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

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Hunter Wild comes from a long line of vampire hunters and she's a star student at the Helios-Ra Academy, which trains students to kill evil (Hel-Blar) vampires. Politics are more complicated, though, now that the Helios-Ra have made peace with the local Drake vampire clan. After Hunter gets a special invitation to a vampire coronation, she starts to feel conflicted about how her conscience aligns with her loyalties to her family and her colleagues. Meanwhile, students at the school start to get mysteriously ill and Hunter starts to work with Quinn Drake in an attempt to discover the cause.

I didn't realize at first that this is actually the third in the Drake Chronicles series; each book follows different main characters, so I thought that they might stand alone, but I'm fairly certain I missed out on some critical story lines by starting in the middle. However, the story was interesting and the characters were believable. This was a quick read that was relatively light, while dealing with some complex issues. I would recommend it to fantasy readers who enjoy stories set in the real world that deal with the supernatural, or who like strong female characters and a bit of action. This book reminded me of the Vampire Academy series - the world building and writing style were similar - so if you liked those, you may also enjoy the Drake Chronicles.

The Drake Chronicles books: Hearts at Stake, Blood Feud, Out for Blood, Bleeding Hearts, Blood Moon, Blood Prophecy.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Bloodlines, Sisters Red, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, or Fairy Bad Day

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Lorelai has lived in a small New Mexico town with her grandparents since her parents' disappearance ten years earlier. She has been leading an essentially ordinary life, except for her unpredictable talent to occasionally see visions after touching someone. However, things are starting to get complicated starting with the arrival of a new student, Jared Kovach, who calls up bizarre visions when he and Lorelai bump into each another. Even stranger, he and another student - Cameron Lusk - have an instant, mutual hatred. Cameron has always been a loner, but once Jared shows up, he suddenly takes an interest in Lorelai, bordering on stalking. Lorelai has no clue what's going on; all she wants is to be normal, but her life is about to change forever.

This is the first book in the Darklight trilogy, followed by Death, Doom, and Detention and Death and the Girl he Loves.

I thought this series was really interesting and I enjoyed it more than I expected. Although some of the bits at the very beginning seemed predictable, the overall story and how everything plays out was much more complex. The characters were also well developed and it was easy to sympathize with Lorelai, particularly later in the series. There was one small temporal discrepancy near the end of the series that I found annoying, but not enough to ruin the books for me; I was mostly just disappointed that the story was over once I finished reading the last book. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy books about the real world, "good vs. evil," and stories that are focused more on talents rather than "magic."

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Immortal Beloved, Young Warriors, Wicked Lovely, or the Trylle trilogy

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire, from a prominent vampire family that blithely kills human beings. They're responsible for hosting a ball for the vampire king, and for providing a human feast for all of the attendees. But her life starts to change after the night that a unicorn stabs her through the heart; suddenly Pearl can go out in the sunlight without burning to a crisp. Her family thinks she's gone a little crazy (after all, unicorns don't exist) but her parents discover a way to capitalize on her new abilities. Now, Pearl's job is to attend the local high school to acquire teenagers to serve as the king's feast. It wouldn't be a problem, except that she seems to be growing a conscience...
I really enjoyed this book and the fact that it had the best of both worlds -- evil, soulless vampires, and a touch of silliness and fantasy. The characters were well defined and the world-building was believable. Parts of the story were a little predictable, but overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to fantasy fans who like vampire stories or who enjoy stories of the supernatural in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, Rampant, Fairy Bad Day, or The Prophecy

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

It's 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia and things aren't great; the economy is bad, metal is stolen of the street for money, school classes meet in abandoned buildings, and demons are popping up everywhere. Riley Blackthorne is the only female apprentice in the demon Trapper's Guild, following in her father's footsteps. When a straightforward job trapping a Level One demon goes horribly wrong, it is only the start of a series of problems. After tragedy strikes, Riley will be forced to make decisions about what she truly wants, how she can make it happen, and whom she can trust.

The Demon Trapper's Daughter is the first book in the Demon Trapper's quartet, followed by Soul Thief, Forgiven, and Foretold.

This was a really interesting urban fantasy story that crosses just a bit into the futuristic/sci-fi world (though it isn't quite dark enough to be a true dystopia or post-apocalyptic story). The only thing that bothered me a bit is that, even though there is quite a bit of action, the overall story arc felt a little bit slow and a lot of the plot points were left open for the sequels (in the first book). The rest of the series does tie up most of the loose ends and keep the action moving. Although it's written in third person, the story alternates between following Riley and following Beck (a fellow trapper and Riley's father's apprentice), and the "voice" telling the story is amusing and compelling. I would recommend this series to older fantasy fans who like urban fantasy stories and strong female heroines.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Sisters Red, Enthralled, Wicked Lovely, or The Last Apprentice

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Devi is a high school senior, looking forward to college. At least, she was, until Bryan - her boyfriend of three years - broke up with her and she realizes that her whole life was planned with him in mind. While at the mall, Devi accidentally drops her phone in the fountain and suddenly it only dials one number: fourteen-year-old, freshman Devi. Once they get over the shock, senior Devi realizes that she has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reorganize her life the way she wants it, if only she can convince her younger self to go along with the plan. But as her world literally changes around her, Devi starts to wonder what she actually wants, and what she's willing to do to get it.

I really enjoyed this story, which was an nice twist on the classic idea of "what you would tell yourself if you could go back in time." The way that the author handled the time distortion was interesting, since "senior" Devi could witness the changes, but hadn't experienced the time in between "freshman" Devi's actions and her reality. Overall, I liked the characters and found them very realistic, and I thought that (aside from the magical temporal paradox), the situations were also extremely realistic. So far as I know, this is a stand-alone book, and it had a fairly satisfying ending. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who enjoy magic that happens in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Princess for Hire, My Fair Godmother, The Ghost and the Goth, or Steel