Reviewed by Silvara on
I loved the ghostly elements in the book. The way Sunshine interacted with the child ghost. And how the story unfolded. I didn't expect most of the twists around why it was happening to her after their move.
And while there is a minor romance thread, it is super minor. The strongest theme was the focus on family between Sunshine and her mother. They are best friends for most of the book, and do things you don't always see in YA. Things like have movie nights, cook dinner together, poke fun at each other, and Sunshine raids her mom's closet for clothes. It's super obvious that they're close, and don't keep secrets from each other.
It's listed as horror, but it wasn't all that scary. At least, I didn't find it so. There were a few slightly creepy moments, but nothing that I wouldn't be okay reading alone in the house at night. At the same time, the ghost moments were well-written. I could tell that it seriously was creeping Sunshine out to have things moved around in her room, and to hear giggling and whispers.
The bathroom scene was the creepiest bit honestly. And had this been a movie instead of a book, it would have scared the crap out of me. So I'm not sure why it didn't feel as scary reading it.
I liked all the characters in the book. There are 3 main ones and a few minor ones. The only one I didn't like at all was the one we never actually meet. He has no name that we're ever told, and comes off as a jerk. At least that's how I view him based solely on the things he tells the Reader and what we learn of him from the characters. Most of the book is told from Sunshine's point of view. But there are places where we suddenly get this other guy narrating things. And I just couldn't like him.
This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 23 December, 2015: Finished reading
- 23 December, 2015: Reviewed