Dangerous Creatures

Gr 7 Up—Modern-day siren Ridley Duchannes and her hybrid incubus boyfriend, Link, head to New York City in this spin-off of the duo's "Beautiful Creatures" series. Link wants to make it big as a punk rock drummer but doesn't realize that Ridley is using him to pay off a debt to a menacing underground club owner. The siren is an unsympathetic character as she flip-flops between bitter and sweet, spewing snarky, melodramatic dialogue, which becomes tiresome and predictable. Link's bandmates are all different types of Casters with paranormal abilities, but distinctions between the various categories run together and become confusing. Narrator Khristine Hvam does an admirable job differentiating the characters' voices though, and sound effects that highlight the dream portions of the story are a nice touch as well. This offering from Garcia and Stohl will be enjoyed by fans of their previous series, but those wanting more intriguing supernatural romance might be more satisfied with Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone or Maggie Stiefvater's "Raven Cycle."—Tara Hixon, Cashion Public Schools, OK