Burning Emerald

May 15, 2012
Adjusting to her new status as a Cambion and the rest of the fallout from Living Violet (2012), Samara learns just how complicated sharing a single body with an extra soul can be. Though she's still grieving the loss of her friend Nadine, Samara thinks she's getting a handle on living as a Cambion; she became a demon-hybrid when Nadine passed her succubus soul, Lilith, to Samara right before dying. While Nadine also transferred many of her memories, there are still unanticipated gaps in Samara's Cambion knowledge, leading to bombshell revelations of important details that affect Samara's life. These bits of information range from olive-oil intolerance to the concrete, permanent consequences should Samara ever consummate her relationship with fellow Cambion Caleb. That one in particular, along with other details of demonic puberty, showcases the drawbacks of being supernatural. The expansion of supernatural creatures and Cambion mythology is neatly knitted in with the other huge ramification of Lilith and Nadine's hidden memories: Romantic baggage from Nadine/Lilith's past coming back to haunt Samara, with potentially grave consequences for Caleb. The solid worldbuilding is complemented by Samara's voice, which reads as more consistent and developed than in the earlier outing, and nuanced racial dynamics. The rock and the hard place Samara ends up trapped between stalls the plot temporarily, but a twist ending sets up the next book. The simultaneous broadening of world, story and character will please fans. (discussion questions) (Paranormal romance. 13-17)

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June 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-If only Samara's biggest problem were to get through senior year with minimal drama. But biracial Sam is also a Cambion, her body host to Lilith, a demonic parasite that feeds off human energy. Each day is a study in self-control. On top of this is her soul-level link to her Cambion boyfriend. Then a deadly enemy threatens Caleb's life and, by association, Sam's sanity. Tobias, an incubus, is determined to claim Lilith for himself at any cost. Tobias and Lilith have unfinished business, and Sam and Caleb are unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. This sequel to Living Violet (Dafina, 2012) is packed with action and drama, and the ethnic heritage of the characters gives the titles multicultural appeal. Unfortunately, the characters lack dimension, and several plot elements recall other books in the genre. Still, libraries serving a large ethnic population might consider this series to supplement their paranormal fiction collections.-Alissa J. LeMerise, Oxford Public Library, MI

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