"Shadowland: The Mediator #1" by Meg Cabot

Suze is a mediator—a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living.

But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn't seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations. But the very first day at her new school, Suze realizes it's not that easy.

There's a ghost with revenge on her mind...and Suze happens to be in the way.

We are deep in the era of the remake and reboot. It seems like the majority of movies and television shows are either a continuation of another plot or just a new version of the same story. I have a love/hate relationship with this. It really seems to depend on the brand if I am bothered or not. For instance, I am all over the new Star Wars movies but could do without the new Ghostbusters. More often than not, I'm left wishing that the original material had been left alone. However, I am never consistent in knowing what I will or will not like, but I tend to have a softer spot when it comes to more books in a series. Therefore am very excited to read the final book in The Mediator series (yes, I know I am several years behind, but I'm getting there). Since it's been awhile since I read the series, and I only read it once, I am getting ready by starting over with the first book, Shadowland.

Suze has just moved to California to live with her mom and new step family. She's not overly thrilled by this, but is going to give it her best try. Things would be a lot better if there wasn't a ghost living in her bedroom. Suze can see dead people. It's not always the worst. She still sees her deceased father on a regular basis because of it. But she also gets stuck with the responsibility of helping ghosts move on to the other side and sometimes that is easier said than done. When she starts at her new school, she immediately discovers that her newest assignment is a ghost set on revenge- and it looks like Suze is going to be her victim.

I was never the biggest fan of The Mediator series. Not because anything is wrong with them, ghosts and the paranormal just aren't my thing. For this reason, I only read the series once and unlike the rest of Cabot's books, I didn't devour them one after the other. Despite this, I found the series to be solid the first time through, and am enjoying them a second time around (probable more so). Suze has a lot of self confidence and is pretty much a badass. Unlike many of her books published under Meg Cabot (this first few books in this series came out under the name Jenny Carroll), this series isn't very girly. Suze isn't too worried about fashion or falling in love and this is probably my favorite part of the series. If you get in the way of her goal, Suze is going to make sure you move. I love her for this. This series is good for those who enjoy the paranormal and the mysterious. It's also a good choice for those that enjoy mysteries. If you've read some of Cabot's books, but found they weren't for you, give this one a chance. It's just different enough, you may enjoy it!

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"1-800-Where-R-You" series by Meg Cabot

It's Meg Cabot week here at Beauty and the Armageddon.  Basically, I have been doing some major re-reading of my favorite Cabot novels.  If you know anything about me, you know that I love her stuff.  I'm going to do my best to not ramble on like a crazy person about how much I love her books. Here we go!

First up is the 1-800-Where-R-You series.  Meg more or less has one kind of teenage lead; she's never very girly, she's usually some sort of a social outcast, and something major is about to change her life forever.  The main difference is whether or not said lead can kick butt.  Jess, the lead of this series, can do some major butt kicking.  She does so within the first few paragraphs of When Lightning Strikes.  And that's where her troubles begin.  When Jeff Day calls her best friend fat, Jess is left with no choice but to walk home from school with Ruth who is now determined to exercise off her baby fat.  Unfortunately the girls get caught in a terrible storm and Jess is struck by lightning.  This defining moment gives her the ability to find the location of any missing person, dead or alive, anywhere in the world.  Suddenly, average girl Jess Mastriani is involved with the feds, a pissed off stepfather and some not-so-nice folks that would rather see their town rid of those different then them (think the Nazis, but with hillbillies)- not all at the same time of course, this is a five book series after all!  Throw in the hunk Rob Wilkins and you have one of the best book series of all time!

I first came across this series as I was waiting like a crazy person for Princess in Pink to be released.  I found the first book while perusing the book section at Safeway.  I was trying to figure out how I had missed the release of a new Cabot book.  Then I realized that it wasn't technically new but a reprint.  So I bought that one then quickly went and bought the next three online (Missing You wasn't out yet).  Pretty much every time I read these books, I devour them in just a few days.  These are the books that go with me while I am cooking, walking, and the like.  It's books like these that are going to get me in trouble because I'm not paying enough attention to the real world while reading, but they are just that good!

I can't recommend these books enough!  This series is probably the least girly of Meg's books.  Jess describes how she prefers movies with explosions while Ruth prefers those with makeovers.  This book definetly focuses more on the explosions that on makeup or fashion (which may be part of why I like it so much).  Give this series a shot!

Happy Reading!
-Melly