Last word first: Steeped in beautiful New Orleans culture, this book is a creepy page-turner. (4/5)Release date: August 1, 2009. Preorder Ruined from Amazon.
Would Joe like this book? Probably not, but mostly because he doesn’t like ghost stories. This book was surprisingly not very girly/romancy.
Description: When 16-year-old Rebecca’s father has to go work and live in China for six months, he insists that Rebecca leave their home in New York and go to live with her aunt in New Orleans. Immersed in the strange culture of her new home, Rebecca almost feels like she’s in a different country. The only person who seems to like her is Lisette, a young girl she met in the cemetery next to Rebecca’s aunt’s home. The fact that they met in a cemetery makes sense when you consider that Lisette’s a ghost. She’s a ghost with a tragic and mysterious past that, strangely, seems to coincide with Rebecca’s future a little too closely for comfort.
My thoughts: Loved it! Ruined started out strong and kept going that way. The book distinguished itself right off from so many others in this genre because it is told in the third-person, rather than the first. At first this threw me off a little, but I think it also gave the story more depth by enabling descriptions of things that Rebecca wouldn’t necessarily notice.
There wasn’t as much of a romantic storyline to Ruined as I thought there was going to be. Based on the book cover blurb, I thought Anton was going to play a bigger role. He didn’t have much dialogue, so while Anton was present at a lot of scenes, he didn’t feel like a huge presence. There also isn’t a lot of obsessing about him on Rebecca’s part. What? A sixteen year old girl who doesn’t obsess about her crush! Is that even legal in this genre? While the lack of dialogue and teen-girl obsessing definitely make this book more Joe-friendly, I might have preferred a few more “talking parts.”
However, Ruined is, first and foremost, a ghost story. Rebecca’s mission is to figure out what happened to Lisette, why she is stuck here as a ghost, and how that relates to the mysterious curse placed on some of the most prominent families of New Orleans. The strange thing is, and maybe this is just me, but it wasn’t really scary. I don’t read a lot of ghost stories, but aren’t they supposed to be scary? Hmmm... anyway, in order to discover the answers she’s looking for, Rebecca must delve into the history of her new city, and of the families she’s trying to help.
The city of New Orleans is really the star of the book, if you ask me. I loved reading about the krewes, parades, debutantes and balls. There is also a lot about Katrina and its aftermath, so I really felt like I got a feeling for the city after reading this book. Which is great, since I can’t really afford to travel there.
In the end, I really liked this book. Its rich descriptions and vivid storytelling make it a captivating read.
About Paula Morris: PAULA MORRIS is also the author of several adult fiction novels. She lives in New Orleans and knows the city’s nooks and crannies first hand. - borrowed from Amazon
My question to you: What is your favourite ghost story? Book or otherwise.
4 comments:
I love reading stories that center around New Orleans. It really is such a mysterious and cool city. This one's on my list and I can't wait to get my hands on it.
Must add to my to-read list :o) Awesome review, thanks!
What a beautiful cover. I've been in a mystery mood, so I may pick this up.
I really like BEHIND THE ATTIC WALL, a ghost story I thought that only I remembered from childhood until I recently saw a blog post where everyone seemed to remember (and be totally horrified by) it. I read it last year, after maybe half a dozen readings in childhood, and still really enjoyed it...
Oh, this sounds good! I had seen the cover and I like it, but it's good to hear it's a good read too! Can't wait to read it :)
Post a Comment