Sparks: the Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams

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Debbie is a girl with a secret. When that secret is threatened she finds herself thinking about the kind of person she is and what she can do about it. At a loss, she starts a holy quest with some new friends to save a friend from Norman, the most BORING human on the earth, and to find true love.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I loved the cover; started reading it without knowing what I was getting into; and could not put it down. I’m not sure what I thought it would be about, but I really liked the book. Debbie has been in love with her best girl friends since sixth grade. When her friend is about to go All The Way with Norman, she feels like she needs to declare her love and hope for the best. To help her out her new friends take her on a holy quest. It’s a great story and I would recommend it to guys and girls looking for a positive story with a gay main character, or to anyone who likes to laugh their butts off.

The Dead Winter by Chris Priestley

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Set in the Victorian England we meet Michael on the worst day of his life; his mother’s funeral. After the service he is told that he has a benefactor and he must move far into the country for Christmas at his benefactor’s county estate. As soon as he arrives he starts to hear and see strange and unusual things. The house and those in it are hiding some great secret that threatens to destroy them all.

This is a horror story with an ending that I saw coming about half way through. I found it predictable, but I really like the characters and the pace of the story. I also liked the ending, which takes place many years in the future. I think a lot of teen guys would like the story. Overall it is a good ghost story without too much gore.