The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

I believe this was the only book I hadn't read of Clement-Moore's, and it was worth the wait.

Sylvie can't believe her life's ambition is over--a severly broken leg means she'll never dance again.  Life might as well be over too as her mom and new step-dad ship her off to stay in Alabama while they're on their honeymoon.  Convinced she's having a spychotic break, they want someone to watch her all the time.

Can Sylvie help the fact she can see ghosts?  As she settles into life at Bluestone Hill, the strange occurrences keep happening, convincing her that maybe she is crazy.  A baby's wail at night, the cold pockets on the landing, and a blur of clothing out of the corner of her eye convince her something is happening.  When the rivers rise and threaten to flood the town, she may be the only one to stop the supernatural catastrophe behind it all.

Once again, Clement-Moore creates a world of magic and wonder.  I was reminded of Marion Zimmer-Bradley's work while I was reading this.  A definite pageturner.

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Amy Goodnight is the 'normal' person in a family of witches. She herself was fascinated by ghosts until a tragic incident when she was 11 almost killed her and her sister. Now she tries to suppress that part of her nature and keep her family's secret.

For the next month, Amy is watching over her aunt's farm along with her sister Phin. While Phin will be dealing with keeping all the plants alive, Amy is in charge of all the animals. Which is how she meets Ben, the cute rancher from next door. That's also how she learns about the ghost plaguing Ben's ranch.

Amy is thrust back into the supernatural when she most definitely wants to be left alone. But how long can she deny what's a part of her?

A good paranormal romance. Lots of humor and creepy points--especially good for a ghost story.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Rory, a teen from small town Louisiana, moves to London for a year to attend school at Wexford. The same day she arrives, a murder takes place. A murder in the style of Jack the Ripper.

Rory doesn't pay a lot of attention to that. Until she almost chokes and dies. Now she's seeing people no one else can. Her new friends think she's either making things up or going crazy.

The murderer is also curious about Rory and begins to follow her around. Not sure what's going on, she turns to the only people who may be able to help. Unfortunately they are also in a little over their heads.

The ghosts and terror in the story are very real, but there's also humor and a solid central story. I liked Rory and thought her narration was easy to follow. Another amazing book by Maureen Johnson!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas exterminates, or kills, ghosts. He's pretty good at it too. His dad did it before him, until he was killed by one. Now it's Cas' turn, and he and his mother travel across the country, following leads.

They head to Thunder Bay, Ontario, to confront and put down a ghost most locals know as 'Anna Dressed in Blood'. Cas isn't sure what to expect, but he goes in, just to scope it out. Actually, two local teens knock him out and push him inside, trying to scare him even though they don't believe the story.

That is, they don't believe it until Anna appears and rips one of them in half. Cas isn't sure what to expect, especially since the next time he sees her, she beats him up. She's a ghost with extra super powers and for once in his life, Cas doesn't know what to do.

Gruesome and scary. The ending is definitely a twist. It's very enjoyable, despite a couple flaws. And spooky too!

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe can see dead people. Or rather...their ghosts. When they realize she can see them, they do anything to get her attention--even making themselves as frightening as possible. She freaks out at school one day and gets herself sent to Lyle House.

Chloe's aunt is the reason she goes to Lyle House instead of any other home. But everything there is strange. Her roommate Liz is sent away. The staff seem to be waiting for her to do something supernatural as well. When she gets locked in the crawl space under the house, it creates stunning results--she wakes up the dead. Literally.

With the help of Simon and Derek, foster brothers who also have supernatural secrets, Chloe knows they must escape.

Not a bad start to this supernatural series. Chloe has a clear voice, most of the time.

Lark by Tracey Porter

Lark was kidnapped, raped, then left tied to a tree to die. Nyetta, a young girl Lark use to baby-sit, sees Lark's ghost now. Lark only has so much time before the tree traps her soul. In order to be free, someone has to acknowledge her wounds and what happened to her--Lark has chosen Nyetta for this 'honor'.

Eve was Lark's best friend, and she is also haunted, but by her own guilt. They had a fight and couldn't work past it.

The three of them are lost and not sure where to turn. Lark's time is running out but Nyetta can't do what she wants. And Eve is tormented by her guilt and knows she needs to do something.

Short and sweet, but serious. The story is told in alternative voice and very well-done. Each character, while not fully formed, has a strong enough voice it keeps the pages turning. Emotional but not overkill.

Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

Cass gets along with the dead a whole lot better than the living, but that could be because the dead know almost everyone's secrets--and they're willing to share. Cass uses these secrets to protect herself.


Then Tim, a senior who's mom died, guesses at her secret. He's willing to do anything if she'll just see if she can talk to his mom. Cass thinks this is the perfect opportunity to get back at her ex-best friend and her boyfriend for backstabbing her in the 7th grade, but revenge leaves her cold.


Then enters the complications of her feelings for Tim and his obvious downward spiral. Can she attempt to find a place among the living again?

Yeah, it's chick lit, but it's got a nice paranormal angle to keep things interesting. Cass does some growing, which is good, even though part of me didn't want her to, and it seems realistic. I enjoyed it!

