The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee Review

Name: The Unquiet

Author: Jeannine Garsee
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: July 17th, 2012
Format: Paperback
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388 pages

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Goodreads

My Review:

The Unquiet was a hauntingly captivating book that refused to be put down.  I read this book in one sitting, as I was unable to stop turning the pages until I found out whether there was actually a ghost haunting the school, or if Rinn, the bipolar main character, was simply just crazy.

Rinn was an excellent protagonist whom I admired greatly.  Whether she was on or off her medication, she constantly remained a strong character who supported what she believed in; she knew how to stand up for herself and those around her, not tolerating bullying of any sort.  Although at some points she had doubts about whether what she was seeing was real or not, Rinn always strived to discover the truth, no matter what the cost might be.  She was also as honest as she could be, without being so truthful that everyone around might think she was completely off her rocker.  When she met Nate, her cute “farmer boy” neighbor, and quickly began to fall for him, she was open about her past from the beginning.  Nate, true to the thoughtful gentleman that he was portrayed as, did not spurn Rinn for her past, but instead accepted her for all her faults, not making a big deal about her bipolar condition.

Throughout the book, strange and deadly things continually happened to Rinn’s new friends after they conducted an eerie séance in the school pool where the ghost of a dead girl, named Annaliese, supposedly lived.  I was glad to see that Jeannine Garsee created genuine, unique characters out of all Rinn’s friends – Meg, Tasha, Lacy, Cecilia, Dino, and Nate – instead of merely giving them names and faceless personalities.  The fact that each character had their own individual traits to bring to the group, even Lacy’s horribly rude attitude, Tasha’s oppressed lifestyle, and Dino’s overbearing infatuations, made me enjoy the book that much more.

Another aspect of this book that I appreciated was how Garsee was not afraid seriously harm, and even kill, some of the main characters.  In a ghost story where everyone’s lives are threatened, it is not realistic for all the characters to survive and live happily ever after.  While I was not outright scared when reading this book, I could not help but turn the pages very quickly, wondering whether Annaliese’s ghost was real, speculating who the next person to be harmed or to die under mysterious circumstances would be, and questioning what crazy stunt Rinn would pull to discover the truth about the ghost.  This book was a great read and I would definitely recommend it to fans of psychological thriller books, or simply contemporary books with spooky edges!

My Rating:

Silence by Michelle Sagara West Review

Name: Silence 
Author: Michelle Sagara West
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: May 1st, 2012
Format: ARC Copy
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Thank you DAW and Penguin for sending me an ARC copy of this book!! 

“It began in the graveyard. Ever since her boyfriend Nathan died in a tragic accident Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that’s all it was. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there—Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death…."-Goodreads 

My Review:
Overall, I really liked Silence!! At first I wasn't really sure what to expect because I haven't really read any books with ghosts in them and the ones that I did end up reading about ghosts I didn't like. Silence, however, totally blew away my expectations and I enjoyed this book!

One of my favorite parts about Silence definitely was the plot. It was interesting to learn about necromancy and the whole mythology behind it. Michelle Sagara West does a really great job of keeping the reader on his/her toes and keeping the book at a great pace! The book starts right into the action which I really loved.

That being said, while I did really enjoy the plot of this book, I found myself still a little bit confused by the whole necromancy aspect. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of ghosts that I didn't really understand? While I definitely liked reading more about necromancy in this book I wish that it was a little bit clearer to the reader!
 
Overall, I enjoyed Silence! While I was a little bit confused at certain parts I did still really enjoy this book. If you are a fan of books with necromancy and ghosts then this is the book for you!!
 
My Rating: Three out of Five Stars

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach Review

Name: Wake Unto Me
Publisher: Speak
Release Date: March 31st, 2011
304 pages

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.-Goodreads

My Review:
I love young adult books that are set at boarding schools, so of course I was very excited when I first heard about this book!
The first fifty pages or so, however, I could not find myself getting into the book! I had to put this one down a few times and go back to it. After the the initial struggle however, I really got into this book and I really enjoyed it! I am very happy that I didn't to decide to give up on this book because I would have regretted it!

One of my favorite parts about this book was the paranormal romance! I am really getting into books with ghosts in it so I was happy to see that in this book!
I also liked the history aspect of this book, it was interesting to see the history of Chateau de la Fortune and all of the mystery that surrounds it!

Overall, at first this was a struggle, but in the end I really enjoyed this book!


My Rating: Four out of Five Stars

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Name: Name of the Star
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: September 29th, 2011


The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.-Goodreads

My Review:
What an AMAZING book! This is definitely one of the best books that I have read this year!!
The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover! It is very unique! The plot of this novel was very different and interesting! London is one my my favorite cities, so I loved reading about it! I also love to read about boarding schools so it was awesome to read about that as well.

This book kept me on the edge of me seat and I was constantly guessing what would happen next, only to be shocked. I love when books do this so this was awesome to see happen!
I also LOVED the romance in this novel! It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little which I really enjoyed!
I also really liked the supernatural elements to this book! I don't want to give anything away but Maureen Johnson did an awesome job of having a supernatural/real world mix!

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this novel! I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel!!

My Rating: Five out of Five Stars