Draw the Dark by Ilsa Bick

How I managed to read two books in a row about a guy who struggles with a difficult power, I never know...but I did.

Christian has a gift, although he sees it as a curse. He can make people's darkest fears come alive on paper, or draw their death. It worked on his teacher when he was seven and on his aunt when he was ten. Since then he's struggled to control it.

But he can't control his mind when he's asleep. He wakes up one morning sore and still tired, to find his uncle, the sheriff, wanting him in for questioning. In his sleep Christian went to an old barn owned by the richest guy in town and, hanging from a rope by one arm, spray-painted "I Saw You" with a couple of Nazi swastikas. He has no memory of this, but must clean it off and do community service.

Working at the nursing home isn't so bad until he stumbles upon Mr. Witek. Somehow they're all involved and Christian knows he must figure it all out before it's too late.

Amazing book. Slow start, but by the middle it's going at a good speed. The mysteries get more involved as you go along, and Christian's visions on paper get stranger and stranger. Very enjoyable and not at all scary, like I thought it was going to be!

Venomous by Christopher Krovatin

Locke has problems controlling his anger. He calls it 'the venom' and when he loses control, people get hurt. He doesn't want the venom to be in control at all, but he can't always help it.

Then Locke meets Renee and she seems to have the power to keep the venom under lock and key. His best friend Randall introduces Locke to her and to a whole group of people, including Casey, who has his own dark side to struggle with.

The venom won't stay quiet for long, though, and things are far from over. Can Locke figure out how to conquer it once and for all?

Fascinating book. Locke is a complicated character, and even though I was thinking about Spiderman from almost the beginning...you do want him to figure everything out. The supporting characters for the most part are well-drawn and have their own voices. The venom's voice, when it comes out, is a little creepy.

Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer

Maddy's Home Ec class has had some...problems. In the past three months, three girls have died. They weren't well known, but after the third death, people start to wonder.

Then Maddy runs into the new boy Stamp, literally. He asks her to meet him at a party one night, so she sneaks out. On the way, she's struck by lightning and dies.

She's not dead though, just undead. A zombie. And as such, she needs to follow the rules or be put down for good. But Bones and Dehilia--no surprise they're Zerkers--can't wait to take Maddy down. Going through everyone she cares about to do it. And Maddy must join Dane and Chloe to fight.

Too bad none of them know what to expect.

I enjoyed this zombie romance. Maddy's a fun character, but she isn't the only fully-fleshed one. The setting is well-done and even though almost everyone dies, highly entertaining.

Virgin Territory by James Lecesne

Dylan didn't want to move to Florida from New York City, but everything changes when his mom dies. The move was suppose to be temporary, but Dylan's grandmother is in a nursing home and escapes often enough that Dylan's father wants to be nearby.

Then the image of the Virgin Mary appears in a tree on the golf course Dylan works at, and everything changes. He meets Angela and the Virgin Club, where they do what they want and are willing to take the risk. Soon they're all breaking into houses and unknown to Dylan, stealing things. One thing Angela steals is the small figurine his grandmother treasures, and getting it back could be life or death for her.

I did enjoy the book, although if you're looking for more stuff with the Virgin Mary, you will be disappointed. That's the catalyst that brings everyone together, but that's almost a sidenote. A good realistic fiction. Especially with a guy as the main character.

Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

Cass gets along with the dead a whole lot better than the living, but that could be because the dead know almost everyone's secrets--and they're willing to share. Cass uses these secrets to protect herself.


Then Tim, a senior who's mom died, guesses at her secret. He's willing to do anything if she'll just see if she can talk to his mom. Cass thinks this is the perfect opportunity to get back at her ex-best friend and her boyfriend for backstabbing her in the 7th grade, but revenge leaves her cold.


Then enters the complications of her feelings for Tim and his obvious downward spiral. Can she attempt to find a place among the living again?

Yeah, it's chick lit, but it's got a nice paranormal angle to keep things interesting. Cass does some growing, which is good, even though part of me didn't want her to, and it seems realistic. I enjoyed it!

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

John, or Four, is not from Earth. He is one of nine Legacies escaped from Lorien before it was decimated. In those nine sets the fate of the universe.

But the first three are dead and the Legacies must be killed in order. John and Henri, his guardian, head to Ohio to hide, again. It's worse this time, since John knows he's next.

He still tries for a normal life. Sarah, a girl who catches his eye from the beginning, is also interested in him, and Sam, a nerd fascinated by space and aliens, are his two only friends. John tries to avoid drawing attention, but it only works to a point. Meanwhile, his powers are developing; he is able to control light and fire, move things with his mind, and that's just the surface.

Then Sarah gets trapped in a burning building and all hell breaks loose. John's cover is blown and the Mogadorians are coming.

While the action keeps up, even with John's training and everything at school, nothing really happens until late in the book. The story has a lot of good elements, but the ending felt like the movie Thor: "I'll come back for you". A good book and it should be popular. Who doesn't like a superhero.

Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Ok, so once again, I find myself reading a book in a series, and I don't want to give away what happens in the other two books by talking a lot about this book.

What I will say about this book is this one was the best of the three. I didn't think it would be when I started, but I absolutely could not put it down. This pulls stories mostly out of the 2nd book, Dead-Tossed Waves, but there are a few references back to The Forests of Hands and Teeth.

Well worth the read, and wonderful!