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brightbeautifulthings's review
4.0
There are spoilers ahead for Deadgirl. Since killing her Reaper, Lucy Day has had months to adjust to her new (after)life as a phantom. She survives on the essence of objects to avoid hurting people with the help of her mentor, Puck. It turns out Lucy isn’t the only supernatural girl in her friendgroup though, and Daphne wants to use her psychic powers to help those in danger. Ordinarily, the keres aren’t allowed to interfere, but with Lucy’s help, they may be able to stop a group of serial killers stalking the town and filming their murders. Trigger warnings: death, rape, torture, ableism.
I started this series in October based on a recommendation from Roberta at Offbeat YA, the queen of afterlife stories. I’m far behind on my series reading but still plan to see it through. I’m loving these new covers! Although the first book fell a little short for me in some places, I had the feeling that this series was packed with potential, and it is. Ghostlight smooths out some of Deadgirl’s rough edges and provides a fresh take on contemporary YA horror. The world-building alone is cool, well thought-out, and more complex than it appears on the surface (as I realized when it took me half an hour of backstory to try to explain it to someone–definitely to the book’s credit). Johnson’s take on the afterlife isn’t quite like anything else I’ve read, and I enjoyed some of the less familiar Greek mythology that’s pulled in with the keres, who are female death spirits similar to Valykries.
The characters grew on me more in this book. Lucy has done some growing up since Deadgirl, although she still feels like an authentic teenager–still occasionally jealous and emotional, with a tendency to not always think things through, but her fallbacks make her a better character. She’s also tough and brave and kind of a badass. Truth be told, I also like her a lot more now that she isn’t mooning over Zack. She’s more careful with the new love interest, and it makes for a more interesting story. Daphne takes a bigger role in this book as well, and the best description that comes to mind is the female Mad Hatter, in the best possible way. In contrast, Morgan takes a backseat, but I felt like I understood her better in Ghostlight regardless. Johnson doesn’t gloss over the trauma of the events in the previous book, and it hits Morgan hardest of all. I wished for a little more Puck, but I also appreciate that Lucy and her friends have to handle things on their own this time.
Now that the supernatural world is mostly established, the plot in Ghostlight is much faster paced. I don’t know if the slang and the pop culture references that litter Lucy’s inner monologue eased off a little or if I just got used to them, but it didn’t bother me so much in this book. I found her narrative more funny and engaging, and it might just be that Johnson hit his stride with her here. There are a couple minor issues where you can tell it’s a grown man writing about a teenage girl–I never enjoy being described as “irrational”, calling girls sluts because we don’t like them isn’t okay, and my girl friends and I just don’t spend that much time thinking about each other’s boobs. There’s also an awkwardly timed sex scene. There are a couple of ableist phrases in the narrative (“retarded”/“spaz”). I don’t think they’re meant maliciously, but we’re working to get those words out of daily use for a reason. There’s also a slight issue with villains being people of color. It would be less an issue if the book had fewer white characters in the main cast, and I’m hoping that’s a problem that won’t resurface in future books. All in all, they’re relatively minor problems, but they’re things to be aware of.
The horror in this book is a harrowing mix of supernatural and realistic. On the one hand, Lucy is dead, and there is never a shortage of soul-sucking wraiths in the Grey, which alone are scary enough. On the other hand, there’s a group of gang-raping murderers/torturers who film their crimes for fun, which is ultimately more terrifying than any ghost story. Johnson is skilled at writing dark characters and scenarios, where the tension is high and the consequences are very real. Lucy and Daphne might have some supernatural powers on their side, but they’re two teenage girls against a group of practiced killers. It’s clear early on that they’re in way over their heads. (I love the fact that the obvious conclusion to having superpowers is to try to save people though. The empathy level of teenage girls is extraordinary.) Overall, it’s a solid sequel, and I’m looking forward to the supernatural road trip promised in the next book.
I started this series in October based on a recommendation from Roberta at Offbeat YA, the queen of afterlife stories. I’m far behind on my series reading but still plan to see it through. I’m loving these new covers! Although the first book fell a little short for me in some places, I had the feeling that this series was packed with potential, and it is. Ghostlight smooths out some of Deadgirl’s rough edges and provides a fresh take on contemporary YA horror. The world-building alone is cool, well thought-out, and more complex than it appears on the surface (as I realized when it took me half an hour of backstory to try to explain it to someone–definitely to the book’s credit). Johnson’s take on the afterlife isn’t quite like anything else I’ve read, and I enjoyed some of the less familiar Greek mythology that’s pulled in with the keres, who are female death spirits similar to Valykries.
The characters grew on me more in this book. Lucy has done some growing up since Deadgirl, although she still feels like an authentic teenager–still occasionally jealous and emotional, with a tendency to not always think things through, but her fallbacks make her a better character. She’s also tough and brave and kind of a badass. Truth be told, I also like her a lot more now that she isn’t mooning over Zack. She’s more careful with the new love interest, and it makes for a more interesting story. Daphne takes a bigger role in this book as well, and the best description that comes to mind is the female Mad Hatter, in the best possible way. In contrast, Morgan takes a backseat, but I felt like I understood her better in Ghostlight regardless. Johnson doesn’t gloss over the trauma of the events in the previous book, and it hits Morgan hardest of all. I wished for a little more Puck, but I also appreciate that Lucy and her friends have to handle things on their own this time.
