Author: Carrie Jones
Year of Publication: 2009
Genre: YA, fantasy
Pages: 306
First Line: "Everybody has fears, right?"
Summary: Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.
She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right--not human--in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
(Source: Back of book)
Review: While this book wasn't super original with it's characters (coughTwilightcough) or circumstances, I was surprised to find it was about faerie--sort of. I'm big into faerie books and this one is really more pixies than faeries but it was still nice to find one more. Dialogue was realistic for the most part. The plot was somewhat predictable. All in all, an enjoyable book but don't read it for literary merit or anything like that.
Worst part: The end set it up for a sequel which wasn't really necessary. Jones left it open on purpose but not in a way that guarantees a sequel. I would rather this book stand alone.
Best part: I liked the phobia things. I'm not obsessed with them, but they do interest me so that was cool to see.
Grade: B
Other Books by This Author: Girl, Hero; Love and Other Uses for Duct Tape and Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend.