City of Halves

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 20 JUL. 2015

Lily is 16, headstrong, and a brilliant hacker, who routinely helps her lawyer father solve cases, both online and on the street. While investigating one case, she is mauled by a two-headed dog and saved by a beautiful, heavily tattooed boy who conveniently happens to have the equipment to give her a transfusion of his own blood. Because Lily has an extremely rare blood type, it's especially miraculous that his blood doesn't kill her. But the boy, Regan, turns out to be half-fairy, as well as the Guardian of the Gates, charged with protecting the city. Regan tells Lily that a war is brewing between Order and Chaos, and both sides need her blood to win. Lily and Regan are appealing protagonists, and British author Inglis creates some equally engaging secondary characters in her first book for teens. Lily's father's laissez faire relationship with his daughter pushes believability, and the action can be over-the-top (the climactic showdown could be a scene from a Marvel film), but it's still a tense and well-written supernatural adventure. Ages 12 up.