Now that the supernatural world is mostly established, the plot in Ghostlight is much faster paced. I don’t know if the slang and the pop culture references that litter Lucy’s inner monologue eased off a little or if I just got used to them, but it didn’t bother me so much in this book. I found her narrative more funny and engaging, and it might just be that Johnson hit his stride with her here. There are a couple minor issues where you can tell it’s a grown man writing about a teenage girl–I never enjoy being described as “irrational”, calling girls sluts because we don’t like them isn’t okay, and my girl friends and I just don’t spend that much time thinking about each other’s boobs. There’s also an awkwardly timed sex scene. There are a couple of ableist phrases in the narrative (“retarded”/“spaz”). I don’t think they’re meant maliciously, but we’re working to get those words out of daily use for a reason. There’s also a slight issue with villains being people of color. It would be less an issue if the book had fewer white characters in the main cast, and I’m hoping that’s a problem that won’t resurface in future books. All in all, they’re relatively minor problems, but they’re things to be aware of.
The horror in this book is a harrowing mix of supernatural and realistic. On the one hand, Lucy is dead, and there is never a shortage of soul-sucking wraiths in the Grey, which alone are scary enough. On the other hand, there’s a group of gang-raping murderers/torturers who film their crimes for fun, which is ultimately more terrifying than any ghost story. Johnson is skilled at writing dark characters and scenarios, where the tension is high and the consequences are very real. Lucy and Daphne might have some supernatural powers on their side, but they’re two teenage girls against a group of practiced killers. It’s clear early on that they’re in way over their heads. (I love the fact that the obvious conclusion to having superpowers is to try to save people though. The empathy level of teenage girls is extraordinary.) Overall, it’s a solid sequel, and I’m looking forward to the supernatural road trip promised in the next book.
shh_reading85's review
4.0
I received this book from the publisher Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.
Warning! This isn’t a book I’d recommend to anyone under 17. There are tough topics in this book. Read at your own discretion.
When I first started to read this book, I was unaware it was actually a second novel. Finding that out definitely removed the feeling of “am I missing something here?” Ha.
I was utterly pulled in and rapt by this book. A few times I was called to do something and struggled to pull myself out of the book. It’s just that good.
Despite feeling I had missed out with the first book, this book does a great job of covering some of what happened in the previous book.
Lucy Day, a teenage girl who has more problems than most. First, she’s a phantom. She has to consume the essences of life like memories from pieces like jewelry or from the emotions of other people. Second, her parents are on her like a bee is to honey. They want her to become better or they’ll send her to a new school. Third, her friend wants to turn themselves into a duo who can save lives and nearly get themselves killed in the process. Not to mention her love life. Sheesh, poor girl.
If you'd like to finish reading my review, please visit me at Shh, I Am Reading
Warning! This isn’t a book I’d recommend to anyone under 17. There are tough topics in this book. Read at your own discretion.
When I first started to read this book, I was unaware it was actually a second novel. Finding that out definitely removed the feeling of “am I missing something here?” Ha.
I was utterly pulled in and rapt by this book. A few times I was called to do something and struggled to pull myself out of the book. It’s just that good.
Despite feeling I had missed out with the first book, this book does a great job of covering some of what happened in the previous book.
Lucy Day, a teenage girl who has more problems than most. First, she’s a phantom. She has to consume the essences of life like memories from pieces like jewelry or from the emotions of other people. Second, her parents are on her like a bee is to honey. They want her to become better or they’ll send her to a new school. Third, her friend wants to turn themselves into a duo who can save lives and nearly get themselves killed in the process. Not to mention her love life. Sheesh, poor girl.
If you'd like to finish reading my review, please visit me at Shh, I Am Reading
eternity21's review
4.0
This story is about a teenage girl Lucy Day who was killed in the prior book to this one and becomes a "phantom". She needs "essence" to keep herself from fading away. She is trying to live her life the best she can and some of her friends know about her situation. One of them Daphne, has abilities of her own. She is a "Ker" and can sense when someone is going to die. Daphne and Lucy go about trying to save people. But they don't realize that this will possibly kill them as well.
I got this book free for an honest review from the publisher. As it was the second book in the series. I went and read the first one before I read this one and I am really glad I did. The book can stand alone but it is so much richer for getting the world building from the first one.
I will read more of this series as it becomes available.
I got this book free for an honest review from the publisher. As it was the second book in the series. I went and read the first one before I read this one and I am really glad I did. The book can stand alone but it is so much richer for getting the world building from the first one.
I will read more of this series as it becomes available.
chellyfishing's review
5.0
Satisfying follow-up that expands the world around our plucky heroine Lucy, thrusting her into situations that prove that everything about her life-death-afterlife is part of something much bigger than herself. It's as funny as its predecessor, and at times incredibly moving. It's really satisfying to see how Lucy is growing (and she grows a lot, man) and the relationships with the people around her also grow and change and progress in ways that are organic, never forced for plot or drama. The book doesn't pull its punches, shit gets real. Realer. But tough topics are treated as tough and there are moments that bely a great sensitivity undercutting all the drama, that vital beating heart at the center of everything. There are also one or two reveals which took me by surprise though they were well foreshadowed/hinted at beforehand and I was mad at myself for missing them.
The end leaves the reader with some pretty deep shit that still needs to be dealt with, but it does so in a way that is hopeful, determined, a new beginning and a new chance for our heroes to do some good in this world. The situation is serious but it's not grim, it's about what makes it worth going through all the horrors these characters face. The next installment is set up neatly without being a totally annoying cliffhanger and I'm excited to see what happens.
The end leaves the reader with some pretty deep shit that still needs to be dealt with, but it does so in a way that is hopeful, determined, a new beginning and a new chance for our heroes to do some good in this world. The situation is serious but it's not grim, it's about what makes it worth going through all the horrors these characters face. The next installment is set up neatly without being a totally annoying cliffhanger and I'm excited to see what happens.
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