Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Lindsay Scott was a famous child actress until she turned eleven and started inexplicably hearing anything that was said about her. She had what appeared to be a public nervous breakdown and left the public eye. Lindsay and her father moved to a small town in Illinois to a house that strangely shields her from the voices. But it's five years later and the fact that she rarely leaves the house has somehow been discovered by the tabloids, which are now reporting that her father is keeping her prisoner. When two well-meaning local teenagers kidnap Lindsay in an effort to save her, Lindsay's life is once again turned upside down and she is forced to reevaluate her options.

This story takes a while to get to the point, and there are parts that feel a little bit slow, but overall, the concept is good and goes in a direction that I didn't expect. The characters are also fairly well developed and I was interested to see what would happen with them; in fact, I was a little disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a sequel since I was curious to find out more about what happens to Lindsay after the conclusion of the book. (However, the story is not left hanging at the end; of the the major plot points are resolved in some way.) I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who enjoy stories about ordinary people with special abilities, or stories in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, The Seer and the Sword, Fairy Bad Day, or Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowan

Nikki has just moved to a new town with her mother and her mother's new - fourth - husband. As if that isn't enough, she's just found out that her father is a demon, which makes her a Halfling. Suddenly life is complicated as Nikki tries to balance the human world and the demon world (the Shadowlands), and each of them is problematic in different ways. In particular, she finds herself developing a crush on Michael, the boy that her father sent after her, even though a relationship would be forbidden. Also, Nikki is discovering that many things are different and more dangerous than they appear to be.

Overall, I liked this book; it was a quick read and the characters are fairly realistic. Some parts of the story are a little predictable, and occasionally the dialogue felt a little awkward to me, but it may get more interesting as the series continues. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy stories that take place in the real world and deal with relationships and romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: the Trylle trilogy, Entwined, The Mermaid's Mirror, or The World Above

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Alona is one of the most popular girls at school...right up until the day that she gets hit by a bus and dies. But she's still hanging around the world, suddenly subject to rules about being a ghost that she doesn't understand. All she really wants is to find a way to move on to a happy eternal afterlife, but first she has to find out how. Meanwhile, Will Killian is tortured by the sight and sound of ghosts that no one else can see. Even worse, one of the ghosts showing up lately is dangerous and wants to hurt Will. Will's talents have made him a social outcast and he purposefully tries to keep his head down, having nothing to do with A-list students like Alona. Slowly, Alona and Will discover that they might be able to help one another - but they'll have to work together.

This is the first book in a trilogy, followed by Queen of the Dead and Body & Soul.

This was an interesting book and I really enjoyed the character development and the plot lines in this story, which were much deeper than I expected. Even though it deals with some serious issues, it still manages to have a light-hearted tone most of the time. I will mention that the plot gets a little more complicated and odd in the second book, though I haven't finished the series. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who enjoy good stories with strong character partnerships and supernatural elements.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Slayed, Fairy Bad Day, Entwined, or The Wish List

The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

After the death of their father, Irene and her younger brother, Dorian move to a small village on the Normandy coast. Their mother, Simone, has taken a job as a housekeeper for a reclusive toymaker, Lazarus Jann, who lives in a mansion above the village. Although the entire family enjoys the change, the area is full of mysteries. Irene meets a fisher boy, Ismael, and the two of them explore a small island and lighthouse that local legend claim are haunted. Meanwhile, it starts to become clear that there is more to Jann than meets the eye. The situation gets more serious when a young girl is found murdered and suddenly everything turns dangerous.

