Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Francesca
Lia Block, critically acclaimed author of Weetzie Bat, brings this eerie and
redemptive ghost story to life with her signature, poetic prose. It's perfect
for fans of supernatural stories with a touch of romance like the Beautiful
Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
After Julie's grandmother passes away, she is forced to move across town to the not-so-fancy end of Beverly Hills and start over at a new school. The only silver lining to the perpetual dark cloud that seems to be following her? Clark—a die-hard fan of Buffy and all things Joss Whedon, who is just as awkward and damaged as she is. Her kindred spirit.
When the two try to contact Julie's grandmother with a Ouija board, they make contact with a different spirit altogether. The real kind. And this ghost will do whatever it takes to come back to the world of the living.
Francesca Lia Block's latest young adult novel is a haunting work about family, loss, love, and redemption.
After Julie's grandmother passes away, she is forced to move across town to the not-so-fancy end of Beverly Hills and start over at a new school. The only silver lining to the perpetual dark cloud that seems to be following her? Clark—a die-hard fan of Buffy and all things Joss Whedon, who is just as awkward and damaged as she is. Her kindred spirit.
When the two try to contact Julie's grandmother with a Ouija board, they make contact with a different spirit altogether. The real kind. And this ghost will do whatever it takes to come back to the world of the living.
Francesca Lia Block's latest young adult novel is a haunting work about family, loss, love, and redemption.
“What does ‘marl’ mean anyway?” I said. I usually loved Emily Dickinson but that day the poem gave me a graveyard chill that made me pull my sweater sleeves down over my hands and I wanted to stop reading.
I
took out a tiny peach-colored envelope, embossed with my grandmother’s initials
and a wreath of flowers, that she had placed in the pocket of the jacket. It
said, You are a thing of beauty in this,
my love.
I
didn’t even tell my mother about the words my grandmother had said but I thought
about them a lot. There’s something I must
tell you, darling. Did she know she was about to die? Was there something
important she needed to let me know?
How could a person you
loved be reduced to this? I wondered, looking at the urn.
Francesca Lia Block has always been a favorite of mine simply because of the magic and thrill she brings to each book. I was not disappointed on her latest book, Teen Spirit, either. Julie is introduced to a whole new world when her grandmother, Miriam, passes away. Secrets begin to unravel and Julie decides to try and make contact with her grandmother from beyond the grave. During this interaction they get a desperate plea, and it’s not from Miriam. Parts of this book will send chills up your spine and make you want to turn the light on!
This
book was a nice, easy read for me. I finished it in almost one sitting and it
gave me a nice look into a magical and different world from my own. I have always
loved how Francesca’s books infuse a tad bit of magical realism and fantasy, so
much so that you are unsure what to classify the book as. The characters were
very real and versatile, but their world and the supernatural things going on
around them are very much an out of this world experience! This book will be
sure to please any age from middle grades to adults. It is a nice adventure into
a place that cannot be real.
This
book made several reference to pop culture like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This
was just an excited little tidbit that avid readers like me enjoy. This book
was a nice vacation to be able to suspend my disbelief for a while. If you have
never checked out one of Francesca’s book before then this would be a great one
to start with. Julie is an amazing female lead and we get to see her grow and
change as she learns to make her own way after her grandmother’s passing!
***A
copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at HarperTeen in
exchange for my honest review***
Oh! Very interesting. I'm not a fan of ghosts but it sounds very thrilling. Nice review, Chelsey! :)
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