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kariniwonderland's review
4.0
The Ghost Tracks was not what I expected. But in a good way. It’s a spooky mix of horror and YA with some nice twists. The main character is very likable. You really root for him. This is a nice one to read during the spooky season or anytime you’re in the mood for something scary.
Thank you @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
kleonard's review
2.0
I like the premise of this book--a young man dabbling with the paranormal in an effort to help his grandmother, But the story is a bit messy, and sometimes not easy to follow. Who's dead? Who stabbed who? What's happening now? I'd love to read it again after one more edit for temporal clarity and better character definition.
arthuravalos's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This was an amazing story. Filled with suspense and creepy characters. The book flowed from horror to thriller. There were times I felt I was reading two separate stories but when it started to blend together it made sense. There are two plots going on. The MC's involvement in the paranormal and the ghost aspect of the story which they both merge beautifully. This was written with strong plot and character development.
theillumiletty's review
3.0
I wanted to enjoy this a bit more because I always want to support Mexican American authors especially fellow Tejanos. Unfortunately, I thought it was a bit scattered and the tone was off. One big positive is the main character, Erasmo (my grandfather's name!), and his friend Rat. They are two lonely, abandoned souls who found each other and rely on each other to persevere. I also loved all the San Antonio references and any book that mentions chorizo and egg tacos is a-okay with me. I will be reading the sequel for sure and hopefully that one hits the spot like a chorizo an egg taco.
Spoiler
I was also hoping for more paranormal action instead of just abominable human behaviorsnowreo's review
2.0
updated on october 25 to reflect my opinions post reading and after a lot of thinking
Real rating is 2.5 stars.
First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Inkshares for allowing me the chance to read this book!
Trigger warnings for this novel include: body horror, gore, blood, sexual assault attempts, drug abuse discussions, and death
The Ghost Tracks introduces us to protagonist Erasmo Cruz, a seventeen-year-old from San Antonio who is living with his grandmother and living with the trauma of his parents not being in his life. When his grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, he decides to draw from his passions and start a side business as a paranormal detective to make money for her treatments. He and his friend Rat find themselves in a whirlwind of trouble when they realize that San Antonio and their scared clients are not what they first appeared on the surface.
I decided to pick up this book originally because it appeared on my homepage as being horror, a genre I don't have a lot of experience with but have been trying to get into. The cover and the description were both extremely promising, so I figured this would be a good introduction.
I absolutely adored Erasmo as a main character. Seeing a character of color as a lead just in general is amazing to see in stories. But it was also seeing his evolution from the start, a boy just trying to learn as much about the paranormal as possible while avoiding dealing with the horrible thing that happened to him at the Ghost Tracks; to the middle, a boy tortured moreso than we knew by the loss of his parents and desperate to try to do anything to understand who they were and why they left him; to the end, a boy who finally came to terms with the Ghost Tracks and the energy that saved him and a boy who did not need to be alone and go down the same path as his parents and who could prevail...All of it was just magical. All of his pain, sadness, and fear felt so incredibly real. And it just makes me so happy to see him have an assumably happy ending.
Unfortunately, that’s about as much as I can say that I really adored. There were a lot of things I took issue with. I think that it's definitely a mistake to market this as YA. I don't think this is the author's fault per say, as the main character is a teenager and most of the characters within the story are too. However, a lot of the more gory descriptions of certain plot points was stomach turning even for me, someone in my 20s. At many points I had to put it down to recover. I cannot imagine how well a 12-15 year old picking this up thinking its strictly about ghosts would fare reading it. Just something for consideration. Additionally, I think that the three plots were interesting in concept and had the potential to be really well executed. However, I think that the three stories occurring all at once made things a little bit confusing to follow. It was a lot to follow and it made things sometimes feel TOO drama filled just for the sake of it. I think if the three stories had been split up into sections within the novel, or even three different novels, it would've made a lot more sense. And I hated the conclusions to each story, because the whole point was supposed to be about the supernatural and yeah yeah “the point is that he learns he doesn’t need to see fo believe” but it felt off to advertise on the supernatural front when it turned out to be not that. A lot of the prose felt very clunky and clumsy also.
