November 23, 2010

Past Midnight (#1) by Mara Purnhagen

Sorry that it's been a week between posts! I can't believe it, but in 3 weeks I will be in possession of an MLIS. It's crazy how close I am to being finished my master's degree, but of course that also means a flurry of assignments before the finish. I've managed to schedule a couple of posts, so hopefully I can cut down on the gaps between posts until I'm done school and I can focus on the blog as I continue to job search.

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 216
Review Source: eBook from publisher for honest review


Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive...

My Thoughts:
When I wrote my initial feelings on Goodreads after I finished this book I summed it up in three words: enjoyable, suspenseful, creepy. Let me start this review by saying that I seem to have this problem where I love ghost stories, but they totally terrify me at the same time. And I don’t mean that “good” type of terrified that some people seem to love. No, I literally get petrified by most books or movies that delve into what I might call the horror genre. So I will tell you that, thankfully, while this book has creepy ghosts and spirit activity in it, it probably won’t keep you up at night. And I mean that as a compliment -- for wusses like me this book was the perfect mixture of suspense and creepy ghostly encounters, while still allowing me to function.

I really liked how Mara Purnhagen combined the paranormal aspects of the book with real-life contemporary YA issues, like Charlotte’s parents embarrassing her and how it can be difficult to make friends at a new school. I felt like this book was unique because Charlotte was just a normal girl, and all the people interacting with her (minus the ghosts) were human beings. I was so glad it didn’t turn out to be another “fall in love with a supernatural being” book. It fits with the genre, but it’s still unique and fresh. I also liked how while this book is the first in a series, the major storyline of the book was wrapped up, so you’re not left hanging. My one complaint is that this book is rather short. It made it a nice, quick read, but I wished I could have been emersed in the story for a longer period of time. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to people (like me) who usually stay away from paranormal books, because I thought it was really well done.

Rating:


Find Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca

6 comments:

  1. First of all, congrats on nearing the end of your degree program, and good luck on the job search!

    I am like you in that I rarely read horror because it freaks me out too much...This year I read two "ghost" stories, Isis ( a novella) and Her Fearful Symmetry, which I absolutely loved.

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  2. Congrats on almost being done with your Masters, that's so exciting!

    I'm a huge wuss as well, I love to read/watch stories like this, but it's torture the whole time because I royally freak myself out. Glad to see this one is creepy without being terrifying. And love that she doesn't just fall in love with a supernatural being. Definitely going to give this one a try!

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  3. Ahhhh so exciting that you're almost done with your degree! I wish you all the best, Ashley!

    I haven't read this or even really heard much about it, but it sounds really exciting now. I'm definitely adding it to my list now, so thanks for the great review!

    Be sure to check out my international blogoversary giveaway going on right now, too!

    http://tinyurl.com/2faa8j3

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  4. Thanks Melissa!!

    I just went and entered. =)

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  5. I think I may check this book out. I just read your review on the second book and they sound good. Great review! :)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment; I appreciate each one!

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