Olivia is spending the summer before college with her swimming-star boyfriend, Blake, and his dysfunctional family at a resort camp in the middle of nowhere. Blake's alcoholic mother and overbearing father do their best to ignore Olivia except when taking advantage of her willingness to help around the cabin and she likens his younger brothers to evil siblings in a failing comedy show. Without cell reception and with no instinct to fit in with the summer vacationers that Blake has known most of his life, Olivia bounces between depression brought on by her parents' divorce and awe at the beauty of nature around her. What neither she nor Blake realize is that there are fairykind at the lake, and the two are each pulled in different directions by the creatures they encounter. With her newfound friend Dylan's help, Olivia discovers that some things are worth fighting for. Shifting between four distinct narrative voices, the latest from Lackey and Edghill (after the Shadow Grail series for teens) explores messy teenage romance (both human and fae) interspersed with fairy lore.--Frances Moritz Copyright 2010 Booklist

Lackey and Edghill resume their Bedlam Bards urban fantasy series (after 2016's Silence) with this lackluster novel, in which a young woman is drawn out of her painful reality and into the deep and dangerous worlds below a scenic lake resort. Desperate to escape her parents' crumbling marriage, Olivia agrees to join her boyfriend Blake, a school swimming star, and his family at Lake Endor in upstate New York. Blake's family is dismissive at best, and Blake himself is hardly the person she thought he was. But when Olivia meets lifeguard Dylan Waverly, her summer suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting. Dylan is a Selkie, hiding from his people and their battle for control of the seas. He's delighted to open Olivia's eyes to the wonders that live all around her, but their growing relationship puts both Olivia and Dylan in grave danger from mortals and Fair Folk alike. Uneven plotting and narration detract from the impressive worldbuilding, but series fans will no doubt find plenty to enjoy. (Oct.)

Against the advice of her best friend, Livy accepts boyfriend Blake's invitation to spend the summer with his family at remote Lake Endor in the Adirondacks. Livy suffers from depression and low self-esteem, and it's enough that Blake likes her. Or does he? Because he's been secretly seeing Audrey, his "real" girlfriend, and they are plotting something that won't be good for Livy. Especially since Audrey is actually a lamia, aka a terrifying monster. Two new friends might be able to help Livy, if she can face the truth of what is happening. VERDICT Some logical inconsistencies are distracting, such as Livy repeatedly mentioning moving to San Diego to attend college in Long Beach (they are 100 miles apart). New readers might welcome this coming-of-age fairy tale, but existing fans will be underwhelmed.--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.