by Marley Gibson
The Guidance is the second book in the Ghost Huntress series and picks up a couple of months after the first book, The Awakening has ended. We find that Kendall and her ghost hunting team have been in hot demand all over town. But not everyone is thrilled with their new found fame. Courtney, the malicious, bulimic high school queen bee, is stewing over Kendall’s popularity and new relationship with dreamy, ex-boyfriend Jason. In a jealous rage, Courtney decides to fake her own psychic awakening to shift some of the attention back on herself. Inviting spirits into your life isn’t something that should be entered into lightly though. The ghost that ends up oppressing Courtney is one so strong and vicious that Kendall must step in to try and save her, that is, if she can. On top of it all, Kendall’s mother is still struggling with Kendall’s psychic abilities and intent on having her probed and prodded by the medical community. Could life be any more stressful?!
The Ghost Huntress series, which was once a trilogy, is now at least a five book series. The storyline kept the fun rolling right from the start in a believable and intriguing manner. Instead of giving in to the temptation to just lash out at Courtney; Kendall was extremely mature in dealing with her bullying tactics and phony awakening. I loved how she didn't hesitate to step in when Courtney’s plan to steal the psychic spotlight erupted out of control and to also bring in adult assistance when things REALLY got out of hand. Kendall’s voice, in the first person, is so wry and humorous; I would’ve loved to have had her as a friend when I was in high school too.
Kendall deals with numerous issues that I think all teenagers can relate to, such as fitting in at school, and balancing family, friends and dating. The books are definitely aimed at fashion and music conscious teen girls and I can see why the product labeling would appeal to them. As an adult, I will say that too much teen speak with words like “craptastic” or “ridonkulous” gave me pause and considering how quickly teen slang changes, I worry whether this series will become too dated down the road. But with that being said, I am certain Marley’s current teen readers will appreciate her style of writing and relate to the character depictions on a personal level. Kendall is so believable in her mannerisms and speech that if I didn’t know better, I would swear Marley is a teen writer herself!
What stands out to me most in these books is the research Marley Gibson has done on ghost hunting. It’s obvious in the quality of her writing that she definitely knows her stuff. I really appreciate the way she illustrates the basic types of equipment and ghost hunting techniques without ever losing the reader with too much technical jargon too.
I’m extremely curious about Book 3, especially since the epilogue left us with clues to ghostly Emily’s past and an ominous vision for Kendall’s future!
Note: For more information on how to set up a ghost hunting team, equipment to use and where to look for spirits, check out this great resource- The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal by Marley Gibson and Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader. It's a reference for teens looking to start up their own ghost hunting teens or anyone with an interest in general!
2.5 Butterflies
Paperback: 320 Pages
Publisher: Graphia (September 7th 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547150946
ISBN-13: 978-0547150949
Buy at Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million
Marley Gibson grew up in a southern town very much like her fictional Radisson. She never saw any ghosts growing up—that she knows of—although she has been on a few ghost hunts recently with the famed New England Ghost Project and has gotten some verrrrrry interesting pictures. Marley is a member of the New England Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is the creator and founder of Chick Lit Writers RWA. She lives in the Boston area with her best friend, personal webmaster, and hubby, Mike.Marley Gibson's Official Website
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3 comments:
Fab! As usual :)
I just bought this book this week cant waite to start reading
Great review. I really appreciate that you can give us the real deal about a book. I always know by the end whether I'll like it or not, regardless of the words you use, or whether you feel positively or negatively about it. Thanks!
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