My biggest thing is that it feels like the suicide plot lines are dealt with in a very poor manner. Erasmo and Rat from what I remember show no indication of being suicidal explicitly other than being depressed with how their lives were found and then are all of a sudden threatening and attempting and then they just move on a chapter or two later. Suicide is definitely not just a one-off impulsive thought that comes out of nowhere and I hate that it felt like it was added in as a plot point last minute just for the drama of it all.
Real rating is 2.5 stars.
First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Inkshares for allowing me the chance to read this book!
Trigger warnings for this novel include: body horror, gore, blood, sexual assault attempts, drug abuse discussions, and death
The Ghost Tracks introduces us to protagonist Erasmo Cruz, a seventeen-year-old from San Antonio who is living with his grandmother and living with the trauma of his parents not being in his life. When his grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, he decides to draw from his passions and start a side business as a paranormal detective to make money for her treatments. He and his friend Rat find themselves in a whirlwind of trouble when they realize that San Antonio and their scared clients are not what they first appeared on the surface.
I decided to pick up this book originally because it appeared on my homepage as being horror, a genre I don't have a lot of experience with but have been trying to get into. The cover and the description were both extremely promising, so I figured this would be a good introduction.
I absolutely adored Erasmo as a main character. Seeing a character of color as a lead just in general is amazing to see in stories. But it was also seeing his evolution from the start, a boy just trying to learn as much about the paranormal as possible while avoiding dealing with the horrible thing that happened to him at the Ghost Tracks; to the middle, a boy tortured moreso than we knew by the loss of his parents and desperate to try to do anything to understand who they were and why they left him; to the end, a boy who finally came to terms with the Ghost Tracks and the energy that saved him and a boy who did not need to be alone and go down the same path as his parents and who could prevail...All of it was just magical. All of his pain, sadness, and fear felt so incredibly real. And it just makes me so happy to see him have an assumably happy ending.
Unfortunately, that’s about as much as I can say that I really adored. There were a lot of things I took issue with. I think that it's definitely a mistake to market this as YA. I don't think this is the author's fault per say, as the main character is a teenager and most of the characters within the story are too. However, a lot of the more gory descriptions of certain plot points was stomach turning even for me, someone in my 20s. At many points I had to put it down to recover. I cannot imagine how well a 12-15 year old picking this up thinking its strictly about ghosts would fare reading it. Just something for consideration. Additionally, I think that the three plots were interesting in concept and had the potential to be really well executed. However, I think that the three stories occurring all at once made things a little bit confusing to follow. It was a lot to follow and it made things sometimes feel TOO drama filled just for the sake of it. I think if the three stories had been split up into sections within the novel, or even three different novels, it would've made a lot more sense. And I hated the conclusions to each story, because the whole point was supposed to be about the supernatural and yeah yeah “the point is that he learns he doesn’t need to see fo believe” but it felt off to advertise on the supernatural front when it turned out to be not that. A lot of the prose felt very clunky and clumsy also.
My biggest thing is that it feels like the suicide plot lines are dealt with in a very poor manner. Erasmo and Rat from what I remember show no indication of being suicidal explicitly other than being depressed with how their lives were found and then are all of a sudden threatening and attempting and then they just move on a chapter or two later. Suicide is definitely not just a one-off impulsive thought that comes out of nowhere and I hate that it felt like it was added in as a plot point last minute just for the drama of it all.
trisha_thomas's review
2.0
I had been hoping for a great spooky October read. I wanted the paranormal feel and the great jump scares. Instead, I got a book with just a lot of violence. I'm sure the point of the kid from the wrong side of the tracks was to make the violence seem "normal." But almost every night he was in a fight with a stabbing or baseball bat beating. There was violence in every form: child abuse, stabbing, domestic violence, rape and even a really (truly) awful scene with a dog (tread lightly if you can't handle animal abuse). And since every person had just entered this kid's life, it was really hard to imagine he went from just sitting on the couch drinking 100 glasses of milk a day and watching tv to talking to a detective daily. But maybe it was just the story didn't give me enough to go on, to make these transitions seem smooth and for me to believe this kid was this tough.
