A Delightful Yet Quirky Tale of First Love, Family, Friendships--and, of course, Curses!

Recently, I had the pleasure to review Margo Dill's newest YA novel, Caught Between Two Curses, published by Rocking Horse Publishing. I'm posting my review here to share with everyone who loves YA. However, for any mom, dad, teacher, aunt, uncle, or anyone who has--or is--experiencing life with a  teenager, Caught Between Two Curses will help see all the nuances as to what is important to teenagers, how they process and manage difficult situations on their own, and how they really struggle with doing what is right and making good decisions.

Enjoy!

Caught Between Two Curses

Margo Dill

Rocking Horse Publishing

ISBN-10: : 0991069560          

ISBN-13: 978-0991969569

Paperback: 248 pp.; $11.95

Review by Donna J. Essner

Caught Between Two Curses by Margo Dill, is a delightful yet quirky paranormal tale of a typical seventeen-year-old high school student, Julie Nigelson. Typical, inasmuch as she has a boyfriend and like many teenagers, is faced with a dilemma—to have or not to have sex.

But when a mélange of twists and turns propel Julie into facing an unexpected family crisis that is connected somehow to the famous “Billy Goat Curse” that prevents the Cubs from winning and is tied to her uncle’s mysterious illness, perhaps even her parents’ death, Julie is hurled into a world of confusion, questions, and decisions that affect her and all those she loves. Not only that, but Julie learns that her estranged grandmother she didn’t even know existed, is tied to it all. All the while, Julie wrangles with her boyfriend’s constant pressure to have sex, struggles with her change of heart surrounding her best friend, Matt, and fights to decipher how to rid her family—and the Cubs—of the curse. Before it’s too late.

In Caught Between Two Curses, readers are taken on a fast- and well-paced journey in the life of a contemporary teen who faces many of the same struggles with which all teens learn to deal—love vs. sex; the complexities surrounding friendships and relationships, both personal and family; facing “uncomfortable situations” head-on, instead of escaping or burying one’s head; mastering the art of forgiveness; and regardless of one’s own feelings and desires, sacrificing one’s self to protect those they love.

Dill skillfully incorporates all these themes throughout the story. For example, as Julie deals with her newly found-out family curse, she fights her body’s urges to give in, while her brain shouts, “No! No! No!” as her boyfriend insists, “Jules, this is it. Let’s just do it.” And then later, in building a new relationship with her best friend, Matt, she must deal with her feelings from their past and set her sights on beginning a new friendship between them. One she never expected. Additionally, acceptance and forgiveness are dealt with in the relationship with Julie’s grandmother. Not only must Julie accept her grandmother’s eccentric lifestyle, she must learn to forgive her, even though it was she who “brought nothing but pain and sorrow onto [their] family,” and because, as Julie discovered, “She [her grandmother] was the connection to [her] mom.”

Additionally, Dill effortlessly and seamlessly intertwines the legendary Billy Goat Curse that marks the Cubs with a continuous losing streak, with a spell targeted at Julie’s family members, and threatens to wipe them out, one-by-one. Along with chapter-ending cliffhangers and this well-played twist, this reader remained riveted throughout the story.

If there is one thing negative to be said for this story, it would be the many internal questions Julie demands to know as she fights to understand all that is happening in her life—knowing just what to do, what to feel, how to go about making decisions, and how to handle it all. But that is what the teen years entail, isn’t it? Questioning anything and everything they’ve been taught, finding their own way, and figuring out—sometimes all on their own—the who, what, where, when, and why in life. Caught Between Two Curses fulfills these age-old questions. It suffices to say, that even though many of the themes in this novel are directed at teens, any reader—young and old—can relate to these same dilemmas and learn from them.

All in all, Caught Between Two Curses is a delightful read. The characters, their language, and the exceptional paranormal twist interlaced with the legendary curse on the Cubs, gives this book an edge not seen in many others. Added to this, the connection between three generations of family members who struggle together and alone, to mend the past, add to the subtly of the human condition—how to get along. All of these details are spot on. I would highly recommend this captivating story to anyone looking for a refreshing twist on life in the day of a teenager, her friends, and her family. And of course, how to deal with a curse!

Caught Between Two Curses, published by Rocking Horse Publishing can be purchased directly at www.rockinghorsepublishing.com for $11.95. The paperback can also be purchased from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, as well as Margo Dill at http://margodill.com/blog/books. ISBN-10: 0991069560. ISBN-13: 978-0991069569.