Chameleon

110. Kelly Oram, Chameleon

I like a good supernatural novel every once in a while (I'm a huge fan of Patricia Briggs' books), and I enjoyed Oram's novel, V is for Virgin. Oram has a great, snappy writing style that's perfectly suited for YA.

That said, I didn't love this book as much as I'd hoped to. Dani Webber is an ordinary girl--a little on the rebellious side, with just one really close friend (a guy)--but she doesn't think there's anything too unusual about that. Until, just after she turns sixteen, her best friend Russ reveals that he's a warlock . . . and then Dani herself stops time at a dance.

Turns out, nothing Dani thought about herself or her life is real. After a werewolf shows up to abduct her, Dani reluctantly agrees to turn herself over to the Council, who regulate supernatural activity. The Council promises to protect her and train her--but after they betray her trust, Dani finds herself struggling to know who to trust:  Russ and his father, Alex, who always treated her like his own daughter, but lied to her for years about her ability? Or the Council who only seem interest in using her unique powers--and who forced her into a marriage against her will to the gentle Seer, Gabriel? Still more questions rise when both Dani and Gabriel see visions of someone trying to raise the Angel of Death (a powerful demon), and they have to unite to try and stop this from every happening.

The plot really has some interesting and engaging ideas. I think what I struggled with was that some of the elements were just too much. The love triangle, for instance. Oram does such a great job making you care about Russ, that when Gabriel gets introduced, it's hard to love him as much--particularly when Dani's situation with Gabriel is something imposed on both of them from the outside. There were also some major plot twists that I saw coming.

The book does read quickly, and, as mentioned above, Oram has a great YA voice. The book is worth reading for the interactions between Dani and Russ alone. So if you have a reasonably high tolerance for dramatic love triangles, you'll probably really enjoy this book. I couldn't get into the love triangle, which ultimately made the book less enjoyable for me.