{"id":25574,"date":"2014-11-15T23:28:50","date_gmt":"2014-11-16T03:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25574"},"modified":"2014-11-15T23:28:50","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T03:28:50","slug":"review-of-chasing-power-by-sarah-beth-durst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25574","title":{"rendered":"Review of Chasing Power, by Sarah Beth Durst"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"chasing_power_large\"<\/a>Chasing Power<\/em><\/p>\n

by Sarah Beth Durst<\/p>\n

Bloomsbury, New York, 2014. 368 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Sarah Beth Durst does it again! She manages to make her paranormal novels distinctive and loaded with magic, and unlike anything that\u2019s gone before.<\/p>\n

What would you do if you had the power of telekinesis \u2013 able to make things move using only the power of your mind? Kayla has that power, at least for very small things. And what she chooses to do with it is steal.<\/p>\n

She uses little things like a razor blade, thread, gum, a ball of tinfoil, and a dull fishing hook, and she uses them cleverly to take jewels and money from the upscale shops on State Street in Santa Barbara, California, in such a way that no one notices.<\/p>\n

Kayla lives with her mother, Moonbeam, in Santa Barbara. For years, they\u2019ve been in hiding from her father, who killed her older sister Amanda. Although Moonbeam has protective spells all around the house, she insists that Kayla not use her magic, or do anything at all that might gain her father\u2019s attention. <\/p>\n

Kayla doesn\u2019t want to have to run again. They\u2019ve been in Santa Barbara for eight years, and Kayla even has a best friend, Selena. But her mother doesn\u2019t know about Kayla\u2019s little adventures in State Street, or that this is how Kayla gets money to take care of them.<\/p>\n

However, after she pulls off a jewelry store heist seamlessly, without arousing anyone\u2019s attention, she notices a boy across the street, watching her.<\/p>\n

He was tall with black hair that dusted over his eyes. Unlike the others, he wasn\u2019t pierced or tattooed. He wore a clean black T-shirt and black jeans with boots. Kayla felt his eyes on her as she walked by and for an instant, she thought, He saw me; he knows.<\/em> But no, that was impossible. It was far more likely he\u2019d noticed her pink-streaked hair or her bikini top, which was the point of both. Also, she liked both. She flashed him a smile as she passed.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t smile back.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It turns out, the boy does<\/em> know. And he\u2019s got magical powers of his own, like nothing Kayla has ever seen before. But his mother has been kidnapped, and he wants Kayla’s help. Her magical help.<\/p>\n

What follows is a wild adventure, traveling all over the world in quest of three ancient magical stones. They go to an ancient Mayan temple, to the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, and many more places. It\u2019s no surprise that someone else is after the stones, too, and whoever it is doesn\u2019t seem concerned about keeping Kayla alive.<\/p>\n

I like Kayla\u2019s friend, Selena, and her computer help, getting background information. I like the realistic problems they deal with, while trying to access ancient magic \u2013 not staying out too late, for example, or getting Selena\u2019s parents to approve of the boy she likes.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s this boy, Daniel. He wants Kayla\u2019s help, but he doesn\u2019t think to ask nicely for it. But here\u2019s someone with magic, like her \u2013 and how did he know her name, anyway? And why does he have pictures of Kayla\u2019s parents, together?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure if I completely believed the way everything tied up at the end, but I was definitely happy with the Epilogue. I do like the way Sarah Beth Durst writes romance. The teens feel real \u2013 not perfect, but real. And this book \u2013 with the adults even more imperfect than the kids \u2013 wraps up in a nice way for the teens involved. An excellent read \u2013 a paranormal romance with some heft.<\/p>\n

sarahbethdurst.com<\/a>
\nbloomsbury.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/chasing_power.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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