Also, I wish I'd had this kid's job. A hundred bucks for every time he arrives just to talk to someone about the paranormal? Sign me up, I'll listen to all their stories.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Also, I wish I'd had this kid's job. A hundred bucks for every time he arrives just to talk to someone about the paranormal? Sign me up, I'll listen to all their stories.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
wdianasheppard's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4.
"The Ghost Tracks" by Celso Hurtado was pitched as "Fear Street for a diverse America", and I can... kind of see it. It's definitely a horror book, but it's much more graphic than I was expecting for YA horror, and the creeping dread...! Oh, the creeping dread was intense. Now, none of these are complaints at all - it's nice to get a YA horror that has teeth - but "The Ghost Tracks" lacks the playful, campy feel of the Fear Street series, and that is where I think it suffers.
Erasmo Cruz puts out an ad with his best friend claiming to be a paranormal investigator. His grandmother is ill, and they need to be able to pay her medical bills. The plot of "The Ghost Tracks" follows Erasmo and his friend as they encounter various weirdos and believers, and have to sort out for themselves who is lying and who is telling the truth regarding their paranormal experiences.
There was probably a little too much going on in this one; there were at least three subplots, and sometimes the plot moved forward more because it felt like it needed to go there rather than a character decision. The boys get caught up in a murder investigation that requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. If you can let some plot holes go, it's a fun ride. Erasmo is an appealing character and despite the book's overall grim tone, he's a fun narrator. I particularly enjoyed how San Antonio was its own character; this is a town that the author clearly knows well, and it shows. The overall setting was very atmospheric.
A good debut. While it's not without its issues, "The Ghost Tracks" is going to be a fun start to a great horror career, I think. Just... definitely mind that this is harder horror than the average YA. The gore is intense.
"The Ghost Tracks" by Celso Hurtado was pitched as "Fear Street for a diverse America", and I can... kind of see it. It's definitely a horror book, but it's much more graphic than I was expecting for YA horror, and the creeping dread...! Oh, the creeping dread was intense. Now, none of these are complaints at all - it's nice to get a YA horror that has teeth - but "The Ghost Tracks" lacks the playful, campy feel of the Fear Street series, and that is where I think it suffers.
Erasmo Cruz puts out an ad with his best friend claiming to be a paranormal investigator. His grandmother is ill, and they need to be able to pay her medical bills. The plot of "The Ghost Tracks" follows Erasmo and his friend as they encounter various weirdos and believers, and have to sort out for themselves who is lying and who is telling the truth regarding their paranormal experiences.
There was probably a little too much going on in this one; there were at least three subplots, and sometimes the plot moved forward more because it felt like it needed to go there rather than a character decision. The boys get caught up in a murder investigation that requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. If you can let some plot holes go, it's a fun ride. Erasmo is an appealing character and despite the book's overall grim tone, he's a fun narrator. I particularly enjoyed how San Antonio was its own character; this is a town that the author clearly knows well, and it shows. The overall setting was very atmospheric.
