The Ghost Hunter's Daughter Review Tour

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Anna sees things from another world, the spiritual world, a skill that isn’t exactly useful in high school. It’s bad enough that her mother, possessed by a demon, took her own life when Anna was a child, a loss she remains tortured by. Now her father makes his living “clearing” haunted objects, and Anna’s job as his assistant makes her a social misfit. Most kids in her suburban New Jersey town refer to her just as “Goblin Girl.”

Only Freddy and Dor remain loyal friends. But Anna’s so focused on her own problems, she’s missed that her connection with Freddy is moving beyond the friend zone.

As junior year approaches, a rare solar storm lights up the night skies and the citizens of Bloomtown begin to act strangely: Anna’s teachers lash out, her best friends withdraw, and the school bullies go from mean to murderous. When Anna realizes she can harness this evil power, she sets out to save Bloomtown and the only family she has left.

But to do so, she must keep her own increasingly dark urges at bay.

Excerpt:

Anna continued the staring contest with herself until the current of connection

became so strong that she couldn’t look away from the mirror even if she wanted to. And then the details of the yellow flecks around her pupil—the golden starbursts in the hazel of her irises—suddenly grew sharper in the glass, crystallizing. Every muscle in her body tightened. Something was going to happen.

At first Anna thought she was shaking with fear, and then she was sure that a bee had flown into her mouth. Her jaw clenched instinctually, biting down. She braced for the soft crunch and searing sting that was sure to follow, but her teeth met without resistance. There wasn’t a bee, but her teeth continued to rattle as an electric thrumming spread throughout her body. Was this another portal attack? Anna wasn’t sure, but it was a vastly different sensation from the river rage—a much faster and higher-pitched vibration. She waited with dread for the shaking to slow and deepen, for the waves of hatred and misery to roll through her. But the vibration inside her increased in tempo, intensity and pressure.

It was like being in an airplane right before the wheels lifted off the ground—all that power. She was vibrating at a body-numbing, incredibly high rate, but was somehow still at the same time, like a tuning fork. It had been a mistake to try this in her room. What if the mirror gazing had opened her up even more to the destructive power of the portal spew? There was something familiar about it, the growing roar in her ears, but she braced herself and resisted with all her strength. No.

                 

My Review:

3 stars

The plot was well-executed and thought-out. I loved the paranormal/magic rules, as they were detailed and, for a Supernatural show fan like myself, familiar. I also loved the different twists on what I’d seen previously (having to cleanse a spirit according to his/her beliefs was particularly interesting). The characters were interesting, and even though I had a hard time connecting with Anna, it was interesting seeing her develop throughout the story.

The biggest downside is that I was not expecting this book to be as dark or heavy as it was. For example, some of the issues raised in the book are huge societal issues in our world today, yet in the end, some were resolved quickly. I felt like so much was thrown into the story that it became hard to read enjoyment-wise and there was too much to focus on to satisfactorily wrap up all the introduced issues. All of this also felt a bit much for a YA novel, but then again, Hunger Games is considered YA.

Overall, if you’re into darker reads that address real-life issues with a paranormal twist thrown in, I’d give TGHD a try.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.

Author Bio and Links:

Caroline Flarity is a web content producer living in NYC. Her fascination with fringe topics and love of scary movies led her to begin her writing journey penning creepy screenplays. Her debut novel THE GHOST HUNTER'S DAUGHTER started life as a feature script, placing in the finals of the StoryPros Awards and as a semifinalist in Slamdance Film Festival's writing competition. She enjoys pitting her characters against both supernatural and cultural evils.

Twitter     |     Website

Buy The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter here.