Playing with Fire (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #1)

Reader reviewed by Amy Ward

Leon Sanders: at times you hate him, at times you love him. Most of the time you are frustrated by his decisions and then he does something wonderful to redeem himself. He's the lead character in Brian Katcher's Playing with Matches. Leon isn't the smartest, best looking, most popular guy in his high school, he's just average. But he wants above-average Amy Green to be his girlfriend. What he doesn't plan on is falling for Melody, a girl scarred on the inside and out. Melody and Leon become close just at the time that Amy Green notices him. Will Leon choose beauty on the inside or beauty on the out?

Brian Katcher does an amazing job of creating these multi-dimensional charcters that most people can relate to. I related to Leon's struggles to fit in and be popular and his struggle of finding that one person that completes him. He acts like a typical teenage boy, obsessed with beauty and the superficial. Of course, he then redeems himself by falling for a girl that is far from being pretty or popular. His journey is at times heartbreaking and triumphant. At one part in the book, I was so disgusted with his actions that I just quit reading. I didn't want to live through the consequences with him. But the book is so readable, I soon picked it back up and read some more. It really sucks you in from the beginning. I must caution, there is language and sexual situations. But it's a great read! And it's only Katcher's first book! Lots more to look forward to!

Reader reviewed by Sara

"Used to be my greatest achievement was holding a job more than three days. Now suddenly I can shoot fireballs, chill your drink on blow-dry hair at fifty paces with a blink of my eye!
It all started when this crazy scientist dropped something in my Grande Mocha Latte. Of course I got wicked sick. Next morning I'm waking up with this total hottie bending over me. He tells me 1) his name's Rome Masters, 2) he's a government agent and 3) I can control the four elements with a thought.
He seems even less pleased by my (apparently irreversible) transformation than I am... Because now he'll have to kill me."

This was an okay book. The plot was pretty good, but the romance was pretty run-of-the-mill and boring. There is an explicit sex scene that isn't appropriate for all ages, but the rest of the book is pretty tame.