Author: Suzanne Young
Genre: light horror
Similar books: Spirit's Key by Edith Cohn
The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Twelve-year-old Calista Wynn will lose her ability to speak with the dead on her thirteenth birthday.
And with only a few weeks left, children have started going missing.
When Calista meets The Tall Lady—an angry spirit with a grudge against Calista, her family, and the entire town—she knows she’s found the ghost responsible for the disappearances.
It’s up to Calista, the only one who can see The Tall Lady, to stop her. If she doesn’t, Calista won’t just lose her powers… she’ll lose everyone she has left.
My opinion: Young has given us a solid read here. There are rules provided from the start for the psychics - who can interact with ghosts and when. Their other "gifts" are a bit more nebulous and undefined which would be my primary criticism. Now, those rules are so solid that it makes the plot a bit predictable. Or to put it more positively, the ending is inevitable. We might hope for things to work out differently but we accept the resolution because it's fair. It follows the rules. There aren't a lot of complex child characters but the ones we get are solid. It's a compelling read and a solid example of the genre.
More information: What Stays Buried releases March 7.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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