Enchanting Review: Coffeehouse Angel

COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL

SUZANNE SELFORS

YA

Walker

ISBN# 978-0-80279-9812-11

288 Pages

$16.99

Hardcover--Available August 2009

Rating: 5 Enchantments

COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL is one of my favorite books of the year. When Katrina finds a guy asleep in the alley behind her grandmother’s coffee shop, she first thinks he’s homeless. So when she does a good deed, leaving him coffee and a pastry, she has to admit she’s relieved to see both the food and him gone the next time she looks out the window. But she could never imagine what’s about to follow, for the boy in the alley is not what he seems and he’s determined to reward Katrina for her good deed.

There is so much I loved about this book. Katrina is a wonderful character, sarcastic, not to mention mortified at the sudden appearance of the kilt-wearing teenage boy who seems to be not only hounding her, but seems to be a wee bit of crazy, for he keeps swearing he needs to reward her good deed. So when he magically empowers a chocolate covered coffee bean with fame (what else does everyone want?) and it inadvertently ends up in the stomach of her best guy friend she couldn’t imagine the chaos its about to cause. And that’s when the fun really begins. There are so many great scenes in COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL but one of the best is when Malcolm crashes the school assembly the day Katrina leaves him the coffee and pastry and wants to reward her for her good deed, only to be kicked out by the principal. I loved the relationships Katrina has between her two best friends, including her long time best guy friend who suddenly thanks to the results of the fame magic bean seems to be falling for Katrina’s bitter rival, and not to mention the daughter of the man trying to run her grandmother’s coffee shop out of business which adds even more complications to her already chaotic life.

Readers looking for a really enjoyable and entertaining YA read won’t go wrong picking up COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL.

COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL is Ms. Selfors second young adult novel. You can learn more about her and her writing at her website: http://suzanneselfors.com/

Lisa

Enchanting Reviews

March 2009

Enchanting Review: Cycler

CYCLER
LAUREN McLAUGHLIN
Young Adult
Random House
ISBN# 978-0-375-85191-9
256 Pages
$17.99
Hardcover-Available Now

Rating: 5 Enchantments

CYCLER has a really intriguing premise that had me hooked from the jacket blurb. Four days out of every month Jill becomes Jack, in every single way possible. With the help of self hypnosis, Jill’s been able to block out those four days, but Jack on the other hand, well he’s been able to find a way to view Jill’s days to keep up with what’s happening in the world. Now he’s no longer happy having to spend his four days cooped up in Jill’s room. He wants out and he wants out for one reason: Ramie.

I loved this book. Aside from a really unique premise, Jill and Jack have their own voices that drew me straight in and made me like each of them almost instantly. Jack is your typical guy, except he only exists four days each month, but he’s growing desperate to escape his prison, one that becomes even more solitary when Jill and her mother find out about Jack’s first escape. Jill’s your typical teenage girl, obsessed with prom and going with the guy of her dreams, who also just happens to have Jack to deal with. I loved how different Jack and Jill were, and how the black moment brought them together in one horrifying moment that actually had me cringing as I read the last few pages.

CYCLER has one of the best scenes I’ve ever read, when poor Jill in an effort to attract her crush goes to the ski hill with her best friend Ramie. What happens with her and the J-Bar is absolutely hysterical and mortifying.

Ms. McLaughlin creates a very vivid, at times hilarious page turner with CYCLER.
I was so glad to read in the author bio at the back of the book that Ms. McLaughlin is currently at work on a sequel, as the ending leaves things wide open for one and I can’t wait to see what happens to Jill and Jack next.

You can learn more about Ms. McLaughlin at her website, http://www.laurenmclaughlin.net.

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2008

Enchanting Review: The Dead and the Gone

THE DEAD AND THE GONE
SUSAN BETH PFEFFER
Young Adult
Harcourt
ISBN 9780152063115
320 pages
$17.00
Print - Releasing June 2008

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales worries whether or not he'd be senior class president or if he'll get a scholarship to Georgetown. But all these concerns fade on the fateful day a meteor hits the moon. Life as he knows it will never be the same.

Alex is left to take care of his two younger sisters while trying to survive. New York City is no longer the bustling city he remembers. Corpses and rats line the streets. The only thing that still seems normal is St. Vincent de Paul, his Catholic school, where the kindness of the priests helps him survive day by day. If the severe climate changes don't kill him, then staying in NYC will. Will the faith of his sister Bri be enough for them or will Alex have to prove to himself that he has the strength to help not only himself but his sisters to survive as well?

I loved this story. I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. Ms. Pfeffer does an excellent job describing the horrors Alex and his sisters face once the meteor hits. Not knowing the fate of either of his parents, Alex calls the hotline and makes an appointment to check bodies at the Yankee Stadium. This scene haunted me.

I loved the depiction of the priests and nuns and how they looked out for the students under their care; also how Alex learns how to look beyond his own concerns and help not just himself but his family. Alex's struggles and fears were very realistic. Who knows what others would do in a similar situation?

Alex's strength and courage stayed with me long after I finished this tale.

I'd highly recommend this book. Also I recommend the first book, Life As We Knew It.

Kim
Enchanting Reviews
May 2008