I thought Moonstone, by Marilee Brothers, was a good choice for a Friday the 13th. (It's young adult and about my level of spooky -- which is to say, not much.)
My Reaction: This is the first novel, and first in the Unbidden Magic series, from author Marilee Brothers. I thought the descriptions about high school life were really believable (probably drawn from Marilee's experience as a high school teacher). And loved Allie's running commentary throughout the book.
My favorite thing about this story, though, was how Marilee played with the idea of getting powers and using them in a "normal" life. Allie's life didn't become a fairy-tale when she developed powers. The book wasn't full of people who were rich and elegant. I really appreciated this story of how a teen could deal with her real-life problems with the added complexity of a mystical destiny. Plus -- this book was lots of fun!
Bottom Line: Marilee's website is www.marileebrothers.com and she's on Twitter as @MarileeB. I'm writing now to ask for the next book in the series, Moon Rise!
Plot Summary: Fifteen-year-old Allie Emerson doesn't live a glamorous life. She spends most of her time surviving school and taking care of her mom, who has fibromyalgia, in the small town of Peacock Flats, Washington.
True to the rest of her life, she doesn't get her powers in a glamorous fashion, either. She's struck by an electrical bolt while adjusting the TV antenna on her mother's 24-foot trailer set up behind her uncle's house. Between her guardian angel, Trilby, and neighbor, Kizzy, Allie begins to find out about her powers and the "star seekers" and their fight against evil. The mystical moonstone necklace Kizzy gives Allie (which she says she's been holding for her) is part of the puzzle.
Allie's education in the mystic gets an unexpected jump-start, however, when Kizzy is attacked and Allie and her friends must decide who's responsible... and who they can trust.
True to the rest of her life, she doesn't get her powers in a glamorous fashion, either. She's struck by an electrical bolt while adjusting the TV antenna on her mother's 24-foot trailer set up behind her uncle's house. Between her guardian angel, Trilby, and neighbor, Kizzy, Allie begins to find out about her powers and the "star seekers" and their fight against evil. The mystical moonstone necklace Kizzy gives Allie (which she says she's been holding for her) is part of the puzzle.
Allie's education in the mystic gets an unexpected jump-start, however, when Kizzy is attacked and Allie and her friends must decide who's responsible... and who they can trust.
My Reaction: This is the first novel, and first in the Unbidden Magic series, from author Marilee Brothers. I thought the descriptions about high school life were really believable (probably drawn from Marilee's experience as a high school teacher). And loved Allie's running commentary throughout the book.
My favorite thing about this story, though, was how Marilee played with the idea of getting powers and using them in a "normal" life. Allie's life didn't become a fairy-tale when she developed powers. The book wasn't full of people who were rich and elegant. I really appreciated this story of how a teen could deal with her real-life problems with the added complexity of a mystical destiny. Plus -- this book was lots of fun!
Bottom Line: Marilee's website is www.marileebrothers.com and she's on Twitter as @MarileeB. I'm writing now to ask for the next book in the series, Moon Rise!
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