Witch World

December 24, 2012
In this bloated series launch from the prolific Pike, when Jessie accompanies her graduating class to Las Vegas for the weekend, she meets a mysterious man with a knack for winning at cards. Soon after, Jessie is killed, but she returns to life to learn that she's a witch with superhuman abilities, able to dwell in two different worlds at once. What follows is a muddied sequence of events involving alternate realities and people with multiple counterparts. As Jessie learns the truth about her heritage, reconciles with her boyfriend, and fights to save the daughter she never knew she had, she gets further entangled in a millennia-old battle between two opposing witch factions. Readers may struggle with Jessie's convoluted narration ("Anyway, the first time we had sex, that was important. It had been in the shower, like I told him, or rather, just after we took a shower. But he was right about one thingâhe had not spent time in the shower washing the oil off his hands"), and Pike's premise is needlessly complicated. A chaotic jumble of supernatural tropes. Agent: Jennifer Unter, the Unter Agency. Ages 14âup.

June 1, 2013

Gr 11 Up-Jessi Raleigh and her friends are looking forward to a high school graduation party in Las Vegas. They have fake IDs and are ready to gamble and drink the night away. However, the party ends when Jessie meets Russ. He teaches her how to win at blackjack and Jessie plans to use him to help her forget her ex-boyfriend, Jimmy. From Russ, Jessi also learns about Witch World. There is an alternate world in which Jessie is Jessica, and her daughter is a perfect witch with extraordinary powers-and the daughter of James, Jimmy's other half. While coming to terms with Witch World, Jessie must also decide about her true feelings for Jimmy. Both are important if she wants to rescue her daughter, who has been kidnapped by the Lapras, evil witches who find pleasure in pain. The concepts of Witch World are confusing, particularly the rules of the alternate place, and Jessi is a contradictory character who seems good one minute and then is brutally killing someone the next. Justine Eyre's narration of Pike's novel (Simon Pulse, 2012) has a paranormal feel to it and her portrayal of all the witch characters is believable. The language, sexual situations, and sexual humor make this more suitable for older teens, but the plot, diatribes on the evils of society, and tone will appeal more to adult readers. While it's best a as crossover title, the author's diehard fans may pick it one up.-Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY

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