Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

What exactly is is about the combination of a goth guy and a peppy blonde cheerleader that makes for such a fun read?  Also, why do books with similar themes always come out around the same time?  (See The Ghost and the Goth)  It's like there's someone out there feeding ideas to new authors or something.  Or publishing companies with leaks ("Sure, I'll tell you what the next big thing is . . . for a price . . . ").

In any case, despite having somewhat similar characters to other current teen fiction, this book stands apart.  Relying heavily on a Poe-etic setting (please don't throw tomatoes), Isobel (the cheerleader) is horrified when her English teacher pairs her with Varen (the goth) for a project involving dead writers (enter Poe).  What Isobel doesn't know is that she isn't horrified enough as she is swept into a dreamworld from which there may be no escape.

Thank you so much Leah for recommending this one!  (And a few others I've read recently.)  Also, thanks for nothing - seeing as how yet again I've manged to fly through hundreds of pages only to find that the silly book doesn't end!  To be continued . . . the other "hot" thing in publishing right now.