I actually read this for a book discussion group and none of us particularly liked it (or liked it unreservedly, at least). The author does a good job of using imagery and building up the setting, but the characters are a little less developed and the "rules" governing the particular brand of magic in this universe are not clearly defined. More importantly, the story starts out as a mildly-creepy ghost story/mystery and turns into a convoluted series of stories - none of which make sense or are ever clarified by the end. And there are at least half a dozen plot points that are not resolved at all by the time the book ends. The story was definitely interesting, and not predictable, though I found the lack of cohesion frustrating and confusing. If you really like suspense and you're ok with stories that are vague or don't tie up all of the loose pieces by the end, you might enjoy this book, but I would generally not recommend it.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Poison, The Summoning, Swoon, or Flora Segunda

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Galen is a merperson, and the prince of a Syrena tribe who has come onto land after hearing from a friend about a girl who can speak to fish. Meanwhile, Emma is vacationing with her friend in Florida when she meets Galen. Although Galen is soon convinced that Emma is more than merely human, she wants nothing to do with him and refuses to believe his claims. But Galen believes that she could be important and works hard to gain her trust; it just has to be in time...

There were things I liked about this book. It was an interesting way of approaching myths about mermaids and the characters were fairly realistic. I felt like some of the pieces were a bit predictable, but it didn't detract from the story. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy books about mermaids or stories with a bit of romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Mermaid's Mirror, Half-Human, Midnight Pearls, or the Trylle trilogy

The Genie Scheme by Kimberly K. Jones

Janna is frustrated by her life and the fact that she and her mother don't have enough money to buy everything that she wants. But everything starts to change when she buys a hat for a homeless woman and her kindness is rewarded. The woman is a genie who will now grant wishes for Janna - and it turns out that the 3-wish rule is just a story; there are no limits! Except, none of Janna's wishes are going the way that she intends. Everything she wishes to have herself gets taken away from someone else, and unlimited wishes still have complex restrictions. Suddenly, having a genie around is less like winning the lottery than Janna had hoped, but she still has to use her wishes somehow...

This was a fairly good book and a quick read. It was definitely an interesting take on the "genie" concept, and well thought-out. I liked the way that the characters develop during the book and and the fact that Janna grows a bit throughout the story. I would recommend this to fantasy fans of all ages who enjoy stories that take place in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Magical Mischief, Fablehaven, Princess for Hire, or The Wish List

Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire by Julius Lester

Psyche was the youngest princess of a kingdom a long time ago. She was so beautiful that everyone who saw her instantly fell in love, causing problems throughout the land. When Venus (the goddess of love) discovers that the people have stopped worshiping her to spend their time looking upon Psyche's beauty, she sends her son, Cupid, to find a way to turn Psyche into a laughingstock. But when Cupid sees Psyche, he falls in love, as well - with her personality as well as her beauty. Even though Cupid has inflicted love (and discord) among unsuspecting people for decades, he discovers that actually being in love is complicated.

This retelling is narrated by a modern storyteller, lending a new voice to the Greek/Roman mythology and adding some interesting asides. I really enjoyed reading this story, which has beautiful, lyrical descriptions and characters with depth. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy retellings of Greek myths and stories that have some romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Radiant Darkness, A Kiss in Time, A Tale Dark and Grimm, or Once Upon a Winter's Night

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Despite popular belief, Romeo and Juliet is not entirely fiction, but it didn't happen the way Shakespeare claimed, either. Instead, Romeo killed Juliet to gain immortality and now he tries to convince other lovers to make the same decision. But Juliet didn't actually die; she was saved by the Ambassadors of Light who fight to save true love from agents like Romeo. Each time, Juliet temporarily takes over the body of a girl who is close to the couple in danger. But something is different about this mission; Juliet finds a new, forbidden love - but will it turn out any better than her first, or will Romeo destroy it yet again?

This was an interesting take on Romeo and Juliet, and an interesting concept in general. There were some things that I really liked about this book, and I definitely liked the level of depth that we see in Juliet. One odd thing is that it was a little difficult to understand the premise - this is partly due to the fact that Juliet doesn't really understand it, either. I don't think the premise is necessary to enjoy or appreciate the story, but if you really like to understand the background and "rules" that govern a particular setting, this book might be too vague for you. I would recommend this book to older fantasy fans who like books that have some romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Just Ella, Radiant Darkness, Wicked Lovely, or Once a Witch