This omnibus edition includes all three books in the trilogy. In the first book, Jenny is doing some last minute preparation for her boyfriend Tom's birthday party and stumbles across a mysterious game store, where she buys a game in a blank white box. The game turns out to be a paper house, with paper figures you can draw on to look like the various players, and paper cards on which the players are expected to draw their worst fears. It seems like harmless fun, until the game becomes real, and Jenny, Tom, Zach, Dee, Audrey, Michael, and Summer are all trapped in the house and forced to face their fears if they want to survive. The one putting them through all of this is Julian, an evil but handsome being who wants to make Jenny his.

In the second book, everyone tries to adjust to the consequences of Book 1, and Julian's back for another game. In the third book, Jenny and her friends must travel to the Shadow World for a rescue attempt. They end up in a deadly amusement park, and this time around Julian isn't the only threat they need to worry about.

L.J. Smith was one of my top favorite authors when I was a teen, despite her book's frequently ugly covers (seriously, the original Night World covers were hideous, although they were at least more memorable than the current "face on a black background" omnibus covers). She was my go-to author for YA paranormal romance, and I loved several of her books enough to reread them multiple times.

I don't think I ever reread the Forbidden Game trilogy, though, and all I could remember about it was that it starred a hot evil guy and had a disappointing ending. I can tell you right now that the reason Teen Me was so disappointed was because I approached this trilogy as paranormal romance. In reality, it's more like YA horror with romantic elements, or maybe a YA horror love story. Even though I'd adjusted my expectations for this reread, the trilogy's ending was still a bit disappointing.

Smith's writing was as compulsively readable as I remembered it being, although it felt a bit dated, especially during the first book, and the computer scenes in the second book made me laugh a bit. Jenny was very much an "L.J. Smith trilogy" sort of character: the gorgeous blonde girl who was loved by everyone and viewed by everyone as being very good and kind. It was a bit much, but I suppose it fit with the "Persephone and Hades" vibe that the story was going for.

The horror aspects in the first book were a bit cheesy, but still decent. In Book 2, I liked the creepy moments before the newest game started (Audrey and Dee's experiences were my favorites), but the game itself was largely forgettable. Book 3's horror elements, on the other hand, were fabulous. It's no wonder that the primary thing I remembered about this trilogy was the amusement park. I'm a fan of creepy animatronics, so I considered Leo the Paper-Eating Lion and the stuff in the arcade to be some of the best parts.

The romance aspect... Even with my vague memories of how the trilogy turned out, it was hard not to read it as paranormal romance.

I appreciated aspects of the ending more now than I probably did as a teen - the way all of the characters were forced to face the things they most feared about themselves and how others viewed them, and how they supported each other in the end. But I can't help it, I still read (or reread, I guess) L.J. Smith's books for the romance more than anything else, and this trilogy was just painful in that respect. I can understand why Teen Me never reread it.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Daughter of Mystery is set in the fictional European country of Alpennia, sometime in the early 19th century. Chapters alternate between Barbara’s perspective and Margerit’s. Barbara knows she’s of noble birth but has no idea who her parents are. Her father lost everything due to his gambling debts and sold her to Baron Seveze when she was only a baby. She is now the baron’s armin (formal bodyguard/duelist).

Margerit Sovitre is the baron’s goddaughter, although he generally hasn’t been in her life much. Margerit is an orphan who was taken in by her aunt and uncle. She has no interest in attending balls or getting married, but that’s the direction in which her life seems to be going, until Baron Seveze dies and everyone learns to their shock that he has left her his entire fortune. He also left her Barbara, despite his promise to free her, and made it so that Margerit cannot free her before she (Margerit) comes of age without most of the baron’s fortune going to the Convent of Saint Orisul instead. Margerit is willing to do this, but her uncle, who still controls her life, isn’t willing to let her. However, Margerit’s efforts win her Barbara’s loyalty. With Barbara at her side, Margerit pursues her heart’s desire: studying philosophy and theology at the university in Rotenek. Meanwhile, Barbara digs into the mystery of her own past.

I hate writing reviews of things I actually enjoyed. I came very close to just pushing out three bulleted lists: What I Liked, What I Didn’t Like, and Things That Didn’t Fit Into the Other Two Categories. ::sigh::

I adored the first half of this book. Sure, it was slow, but in a good way. It reminded me strongly of Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, if that book had been written from the perspective of its women. There was Barbara, who usually dressed as a man and was a skilled bodyguard and duelist. And there was Margerit, who, like The Goblin Emperor’s Maia, was abruptly thrust into the limelight by her changed circumstances. She was expected to find a husband, manage his household, and bear his children, and instead the baron’s money opened up a path to all the things she’d really wanted (plus at least one thing she hadn't even considered).

