Copyright © 2000
Publisher: HarperTeen (December 28, 2004)
$7.99 Paperback
$4.99 Kindle
304 pages
ISBN: 978-0060725112

Right off the bat, I’ll ‘fess up – I’ve come to the Meg Cabot party a little late. Meg started writing her young adult novels after I had already passed through that stage of my life and in fact after I had written my first young adult novel. After taking a too long break from writing, I am back to it and forging ahead, and along with that, I am reading more than ever. I knew I wanted to read some of Meg Cabot’s work, but didn’t want to start with the Princess Diaries series as it was ten books in length, and knowing me, I would have to read them all one right after the other and I had a book of my own to write. So, I started in November last year with the Heather Wells Mystery series (I have read all three currently available, but have only written the one review for Size 12 is Not Fat so far). Then in July while I was waiting for some feedback on my completed novel, through @compelledtoread on Twitter, I was led to her post about the Mediator series by Meg Cabot. The description of the series captured me, so I grabbed my Kindle and downloaded a sample of the first book in the series Shadowland.

To say I consumed this series would almost be an understatement. As soon as I completed one book, I downloaded the next and continued to read. Bless the ease and accessibility of Kindle to more reading material and thanks to Meg for having the books available in Kindle format so I didn’t have to go to the bookstore or wait for a delivery. Sometimes instant gratification can be wonderful.

We meet sixteen year old Suze Simon (short for Susannah) as she arrives in Carmel, California from New York City to move in with her mother, new stepfather, and three stepbrothers. She’s been living with her grandmother for the last six months since her mother married Andy because there was no space available at Mission Academy for her to attend school. Suze, who doesn’t let anyone except her mom call her Susie, is trying to make the best of it, but is not really excited to be leaving her friends, well, friend Gina, to move in with a new family in a strange new place, but wants to make her mom happy. She is distressed to learn that not only is the school she will be attending old, but her new house was built in 1849, and Suze doesn’t like old buildings. This may seem like a really strange dislike until you realize the reason Suze doesn’t like old buildings is that they are much likely to contain other things that are old, like old ghosts. And while in many ways, Suze is a normal, angsty, maladjusted teenager, the thing which sets her apart is she can see and talk to ghosts.

To cap things off, the first thing she runs into in the new house, in her room of all places, is Jesse, a ghost who has been living in the house, in her room, since the mid-1800′s and refuses to leave. When Suze starts Mission Academy, a catholic school, she is less than thrilled to almost immediately run into a ghost. It is the ghost of a girl who committed suicide and is the reason the vacancy opened up for Suze to attend school. What is mind blowing to Suze is she is not the only person who can see this particular ghost. Father Dominic, the principal of Mission Academy, is a mediator just like Suze. They are both shocked to find someone else with their gift, or as Suze sometimes thinks – curse. Father Dominic considers this to be a fortuitous sign and decides he must tutor Suze on the proper mediation methods, as Suze tends to mediate a little after the fashion of Rambo, striking first and asking questions later. As mediators, it is their job to help the ghost determine why they are still on this earth and help them pass on into the next life. Suze has found getting physical from time to time with the ghost in question is sometimes necessary, because it comes as a shock to them that she can actually touch them, and her punches hurt.

One of the true powers of Cabot’s writing is her ability to draw the reader into the story. Her characters are penned with authority, and they are quirky, yet lovable, even though sometimes a little prickly. We, the reader, can identify with Suze Simon as she worries about the minutiae of normal teenage girl life – how to fit in at a new school, boys, how to make friends, boys, clothes, boys, etc. We’ve all been there, or are there. Suze makes some poor decisions, and learns to regret some of her choices, but the teenager within understands why those choices were made. The writer in me pays homage to the power of Cabot’s pen. Meg you rock.

Copyright © 2009
CreateSpace
$ 8.50 Paperback
$ 1.99 Kindle edition & Smashwords edition
248 pages

We first met Tiff Banks in Along Came a Demon. During the course of the first book, Tiff Banks is established as a person with the ability to talk with ghosts, who are referred to as shades. Tiff used her gift to assist the Clarion Police Department with murder investigations. That career came to an abrupt halt when she accused one of Clarion PD’s golden boys, Royal Mortenson, of being a murderer based on the say so of the ghost of a little boy. The actual murderer was Royal’s brother, who looks so much like him Tiff had difficulty in telling them apart, so she couldn’t blame the shade of a little boy for getting it wrong. The police department was a little less forgiving. And Tiff didn’t even tell the police department that Royal is a demon. Okay, so that is what Tiff has been calling those beings which have metallic looking hair, glittering eyes, and pointy teeth. Although, Royal has had his teeth capped.

Since Royal is now Tiff’s lover and partner in the detective agency they have opened, Tiff learned Royal is actually a Gelpha. But she continues to think of him and others of his kind as demons. The Demon Hunters opens with a comic scene in which Tiff convinces Royal to go after a kidnapped cat for the reward money, because she was feeling the pinch of being out of a semi-regular consulting fee. After speaking with a rather nasty ghost called Freddy, they got a lead on where the catnappers were located. Tiff then uses her bad-tempered Scottie, MacKlutzy to bring the catnapper out of the apartment while Royal, who has the ability to move at lightning speed, rushed in and out with the cat. Having little dogs of my own, I identified with the description of MacKlutzy squaring off with the catnapper.

