The devil makes three

Gr 9 Up--Renowned cello player Tess Matheson is in her senior year at the prestigious Falk University Preparatory Academy in Pennsylvania. With help from her great aunt Mathilde, Tess has arranged for her and her young sister, Nat, to live at the boarding school without financial troubles. She'll do whatever it takes for them to avoid their parents' money problems and quarrels, even if it costs her a full scholarship at the Boston Academy of Arts. Tess gets by on work-study at the school's (haunted) Jessop library. While working, she unintentionally butts heads with Eliot Birch, the headmaster's handsome, standoffish, and mysterious son from London. Eliot convinces Tess to take him to the basement of forbidden books. Unbeknownst to Tess, Eliot has a secret mission of his own. An innocent reading of dark magic turns their journey into one of fire, blood, and possession. An unexpected friendship develops between the two young loners as they work together to set things right. Bovalino tells the story from three points of view (Tess, Eliot, and the Devil), giving readers the chance to empathize with all characters, even the most sinister ones. The storyline has plenty of romance and witchcraft that drags at times but will still leave the hairs standing on readers' arms. Tess and Eliot's races aren't specified. VERDICT An excellent read for a sleepover and a reminder to high school students to take life easy and to not let others define you.--Beronica Puhr, Oak Park P.L., IL

Moody teens summon a demon. Tess Matheson's summer has not turned out the way she hoped. Instead of practicing her beloved cello, Tess is working in her boarding school's library, spending sunny Pittsburgh days pulling books for ungrateful faculty members. One of them has a smarmy son: Eliot Birch has been given his father's borrowing privileges, allowing him to ask Tess to pull as many books as he requires. Eliot, fresh off a flight from visiting his sick mother in London, requests dozens of volumes, all concerning magic. He learned a bit of the craft from his mother and yearns for the right sort of spell to cure her. The answer may lie in one of the forbidden grimoires locked away deep in the library's stacks. Eliot's search brings him and Tess into contact with a book-bound demon, a monster willing to do anything it takes to remain free. The novel has some interesting ideas and competent characterization; the real problem is the narrative's flow. Large chunks of pages pass during which little happens, and while Tess and Eliot are modestly shaded characters, their introspection gets repetitive. Readers less enamored of biblio-fetishism may duck out before the titular devil makes its appearance and even then, the novel's interest remains mood and atmosphere rather than plot. Unfortunately, the mood overwhelms and the atmosphere dries out. Tess and Eliot are presumed White. A well-conceived title poorly executed. (Horror. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.