Cabot has written another fast-paced teen pleaser, this time about a teenager with supernatural powers and her cousin who craves them. Since the day she was born, bad luck seems to have followed Jinx Honeychurch. Even after her parents send her to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in New York City, Jinx seems plagued by bad luck. Then Jinx's cousin Tory reminds her that their great-great-great-great-grandmother, a witch who was burned at the stake, had special talents that have been passed on to one granddaughter in each generation. Jinx, a preacher's daughter, has no intention of competing with Tory for that honor, until she discovers Tory's sinister plans. With a cauldron full of jealousy, cute boys, ample cash, and a typical high-school setting, this story has plenty of popular appeal. This isn't great literature, but it is great fun.

Written as free-verse poems from many perspectives, the central story is the transformation of good student Jen to stony, spiteful "Jinx," whose boyfriends keep dying. Wild has an empathetic ear for her teenaged characters as well as their parents, and that she makes us care about all that happens in this novel is a feat. The catharsis, more romance than realism, is honestly earned through the depth of the novel's characterization.

Gr 7 Up-Jean Honeychurch is so unlucky that even her family calls her Jinx. To escape an unpleasant situation with a boy who refuses to let her end their relationship, Jinx moves from Iowa to Manhattan to live with her aunt and her family in their swanky Upper East Side townhouse. It's no surprise that the klutzy, small-town 16-year-old doesn't fit in with uber-chic cousin Tory and her friends, and she definitely doesn't share their fondness for drugs and alcohol. Tory, who has been practicing witchcraft for some time, soon realizes that Jinx also has the gift and invites her cousin to join her coven. But Jinx knows the dangers of playing with magic and refuses. Tory sees Jinx's snub as a threat and plots against her. Though she wants to leave magic behind, Jinx must learn to harness the mysterious powers that are her birthright before Tory does too much damage. Cabot creates believable conflict and avoids being too fantastical, as Tory's mental instability is more dangerous than her Wiccan powers. In the vein of Avalon High (2006) and "The Mediator" series (both HarperCollins), the author delivers her signature blend of romance and wit, successfully combining upper-crust chick-lit and a tad of the supernatural into an entertaining potion that is sure to please her fans and draw in new readers.-Emily Anne Valente, New York Public Library Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.