Auracle (review)

Since astral projection is a pretty unusual gift, Anna has only shared her ability with her lifelong friend Rei. It's therefore Rei she turns to when, after her hovering spirit witnesses the accidental death of bitchy new girl Taylor, she returns to her body only to discover that Taylor has beaten her there. Taylor uses the hijacking to accuse Anna's friend Seth (who had rejected Taylor's romantic overtures) of her murder. Able to manipulate the physical world only slightly, Anna communicates with Rei by typing, and they work together to save Seth and reclaim Anna's body. Rosati hooks readers in with well-drawn protagonists: Anna and Rei's mutual unvoiced longing for each other is sigh-worthy, and Anna's worry that her mother likes her better as the noxious Taylor than as herself will resonate strongly with teen readers. Unfortunately, Taylor is a caricature of a vindictive popular girl, and the motivations for her grasping, capricious behavior are fuzzy, making her evolution from spite to regret unconvincing. Cardboard villain aside, the book proceeds briskly through suspense, romance, and extrasensory hijinks, intertwining the courtroom trial and body-snatch plotlines for maximum tension. Readers who like their mysteries supernaturally tinged and their romantic heroes sweet and protective will enjoy this debut novel.