Scan barcode
A review by dnemec
The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson
3.0
In the prologue, we meet Orin Jacobs. When he was a child, his mom thought he'd be an inventor someday because he liked to take things apart and see how they worked. Unfortunately, he also began to take apart living things. His mom was not too keen on her son's hobby the day she found him with his sister tied to a tree and he told mom: "I wasn't going to hurt her!...I just wanted to see what's inside!" And that is how we start this creepy little tale. Nothing says "future serial killer" like cutting up animals. Orin did have the decency to wait until his mom's death to upgrade to humans, so I guess he does get points for that!
The story begins with two friends, Jade and Riley debating the wisdom of spending a weekend at Orin's former house, Jordanville Ranch. Orin, now long gone (...or is he?!), had used the ranch as the site of his experiments on his "patients." He'd take one girl for a year and operate on her. He wanted to test the human body and see how damage outside affected the inside, among other nasty little things. Orin's former house had been made popular by a reality tv show on the paranormal, and was open for visitors that wanted a weekend of ghost hunting. Riley is extremely apprehensive. Unbeknownst to Jade, Riley is a sensitive. She has been suppressing it since she was a child and saw the deceased sister of her childhood best friend, and doesn't want to put herself into a bad situation. But after Jade lays on the guilt, Riley agrees to go with her and 3 other friends.
Riley immediately feels things are wrong in the house, but tries her hardest to ignore it. After all, there is a super cute skeptic in one of the other groups that is definitely interested in knowing her better. But a few inadvertent object readings and bad dreams have her spooked. Things really get weird when she finds a boy in the lobby, only to discover later that he isn't staying at the house...or the nearby dude ranch...and he's been missing since 1973. Then the tour begins and Riley goes into the basement, the scene of Orin's experiments and all hell breaks loose. Riley leaves the house immediately with friend Pamela and cutie Michael, both of whom were in the basement with her. As they leave, she's sees the missing boy, Peter, in an upstairs window and feels guilty, but can't stay. But Peter follows her home, and things start getting weirder. Riley decides if she can find his body, she can put him to rest. But more went on in Jordanville Ranch than anyone knows. Well, almost anyone.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and the ghost story was interesting. I could've done without some of the romance stuff, but it didn't hamper the story. All in all, this was lots of fun. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story begins with two friends, Jade and Riley debating the wisdom of spending a weekend at Orin's former house, Jordanville Ranch. Orin, now long gone (...or is he?!), had used the ranch as the site of his experiments on his "patients." He'd take one girl for a year and operate on her. He wanted to test the human body and see how damage outside affected the inside, among other nasty little things. Orin's former house had been made popular by a reality tv show on the paranormal, and was open for visitors that wanted a weekend of ghost hunting. Riley is extremely apprehensive. Unbeknownst to Jade, Riley is a sensitive. She has been suppressing it since she was a child and saw the deceased sister of her childhood best friend, and doesn't want to put herself into a bad situation. But after Jade lays on the guilt, Riley agrees to go with her and 3 other friends.
Riley immediately feels things are wrong in the house, but tries her hardest to ignore it. After all, there is a super cute skeptic in one of the other groups that is definitely interested in knowing her better. But a few inadvertent object readings and bad dreams have her spooked. Things really get weird when she finds a boy in the lobby, only to discover later that he isn't staying at the house...or the nearby dude ranch...and he's been missing since 1973. Then the tour begins and Riley goes into the basement, the scene of Orin's experiments and all hell breaks loose. Riley leaves the house immediately with friend Pamela and cutie Michael, both of whom were in the basement with her. As they leave, she's sees the missing boy, Peter, in an upstairs window and feels guilty, but can't stay. But Peter follows her home, and things start getting weirder. Riley decides if she can find his body, she can put him to rest. But more went on in Jordanville Ranch than anyone knows. Well, almost anyone.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and the ghost story was interesting. I could've done without some of the romance stuff, but it didn't hamper the story. All in all, this was lots of fun. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.