
It's a fun ghost story with a mystery element, and it's told in alternating viewpoints by the ghost and the goth respectively. The ghost is Alona, a popular cheerleader who reminded me a lot of Cordelia in Buffy. The goth is Will, an introspective teen whose main problem that he can communicate with ghosts, and if they find out he can, he'll be mobbed by them all asking him to fulfill various requests so they can find rest. He wears a headset all the time, because the music helps keep the ghosts at bay, and he has told no one about his ability - his mother and his therapist are fairly close to having him committed. So when Alona, who dies at the beginning of the book, notices that Will can see her, she immediately latches onto him. She wants some answers, and he seems to be the only one who knows anything about her ghostly situation.
Will didn't like Alona when she was alive, and he certainly doesn't want to hang out with her now that she's dead. But he has a problem, and Alona might be able to help him solve it. So they decide to try to work together - not an easy feat. But the situation is quickly growing to something that appears much too strong for them to handle...
The characters start out as fairly stock stereotypes, but as the story progresses, deeper aspects of their characters are revealed, so there turned out to be more substance than I expected. The story is funny, has an intriguing supernatural element, a sweet romance, and a refreshing antagonist. My eleven-year-old daughter enjoyed it even more than I did, and she's in the middle of the sequel right now. While this book probably could have been a stand-alone, and it didn't end with a massive cliffhanger or anything, I'll be reading the sequel as well.
Books in the Ghost and the Goth series:
1. The Ghost and the Goth
2. Queen of the Dead
3. Body and Soul
The Ghost and the Goth (#1 in the Ghost and Goth series) by Stacey Kade (Disney Publishing Worldwide, 2010)
Also reviewed at:
Muggle-born: "So while the romance captivated my interest, the actual paranormal aspect of the book did not. I cared about Alona and her past and future, but I couldn’t say the same about the other ghosts."
Small Review: "The real accomplishment here is that the book never feels bogged down, depressing, or overly serious. Instead, the author manages to maintain a light and sweet tone throughout the book without diminishing the importance of these issues."
Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Books: "Great characters, romance, fab storytelling--I actually bought a copy, that's how much I enjoyed it."
Thanks for the link, Darla! This was a really fun book.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this before. The e-book variety at my library suffers from the same problem... E-readers are getting more and more popular.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds exactly like something I would read! And no e-reader for me, I cling to my paperbacks with a deathly grip : )
ReplyDeleteTasha - My pleasure. I enjoyed your review!
ReplyDeleteKailana - And also the publishers are being so weird about licensing books for library use. Did you hear that Penguin said they are no longer going to license ANY new books for library use? Crazy times.
VA Gal - You'd probably enjoy this. Most of the books I read are still hard copy, but I do love my Nook. I can read in the dark when the power goes out. And in the car at night. And pack dozens of books on there when I go away. :-)