Vessel

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst, 424 pages

Liyana is prepared to die.  her body will become a vessel f to house her goddess, Bayla, while her spirit moves on into the Dreaming.  Bayla will be able to do magic that will allow her clan to survive the drought.  Without the use of Liyana's body, her goddess will not be able to affect the earth and would not be able to help the clan.  On the day of the ceremony, everything goes exactly as planned, except that the goddess doesn't come.  Liyana's clan is left bereft, unsure what to do and end up abandoning Liyana to what is surely death in the desert, until a boy shows up out of nowhere.  The boy, Korbyn, may have the answers to what happened to Bayla and how to fix the void she left.  This book is one of the best books I've ever read, definitely my favorite by this author.  Teens who like fantasy will probably love it.

The Lost

The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst, 350 pages

Lauren, not ready to face her mother and what is probably very bad news about her health, starts driving one morning and ends up in a town called Lost.  Unable to find her way out of town, Lauren is stuck there, worrying about her mother, and learning how to survive in a town where everyone has lost something and can’t leave until it’s been found.  Lauren has even more troubles, when the one person who everyone says can help her, refuses to even speak to her.  With the help of only a couple of allies, Lauren must figure out what she needs to do to leave Lost and return home, even as she finds herself falling in love.  I really liked this book.  It’s creepy and intriguing and just a really good story.