If there’s one thing Mac hates worse than cats, it’s being threatened. He recognized that tone of voice. Terriers are fearless. They literally do not perceive any distinction in size or bulk. Something stood between him and a cat and that something threatened him. Mac attacked.

Following this fun, lighthearted case, Royal calls Tiff to come meet some new clients, Gia Sabato and Daven Clare. Gia Sabato just happens to be an enormously successful author who sprang out of nowhere eighteen months prior to the start of the story. Tiff is surprised when the case ends up being about the abduction of a Clarion Latino former gangsta, who is the lover of Gia Sabato. Tiff doesn’t really like her new clients and suspects them of being Gelpha in disguise. On top of that Royal is acting very strange and keeping secrets from her. Add to the intrigue, the mysterious arrival of a nineteenth century journal kept by a fifteen year old British girl on the travels to Burma, and you have a case getting more bizarre by the moment.

When Gia and Daven unexpectedly arrive at Tiff’s house and waltz right in, Jack and Mel, Tiff’s resident ghosts, go ballistic and try to attack them and force them to leave. And even stranger, MacKlutzy, who never met an ankle he didn’t want to bite, runs away from them as quickly as he can and acts scared out of his wits. Even though she is the one who hired Royal and Tiff to find Rio, Gia Sabato doesn’t want Tiff to have too much information about the disappearance. Frustrated by being kept in the dark by her clients, and fearful her relationship with Royal could be on the way out, Tiff just wants this case to be over. Once Tiff finally gets them to let her in on what is really going on, she finds out someone is seeking out and killing demons and their Dark Cousins. No one will tell Tiff exactly what a Dark Cousin is, but she quickly figures out that they really don’t get along with Gelpha and that it is taboo to even mention what a dark cousin is. Join Tiff and Royal on their hair-raising adventure to find The Demon Hunters.

I first read The Demon Hunters toward the beginning of the year, put together a draft of the review and scheduled it. Linda Welch contacted me and requested we postpone the review as she was making some changes to the manuscript. I was very interested in seeing what those changes might entail. Being a confirmed tweaker of my own novels, I completely understood the request and tried to wait patiently for the changes to be completed. Before I received the revised manuscript, I noticed the cover had been changed. The original cover is depicted to the right, and I think the cover pictured at the top of this review is a definite improvement. After reading the book, I understood what the original cover illustrated, but I don’t think it would have immediately grabbed the attention of potential readers.

The bulk of the changes to the actual content of the book are additional scenes which definitely add to the overall story. There is an added scene which takes the reader back to the first time Tiff ever saw a ghost. This was good back story information, and something I had been wondering about. Since Tiff didn’t see ghosts until she was an adult, the shock of it had to have an impact. Welch also takes the time to tie up a loose end or two from the first novel in the series, as well as building some additional animosity between Tiff and her client, Gia Sabato. All in all, the revisions were definitely worthwhile, and worth the wait for the now completed product.

The first time I read The Demon Hunters, it was in PDF format on my laptop. This time, I transferred the PDF to my Kindle to read it. The PDF conversion did okay for the most part, but there were a few issues, such as anything in italics appeared to have removed the appropriate spacing. Any dashes showed up as some sort of character in a box, and some of the formatting was off, such as paragraph indents, and some carriage return issues. Nothing significant enough to drive me back to the laptop to read the book. One of the benefits of using the Kindle to read the book over the PDF format is the ability to highlight text and input some notes, so I was able to bring up my notes to help me construct the review, a very useful feature.

Linda Welch pens her characters with authority, and you are instantly taken into the world of Tiff Banks and her demon lover, Royal. Her story contains action from start to finish. You feel like you know Tiff from the instant you pick up the book and want to stay with her as she jets all over this world and through otherworlds in search of answers. I’ll be anxiously waiting for the next installment in the Whisperings series.

To preivew The Demon Hunters, click the Read Now button below:

Originally reviewed for the LL Book Review.

By Julie Elizabeth Powell

Copyright © 2008

$ 9.57 Paperback
148 pages

Knowing Jack is a book written by the Lulu Book Review’s roving reviewer, Julie Elizabeth Powell. I first encountered Julie on the Lulu forum boards and was struck by her enthusiasm and encouragement for other authors work. In addition to this her dedication to writing is evident, and I felt like I had encountered a kindred spirit from across the pond. I was very happy to have been instrumental in bringing Julie onboard at the Lulu Book Review, because she brings an added dimension to the team, allowing us to provide reviews of Lulu authors work who have not necessarily requested a review. My only delay in reviewing Julie’s work has been my own preoccupation with completing the sequel to Misfit McCabe, something I know that Julie understands.

