This novel has the standard YA Fantasy plotline of a normal young person who suddenly finds out that she has a very uncommon heritage. As we would expect, that heritage reaches out rather suddenly and dumps her into a magical world. A nice twist to this story is that the magical place she goes is very similar to our world: iPhones, Internet, and the works.

But she lives in a magic mansion that indulges her every need. And her cat can talk to her, a fun touch. It’s just that she can’t leave.

After this introduction, there is a rather long getting-to-know-everyone period with only a few touches of suspense, but the new characters are interesting enough to keep us occupied.

Typical of the style of the book, when the villain shows up, a major character element is that her clothes are seriously out of style.

It occurs to me to wonder that the main character is supposed to be 26 years old. More often she acts like she’s ten years younger, a more appropriate age for the kind of conflict she is going through, and probably for the intended readership of the novel.

This is not a book about teenage angst. From the very start, the story brims with action and rah-rah fun and games. The characters pop out of the page at you, full of life, and drag you in.

A squeaky-clean, made-for-TV, Young Adult Nancy Drew-style detective novel, the kind you wish your teenager was reading.

(4 / 5)