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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Title: The Vanishing Season
Publication: July 1, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
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Synopsis
Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.

The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.

I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.

All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.

From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind.
This is the first book I've read by Anderson, I actually own Tiger Lily but haven't gotten around to reading it. This story is an interesting mixture of paranormal, romance and mystery. Maggie's family moves to Door County after her mother loses her job and the lessened income makes living in the city more strenuous. She's accustomed to sacrificing her desires because she doesn't want her parents to feel bad for not being able to give those things for her. Pauline, her neighbor, wants for nothing. She's beautiful, popular and rich. They become fast friends and what happens next will be fun, adventure, love and heartbreak. 

There is also a ghost tethered to the girls for some reason, it's like it senses danger for one or both girls. As much as the ghost tries to interact with the world, it begins to realize that it can only be a spectator to the events. Gradually as the story unfolds the ghost starts to understand its presence. I liked Maggie as the main character; she's so sweet and pure. She's a really good and forgiving person. Pauline, initially I liked her energy but as things progress she's comes off as self-absorbed and selfish. There's this boy who has cared about her since they were younger but she never shows interest in him until he begins something with someone else. There is also a murderer on the loose as girls keep going missing. I actually felt the story didn't need the murder mystery part and that some things could have been more fluid. The ghost narration was a little distracting but once the end comes along, it was easy to understand its purpose in the story. I think anyone looking for a ghost story from a different perspective with some romance, heartache and mystery will like this book.

1 comment:

  1. The Vanishing Season looks like a fun-filled book. I thank you for the review, and look forward to reading this soon.

    ReplyDelete