January 1, 2012
Grades 7-10 Bethany is intrigued by the new guy in school, especially when his pointy-eared relatives show up and start trying to kill people. Croall's addition to the humorous paranormal-romance series My Boyfriend Is a Monster has trouble fully developing Bethany and Allein's relationship, but fans of the series won't be deterred. They will enjoy the premise of pitting fairies against mortals, the artwork's Wizard of Oz switch from black-and-white to color upon Bethany's entrance into the fairy realm, and, of course, the middle-school appropriate romance, with the jock girl getting the cute monster boy in the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2012
In Bites, Vanessa learns from sharp-toothed boyfriend Jean-Paul that she's a foreordained monster hunter; the story has some depth and a few surprising twists. The human-faerie romance in Spell raises less excitement, but a visual shift into full color makes scenes in the fae realm seem more magical. Both graphic novels are one-time reads that series fans will enjoy.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)