Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Daisy comes from a highly-talented family: her mother is a psychic who works with the police, and her older sisters -- Rose and Poppy -- also have psychic and telekinetic powers. Unfortunately, Daisy didn't seem to inherit any of the Giordano family talents, which means that she is often left out of family activities. But she has something of her own to investigate when the head cheerleader, Samantha, shows up for the new school year with a coffin and an unusually "dead" look. When multiple members of the cheerleading squad are attacked and end up in the hospital, Daisy decides that it's her turn to find out what's going on in the town of Nightshade, California, and whether the new fashion trend is more than it appears...

This was a short book with a light, humorous tone that was fun to read. Some parts of the story were a little predictable, but overall, the author does a good job of revealing pieces of the mystery at a reasonable pace so that it isn't too drawn out. I will also say that, even though this book clearly sets up a series -- based on what is revealed about Daisy's family and about the town of Nightshade -- I felt like this book stands fairly well on its own. Even though I enjoyed this installment, I didn't feel the need to immediately read the rest of the series to find out about all of the other hints. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a bit of mystery, some supernatural elements that aren't exceedingly dark, a slightly acerbic narrator and just a little bit of romance.

This book is the start of a series, followed by Dead is a State of Mind, Dead is so Last Year, Dead is Just a Rumor, Dead is not an Option, Dead is a Battlefield, and Dead is a Killer Tune.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Fairy Bad Day, Morganville Vampires, Dark Lord of Derkholm, or The Ghost and the Goth

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Katla Leblanc is a California girl. Unfortunately, after divorcing Kat's father, her mother has decided to move them to her childhood home, a tiny town in Minnesota. Kat finds herself called to be a member of the Icelandic Stork Society, a secret group of women with special powers; she is unprecedentedly young, but is immediately given special privileges, and not everyone is happy about it. Meanwhile, fashion-conscious Kat feels out of place in the town and her social status is not helped by an unfortunate date before school started with Wade -- a creepy guy with an on-again-off-again girlfriend. When she gets recruited for the school newspaper, she discovers that Jack, the editor, seems to be constantly arguing with her and, when they touch, she feels things she can't explain. Kat is discovering that adjusting to life in a new place is more complicated than she expected...

This was a really interesting story and I enjoyed the way that the series ties in Nordic myths and traditions, which are a little less common than some others. The characters are fairly realistic, although some personality changes were a bit predictable and too perfect too quickly, in my opinion. However, the plot was engaging and moved in some unexpected directions. The rest of the series is also more robust in terms of the complexity of the storyline, and bring in more of the Icelandic mythology and a retelling of The Snow Queen. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who looking for stories about magic in the real world and that tie in historic myths to the current day, with plenty of romance.

This is the first book in a trilogy, followed by Frost and Flock.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, Water Steps, Rampant, or the Trylle trilogy

Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Maggie Quinn is a fairly ordinary high school senior with plans to be a journalist. She is involved with the newspaper and the yearbook, and has somehow been recruited to photograph prom, even though she hadn't really planned to attend. Despite her occasional preternatural dreams (and her grandmother, who has the Sight), Maggie is rather skeptical about the idea of special abilities. But something weird is happening at school: odd, life-threatening things are happening to students, especially the popular kids. Not to mention the odd sulfur-and-brimstone smell. Maggie will have to put her journalistic sleuthing skills to the test -- and perhaps come to terms with her peculiar dreams -- in order to find the truth and save her school.

I expected this book to be a bit silly and fluffy, based on the title, but it was neither of those things, and I enjoyed it immensely. In addition to the well-developed plot and characters, the narration by Maggie (which is just a bit snarky) made all of these books a lot of fun to read. There is more of a religious/Christian aspect than I was expecting, but it takes shape more in a good-vs.-evil sense than in advocating or pushing any particular brand of beliefs. I'm hopeful that the series may be continued in future books. I would absolutely recommend this to fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy stories about demons in the real world, or who enjoy books with sarcastic narrators.

This is the first book in the "Girl vs. Evil" series, followed by Hell Week and Highway to Hell.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Fairy Bad Day, Drink, Slay, Love, Death and the Girl Next Door, or Celia and Kate

Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Mo Fitzgerald wakes up in the hospital after being witnessing the murder of her best friend, Verity. But it wasn't an ordinary mugging =- they were attacked by magical creatures -- and suddenly Mo's life takes a complex turn. Even though she's a "Flat" (someone with no magical abilities), she is determined to get revenge for Verity, who was secretly an Arc (magic user). She teams up with a mysterious and reluctant Arc, Luc, who is also searching for answers. In the Arc community, Verity had special abilities that were prophesied to prevent the end of the magical world; now that she is gone, Luc hopes that Mo may be able to stand in her place. Meanwhile, Mo also has to deal with family politics following the attack, since her uncle (who works for the mob) believes that it was a hit ordered by a rival family. Now, Mo will have to learn quickly and reconcile the different aspects of her new life, just to survive.

