School Library Journal (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 9 Up-Kayla and her mother, Moonbeam, have settled down in a coastal California town to lead a quiet, normal life. Forbidden from using her special "gift" for fear of attracting attention from her murderous father, Kayla secretly hones her skills with acts of petty theft. However, her gift of moving things with her mind is noticed by the mysterious, dark-eyed Daniel, who teleports her to a rooftop to blackmail her into helping him locate his missing mother. The two set out on a dangerous worldwide hunt to unravel the mystery of his mother's kidnapping. Throughout their adventures they meet numerous characters with supernatural powers, all of whom wind up having a historical connection to Daniel and Kayla's parents. Kayla's best friend, Selena, is enlisted to help with researching the clues they receive while acting as the diversion to keep Kayla's mother in the dark about their near-death experiences in various locations across the globe. The pacing is slow and drawn out, especially in this long volume. The character's voices are indistinguishable and at times Kayla's irreverent narration seems stilted given the severity of the situations. The budding romance between Kayla and Daniel is predictable and not quite palpable. Overall, this is a general purchase for collections in need of additional adventure titles that have a healthy dose of the supernatural. Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Kayla uses her power of telekinesis for shoplifting. When she's caught by a teenage boy gifted with teleportation, he blackmails her into helping him find his vanished mother and some magical stones. Their quest becomes a teleportation-tourism adventure, dependent on action, exotic locations, and predictable romance for its momentum.

ALA Booklist (Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Kayla is very good at telekinesis. She hones her skill by mentally manipulating simple objects, such as tinfoil, thread, and razor blades, to access money from ATM machines or steal diamond rings from the jeweler's case. Kayla believes she is keeping her supernatural tricks hidden, working around her mother's desperate pleas that she never use her powers. But when a mysterious teen named Daniel suddenly appears in her life, Kayla realizes that those magical amusements have attracted the kind of attention that could accompany mortal danger, and she resolves to protect herself and her family. Though Kayla's penchant for snappy repartee often leads to digressions that tug away at the pacing, readers looking more for humor than suspense will likely find that appealing. As in her debut novel, Into the Wild (2007), Durst surrounds a practical heroine with loopy caricatures of folklore figures, such as the voodoo queen and the earth mother. Fans of Durst's earlier works will find plenty to like about Kayla and her paranormal adventure.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Sixteen-year-old Kayla and her mother, Moonbeam, are leading hidden lives to protect Kayla from her father, who murdered her older sister, Amanda. Another thing that sets Kayla apart from a "normal" adolescent is her ability to move things with her mind. Although her mother begs her not to use these powers, Kayla and her best friend, Selena, use them to steal to help provide for Kayla and her mother. When a strange boy, Daniel, discovers Kayla's powers and blackmails her to help him find his own mother, she realizes she should have heeded Moonbeam's warnings. The plot thickens when Daniel's mother's kidnapping directly relates to Kayla's father and an extremely dangerous outcome. Kayla faces many decisions that test her loyalty to family and friends, as well as her ability to trust someone who has severely betrayed her.Kayla's decisions can support lessons that can connect to students' lives. The conflicts between Kayla and Daniel, Kayla and Moonbeam, and Kayla and her father directly reflect how particular lines of dialogue and action propel the drama in the story.Lauren Straub.