‘Tangled’ heroine learns to control the hand she’s been dealt

Oh, if your parents had any idea ...

They think you're a good kid with good grades and decent friends -- and you are, so that's actually true. You're a volunteer, a hard worker, you're honest, decent, and you have a great future ahead.

But there are things that your parents don't know about. You share your life with them, but there are hopes and dreams you keep to yourself for now. If they had any idea, they'd be surprised.

And if Mo Kennedy's mother knew what Mo was doing, she'd faint. That's because in the new book, "Tangled" by Erica O'Rourke, Mo is trying to save two worlds.

Mo Kennedy never wanted to get involved.

If it hadn't been for her best friend, Verity, who transferred her powers to Mo just before she died, Mo wouldn't have to worry about the Arc world. She wouldn't have to go Between (which hurt a lot), and she wouldn't have the responsibility of being the Vessel. She could've continued being a normal high school girl.

Well, as normal as any girl could be with a mobster uncle, anyhow.

Mo knew Uncle Billy had her best interests at heart. Ever since Mo's father went to jail, Billy made sure Mo and her mother were safe and that bills were paid. He'd even given Mo a bodyguard, Colin, who was heartbreakingly handsome and with whom Mo was falling just the tiniest bit in love.

But Luc, the Arc who bonded with Mo, kept visiting her, encouraging her, and he was irresistible, too.

She and Luc, Vessel and Arc, were supposed to fulfill a prophesy that would strengthen and save two worlds. But when Verity died, the lines of magic had been somehow altered and that put everyone -- Arc and Flat -- in grave danger. If the magic escaped, the Darklings could come back, the Seraphim would gain power and the Arcs could be destroyed. As Vessel, only Mo could fix the lines.

But Mo just wanted her life back. Verity was gone, Colin was hiding something from Mo, and Luc wasn't being entirely truthful, either. Why, for instance, was Mo's father getting out of jail early, and why did the Quartoren demand that Mo attend certain ceremonies?

The answer to those questions could cost Mo her life.

No doubt about it, "Tangled" lives up to its name: there's a lot going on here, and it takes a while to sort it out.

In this sequel to last year's "Torn," author Erica O'Rourke leads her readers deeper into two complex and dangerous worlds with one unwilling heroine. Seventeen-year-old Mo has always been smart, but this time, she learns to embrace the futures and fates she's been dealt and to control them herself. It's good to see her grow; fans of "Torn" will think so, too.

If you haven't read the first book in this series, go find it, then read this book and you'll be one of those fans. If you're already a follower, though, you know that reading "Tangled" is a very good idea.

View publishes Terri Schlichenmeyer's children's book reviews weekly.