Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight)
Lorelei McAllister has lived with her grandparents in Riley’s Switch, New Mexico, since the mysterious disappearance of her parents 10 years ago. When a devastatingly gorgeous new student arrives at the local high school—at the same time that Lorelei is being stalked by a broodingly handsome classmate—she finds herself at the center of a celestial battle. Jones, making the move from writing for adults to writing for teens, has thrown every possible element into this story, and by the end of the book—the first in a trilogy—readers may find themselves slightly overwhelmed by the information dump that sets up book two. But while the plot is at times muddy, the characterization is strong, particularly in the case of Lorelei’s best friends Brooklyn and Glitch, whose authentically snarky repartee helps to balance the sillier aspects of the story (such as Lorelei’s guilt about the fact that the Angel of Death is now stuck on this earthly plane because he didn’t kill her). Hand to fans of Lauren Kate’s Fallen (2009) and Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush (2009). Grades 9-12. --Kara Dean