Daughters of the Moon #1: Goddess of the Night

This sexy but lackluster fantasy novel kicks off the Daughters of the Moon series by the author of Drive-By and Party Girl. High school sophomore Vanessa and her best friend, Catty, have magical powers. But while Catty sees her ability to time travel as a gift, Vanessa hates her own ability to turn invisible: she ""tried to control her molecules, but in times of intense emotion, her molecules had more power than her ability to restrain them and the light from a full moon seemed to fuel their charge."" Vanessa wants to date the handsome, long-haired Michael and be like everyone else, but whenever he kisses her, her feet and hands start disappearing. Then Catty turns up missing, and Vanessa's new friend Serena (a mind reader) reveals that they are goddesses, Daughters of the Moon, who must battle the evil Atrox and its dissolute band of ""Followers"" (from whose souls Atrox has sucked all hope) who haunt the Los Angeles club scene. Multicultural and cutting-edge, the California-hip backdrop may appeal to some readers and the book contains enough affirmations of ""girl power"" to please any budding feminist. But in the end, this series reads like an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without the camp. Into the Cold Fire, the next in the series, follows Serena as she falls prey to the dark side. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)