Safe House: Much like the Mediator series, Vanished/1800WhereRU focuses more on character development before progressing with its main plot. There’s a little bit of leeway toward that direction particularly near the end of this book, but again, this is another volume of character development.

I like the set-up in this. It’s interesting to see what happens when a missing person is someone Jess saw/sees on a near-daily basis and not to be informed of it until it’s too late to save them. There’s a real sense of frustration from everyone around her and her own self-consciousness. There’s also the fact that Jess really is in danger, and the killers know what will hurt her the most. She tries her best to keep protecting her family, particularly her brother Douglas, but knows that it’s not the easiest of jobs. The only change in her character in this is that I’m not completely a fan of Jess becoming more girly to improve her image and her temperament. There’s nothing wrong with being a tomboy, and aside from a few mentions of wardrobe, I don’t see how being more girly is deferment to standing up for yourself and your loved ones.

As for her romance with Rob, it’s equal parts entertaining and frustrating. I like that Rob really wants to be with Jess, but his current probation and her being underage is enough for him to tone it down. I like that they both admit their mutual feelings to each other, but the circumstances mean that they have to stick it out for a little while longer. The frustrating part comes from the whole Grit/Townie situation that arcs throughout the series. Jess’s avoidance of introducing Rob to her family comes off as more wishy-washy, and I wished that she would just get over it.

I like this a lot better than the second book, if only because it gets deeper inside of Jess’s head and how she reacts when a missing-person case hits close to home, in more ways than one. There is a small advancement in the plot, but aside from setting up the last arc, there’s really not much conflict to drive the story forward.

Sanctuary: Like Safe House, the main plot of Sanctuary focuses on when the reality of what Jess does hits very close to home. She’s not as familiar with the Thompkins or Seth Blumenthal, but she still has to live up to a lot of people’s expectations in order to solve everything.

I’m not as big of a fan of Dr. Krantz in this. He seems to be more of the meddling bureaucrat type, rather than having a natural affinity with Jess like Smith and Johnson had. I would have liked to have seen more of him, in particular, trying harder to get Jess to join his special team of psychics.

The True Americans plot that drives the main mystery—it’s a little unsettling to read. The problem with Jess being that narrator is that she snarks her way through a situation, and it diffuses a lot of the tension, almost to the point of being overkill. (Like repeatedly mentioning how short Jim Henderson is.) However, the fact that people like the True Americans exist and given current events in the last few years (I won’t name specifics), it’s unsettling to read this book and remember that there’s not teen psychics taking these guys out. There’s also the whole topic of class prejudice brought to a point in this book as well, given the town’s attitude toward Grits and how they’re looked down on. It can border on the anvilicious, but at the same time, it does feel realistic in regards to the characters.

I like the book, even if it ends abruptly. It’s a darker turn from the rest of the series, but still manages to keep Jess’s personality in check.
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The Good Stuff

* Jessica is one of my favorite literary characters. She's spunky, snarky, funny, and a huge heart
* Love her relationship with her friends and family is is very true and honest
* Great storyline in both books - funny, exciting with lots of twists and turns and funny as hell quips by Jess
* A little more dark (nothing too dark tho) than the first two stories, which gives it a bit more of an edge
* Just go get a copy of this (and Vanished Books One and Two) you will fall in love with them
* The relationship between Jess and her brother Douglas is so wonderfully written
* Love the scenes between Jess and Rob - hilarious
* Nice moral lesson snuck in so you barely notice, sign of a gifted author
* I know I am repeating myself but the dialogue is awesome! She could write for Whedon
* You lose yourself in the story and feel sorta sad when you finish the book
* I would recommend reading the first two books in the series first, but you really don't have to

The Not so Good Stuff

* Jessica's mom is a bit of a b***h -- I just can't seem to like her

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"Who would strangle a cheerleader, and dump her body at the bottom of a limestone quarry? I can certainly understand wanting to strangle a cheerleader. Our school harbors some of the meanest cheerleaders in North America. Seriously. It's like you have to pass a test proving you have no human compassion whatsoever just to get on the squad."

"Hey, I know its uncool to be scoping on boys at the same time as I was trying to solve a murder. But Nancy Drew still had time to date Ned Nickerson, didn't she, in between solving all those mysteries? Except of course, Ned wasn't on probation."

"I mean, sex is a big enough step in any relationship without doing it in an old barn. Um, no thank you. I am willing to wait until the moment is right - such as prom night."

"Can you imagine having that blowhard in your living room the day after your brother got murdered? That has to be one of those circles of hell Dante was going on about. We are doing Inferno in English. Well, everyone else is. I am mainly playing Tetris on my Nintendo DS in the back row with the sound off."

"Not because I had anything to say to him. What can one say to someone like him? He is never going to realize that we were right and he was wrong. People like Jim Henderson are incapable of changing their ways. They are going to believe in their half-assed opinions until the day they die, and nothing and no one is ever going to convince them that those beliefs might be mistaken."

What I Learned

* That I wished I was as cool and fun as Jess when I was a teen - she's such a little spitfire
* I have to read more Meg Cabot YA stuff

Who should/shouldn't read

* Perfect for YA's and even preteens as there is nothing really objectionable
* Not for those who need angst y dark stories, this is light fun. Really reminds me of Buffy
* Fans of Kiersten White will enjoy
* Adults will enjoy just as much as Jess is hard not to love

5 Dewey's

Canadian Book Signing Alert: Meg Cabot will be at Chapters Queensway on Thursday May 12th at 7PM - deets here

I borrowed this from Natasha and did not have to review, just loved it so much and wanted you guys to go out and get it ( )

both my 11yo daughter and I loved this whole series- hard to put down! I was sad to see this series end. These books 3&4 are a continuation of the Vanished series by Meg Cabot. They follow a teenage girl who was struck by lightning and gains an extraordinary talent for locating missing children. Unfortunately for her, she discovers that others would like to use her for their own purposes and she has a series of misadventures trying to maintain her independence. ( )