A good debut. While it's not without its issues, "The Ghost Tracks" is going to be a fun start to a great horror career, I think. Just... definitely mind that this is harder horror than the average YA. The gore is intense.
justgeekingby's review
4.0
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
Forget believing in fairies, The Ghost Tracks asks whether you believe in the paranormal. Do ghosts really exist? What about demonic possession? Join Erasmo and his friend Rat as they seek to find out for real, and get more than they bargained for…
The Ghost Tracks is one of those books where you sit down to write about it, and end up scratching your head. To try to put this book into words is difficult, because it’s not a book, it’s an experience from start to finish. It reminds me of the TV show Preacher, where so many random things are happening all at once, many of which are so outlandish that a voice in the back of your mind is saying to you that this doesn’t work, it shouldn’t work. Yet somehow the chaos and the mayhem does work. The utter ridiculousness of the situation, bordering on slapstick comedy with a dangerous edge of reality.
When Erasmo Cruz and his buddy Rat decide to become paranormal investigators, they expected the rude responses to their Craigslist ad. They even expected to get some weird ones. They thought they were prepared for everything, and of course, when you think that you couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’m just going to say that Erasmo and Rat end up going down a dangerous rabbit hole that shows the darker side of their city.
For most of the novel, I thought I had found yet another magical realism novel parading as a paranormal (or fantasy) novel. Minor spoiler; The Ghost Tracks is the real deal. It’s one of those books that you need to stick with it all the way to the end, and you will not be disappointed. Along the way, Hurtado takes us on a journey of self-discovery that is unlike anything else you will find in a young adult novel. This isn’t a Bildungsroman because neither Erasmo nor Rat are children growing into young men; they have already been made to grow up too fast by events beyond their control.
These are two people who are trying to understand what has happened to them, and how they are supposed to deal with the hand they have been dealt in life. It’s something that people two/three times their age struggle with, and Hurtado doesn’t shy away from the issues. He faces it head on, and that is something that we need to see more of in young adult novels.
The Ghost Tracks is the perfect novel to crack open this Halloween. It’s full of mayhem, friendship, demons and ghosts. Are they real? You’ll just need to read and find out ;)
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!
Content warnings:
Spoiler
There are scenes of violence, death, suicidal thoughts, drug use, and physical abuse. There is also an extremely disturbing scene of child abuse; it isn’t sexual, it is emotional abuse, and it will stay with you for a long time after reading this book.Forget believing in fairies, The Ghost Tracks asks whether you believe in the paranormal. Do ghosts really exist? What about demonic possession? Join Erasmo and his friend Rat as they seek to find out for real, and get more than they bargained for…
The Ghost Tracks is one of those books where you sit down to write about it, and end up scratching your head. To try to put this book into words is difficult, because it’s not a book, it’s an experience from start to finish. It reminds me of the TV show Preacher, where so many random things are happening all at once, many of which are so outlandish that a voice in the back of your mind is saying to you that this doesn’t work, it shouldn’t work. Yet somehow the chaos and the mayhem does work. The utter ridiculousness of the situation, bordering on slapstick comedy with a dangerous edge of reality.
When Erasmo Cruz and his buddy Rat decide to become paranormal investigators, they expected the rude responses to their Craigslist ad. They even expected to get some weird ones. They thought they were prepared for everything, and of course, when you think that you couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’m just going to say that Erasmo and Rat end up going down a dangerous rabbit hole that shows the darker side of their city.
For most of the novel, I thought I had found yet another magical realism novel parading as a paranormal (or fantasy) novel. Minor spoiler; The Ghost Tracks is the real deal. It’s one of those books that you need to stick with it all the way to the end, and you will not be disappointed. Along the way, Hurtado takes us on a journey of self-discovery that is unlike anything else you will find in a young adult novel. This isn’t a Bildungsroman because neither Erasmo nor Rat are children growing into young men; they have already been made to grow up too fast by events beyond their control.
These are two people who are trying to understand what has happened to them, and how they are supposed to deal with the hand they have been dealt in life. It’s something that people two/three times their age struggle with, and Hurtado doesn’t shy away from the issues. He faces it head on, and that is something that we need to see more of in young adult novels.
The Ghost Tracks is the perfect novel to crack open this Halloween. It’s full of mayhem, friendship, demons and ghosts. Are they real? You’ll just need to read and find out ;)
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!