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A review by zanybibliophile
Gap Year in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor
5.0
I will be honest. When I saw the cover I did not think I would be interested. It looked like a book aimed at a 12-year-old boy. Well I have not been 12 for quite some time now and I have never been a boy, so I was very wrong because I loved it. I will not say it is perfect because nothing ever is, but it does deserve all 5 of those stars I am giving it.
Our main character is male, which is somewhat rare in the books I tend to read but it worked so well in this book that I want to read more male MC books. So Anton Marin, our MC here if that was not clear, has the ability to see ghosts and ease their transition from earth to where ever it is the dead go next. Anton does not really want to be a ghost hunter but has agreed to try it for a year to please his father, Leon, which basically explains the title of the book.
Family history includes:
- The Marin family moving to Australia after parting with the Company of the Righteous, a ghost hunting organisation in London.
- A tragic event occurring in Anton's childhood that tore his family apart.
- A mysteriously missing Aunt Tanja.
I would like to congratulate Michael Pryor on including these in a way that felt natural and only because it made sense to the plot. However, there is one thing that doesn't make as much sense and that is Anton's best friend Bec, or Rebecca as Leon calls her, having only one eye. Sure, this is kind of a cool detail but it doesn't really have a place in the story except for when cosplay is mentioned.
Our other significant character is Rani Cross, a member of the Company of Righteous, a total badass and has a tragic backstory of her own. She has her flaws, just as Anton does, but together the two ghost hunters make an efficient team and an interesting duo to read about.
Now, I mentioned before about the Marin family moving to Australia and this probably influences part of my love for this book. It is set in Melbourne and surrounding suburbs so I was able to picture some of the locations in my head. Being in Australia means we are also gifted with some very Aussie sayings, my favourites being 'huh', 'thingos', 'whatsits' and 'yeah, nah' - all part of my daily vocabulary. We may sound uneducated but we Aussies generally know what we mean with little words.
All of the above would count for little if the book had a terrible storyline or had been written horribly, but I am happy to say I believe neither is the case. I found the storyline interesting and captivating. I did not want to put the book down until I had read every page. The writing style was somewhat different to many of the books I read in that it didn't feel polished, which is actually a good thing. It felt natural as if Anton was telling me the story of all the crazy ghost things that had been happening around Melbourne.
I am not sure if everyone would agree with me as we all have different opinion and tastes in books, but I really did love this book and I am even adding it to my favourites shelf because I am just that serious about it.
Our main character is male, which is somewhat rare in the books I tend to read but it worked so well in this book that I want to read more male MC books. So Anton Marin, our MC here if that was not clear, has the ability to see ghosts and ease their transition from earth to where ever it is the dead go next. Anton does not really want to be a ghost hunter but has agreed to try it for a year to please his father, Leon, which basically explains the title of the book.
Family history includes:
- The Marin family moving to Australia after parting with the Company of the Righteous, a ghost hunting organisation in London.
- A tragic event occurring in Anton's childhood that tore his family apart.
- A mysteriously missing Aunt Tanja.
I would like to congratulate Michael Pryor on including these in a way that felt natural and only because it made sense to the plot. However, there is one thing that doesn't make as much sense and that is Anton's best friend Bec, or Rebecca as Leon calls her, having only one eye. Sure, this is kind of a cool detail but it doesn't really have a place in the story except for when cosplay is mentioned.
Our other significant character is Rani Cross, a member of the Company of Righteous, a total badass and has a tragic backstory of her own. She has her flaws, just as Anton does, but together the two ghost hunters make an efficient team and an interesting duo to read about.
Now, I mentioned before about the Marin family moving to Australia and this probably influences part of my love for this book. It is set in Melbourne and surrounding suburbs so I was able to picture some of the locations in my head. Being in Australia means we are also gifted with some very Aussie sayings, my favourites being 'huh', 'thingos', 'whatsits' and 'yeah, nah' - all part of my daily vocabulary. We may sound uneducated but we Aussies generally know what we mean with little words.
All of the above would count for little if the book had a terrible storyline or had been written horribly, but I am happy to say I believe neither is the case. I found the storyline interesting and captivating. I did not want to put the book down until I had read every page. The writing style was somewhat different to many of the books I read in that it didn't feel polished, which is actually a good thing. It felt natural as if Anton was telling me the story of all the crazy ghost things that had been happening around Melbourne.
I am not sure if everyone would agree with me as we all have different opinion and tastes in books, but I really did love this book and I am even adding it to my favourites shelf because I am just that serious about it.