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