Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
ISBN:  978-0-385-73750-0

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When an author begins by using or quoting The Raven, (my favorite), then I automatically know I’m in for a wild ride.

Cooper Blake is a young man who is beginning his senior year of high school.  He’s had an absolutely horrible time trying to get back on his feet after a near-fatal car accident that almost left him dead and buried.  When he wakes up in the hospital room, Coop not only has to struggle to try and heal his body and mind, he also has to deal with the very real fact that a ghost named Samantha has materialized by his side.  In fact, Samantha is a big part of why Coop is still alive.  She sat by his side in the hospital room every day, being his friend, and telling him that he could overcome any amount of pain no matter what.  She did everything within her power to keep him alive and support him through the darkest time of his life.  Not only is Coop grateful to Samantha for that, but having an invisible friend is also beneficial during, say…a quiz, where she can “pop” around the room and retrieve the correct answers for him.

Now that Coop has somewhat recovered, there’s a part of him that wants to help Samantha.  You see, Samantha is tired of being a spirit; she believes that there must be a way to “create” a body for her – perhaps, out of clay – so that she can be human again.  Trouble is, Samantha has no idea who she was before she went to the “other side.”  She has no memory of what happened to cause her death, only the fact that she wants more than anything to be in a live body.

Going to the library, trying to investigate a way to help Samantha get her dream, Coop runs into a young man by the name of Brent in the paranormal section.  Not only is Brent interested in the same strange subjects as Coop, but he also seems to be a little “odd” himself.  As Cooper is introduced to Brent’s world – the world of telepathy – Coop gets even more confused.  Whatever happened to his nice, normal, boring life – playing football and prowling after cheerleaders?

Speaking of cheerleaders…Coop also discovers that the head of the cheerleading squad, Delilah, is also knee-deep in this mystical paranormal world, and she is on a path that no one could possibly comprehend.  Bring into the mix a man named Ryan le Coire, who is a mentor for all these teenagers with “special gifts;” and demons that come in all different shapes and sizes searching for a way to “feed” on the innocent, and you end up with a fantastic story that not only deals with the trauma and challenges of teenage life, but also offers a spell-binding story in the process.

This author published her very first work at the age of thirteen; I must say she’s truly a one-of-a-kind writer.  This story is powerful, fun, frightening, and intriguing all at the same time, and I can’t wait to read her next one.


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