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 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