Elliott, Jenny. Save Me.

Elliott, Jenny.  Save Me.  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2015  312p  $9.99  ISBN 978-1-250-06147-8        jr/sr  Conflict  E-BN

          

This is a great read for teenagers who enjoy a mystery and have an interest in the occult.  It is a fast-paced read that will keep readers alternately cringing and hoping for a romance to blossom between Caro and David (her English student teacher).  At the same time Caro’s best friend Rachel finds a friend in a classmate, but their friendship leads to trouble.  Amber, David’s ex-girlfriend, draws Rachel and her boyfriend into the occult as well as casting a spell on Caro.  It is the struggle between good and evil that is playing out in the story as a new roadblock presents itself on each page.  Rachel’s new friend, Garren, seems almost too good to be true as he helps everyone extricate themselves from various spells and provides an Archbishop for an exorcism.

Summary: Something mysterious is happening in the coastal town of Liberty, Oregon.  Cara has an unprecedented encounter with a whale, falls in love, and is bespelled by a witch. A new friend, who is possibly too good to be true, helps her survive her senior year.       

Occult-Fiction                                                    --Linda McNeil

Elliott, Patricia. The Pale Assassin.

Elliott, Patricia. The Pale Assassin.
Holiday House 2009 336p 17.95 978-0-8234-2250-0 ms/hs In Paris in the early 1790s, as the revolution gains momentum, young and sheltered Eugenie de Boncoeur finds it difficult to tell friend from foe as she and the royalist brother she relies on become the focus of "le Fantome," the sinister spymaster with a long-held grudge against their family. If you were an aristocrat, the last place you would want to be in France in 1789 would be Paris. Yet this is where orphaned teen Eugenie deBoncoeure found herself, abandoned by her guardian and unbenowst to her, promised in marriage to Le Fantome, a phantom assassin with a grudge against her family. Her brother Armand is a royalist who nonetheless favors a constitutional government. Armand does everything in his power to prevent Eugenie’s marriage and attempts to keep her safe amid the violence and destruction surrounding them. As the political climate in Paris becomes more volatile, he ignores the warning signs until it is too late for the two of them to escape. Armand trusts his friend, whom Eugenie despises, to guide her safely to their uncle in England but Le Fantome will not let her go so easily. Her harrowing escape plan barely succeeds and even at the conclusion the reader is aware that danger has followed Eugenie across the channel, even though she does not. Eugenie is a character trying to make sense of her changing circumstances while at the same time holding on to the ideal of romantic love but not realizing that appearances are decieiving. The terror of the revolution comes alive, with the intrigue, suspicion and uncertainty adding suspense to the plot. Well researched, this title is a close-up look at a young girl who fights to survive and who finds love in the process. What her future holds is uncertain and a sequel is suggested. Zajko, Rosanne