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A review by krisrid
Ghost Seer by Robin D. Owens
2.0
I flip-flopped on this book all the way through it. Parts I liked, other parts, I was kind of "eh" about. So "it was okay" was the right rating.
I liked the concept of someone helping spirits to deal with unfinished business so that they could move on. I understand that Clare's personality and view on the world made it difficult for her to embrace her new gift, but the amount of denial and angst and hysteria that she continuously displayed began to get on my nerves. At a certain point you either have to accept that this is your new reality, or refuse and accept the consequences. I am never a fan of whining characters, and Clare was more of that than I felt she should have been, so I never really connected to her or fully sympathized with her angst.
Same thing with Zach. He also seemed incapable of accepting the changed circumstances of his life and finding a way to move forward. Both he and Clare should have been able to understand the other person's "stuff" since they each have a full set of baggage, and who better to really "get" your drama than someone else dealing with similar stuff. And yet they spend most of the book not getting each other, not being willing to accept what is and not recognizing the other person as their perfect match. Sometimes, in some books, that kind of clueless blindness can be endearing and draw the reader in. For me, that did not happen with this book. Both of them irritated me.
The actual story and the mechanics of the ghost seeing component was very interesting and I did enjoy that. Learning about the world and the rules that govern this was intriguing so that kept me with this book to the end.
Also, there were a couple of surprising twists that I did not see coming, and that were interesting, so that also helped offset my annoyance with the emotional wah-wahing that both Clare and Zach wallowed in.
Overall, this was an okay read. I doubt I would read others in the series, unless I didn't have anything else available, but it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't fantastic either.
I liked the concept of someone helping spirits to deal with unfinished business so that they could move on. I understand that Clare's personality and view on the world made it difficult for her to embrace her new gift, but the amount of denial and angst and hysteria that she continuously displayed began to get on my nerves. At a certain point you either have to accept that this is your new reality, or refuse and accept the consequences. I am never a fan of whining characters, and Clare was more of that than I felt she should have been, so I never really connected to her or fully sympathized with her angst.
Same thing with Zach. He also seemed incapable of accepting the changed circumstances of his life and finding a way to move forward. Both he and Clare should have been able to understand the other person's "stuff" since they each have a full set of baggage, and who better to really "get" your drama than someone else dealing with similar stuff. And yet they spend most of the book not getting each other, not being willing to accept what is and not recognizing the other person as their perfect match. Sometimes, in some books, that kind of clueless blindness can be endearing and draw the reader in. For me, that did not happen with this book. Both of them irritated me.
The actual story and the mechanics of the ghost seeing component was very interesting and I did enjoy that. Learning about the world and the rules that govern this was intriguing so that kept me with this book to the end.
Also, there were a couple of surprising twists that I did not see coming, and that were interesting, so that also helped offset my annoyance with the emotional wah-wahing that both Clare and Zach wallowed in.
Overall, this was an okay read. I doubt I would read others in the series, unless I didn't have anything else available, but it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't fantastic either.