13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Jessica thought her life became complicated when her mother died in a car accident, but nothing can prepare her for meeting Pietr Rusakova. A new student at Junction High, this gorgeous Russian-American turns Jessica’s world completely around. As Pietr’s guide around school, Jessica quickly becomes fed up with the excess of female attention that follows him everywhere. But the more time Jessica and Pietr spend together, Jessica realizes that there’s something about Pietr. It may be a combination of looks and his secrets, but Jessica soon finds herself drawn into Pietr’s mysterious world. She can only hope she’ll survive it.

13 to Life is, to no one’s surprise, yet another addition to the exponentially growing group of young adult paranormal novels. You’d think that given the sheer about of pages devoted to vampires, werewolves, faeries, and whatnot, I’d have become bored of this same old tale. However, I must have an uncanny sixth sense because I’m generally pleased with most paranormal YA books that I pick up. 13 to Life is no exception. There are always the positives, like realistic characters and an engaging plot. In addition, there are the negatives; for example, Delany doesn’t clearly explain the connections among the wolf attack in Farthington, the secrets of the Rusakova family, and the Russian mafia. This novel is overall enjoyable and exciting, but since there are so many others life it and Delany’s writing isn’t the shining star of awesome, veteran readers of this genre may not be so eager to snatch this one up.

13 to Life may be enjoyed by fans of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain, Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lunn Barnes, and Firespell by Chloe Neill.

Rating: 4.0

Review copy from publisher St. Martin's Griffin through LibraryThing Early Reviewers