- Beautiful cover, and I am a sucker for a beautiful cover!
- I love stories set in New Orleans.
- I was in the mood for a ghost story.
- The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
- Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Summary from GoodReads:
Rebecca couldn’t feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She’s staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she’s invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he’s got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There’s just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.
A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.
As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend — and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey — she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?
My Review:
I’m going to start this review out by admitting something. I’m a wuss, a coward, a scaredy-cat. If you look up “easily spooked” in a dictionary you’d see my picture there. I’ve been known to read a book centered around vampires and then freak out if I have to walk outside in the dark. I’ve hurt my hand slapping the light switch in my room and … on more than one occasion, have been known to sleep with my lamp on next to my bed.
Having said all that (and made those embarrassing admissions – hey, I’m 33 folks, I should know better) – let me just say that this is my kind of ghost story. It wasn’t too scary, in fact I highly doubt my 7 year old nephew would be scared by it. But it was creepy, written in a very simplistic way so it was easy to follow and had some great ambiance going for it.
That said… the simplicity nearly ruined the ending. After the story finally got going (and it took about 50 pages until I started getting into it) it unwound with some interesting twists and turns but the ending.. Paula Morris, what in the world did you do? The ending made me feel as if the story built up to this huge climax and then.. SLAM went the door in my face.
Taking a few minutes to calm down here….
Anyways, even with my disapproval of how it all ends I still recommend this book if you have a young teen interested in learning some neat facts about New Orleans and craving a ghost story.
(And I don’t even have to keep my lamp on tonight!)
Check out these reviews:
As October approaches, what are some of your favorite “spooky” reads?
