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nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This book imagines an alternate reality in which ghosts were released into the world in a cataclysmic accident back in 1900. Because of this, people regularly ward themselves against ghosts, which are a normal, if unpleasant, fact of life. Some people are spiritualists who can detect supernatural activity in various ways, but these people are looked at suspiciously or with downright hostility because they were the ones who caused the ghosts to be released in the first place (even though it was hundreds of years ago, the prejudices still exist). Alex, the MC of the book, knows he’s not a spiritualist since kids develop their powers by the age of 10, and he’s 12. So, when he starts seeing and hearing ghosts, he thinks he’s gone crazy. This book will especially appeal to fans of Supernatural because the ghost-hunting aspects of the book mirror that show pretty closely—sigils and salt and such. (I’m not implying that the author stole those elements from the show since they’re all based on “real” ghost-hunter lore.) And the whole story is told with great middle-grade appeal!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in order to read it for the Cybils Awards. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in order to read it for the Cybils Awards. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
amysbooknook's review against another edition
4.0
Blog post: https://amysbooknook.co.uk/2021/03/03/ghost-hunters-bones-in-the-wall-my-review/
I rated this 4.5/5.
Ghost Hunters: Bones in the wall, follows the story of 12 year old Alex, who was involved in a terrible accident that cost him his future career in sports. After waking up, however, Alex starts to notice that he has gained the ability to talk to ghosts! In the universe Susan McCauley has created, ghosts are no simple fictional creatures, but are common knowledge throughout the world. In this fresh take on a haunted tale, wards against ghosts are common practice and monitored by the government, psychic’s are practically a part of the police department, and 101: on how to prevent a haunting is essentially part of the school curriculum!
This book is an excellent introduction to this new middle grade paranormal series. The characters are entertaining and relatable, and there are heartwarming relationships developed throughout. It is an excellent story for new young readers who want to branch out into the paranormal genre. The ghosts are extremely well written and described, and the development of Alex’s new abilities are very well realised. I honestly had such fun reading this book, I literally could not put it down once I had started, and finished it in one sitting.
Conclusion: I would 100% recommend this book to all ages, not just middle grade. I adored the fresh take on how ghosts are perceived throughout the world. I have honestly not read a book like it before and I cannot wait to pick up the rest of the series!
I rated this 4.5/5.
Ghost Hunters: Bones in the wall, follows the story of 12 year old Alex, who was involved in a terrible accident that cost him his future career in sports. After waking up, however, Alex starts to notice that he has gained the ability to talk to ghosts! In the universe Susan McCauley has created, ghosts are no simple fictional creatures, but are common knowledge throughout the world. In this fresh take on a haunted tale, wards against ghosts are common practice and monitored by the government, psychic’s are practically a part of the police department, and 101: on how to prevent a haunting is essentially part of the school curriculum!
This book is an excellent introduction to this new middle grade paranormal series. The characters are entertaining and relatable, and there are heartwarming relationships developed throughout. It is an excellent story for new young readers who want to branch out into the paranormal genre. The ghosts are extremely well written and described, and the development of Alex’s new abilities are very well realised. I honestly had such fun reading this book, I literally could not put it down once I had started, and finished it in one sitting.
Conclusion: I would 100% recommend this book to all ages, not just middle grade. I adored the fresh take on how ghosts are perceived throughout the world. I have honestly not read a book like it before and I cannot wait to pick up the rest of the series!
confuzzledreader's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest this was my first horror read and I absolutely loved it. And now I'm eager to read more of her works.
The story revolves around Alex, a 12 year old who lived in the a city where living among ghosts was a normal thing. He was a champion in playing ghostball for his school team until he had a car accident, which changed his life forever. After the accident he suffered severe hip injuries but gained a rare power of seeing & hearing ghosts. Not believing in his new ability , he tried to ignore them. But after a malevolent ghost tried to hurt him, he had to accept his psychic powers. In order to get himself rid of the evil spirit, he with the help of his best friend, his cousin and his paranormal investigator Aunt went on the eerie path of solving the mystery behind the bones in the walls.
Will he be able to free the evil spirit?
" No matter what you've done or what you fear, spirit your place to stay is no longer here. Your life & time is now complete.Move into the light that shines before you, then in time you'll be cleansed."
I loved reading this book. Some of the parts were scary and gave me chills but the humour element was what I adored the most. The setup was amazing and I loved how the author explained all the symbols & words she used which pertains to the ghostly world. The characters were well developed and my favourite was Alex's best friend- Jason. He is the person everyone needs as a friend in life. The book is well paced and the narration is good too. The language is easy and understandable.
Definitely Recommended!
The story revolves around Alex, a 12 year old who lived in the a city where living among ghosts was a normal thing. He was a champion in playing ghostball for his school team until he had a car accident, which changed his life forever. After the accident he suffered severe hip injuries but gained a rare power of seeing & hearing ghosts. Not believing in his new ability , he tried to ignore them. But after a malevolent ghost tried to hurt him, he had to accept his psychic powers. In order to get himself rid of the evil spirit, he with the help of his best friend, his cousin and his paranormal investigator Aunt went on the eerie path of solving the mystery behind the bones in the walls.
Will he be able to free the evil spirit?
" No matter what you've done or what you fear, spirit your place to stay is no longer here. Your life & time is now complete.Move into the light that shines before you, then in time you'll be cleansed."
