Young Adult
Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April 5, 2011

Sixteen-year-old Tansy Piper moves with her grandfather and her mother, a horror writer, to the setting of her mother's next book--a secluded house outside of a tiny, desolate West Texas town. Lonely and upset over the move, Tansy escapes into her photography and the dark, seductive poems she finds hidden in the cellar, both of which lure her into the mind and world of a mysterious, troubled young man who died sixty years earlier.

I'm not much of a fan of ghost stories, but this one has something that called me to it. It was interesting to read a book that mixed contemporary issues with the creepy ghostly parts. I felt I was diving into a whole new genre that I hadn't really experienced, and I enjoyed it. The author does a really great job of grabbing the reader from the start. But sadly for me, it suddenly stopped. The plot seemed to involve too many things at a time. I felt scenes were cut short for no reason, skipping from one thing to the other; and it all just made me lose interest.

I felt I dragged myself through some of it, though it did pick up later. I felt satisfied with the ending, and felt it all merged up in a good way, but my enjoyment had already suffered. The main character also over-thinks things way too much. I often enjoy a book only because of my connection with the character but unfortunately, it also works vice versa.

The writing was very good and clear, which makes me want to read other books by the author. And the plot was very well done, even though I think it could have been better executed.

Overall, I think young readers will be enthralled by the creepy mystery. This is an original take on ghost stories that supernatural lovers will enjoy.