THE SEVEN RAYS

Just before her 18th birthday, brainiac Beth Ray Michaels begins seeing colored ropes of light attached to her friends and family. She believes her vision is playing tricks on her until she receives a gold envelope with a note that reads: You are more than you think you are. Beth’s visions increase in frequency, and her psychic powers elevate to the point where a battle with an unseen force lands her in a mental hospital. With the help of a sympathetic nurse, her boyfriend and a patient who shares many of her supernatural abilities, Beth escapes to New York. A kindly nun, who readers know is part of Beth’s larger but ultimately unexplained destiny, sends Beth on a tarot-themed scavenger hunt to find her six psychic sisters. The unattractive cover, which is difficult to read, will deter readers, so they won’t be troubled by the lack of plot resolutions, unimaginative characterizations and silly dialogue. Bendinger is the writer of several popular teen films, including the adaptation of Aquamarine, but her screen talents do not transfer to the novel format. (Supernatural. YA)