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

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Evie works for the semi-secret International Paranormal Containment Agency, tracking down creatures of legend and myth, to keep humans unaware and safe from vampires, trolls, hags, and other paranormals. She has lived and worked at IPCA since she was young because she has a special talent - she's the only one who can see through the glamours of every paranormal. Evie longs for regular, teenage experiences, but she's happy to have her mermaid best friend and to help keep the world safe. But then paranormals start to die mysteriously and pieces of a strange faerie prophecy may point toward Evie as the source. Now it's up to her to find a way to save all of the paranormal creatures she's been tracking down. The story continues in Supernaturally and Endlessly

These books are surprisingly serious, even though the tone is fairly light and humorous (told from Evie's point of view). Evie's character is well developed and it's easy to sympathize with her and some of the difficult choices she has to make. I will mention that this series ends rather abruptly; if you like to have all of the loose ends tied up or a "happily ever after" ending, you won't get it from these books. However, I did enjoy the books and I would recommend them to fantasy fans who enjoy stories of magical creatures and the paranormal in real life.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Sisters Red, or Princess for Hire

Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Velde

Nola and her mother are witches - that's why they have to keep on the move every time someone starts to suspect. Unfortunately, as she gets older, her mother starts to lose her grip on reality and puts both of them at even more risk. Everything changes the night that Nola accidentally witnesses a murder while using magic - but worse, there's a chance that the murderer might implicate them if he realizes their secret. So Nola sets out in an attempt to cover their tracks and ends up even deeper. Now she has to get herself free from the tangled web without anyone realizing that she's a witch or she and her mother will both suffer.

This was an interesting story and it's a fairly quick read; the end seemed a bit contrived to me, but otherwise, it was all believable. I liked the characters and they definitely kept the plot from becoming too convoluted despite the layers of complications. I would recommend this book to fantasy readers who like a little edge of mystery or a relatively short book that isn't too fluffy.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Howl's Moving Castle, Cecilia and Kate, Black Pearls, or The Immortals series