Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Graveminder, Melissa Marr.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011.  e-book, 338 pps.

Rebekkah returns to Clayville after the death of her beloved [not by blood exactly] grandmother Maylene.  She inherits Maylene's house and something else, much to the consternation of Maylene's natural grand-kids.

Maylene's death was a murder and rather mysterious.  A sort of animal had attacked her.  The sort of animal that has to be invited in, offered talk and sustenance.

And then there is Bryon.  Bryon the undertaker's son.  His father dies later on in the book.  Under rather, uh, paranormal circumstances.  Bryon gets the business.

There are some things about Clayville too that are mysterious.  Crime doesn't much happen there.  The citizens of Clayville are protected.  Safe.  Not necessarily in a bad way.  Still, the animal attack on Maylene is troubling.

Rebekkah isn't thrilled to see Bryon again.  They'd known each other in high school and a few other places.  She doesn't exactly care for him.

sapphoq reviews says:  Melissa Marr has written a pretty good book.  I liked Graveminder.  The characters were cool.  I even liked Rebekkah's cat.  Bits in the trailer scene made me chuckle.  And there is a whole other sort of world under a building in Clayville.  That in particular was most excellently done.  If you like the dark and mysterious and don't object to bits of paranormal thrown in along with a dash of romance, Graveminder fills the bill.  

Born at Midnight by c.c. hunter

Born at Midnight, C.C. Hunter.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011.  e-book, 288 pps.

@CCHunterBooks on Twitter;  http://www.cchunterbooks.com/

Born at Midnight is first in a series written by c.c. hunter.  In the tradition of Rick Riordan, c.c. hunter's novel focuses on the journey of one teen, Kylie Galen, to find her true self in the midst of so many lies.  Kylie, much to her horror, finds herself on a bus being sent to a camp for troubled teens.  Only the camp and the campers are not what they appear to be.

The "trouble" is not of the typical adolescent variety.  The campers are different.  They are vampires, witches, werewolves, fae.  And unknown.  Kylie is the Unknown one.  As such, she initially feels left out by even the teens at the camp.  There is a director who counsels Kylie through her difficulties, some fine cute teen boys, a bit of danger, ghosts, distant relations, a really pissed off lion, and a cute kitten.  The end leaves the reader hankering for more.

I could not help myself.  When at the bookstore this past Saturday, I read all of the other books in this series too. 

sapphoq reviews says:  Good:  Born at Midnight was the correct length to tell the story it told.  [So were the other books].  Bad: Holiday's counseling sessions with Kylie had too much of a feel of therapy for my liking.  Good: Kylie's two friends and all of the campers in the books each had a distinct personality.  Bad:  I thought Holiday's co-leader should have been a lesbian and Holiday her bisexual lover.  An opportunity not to cater to assumed heterosexuality was lost.  The teens at the camp by definition a non-mainstream bunch surely must have had a few non-straight kids within.  There seemed to be a bit of time devoted to the idea that teens should wait until marriage before going all the way.  It came off as propaganda rather than a value sincerely held by Kylie.  Good:  The story in Born at Midnight [and in the sequels] kept moving.  The plot and sub-plots were interesting.  The crises were well-thought out and plausible.  The ghosts were believe-able.  The resolution made sense.  Teens and young adults who were bored with all of the Greek gods and goddesses in the Riordan series will like this series better.  Recommended for the teen and young adult reader.