Published by HarperCollins
Released January 25, 2011
304 pages
Where I got it: Public library
Rating: 4 stars

Emily Webb is shy and nerdy–the social polar opposite of Emily Cook.  The only thing is that Emily Cook is now dead, and Emily Webb is crawling into her own bedroom window, dressed like a streetwalker, with no recollection of the how or why of the situation.  Emily W. (heretofore referred to as Emily) finds that when the night rolls around, she transforms into a nighttime version of herself: more confident, sassy, flirty with guys, dressed to impress, and with special powers.  As if that weren’t weird enough, whoever shot Emily C. is now going after other teens, including Emily.  While she wants to find a way to keep herself from turning into nighttime Emily, Emily may also need her alter ego to stop the person who is shooting local teens.

I had a great time reading Vesper.  The story is fairly lighthearted and full of humor.  Emily is a great character, in both her incarnations, and somebody that was easy to root for.  As the story progresses, she integrates more and more of her night persona into her everyday attitude, and comes out a much stronger person as a result.

I was sooo happy that this is not another story that revolves around a romance.  It really is based on uncovering two mysteries: a) why Emily gets so crazy around 8:15 pm, and b) who the heck is shooting the high schoolers?  There is an inkling of romance at the end, but it doesn’t dominate the plot at all, and leaves room for a lot of growth later in the series.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced read with plenty of laughs, and some paranormality, go for Vesper. It’s a really strong YA debut from veteran series writer Jeff Sampson.