Cass prefers to be friends with ghosts. They give her dirt on the “breathers” so that she’s untouchable at school. But when one of the popular guys, Tim, finds out her secret and asks her for help in contacting his recently deceased mother, Cass is drawn out of her protective shell and starts to become more sociable.I really liked this portrait of an anti-social teen and how she slowly lets down her defenses and learns to care about living people again. Her “friendship” with Tim isn’t instant, it’s earned – which is all too rare in teen fiction.
The paranormal element adds a nice twist to the story, but didn’t fully satisfy me. We don’t find out until pretty far in when Cass developed the ability to see and communicate with ghosts and the how remains a mystery. There is also very little exploration into why some people die and stick around (such as Cass’ sister Paige), some stick around for a bit and leave, and some are simply gone. It seems to me that at least the ghosts would be pondering this.
Despite those questions, I raced through this one thanks to the perfect pacing, smooth writing, and engaging characters.
GIVE UP THE GHOST is available now in hardcover. Find out more at the author's website.
Sounds like an interesting character study. Paranormal themes instantly make me weary these days but this one sounds like it had a strong core. Cheers Lenore!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good. I would be interested to read development of the friendship. I love development ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review
I am reading quite a number of books on paranormal these days. This one would be a good addition to my list.
ReplyDeleteKeep on posting such themes. I love to read blogs like this. BTW add some pics :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder why they have to add a paranormal touch to so many books these days. It sounds like this one has a good story without that.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the book is somewhat lacking in details, but I liked the concept and it was a never-boring type of read. :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the sound of this book. I actually put it on my Christmas list, didn't receive it, and sort of forgot about it... but your review has reminded me how interesting it sounds. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this one, too. I felt like the paranormal aspect was very toned down compared to some other YA novels, and I liked that.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of this. The characters sound different to the usual stereotype we get in books with a paranormal element. It is a shame it took a while for the reasons behing the ability to come forward but I'd still like to read this book. Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, this looks like something different from the paranormal genre, which is saying something these days. :)
ReplyDeleteThis does sound interesting to me...not sure if it's enough for me to pick it up but I may pass it along to some teen readers I know!
ReplyDeleteI really love this book. But I agree, some things are left unexplained.
ReplyDeleteI like the story line. I have just published a teen novel, Angela 1: Starting Over, the first in a series of three set in coastal Texas. Angela is the opposite of an antisocial teen but has very much to learn about the evil in human hearts and what it will cost her to stick to her values. If interested in knowing more about the book, please click on my name and follow the link to my website. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCool...this book looks pretty good...i might try it out :)
ReplyDeleteI don't read much YA, but your praise for this one and the synopsis make me think this might make a good read for me. As a bonus, I think my daughter would like it as well. Thanks for the heads up on this book. I probably wouldn't have heard of it anywhere else.
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