Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: Great Plains Teen Fiction (September 1, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1927855098 ISBN-13: 978-1927855096	Order book here:

Synopsis:

For seventeen-year-old Maggie Johnson, transitioning the dead isn’t hard. What’s tough is surviving the insults and pranks of Serge Popov, high school thug and the dumbest jock to ever set foot in Dead Falls, Alberta. When she finds him dead and later discovers his spirit trapped in her room, she figures it’s a case of divine justice. Let the jerk rot for eternity, bound to an earthly prison. But someone – or something – has a different agenda. If Maggie doesn’t help Serge cross over, she’ll die at the hands of the otherworldly entity that’s taken an interest in the dead bully. As she digs into the circumstances of Serge’s murder, she’ll uncover the secrets hidden by the world of the living and the wonders revealed by cities of the dead – if her investigation doesn’t kill her first.

Characters:

Maggie Johnson – Young High School girl discovering she has the ability to see and talk to the dead.
Serge Popov – Young High School boy, who is found dead.  Now he wants Maggie to find out why.

Review

This seemed like a strong departure for Ms. Deen, particularly from past works I’ve read of hers. I was used to books that were a bit of a mystery/thrillers but with comic twists. There wasn’t much lighthearted about this, and I think that was a good thing. The characters were so rich, and living. There were also big shifts. I began the story absolutely detesting the character of Serge. There wasn’t a thing to like about him. As a reader I was taken on the same journey as Maggie. I had to learn to tolerate him, and as I learned more about him, I actually began to feel sorry for the guy. To pull you in, and make you have real feelings towards the characters, is a beautiful gift.

It seems as if the story was left open at the end for further adventures of Maggie. If that is true, then I look forward to where her new life might take her. The plotting was very tight, and while I as the reader knew what was going on before the end, there were many other surprises in store for me.

Overall a great story, by a great author. I look forward to more of the story. Due to some dark imagery, I wouldn’t recommend this for all ages, but would recommend it for older teens and adults. So pick up a copy of Guardian, and be sure to stop back by and let us know what you thought.

About the Author

When I was little, there was only one thing I wanted to be when I grew up: a superhero. Sadly, this goal was made moot when I realized that being a klutz was not in fact, a super power, and my super-weakness for anything bright and shiny meant that a magpie with self-control could easily defeat me in a battle of wills. Hence, the turn to writing as an occupation. I don’t get to live on a secret space station orbiting the earth (and thank God, because I get motion sick on a merry-go-round), but I still get to wear leotards, a cape and say things like, “STAND ASIDE! THIS IS A JOB FOR WRITING-GIRL!”

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Natasha for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2015 at 12:00 am and is filed under Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery/Thriller. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.