The Summoning (Book 1, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Summoning. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450549
Award/Honor: Sunburst Award Nominee (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Mental Illness, Secrets, Friends, Romance, Love, Independence
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: The Lyle House for disturbed teens is not what it seems. Fifteen year old Chloe sees ghosts, but is she really crazy?
Summary: Chloe Saunders is 15, short, and has a slight stutter, but she also can talk to ghosts. Her screaming reaction to seeing a dead custodian at school gets her diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to the Lyle House for troubled teens. However, it seems that all the kids at the Lyle House have mysterious abilities. Chloe and her new friends slowly learn the truth about the Lyle House and it horrific past. When Chloe discovers the dead bodies of past Lyle House inhabitants, she and her supernatural friends decide that they must solve the mystery of their deaths and in doing so, save themselves.
Evaluation: While I thought parts of the story were, well, silly, I think teen girls will race through this one. Chloe is not a perfect beautiful specimin of a girl, which makes her more appealing right off the bat, and she struggles with normal teen issues. At first anyway. I do enjoy stories involving discovered powers, hidden identities, and magic, and this one fits the bill.

The Awakening (Book 2, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Awakening. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450556
Award: Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (YA Paranormal/Fantasy Novel, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Betrayal, Trust, Friends, Love
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are running for their lives from the Edison Group, a group that wants to control, and if need be extinguish, their supernatural powers.
Summary: In this continuation of adventure from Armstrong's first book, The Summoning, Chloe and her friends must once again run from the Edison Group and practice controlling their powers. Chloe can talk to ghosts, Derek is a werewolf, Simon can cast spells, Rea can burn people with her bare hands, and Tori is a budding witch. They are a group of supernaturals that are being experimented on by the Edison Group, a group that Tori's mom and Chloe's aunt are a part of. The kids make a run for it, leaving behind the institution that wants to control them, or, if that's not possible, kill them. They know it has been done in the past.
Evaluation: This is a fairly fast paced book chock full of magic, crushes, betrayal, and teens running for their lives with evil right behind them. I think it is better than the first book that seems to set the scene for this continued action. I really enjoyed both of these books and plan on reading the third, The Reckoning.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Stiefvater, Maggie. (2009). Shiver. NY: Scholastic Press.
ISBN: 978-0545123266
Awards: Amazon's Best Books of the Year (2009)
Amazon's Best Books of the Month (August 2009)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Love, Independence, Determination
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Attacked by wolves as a child, Grace survives because one wolf, her wolf, saves her. Since then, Grace watches for her wolf who comes to the edge of the woods and watches her. And then there is Sam, who fearfully waits for the cold.
Summary: Grace has been fascinated with wolves ever since she was attacked by them as a small child. What she remembers is being saved by a wolf with yellow eyes; a wolf who continues to watch her from the edge of the woods. Grace feels an inexplicable bond with "her" wolf, because she is sure it is the same wolf that saved her all those years ago. Then, when a classmate is killed by wolves the townsfolk decide to hunt them down. Grace hears of the plan and runs fearlessly into the woods to save the wolves and especially her wolf that she loves so much. Shots are fired, but what Grace finds is not a wounded wolf, but a naked boy. A boy with yellow eyes.
The story alternates between Grace and Sam, who readers know is a werewolf. The werewolves are slaves to the weather and change into their animal form in cold weather-hence the title of the book. Sam is the wolf that saved Grace and watched her ever since. Now, Grace saves Sam and hides him in her room where they fall in love. They both know the cold will return and with it Sam's animal form, but this time it might be forever. Sam and Grace fight to keep Sam in human form.
Evaluation: As far as paranormal romances go, this is a good one. Grace and Sam have a deep and undeniable bond that reaches beyond human or wolf form. Characters are well written and developed, and secondary plot lines keep the story interesting and moving along. I read this book because I kept seeing it appear on lists with lots of stars at the end. Also, I love a good fantasy YA book!