"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

"Twilight (The Mediator, #6)" by Meg Cabot

Oh what an ending (no spoilers, I promise)! I am not nearly as attached to Suze like I am to some of Meg Cabot's other characters, but I could not stop reading Twilight. In the final installment of The Mediator series, Suze is still dealing with Paul, still in love with Jesse but soon nothing will ever be the same. Turns out Paul has a plan that would stop Suze from ever meeting Jesse. Can she stop him or will she loose the love of her life forever?

I was never into The Mediator books like I have been with the rest of Cabot's books. I think it's because the paranormal just don't interest me as much. However, this series is still quite good. It has many of the same elements that Cabot's other books for teens include; bad ass main character, romance, something that stands in front of said romance (this time around it's the face that Suze's love interest is a ghost) and at least one character that will drive you nuts. Thankfully Cabot is a talented writer so it doesn't feel like I am always re-reading the same book just with different characters. I also love that she almost always throws in a Star Wars reference somewhere in her many series (seriously I want to be friends with Meg Cabot. She comes across as girly but she makes multiple Star Wars references). I haven't read much like this series (again, the not being a fan of the paranormal comes into play here) but there is so much about this series to enjoy that I highly suggest that fans of Cabot;s other work should check these out as well as those that like non-scary ghost stories.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Haunted" by Meg Cabot (The Mediator #5)

I have read just about all of Meg Cabot's YA stuff.  The Princess Diaries are among the books that I have bought on the day they came out and many of her books fill my list of favorite books of all time.  However, it took me a very long time for me to read The Mediator series.  I realize the reason for that now.  I had read everything of hers I could get my hands on (so not all she had written, just all the the library had and what I had bought [and as my town is seriously lacking in bookstores, a good chunk of my book buying takes place out of town, with the exception of the used bookstore of course]) when my school library got a copy of Haunted.  I had no clue that it was part 5 of a series.  So I didn't fully know what was going on or why.  It wasn't until I reached a scene about 2/3 of the way through (this time reading it, not the first time which was somewhere around 8 years ago) that I remembered that I had mostly read this book before.  So now that I am making my way through the series in order I am enjoying it quite a bit.

Suze can see and communicate with the dead (turn Odd Thomas into a teenage girl who is far more feisty and ready to kick ass at a moment's notice) only no one really knows this about her.  She lives in California with her mom, stepfather, stepbrothers and the ghost that just happens to haunt her bedroom (and who she happens to be in love with).  In this particular volume, Suze has to deal with Paul, a "shifter" that is a little too interested in Suze, horribly blistered feet, and the fact that her stepbrother is planning a major party while their parents are out of town.  Needless to say, Suze's life is pretty stressful.

These books are relatively different from most of Cabot's other teen books (well, those written at that time). This series isn't as girly as some of her other books and of course focuses more on the paranormal.  I don't like it nearly as much as I like The Princess Diaries or 1-800-Where-R-U series.  I think that readers who enjoyed Abandon will be into this series (and vice versa).  I do really like that Cabot covers a range of topics and genres in her books and doesn't just re-tell the same story over and over again.

The Complete Series
Shadowland 
Ninth Key 

Reunion 
Darkest Hour 

Haunted 
Twilight 

*so in getting all the links I needed for this post, I saw where The Mediator has been optioned for a movie. Not sure how I feel about this.  I have been rather disappointed by the adaptations of Cabot's other novels.  The Princess Diaries was alright, but the sequel really was a head shaker.  Missing was really good, if you forgot that it was based on a book.  Otherwise it just made no sense (and no Rob?  Really?).  And don't get me started on Avalon High was beyond disappointing for me.  I am totally willing to give a movie of The Mediator a shot, but I have extremely low expectations. What do you think?*

Happy Reading!

-Melly