Swear

Gr 10 Up—It's been six months since Dice's bad-boy paranormal boyfriend, Sin, disappeared, and the 17-year-old is determined to quash her supernatural side: no more reading tarot cards or communing with spirits. However, when her friend Crane is kidnapped by a vengeful ghost, Dice finds herself using her powers. As she pursues a normal relationship with a cute bandmate, Sin, sensing her new love interest, reappears and reestablishes his relationship with her. The two travel through a portal to an alternate reality to face the ghosts in the old house where Crane is held captive. They don't bring him back, but rather they return with Antonia Forsythe, a ghost who claims to have a prior connection to Sin. Dice must fight for the man—well, golem—she loves, without angering Antonia and risking harm to Crane, who is still hidden somewhere in the alternative world. Despite occasionally stilted dialogue, the plot runs along at a good pace, albeit to ever more and more unlikely situations. A bacchanal with gods from every imaginable pantheon results in Dice gaining, among other things, the ability to communicate with animals. This talent allows for an ending straight out of "Cinderella," with Dice's animal friends finding letters that prove that Sin never had any intentions toward Antonia, either in the past or in the present. This story will appeal to readers who enjoyed Swoon (S & S, 2009), as well as those who can't get enough paranormal romance.—Misti Tidman, Licking County Library, Newark, OH