Lies I Live By

February 15, 2016
Sabel delivers a novel combining teen romance and espionage, with a touch of the supernatural and just a dash of humor. Callie Sinclair is not your normal teenager. Graduating early from high school, she takes a job with the government, using her psychic abilities to seek out radiation signatures. She can't tell her career-driven but loving single mom the truth and can't even let her longtime love, Charlie, in on the secret. She can't move to the East Coast with Charlie to pursue college, even though that's what she wants; her job is too important for that. So when Jasper, another psychic, arrives from New York City to work with her, it's a relief. Finally, there is someone in her life who understands the real Callie. As her attraction to Jasper grows, Callie is torn between new feelings and old while continuing to see visions of destruction and despair. The plot becomes ever more complicated as Sabel balances romance against Callie's unusual job, which involves a growing host of untrustworthy characters. Sabel effectively takes Callie into murky ethical waters as she uses her talents to spy on Charlie and other loved ones, a misstep that brings her heartache and causes her to question those she thought she could trust, even as it drives the plot. Appealing characters merge seamlessly into a strong plot that captures readers early on and doesn't let go until the very last chapter. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Callie Sinclair is the only child of her scatterbrained scientist mother; she has a gorgeous artist boyfriend, Charlie, and just happens to be a psychic spy. Callie can sense the presence of a specific kind of radiation associated with deadly, military-grade lasers. She has been recruited by the CIA to participate in their top-secret psychic-spy program. Callie feels called to this work-she loves that she can use her powers to save lives-but the secrets she must keep in order to protect those she loves are tearing her apart. And it turns out she's not the only one with secrets: Callie can't get the handsome new teenage psychic spy, Jasper, out of her mind. But is he trustworthy? The stories Callie's mom has told her about what happened to Callie's dad don't quite add up, and the new benefactor to the spy program clearly has a chip on his shoulder and an agenda all his own. This book doesn't ask very much from its readers-the characters are one-dimensional, any nuance in plot is explained simply rather than teased out, and the conflict is ultimately easily resolved-but it's undeniably fun. While it's a rather hefty length, it's a good choice for reluctant readers undeterred by size looking for an adventure. VERDICT Not a whole lot of substance, but action-packed and entertaining.-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 Seventeen years old and already a secret government employee: high-schooler Callie Sinclair is living quite the double life. Things are even weirder than they appear: as a psychic, she is part of an even-more-secret branch of the government that utilizes her powers to track threats to the country. Her single mom and longtime boyfriend, Charlie, are unaware of her powers, and Callie hates keeping things from them. So when a new psychic, Jasper, shows up, Callie already feels like he knows a part of her no one else does. Being torn between Charlie and Jasper is bad enough, but something big is happening in the world, and even Callie's psychic powers can't nail down exactly what it is. Worse, psychics who overextend themselves can end up losing their minds, and Callie is already running on fumes. The love triangle reads somewhat flat, but the stakes are high, and the characters well-developed, as is Callie's relationship with her mother. An X-MenJames Bond hybrid that ought to satisfy fans of high-concept mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Callie leads a double life as the government's youngest psychic spy, finding top secret information while keeping her family and boyfriend in the dark. When Callie's visions turn disturbing and inexplicable, she and fellow psychic Jasper break the rules to uncover and resolve the situation themselves. Sabel presents realistically conflicted characters and an interesting take on psychic powers.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)