Sparks by Cherie Bennett

Smallville Young Adult #11
YA/SUPERHERO
rating

It's homecoming week and Chloe attends a fireworks display where sparks from one impressively green firework land on her. The sparks are laced with green meteor residue that suddenly make Chloe the object of almost every teenage boy's desire.

The final book in the Smallville for Young adult series. There are two series in total, and this seems to be the one written for around middle school age. As immature as I am (and dorky), I can still enjoy these fine as long as they aren't as ridiculously simple as the first one in the series was.

I think I like Cherie Bennett's books in the series the best. She seems to have the most pull in her pacing and storylines.

Sparks is set at Smallville High, which is probably one of my favorite settings in the series, on screen and on page. Chloe is tainted by the meteor rock, of course, but it has the unusual result of her becoming the object of every man's desire. Well, to a certain age group - those like Lex and older are immune fortunately.

It plays into the whole angst of unrequited love where Clark is concerned, and of course gives Clark reason to puase and reflect on his ever-yearning of Lana, not always requited. This must have been during the snappy and defensive stage of their morbid and strange mating ritual.

There's an especially nifty scene where he saves a kid on the bleachers, but there's the annoying issue of the meteor rocks making him come across wimply. I always enjoyed reading about the superteen's powers in written form - there's small things you miss when just watching such and such on screen.

Happily this book ends the series on one of its highest notes. There's plenty of the regular cast, the story is a good one, the setting is the familiar and much loved areas. Well-done for this age group and being a TV show inspired tale.