I loved reading this book. Some of the parts were scary and gave me chills but the humour element was what I adored the most. The setup was amazing and I loved how the author explained all the symbols & words she used which pertains to the ghostly world. The characters were well developed and my favourite was Alex's best friend- Jason. He is the person everyone needs as a friend in life. The book is well paced and the narration is good too. The language is easy and understandable.
Definitely Recommended!
findingmontauk1's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
BONES IN THE WALL by Susan McCauley is book 1 in the Ghost Hunters series - and this is a series that hit the ground running and will continue ramping up with each new installment! The story follows a young boy who suffers a tremendous loss and life change only to realize he now has these new "gifts." This is a world full of ghosts, sigils, wards, psychics, and more! Bones in the Wall is a great example of middle grade/paranormal horror that shows how it's important not to give up on yourself or others. There is definitely some suspense in this book and I am glad it does not get muddled down by any sort of trope-y teen angst but instead gets lifted up by friendships and a mystery! Susan McCauley has laid out the framework for what will be a series we can expect to keep seeing in the future!
nightwing's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A middle school story that's like an alternate universe similar to our own except ghosts, spirits, and the Unknown run rampant after an accident years earlier. Alex is an average kid until the fateful car accident that leaves him with psychic abilities, which is supposed to be *rare* in the first place!
I really devoured this in one sitting...it's really entertaining and I love the alternate universe concept. Imagine having to take a class on how to create proper sigils that keep spirits away! The characters were all fleshed out well and felt natural to the story. The dad will REALLY piss you off, though, he gets better.
I was also happy that Alex wasn't that frustrating of a protagonist, he felt very human and I appreciated that he was grieving in his own way and it felt realistic. His friend and cousin were entertaining and it'll be fun to see them fleshed out in later books. Will definitely be keeping up with this spooky series!
Even though it's got horror elements it's got the typical amount as any story with dead people, ha. No sex or adult elements, just the concept of death and the afterlife, for any parents concerned. Typical macabre dark stuff, y'know.
For anyone who loves Cirque Du Freak as much as I do this is up your alley! (No vampires though, just spooky supernatural/horror elements)
A middle school story that's like an alternate universe similar to our own except ghosts, spirits, and the Unknown run rampant after an accident years earlier. Alex is an average kid until the fateful car accident that leaves him with psychic abilities, which is supposed to be *rare* in the first place!
I really devoured this in one sitting...it's really entertaining and I love the alternate universe concept. Imagine having to take a class on how to create proper sigils that keep spirits away! The characters were all fleshed out well and felt natural to the story. The dad will REALLY piss you off, though, he gets better.
I was also happy that Alex wasn't that frustrating of a protagonist, he felt very human and I appreciated that he was grieving in his own way and it felt realistic. His friend and cousin were entertaining and it'll be fun to see them fleshed out in later books. Will definitely be keeping up with this spooky series!
Even though it's got horror elements it's got the typical amount as any story with dead people, ha. No sex or adult elements, just the concept of death and the afterlife, for any parents concerned. Typical macabre dark stuff, y'know.
For anyone who loves Cirque Du Freak as much as I do this is up your alley! (No vampires though, just spooky supernatural/horror elements)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
confuzzledreader's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest this was my first horror read and I absolutely loved it. And now I'm eager to read more of her works.
The story revolves around Alex, a 12 year old who lived in the a city where living among ghosts was a normal thing. He was a champion in playing ghostball for his school team until he had a car accident, which changed his life forever. After the accident he suffered severe hip injuries but gained a rare power of seeing & hearing ghosts. Not believing in his new ability , he tried to ignore them. But after a malevolent ghost tried to hurt him, he had to accept his psychic powers. In order to get himself rid of the evil spirit, he with the help of his best friend, his cousin and his paranormal investigator Aunt went on the eerie path of solving the mystery behind the bones in the walls.
Will he be able to free the evil spirit?
" No matter what you've done or what you fear, spirit your place to stay is no longer here. Your life & time is now complete.Move into the light that shines before you, then in time you'll be cleansed."
I loved reading this book. Some of the parts were scary and gave me chills but the humour element was what I adored the most. The setup was amazing and I loved how the author explained all the symbols & words she used which pertains to the ghostly world. The characters were well developed and my favourite was Alex's best friend- Jason. He is the person everyone needs as a friend in life. The book is well paced and the narration is good too. The language is easy and understandable.
Definitely Recommended!
The story revolves around Alex, a 12 year old who lived in the a city where living among ghosts was a normal thing. He was a champion in playing ghostball for his school team until he had a car accident, which changed his life forever. After the accident he suffered severe hip injuries but gained a rare power of seeing & hearing ghosts. Not believing in his new ability , he tried to ignore them. But after a malevolent ghost tried to hurt him, he had to accept his psychic powers. In order to get himself rid of the evil spirit, he with the help of his best friend, his cousin and his paranormal investigator Aunt went on the eerie path of solving the mystery behind the bones in the walls.
Will he be able to free the evil spirit?
" No matter what you've done or what you fear, spirit your place to stay is no longer here. Your life & time is now complete.Move into the light that shines before you, then in time you'll be cleansed."
I loved reading this book. Some of the parts were scary and gave me chills but the humour element was what I adored the most. The setup was amazing and I loved how the author explained all the symbols & words she used which pertains to the ghostly world. The characters were well developed and my favourite was Alex's best friend- Jason. He is the person everyone needs as a friend in life. The book is well paced and the narration is good too. The language is easy and understandable.
Definitely Recommended!
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