Kim Harrington
Synopsis:
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
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 on the book:
The Dead and Buried is a mysterious and thrilling novel that illustrates the damage that ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, can do to people and relationships. I always enjoy novels with a purpose, and in that aspect, this one did not disappoint. However, I was looking for something a bit scarier. Either way, this is a book that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed the story, and I was hooked from the first chapter forward.
Jade is a really likable narrator. She's not selfish or jealous or petty. She really cares about her family and tends to see the bright side of things for the most part. I was surprised at how maturely she handled some of the situations in the novel. However, she had moments of naivety in which I wanted to smack her and tell her to wake up. Overall, though, I liked her as a character. Donovan is also an intriguing character, and I wish we could have gotten to know him better. I felt like the secondary characters were more filler characters than fully developed, and I didn't like that. None of them stood out. While some were unique, none felt real to me.
The mystery had me stumped. I almost had it figured out, but not quite. Also, this book wasn't quite as scary as I'd hoped. Maybe it was because the secondary characters didn't seem real, but when things happened, I didn't feel scared. I wanted to know what would happen next, but I wasn't scared. I still marked this as horror though because I'm pretty sure the events are supposed to be scary. The ending is a bit abrupt, but I felt okay with it. I would have liked to have seen more of the fallout caused by Kayla though, along with what happened at school after everything was worked out. Oh well. Other than the abrupt ending, the plot is well-developed, paced, and thought-out.
Overall, I'd recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery or paranormal/horror type story. Harrington has a good voice, and while some aspects of the novel fell short, the narration was spot on. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
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Great review. I really really want to read this one.
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