CATHY’S RING

Plucky, impulsive, go-get-’em-girl Cathy Vickers and her immortal boyfriend Victor are back with a half-assed bang in the series’s third and (let’s hope) final installment. Fans know the recipe already, with the story taking the form of Cathy’s journal, complete with drawings, real phone numbers and websites meant to heighten readers’ experience. This time, however, the plot feels thinner on thrills and heavier on convenient twists. The story: Cathy and company vow to take down the evil Ancestor Lu, who plots to destroy her family. The drama: Cathy tests Vincent’s love when she’s caught making out with Denny, her trustworthy human sidekick and the protective brother of slutty, two-faced Jewel, who stole Cathy’s purse in the second book. (Note: Jewel’s ridiculous clown costume represents the novel’s only high point.) The shortfall: Though many readers will be excited to read Cathy’s further and final adventures, the first book in the series packed the biggest thrills. What sells this episode short are obviously contrived plotting and convenient, offstage action sequences that underwhelm the discoveries that result. Is the phenomenon over? Does anyone care? Meh. (Fiction. YA)