TRIAL BY FIRE

Once meek and tormented by debilitating allergies, a girl is transported to an alternate universe and becomes a staggeringly powerful witch.

Lily Proctor leads a painful life in Salem, Massachusetts, stricken with seizures and responsible for the care of her schizophrenic mother. When her best friend and unrequited love, Tristan, betrays her at a party, Lily finds herself listening to a mysterious voice inside her head that offers a way out. Suddenly, she appears in an unfamiliar version of her town and is greeted as the Lady of Salem. It appears that Lillian, an alternative version of Lily, summoned her from this other Salem. Realizing she can’t trust her doppelganger, Lily flees, stumbling into Rowan, a man once harmed by the true Lady of Salem. Desperate to get back home, Lily unwittingly becomes embroiled in the struggles of new friends. In this Salem, Lily’s fevers give her power. She’s a crucible—able to change heat into force. But to what end will she harness that power? Angelini begins with a trite setup in present time but quickly subverts tropes once Lily arrives in the alternative Salem. Lillian makes for a mostly absent villain, leaving the bulk of the tension to Lily and Rowan. Readers will be swept into the inner workings of crucibles and witches and left eager for more.

A clichéd start gives way to a richly drawn world of keenly devised magic. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)