The Everafter by Amy Huntley

Madison is dead. That's the only thing she knows for sure. What she doesn't know is how she got that way. And she'd like to know.

In the near distance she sees a light. As she gets closer, she sees an image of a bracelet she lost when she was younger. When she touches the image, she gets taken back to the memory of what happened when she lost it. Even more strange, she can enter her body at that time and try to alter that specific event. Each time she does that, she can't remember the details of the original memory, just the altered one. Pretty soon, she's trying every object she can find to see moments from her life which all ultimately lead to the scene where she lost her life.

Some memories shouldn't be altered though. And others can't change.

I liked this book for the overall concept and story. Madison loses a lot of objects during her lifetime, even though she's only 17, so there are many memories for her to follow. The switching from the past to the present jars a little, but it gets better as the story goes on. While the ending was a little surprising, Madison's feelings are not.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Alona, dealing with her usual issues at home, didn't realize she had stepped out into the street until it was too late. Now a ghost, she is left with a lot of unanswered questions--and there is nothing Alona can't get when she sets her mind to it.

Will would like nothing more than to be left alone. He can see and hear ghosts, but tries to hide that as much as he can. But when he sees queen Alona fading and sobbing, he can't help but laugh. And then his secret's out.

Alona refuses to leave Will alone until he answers her questions. And Will can't seem to get the rest of the ghosts at school to leave him alone. Especially the one trying to kill him.



So, I did like the story. It wasn't completely light-hearted, there are serious issues. But for the most part, this was chick lit with paranormal thrown in for fun. Many humorous moments. My only issue was the title--cutesy--but the character even says he's not goth. Otherwise, a good choice for someone looking for lighthearted paranormal romance/chick lit!

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

Jennie has lost her brother and her fiancee Will to the Civil War. Her place in her aunt and uncle's home is questionable until Quinn, Will's brother, returns wounded. Jennie decided to take care of him, slowing the process of being shoved out into the street.

Only Quinn really knows what happened to Will, and slowly he starts to tell Jennie what he saw. But what he tells her doesn't fit with what she knew about Will, and Jennie starts to doubt she knew him at all. But something isn't letting her forget or move on--she's attacked at night and finds clues that Will is not going to let go of her at all.

An interesting historical story with illustrations and pictures. It all wraps up in the end, but getting there is a little bumpy. I wasn't that drawn to Jennie, and although I liked the ending, the rest of the story wasn't enthralling.

Freaksville by Kitty Keswick

Kasey Maxwell thoroughly believes she is a freak. She fears touching anything with her bare hands because she sees things. Her visions usually involve death or mayhem and end with her in pain. Which is true when she gets a vision of Josh, the foreign exchange hottie from England.

Kasey assumes her vision means she should follow him, but Josh catches her. Then Kasey gets caught in auditioning in the school play, or admitting she was following Josh around. No one knew she'd land the lead. Just like she didn't realize the theater was haunted and she'd start seeing ghosts. Now everyone around her appears to be keeping secrets--Josh, her parents, and even her best friend.

Before she knows it, Kasey is up to her neck in Freaksville. And it isn't as bad as she feared.

Yet another paranormal romance mystery/suspense. There is a lot of things going on--the ghosts in the theater, Kasey's relationship with Josh, her dad's secret and his job, her mom's secret, and the normal high school struggles. The book is written in blog form, with much humor, action, suspense, and a little romance in the mix.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie is a witch and in big trouble. No matter the reason, every time she casts a spell it goes horribly wrong. She is finally sent to Hectate Hall, where all witches, shapeshifters, faeries, and other creatures go when they fail to fit into a 'normal' existence.

Hex Hall isn't so bad--Sophie's found a good friend in Jenna, her vampire roommate, and a huge crush on Archer, the school's resident hottie. Not that it's all sunshine--some of her fellow witches are showing up dead and Sophie is seeing a girl in green wandering around. Sophie can't help but wonder why her power seems so different from everyone else's and if she can learn how to control it.

I really enjoyed this story. Sophie is a great character, full of smarts, spunk, and her own sense of self. There are instances where the story twists in unexpected ways. If you liked Harry Potter, you'll probably like this one too.

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Cooper survived a horrible car accident only to be left with injuries, scars, and Samantha. He's the only one that can see her, so they assume she's a ghost. The only problem with that is Cooper can't find any record of a girl like her dying, so he doesn't know how he can help her. All Samantha wants is a body.

Brent runs into Cooper in the library when they both start researching ghosts. Brent can hear what other people are thinking and has been trying to control it. He can also see Samantha, but not for very long. Brent's ability draws the attention of Delilah, who is also interested in Cooper and his mysterious invisible friend. All Cooper wants to do is help Samantha. Delilah, however, has other plans.

The idea behind this story is interesting, and the telling is entertaining. However, there are some things that are mentioned but never resolved, and too many things going on for such a small book. A change of pace from vampires and shapeshifters, but only because there are neither in the book. Still paranormal with some romance thrown in.