Review: Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

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Prom Dates from Hell
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Teen
Source: Barnes & Noble
Good Reads  |  Amazon
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads:

Maggie Quinn, Girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer. Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. Fate seems to have different plans for her.

High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It’s the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something’s a bit off. And when realTwilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school’s ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it’s up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose.

Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl’s got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell and the cheerleading squad.

My Thoughts

Rosemary Clement-Moore is becoming one of my most favorite authors.  I absolutely adored Texas Gothic, and loved The Splendor Falls, too.  So when I was perusing the teen books in Barnes & Noble the other day and happened to see this one, I snatched it right up.  And you guys, I was not disappointed in the slightest.  This book is filled with totally awesome, fleshed out characters, a kick-ass protagonist, and a creepy spirit-shadow creating havoc wherever it goes.

Maggie Quinn was an awesome main character.  I loved her.  She is tough, wants to do the right thing, and is one sarcastic lady. She always has a funny line, even sometimes about herself.  Here’s an example:

“I didn’t answer her, just folded my arms with a sullen expression.  Stubborn?  Who, me?”

See what I mean?  She’s just totally awesome.  She keeps referring the the most popular jock at her school as Biff (his real name  is Brandon) because he reminds her of the bully from Back to the Future.  But my most favorite thing about Maggie is that she tries to do what’s right, even when it means trying to save the Jocks and the Jessicas (the most popular girls in school who all happen to have the same name), despite the fact that they are jerks.  She tries to do the right thing even when it means she has to face one of her greatest fears.  Go Maggie!

The other characters in this book are really interesting, and fully-developed.  We’ve got Maggie’s BFF D&D Lisa, who is pretty awesome.  There’s Justin, a college kid who’s interested in Maggie’s special ability (she’s basically got excellent intuition) and who is also kind of dreamy.  We’ve got Maggie’s parents, and Maggie’s grandmother who are also in the picture.  They all made the story that much more interesting.

I have mentioned a ton that I am a sucker for ghost stories, and although there isn’t a ghost in this one, this book still has that ghost story feeling.  It’s not really scary, but it’s does have a little creepy vibe.  It was fantastic watching Maggie put on her Nancy Drew hat (I think Maggie actually says in the story) trying to figure out what was happening at her high school.

So guys, if you haven’t read anything by Rosemary Clement-Moore, why the heck not?  Prom Dates from Hell will be a great fit for those who liked the Clarity series by Kim Harrington or Gemma Halliday’s Deadly Cool series.