Bound

Gr 8 Up—Maura Fitzgerald, a 17-year-old tangled up in the dirty dealings of the Chicago Mob, is torn between her Flat (human) life and her role as the Vessel of magic. Half of Mo's life is trying to balance her status as a double agent, passing information to the Russian Mob for her Uncle Billy while working to put him behind bars. In her other life, Mo is the focus of a war between the Arcs and Seraphim, as her relationship with magic is more intimate than anyone suspects. Meanwhile, she is swept up in a complex love triangle with handsome Colin, a victim of paternal abuse and Mo's bodyguard, and Luc, heir to the Arc's house of fire. In addition to the destiny vs. freedom-of-choice conflict being overly superimposed on the plot, Mo's martyr syndrome becomes tiresome, and the prolonged ending leaves naught to the imagination. O'Rourke's exposition is choppy, the rules of written dialogue are sometimes ignored, and transitions between scenes are minimal to nonexistent, all of which force readers to backpedal through the mayhem. This conclusion to the trilogy is mildly entertaining, though it lacks luster in the great sea of YA paranormal romance.—Jamie-Lee Schombs, Loyola School, New York City