Reviews

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked this book off my shelf that's been sitting there for at least a year and in which I have no memory of when I got it, but the story pulled me in and didn't let go for the entirety of the book. In middle and early high school, I was obsessed with stories about ghosts, spirits, hauntings, and the mystery of old and abandoned buildings so I was quickly hooked. This is an interest I forgot about for a long while and this book really reminded me of that time so I feel like it might've influenced my rating but, I did truly enjoy this story a lot as well as the writing style of the author. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her next work.

darakuhn's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

crochetchrisie's review against another edition

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4.0

I blazed through this in a day so it was pretty good. :) I didn't really connect with the characters but I understood them and I enjoyed the plot. Really impressive for a first novel, imo.

bzliz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Coming into this, I was expecting a dual POV between the sisters but I’m glad that wasn’t the case. It would’ve felt tedious since Violet was so sheltered from Edie’s experience with their mother’s death. I haven’t done a lot of reading on the Spiritualism movement but this was interesting enough that I may look into it more.

Sometimes books with mystical elements get wishy-washy with their rules for the world but not here. There was no hand waving over the details. It spells out exactly what gifted people need in order to commune with the dead or cross into the Veil- the liminal space between living and dead. Edie was a delight and I enjoyed the dynamics between her and Laws, as well as her and Violet. She really embodies the YA trope of a traumatized teen who needs to learn how to trust again.

My copy of the book included an excerpt annotated by Amanda Glaze and I appreciated the peek into her mind. It was my favorite scene (I’m a sucker for a little romance) and seeing Glaze’s breakdown of Violet lowering her defenses was sweet. I wish more books included some author annotations.

The only reason I’m not rating this higher is because I had to truly focus to gain some momentum. The beginning was a little slow and I could tell that if I put it down, I might not pick it up again for weeks.

Content Warnings