We’ve all had those feelings. You know the ones I’m talking about. Where you feel like something bad is going to happen, but don’t know what or when. It’s just that niggling feeling at the back of your mind that can color how you approach your day. Twelve year old Jack Kane understands exactly what I’m talking about. All of his life, Jack has been plagued by knowing things or prescience. He doesn’t always get specifics, just a general feeling about things, or he’ll just know something without any idea as to why he does. Things like the time Mrs. Hodges couldn’t find her keys in her purse, and Jack told her she’d find them on the front doorstep. Or when Mr. Dixon missed the bus, Jack told him not to worry, that his daughter would be there soon and could give him a ride. Sometimes things come in dream fashion, that he doesn’t always understand. Like the dream that he’d been having for weeks about a hefty figure wielding an axe wearing a big flapping coat. He just knew that the dream gave him a bad feeling.

As Knowing Jack opens, Jack and his folks are getting ready to take a vacation trip to a cabin in the Lake District. Well, vacation for some. Jack’s dad, Frank, has to do a little work, taking some pictures and then doing a write up. The closer it gets to time to leave, the worse Jack feels. His stomach is churning and his head feels like it’s in a vise and someone is turning the screw. He tried to get the family to back out of the trip, but to no avail. In addition to the great feeling of dread that something bad was going to happen, Jack was not looking forward to the trip for another reason. Auntie June, Uncle Alan, and their ten year old daughter, Rosie would be there as well. Rosie was spoiled, the pampered, pink princess, and she always did as much as she could to give Jack grief.

On the way to the cabin, they had to stop to pick up the keys to the cabin at the Post Office. While they were stopped, a couple in a dirty white van came into the Post Office as well, and Jack’s feelings went into overdrive, complete with heart palpitations and sweat trickling down his back. As his father put the car into reverse to back out of the parking space and continue the trip to the cabin, Jack screamed for him to stop. While his parents were still recovering from Jack’s outburst, the van came roaring past and barely missed hitting the back end of Jack’s car.

Things settled down for Jack for the next little bit while they got settled into the cabin, and Rosie, the pain-in-the-side cousin, had not yet arrived. The next day, after helping to bring in all of the luggage brought by his aunt, uncle, and cousin, Jack went into the kitchen and found Rosie tearing up a mound of paper napkins and eating a chocolate bar which she had sneaked out of one of the boxes. The following passage describes the relationship between Jack and the spoiled Rosie in a nutshell.

“You’d better be nice to me tomorrow, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes…,Mummy says you’re getting too big for your boots.”
“And if you keep eating chocolate, you’ll not fit into yours!”
Rosie stuck out her chocolate-coated tongue before quickly putting it away and wiping her mouth when her mother asked, pointing to the shredded paper mountain, “What’s going on here? Who’s made all this mess?”
“It’s Jack, he’s been rummaging around in all the cupboards,” said Rosie, sliding from the stool and racing to her bedroom.
“Well, you can just tidy it right this minute…and have you been in these boxes too?” demanded Auntie June, lifting exhibit one onto the worktop.
“No,” said Jack glaring behind her back at Rosie who stood sneering and waving before disappearing behind her bedroom door.
“Well, clear this mess before you go!”
Jack scooped the litter and dumped it straight into the bin, wishing that whatever was niggling at him would involve something to do with Rosie being taken by aliens.

The next day, Jack and Rosie went with Jack’s dad while he took his pictures, and Uncle Alan went for a climb. While they were waiting for Uncle Alan to return, Jack’s pricklies were working overtime and he knew that they needed to move – NOW! Unfortunately, the car wouldn’t start. The white van appeared and was heading straight toward them. Jack’s dad continued to try and start the car and at long last the car lurched forward. Too late. The van smashed into the side of the car. Then it pulled back and prepared to ram them again, but changed course and instead of ramming them, decided to push them off the cliff. After the car came to a halt, Jack and Rosie, though shaken, were able to get out of the upside-down car. Jack’s dad was not so fortunate. He had been knocked out and his head was bleeding, but at least he was breathing for now.

This begins the adventure of a lifetime for Jack and Rosie as they struggle together to get some help for Jack’s dad, and at the same time trying to stay out of sight of a lunatic who is searching for them to finish them off. They persevere together through many twists, turns, and obstacles to an exciting conclusion.

Julie Elizabeth Powell does an admirable job of hooking the reader from the get-go with this story. Her portrayal of both Jack and Rosie are priceless, sibling rivalry at it’s best. Rosie quickly became my favorite character because while she is an absolute pain, pampered and spoiled, the longing to be accepted by Jack shines through. Ms. Powell handles the shifting relationship between Jack and Rosie with a natural, yet subtle progression as they are forced to rely on one another. Knowing Jack is a quick paced read, eminently suited for the target age group of young adult. I plan on passing this one along to my niece and nephew who are both in that age group, as I know they will also enjoy the exciting tale that Ms. Powell spins. Exciting, a few tugs at the heart-strings, interspersed with humor that can make you laugh out loud – who could ask for more?

I look forward to reading more by Julie Elizabeth Powell and she has several offerings to choose from. Slings and Arrows, which is true life account of the loss of her daughter; Gone, a fictionalized account inspired by Slings and Arrows; and The Star Realm, the first book in the Avalon trilogy fantasy series.

Originally reviewed for the Lulu Book Review.
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LK Gardner-Griffie
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