The Dead and the Buried by Kim Harrington

Release Date: 1 January 2013

Publisher: Scholastic
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon

Goodreads description:

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

Release Date: 20 December 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

Goodreads description:

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living t...moreHannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: On the Fringe by Courtney King Walker

Release Date: 19 October 2011
Publisher: Lands Atlantic Publishing, Inc.
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

Goodreads description:

Claire is struggling to overcome the murder of her childhood friend and secret crush, Daniel. Everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives, but she's still trying to cope. The fact that she finds herself alone and drowning on her 16th birthday isn't helping. Neither is thinking she sees Daniel's face in murky water as she mysteriously resurfaces. But something happened during those four and a half minutes that will make her realize it was not just her imagination. As Claire and Daniel try to grasp a possible reconnection, other grudge-holding beings have plans of their own. Now, the two of them have to decide if their fleeting relationship is worth the possibility of Claire being trapped on the fringe forever.

My Thoughts...

I went into On the Fringe in the best possible way: with no expectations, pre-conceived notions, or opinions of others.  What I found in this book was a heart-warming story of first love intertwined with an intensely creepy story of revenge. This was really a ghost story like no other and I fell deeply, madly in love with the characters.

Claire = awesome.  I felt an instant connection with her character. Her emotions from the beginning were very raw, very real.  Who can't relate to that first crush that you're totally way to scared to tell (or to even have them figure it out)?  Her depression after his death is very honest and real. She doesn't wallow, but she can't let it go--partially because she never had the opportunity to tell him how she felt...and even no one among the friends and family knows how she really felt/feels.

The alternating POVs in this book were brillantly executed and allow a solid connection with Daniel.  Despite his death early on, I felt very drawn to him.  I loved watching him fall deeper in love with Claire and reliving his memories as he tries to figure out exactly when that switch in his feelings happened.  Done any other way this story probably would have had a feeling of desperate insta-love, but seeing the relationship develop over time, even without the other one knowing, it gave a very real sense of growth and gradual development of feelings.  This was a pair that had been friends forever and that friendship was on the verge of developing into something more.

The storyline is absolutely brilliant, alternating between the romance and the intensely creepy haunting. Claire is in serious danger and the reader has an ever-increasing awareness of just HOW MUCH danger she's in as the story goes on.  The interweaving of these stories is, well, PERFECT.  Throughout the book, you are constantly delving deeper into the story and making intense connections between Daniel's death, his connection to Claire, and her current haunting (you know, besides Daniel).

This is truly a beautiful story of first love and loss.

Book Birthday Shout Out! (3)

"Book Birthday Shout Out" is a weekly meme hosted by The Bewitched Bookworms over on their awesome blog.  Be sure to check out which books being release this week your fellow bloggers are super excited about!

This week's Book Birthday Shout Out goes to...

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
© 21 June 2011 by Walker Children's

Goodreads description:

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.  Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream.

Among her favourite books are ‘The Wood Wife’ by Terri Windling, ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, and of course, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. Elizabeth Bennet is her hero because she’s smart and sassy, and Mr. Darcy is, well, yum.
Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with husband and their dogs. She likes cinnamon lattes, tattoos and books

.I think this one sounds fabulous! Ghost/haunting stories have started to catch my eye as I wear myself thin on a number of other "types" of stories. (Also, I loved Hereafter by Tara Hudson, so that may have started it) I was also lucky enough to get a place on the I Read Banned Books ARC tour for this one and I'm still anxiously patiently waiting my turn!

Other "Book Birthdays" this week...

 

Whose "Book Birthday" are you celebrating this week?