The setting had a definite sense of weight and depth to it, and the politics was intriguing, if occasionally confusing. I was fascinated with the way religion and magic seemed to be intertwined, even as I worried that Margerit was happily and blindly heading towards being declared a heretic. Even though Barbara spent more of the book in on-page danger than Margerit, I tended to worry more about Margerit than her. Barbara was cool, competent, and definitely more politically savvy.

The pacing occasionally got too slow for my tastes, especially in the second half. There were times when I wished some of the political details and Margerit and Barbara’s analyses of religious mysteries had been tightened up a bit. To be fair, many of the things that looked unimportant or unrelated did eventually tie together in the end, it just took longer than I expected.

Barbara and Margerit’s relationship was one of those things I both enjoyed and had issues with. I liked that it took a while for them to go from bonding over shared interests to mutual secret attraction, and finally to discussing how they felt about each other. Considering the difference in their positions - after all, Barbara was technically Margerit’s inherited property - it would have felt weird if things had progressed more quickly. Which isn’t to say that I didn’t occasionally get frustrated with how long everything took.

For the most part, Barbara seemed to be more acutely aware of the difference in their positions than Margerit...up until a scene late in the book when Margerit told Barbara “You forget your place” during an argument. I was horrified, Barbara felt like she’d been kicked in the gut, and Margerit immediately regretted it. I kept waiting for them to talk about it. Margerit mentioned the scene once, a little, when she voiced her fear that she’d lost Barbara for good, and they talked more about some related issues near the end, but I still felt like the author brushed that one scene aside a bit too much.

Despite my issues with the pacing and my slight dissatisfaction with the way Margerit and Barbara’s relationship was handled, I really enjoyed Daughter of Mystery and am looking forward to reading the next book. I wish I'd purchased the whole series while it was still on sale at Kobo.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Caissa is the body-heir of Baythan, an exceptional hunter and all-around perfect specimen of manhood (no really – much is made of his excellent genetic pattern). Caissa is now old enough that she should start considering bearing her own body-heir, but she isn't happy with the man her father suggests she at least establish a temporary heir-contract with. She has a feeling that his recommendation is tied to an undisclosed clause in his heir-contract with her womb-mother, the haughty and vain High Lady Cinna.

Out of loyalty to her father, Caissa agrees to at least meet the man he recommended, but the meeting leaves her feeling so insulted that she decides to leave the city for a bit to blow off some steam. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to check her fuel first and ends up briefly stranded in the ruins of Yellow Triad City. It's there that she meets a mysterious man named Murell and learns more about coelura, beings able to spin beautiful living cloth that responds to its wearer's mood.

This was a reread. For some reason, my vague memories of it painted it as a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella. It definitely wasn't, and even “sci-fi fairy tale” doesn't seem appropriate. It was just a short, simple sci-fi story that happened to have magic cloth and instalove.

Well, nearly instalove. Caissa and Murell were wary of each other, at first. But then they talked, Murell learned that Caissa wasn't greedy for coelura cloth the way most women he knew would be, and Murell's outfit and couch (stone covered in coelura cloth) nudged them together. Supposedly they spent a lot of time talking in between bouts of (off-page) sex, but readers weren't shown any of that. After that, Caissa pined after Murell and found herself torn between her desire to be a dutiful daughter and her desire to protect the coelura alongside Murell.

It's tough to say whether I guessed Murell's identity and idea about how to protect the coelura because of my vague memories about the book or because it was just that obvious. There was one big clue that Caissa noted but misinterpreted, and, honestly, the big revelation was a fairly standard one. All in all, the story was pretty simple – most of the book was devoted to setting the stage and trying to explain how the world worked. Body-heirs, the importance of physical and genetic perfection (something that had the potential to become incredibly gross if more time had been spent on it), heir-contracts, etc. I found it a little amusing that McCaffrey managed to work a romantic relationship into a story set in a world that was practically designed to include as little romance as possible. Even friendships seemed to be few and far between. Caissa's closest confidante was Trin, the elderly woman responsible for dressing her.