I really loved the concept behind this book and the way that it takes a standard fantasy set-up (i.e., surprise, magic is real, and there's a prophecy that our hero/ine has to save the world) and then turns it around. Mo is a compelling heroine who has to juggle complex secrets. I will say that I thought the love triangle was silly and felt a bit contrived, especially when it's introduced in the first book. Aside from that, I enjoyed the whole series and found the plot really interesting. I also liked the way that Mo grows throughout the books and finds a way to own her place in the magical community and to deal with "mundane" issues as well. I would absolutely recommend these books to older fantasy fans who enjoy stories about magic in the real world, or books that have complicated interpersonal relationships and secrets.

This book is the first in a trilogy followed by Tangled and Bound.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Princess Ben, Fablehaven, Living Violet, or the Morganville Vampires series

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Donna Underwood is not an ordinary girl. She is the daughter of two alchemists, both of whom she lost when they saved her from a fey attack at age seven -- her father was killed and her mother has been institutionalized, nearly comatose. The same attack damaged her hands and arms so badly that they were only fixed through a series of magical surgeries which implanted iron in her bones and tattooed alchemical symbols from her hands to her elbows. Although she is "homeschooled" by the alchemist Order of the Dragon, she does her best to keep alchemy out of her daily life, even keeping it a secret from her best friend, Navin. But something has changed; wood elves are turning up in the city and seem to be following her. Donna has to make choices about who to trust and how to come to terms with her heritage, before it's too late.

I don't have particularly strong feelings about this book. The writing was only so-so for me: there are several "diary" entries from Donna that felt more like a literary device than an actual diary; also, there were moments when the events or dialogue seemed just a little too fabricated, and one part when the main character appears to jump to wild, unsubstantiated assumptions (I was a little annoyed when there wasn't an immediate twist, but perhaps something comes to light in the later books). However, despite this criticism, I didn't dislike the book. The characters were realistic and well developed; the concept and the plot were also really interesting - both in terms of the study of alchemy and the faerie/demon/human triple world design. It's also clear that this book was primarily setting up some bigger issues and events that I assume will be addressed in rest of the series. Overall, I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who enjoy stories about magic set in the real world, particularly those that deal with faerie or magic with a physical/alchemical component.

This book is the first in a trilogy, followed by The Wood Queen and The Stone Demon

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wings, Wicked Lovely, Bloodlines, or Young Warriors

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching is leaving home for the first time to be an apprentice learn how to be a witch. Although she is excited to do something new, she soon discovers that witches spend much of their time doing chores and tending people, rather than spells and charms. What Tiffany doesn't realize is that a hiver -- a malicious entity -- is pursuing her because it needs to take over other creatures in order to have a body. She will have to find the will within herself to fight the hiver and to find a way to defeat it, before it destroys her or those she holds dear.

This is the second book in the Discworld series about Tiffany Aching, preceded by The Wee Free Men.

This book was light and amusing, but also had an interesting plot and world-building. The characters were believable, and well developed throughout the story. I have not read the first book about Tiffany Aching, and there are quite a few references to the events from that book, however, I did not feel as though my understanding of the story or my ability to enjoy it were affected by reading this book alone. The book also has some explanatory notes, mainly about the Feegles (the small, fae creatures from the previous book), but not enough to disrupt the story. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans looking for a less-serious read or who want a book about using magic and magical creatures.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Last Apprentice, Unfamiliar Magic, or Howl's Moving Castle

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Bethany is an angel sent to Earth with her brother, Gabriel, and sister, Ivy to fight dark forces in the small town of Venus Cove. They pose as ordinary citizens; Gabriel is a teacher at the local high school and Bethany is a student, while Ivy works within the community at large. Bethany has difficulty adjusting to life among mortals, made even more complicated by the attraction that she feels to fellow student, Xavier Woods. As the tension between good and evil becomes more problematic, Gabriel and Ivy try to encourage Bethany not to be involved with Xavier, but she feels more connected to human experiences than her sibling angels and feels torn between her duties and her feelings.

This is the first book in a trilogy, followed by Hades and Heaven.

For the most part, I liked this book, and the rest of the series. The story was interesting and the plot was relatively unique and went in some directions i wasn't really expecting. I did feel that the characters were not always realistic; in particular, Xavier seemed far too perfect. Overall, I would recommend this series to older fantasy fans who enjoy stories about the supernatural in the real world or books with a strong romance element.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Living Violet, Everneath, Twilight, or Death and the Girl Next Door