle and not so subtle horrors (her dad's abusive and her mom dresses like a prostitute), she is about to meet one monster she never counted on -herself. Liz's problems are a bit different from those of the normal outcast; she learns that her parents aren't really her parents and that she seems to be something, well, not quite human. And it appears that every time she bleeds, she transforms into a brutal beast named Crush. Her savage side swiftly sets about obtaining bone-crunching vengeance against anyone who has ever made her life miserable. As if that weren't bad enough, Liz soon has to deal with a mysterious, deadly, ruthless agent tailing her -with a pack of teenage werewolves. What at first seems to be a curse may be the one thing that leads her to understand who she truly is. The polished, fresh color artwork complements the fast-moving story. Astute readers will notice that Liz is depicted as more angular and hard at the beginning of the story but, as she learns to accept herself, she becomes softer and rounder." -Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.