Normally I look forward to reviews as much as I look forward to dental work, but this one wasn't all that bad. :)
DEAD RIVER
BALOG, Cyn. Dead River. 256p. Delacorte. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74158-3; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99012-0; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98578-2.
Gr 7 Up–Kiandra Levesque’s father has kept her away from bodies of water ever since her mother killed herself in the river near their New Jersey home. Now living in Maine, Ki, 17, skips prom to go on a white-water-rafting adventure with her boyfriend, her cousin, and an annoying travel companion. As her group tells ghost stories, the teen has visions of the deaths of the individuals in the legends. She also begins seeing the spirits of those who died in bodies of water, and as she gets closer to the river, she hears voices. During her first journey on the Dead River, she is pulled out of the raft by something supernatural and is saved by Trey, a ghost from one of the stories. Ki, it turns out, is a “Mistress of the Waters” and has great magical powers . . . Balog tells a unique story providing supernatural romance fans with plenty of adventure, paranormal mystique, and angst.–Adrienne L. Strock, Chicago Public Library