This was a so-so read, not what I'd recommend to someone just getting started with McCaffrey's works. However, the reason it stuck in my mind for so many years wasn't because of the story, but rather because of its illustrations. They're amazing. Granted, the hair styles tend to be odd – I swear, Caissa often looks like she hacked at the top of her head with a knife – but the detail and the artist's decision to take some of the imagery literally means these illustrations are still well worth checking out. My favorites are the ones depicting the tension and power imbalance in Baythan and Cinna's relationship. And sure, Lady Cinna is vain and horrible, but her outfits and hair look absolutely wonderful.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

"Heat" has been called sci-fi romance and/or dark erotica.  For me, it was sci-fi and horror with romantic elements.  This book is not for everybody, but for those willing to brave the rape, harvesting of brain chemicals, and extreme biker gang culture...then you may appreciate the gifts R. Lee Smith displays in this dark story.

The world-building  was my favorite part of the writing .  I loved the imagination detailed in the alien culture, particularly the 'good' alien's home planet's norms - they live in a matriarchal society and government. Also, their perceptions of the human race and the reasons for never making contact are not unexpected but the conversation is still engaging.  Human origins is also broached.  If you love sci-fi films you won't be surprised by some of these revelations.

The characterizations were fabulous! This is including the bad character, too!  I was happy with one resolution, but another was not to my satisfaction.  I was pissed (angry) about one character's actions and consequences.  All I will say is atonement.  

The pacing was great until the last 25% or so, where it started to drag.  There is  some gratuitous violence.   One scene in particular  pushed into my comfort zone.   It was a decisive moment for me regarding one character.  (view spoiler)[Die!  Die!  Die! (hide spoiler)]

The detail accorded to technology, aliend physiology, and alien terminology made my  inner  Sci-fi fan girl sit up and absorb all the alien goodness! On a side note:  I have noticed, especially after reading The Last Hour of Gann (Great book!), that the human heroines have the power of the BJ on their side.  Heh. When I read Cottonwood I will know if it's a common occurance in Smith's writing. 

What a surprise this book was! Set in the late 1970's, before the advent of computers, cell phones, and all the modern gadgetry we can't live without, The Road To You is a YA mystery novel filled with twists and turns, coded clues, and well-laid breadcrumb trails that may (or may not) lead to the ultimate prize -- the truth about the disappearance of two young men from a small town in Minnesota.

I confess, I don't read many mysteries. I mean, I've read some, sure, but it's not the genre I usually gravitate toward when I'm hunting for a new book to read. Which is why, I think, The Road To You was such a huge hit for me. It was different and really forced me out of my comfortable reading box.

The driving force behind this book is Aurora, the younger sister of one of the missing boys. She's an interesting YA heroine, because she's brilliant and awkward all at once - very much an old soul in a young body, not really fitting in with kids her age and too young to be part of the adult crowd. Her knack for problem- and puzzle-solving, her ability to notice things other people don't, sets her apart. I confess, I was skeptical about her deductive powers at first, cynically thinking to myself, "Yeah right, she's just a kid, she can't possibly be all that." Here's the thing, though. SHE IS, and she proves it over and over throughout the book, digging up clues and connecting dots I never would have thought of connecting. It's almost scary, how impressive she is, and yet Aurora never came across as lofty or inaccessible. I had no trouble at all relating to her, and I especially enjoyed all the "normal" moments the author wove in. Times when the mystery took a temporary backseat and we get to see Aurora be just a girl - such as when she's crushing on Donovan McCafferty, the older brother of her brother's best friend.

Speaking of Donovan, he was, for me, almost as fascinating as the mystery he and Aurora were trying to solve. He comes off a bit reluctant at first, dragging his feet and giving the impression that he's simply along for the ride...and yet he wants to find out the truth as much as Aurora does. He's just afraid of getting his hopes up. I can respect that. In his situation, I'd probably react the same way. What I love most about him, though, is that he really, truly gets Aurora, in a way few people do. Who she is, how her mind operates - he sees the whole package, and he likes it. He really is a fabulous character, and I heart him. Aurora couldn't have made this journey without him.

There are romantic elements in The Road To You, but don't expect a love and smooch fest, because that's not what this book is about. While I wouldn't have minded more romance (more is always better!), the lack of hot-and-heavy action every other page or chapter didn't in any way detract from my overall enjoyment of the story itself. If anything, it made those romantic moments that much more powerful.

As for the big mystery....sorry, no spoilers here. if you want to know what Aurora and Donovan discover, what really happened to their brothers, READ THE BOOK!

The Road To You is a thoughtful, well-crafted and intelligently-written read, and I enjoyed every page of it. It's definitely a book I'd recommend.