Saturday, October 29, 2011

Review: Shadowed Summer - Saundra Mitchell

Where I got it: My Collection
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 2 stars (Meh)  
Genre:Young Adult
Publication Date: June 8, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 180 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Iris just turned fourteen, but she doesn't feel any different. She tries to get her friend Colette to still play their same games, but Colette seems to have taken up in interest in boys. When Iris hears and sees a real ghost in the graveyard that says "Where y'at Iris?" she knows that their games are no longer make believe. Colette is more interested in Ben though then some silly ghost game. Ben seems plenty interested in going along though. When stranger things start to happen, Iris feels like she might be the only one not making everything up. Maybe she's going crazy, or maybe the ghost picked her for a reason and she needs to help him.

This was a very, very interesting story. I never knew what was going to happen next with the ghosts. Everyone in the South seems to keep a lot of secrets, or maybe them just forget the truth from spinning the same yarn for so many years. I didn't love Iris, she seemed to be very immature one second and then the air of maturity the next. There was too much back and forth for my liking. This did seem like a coming of age tale too, but it was mostly Iris and Colette's friendship that matured instead of Iris. It was a wild read trying to guess what happened and what was real and who was lying. I definitely recommend this for reluctant and avid readers alike. The story goes quick, there is never a dull moment. It was plenty spooky too, because you never really knew what you would get with the ghosts. I was a little disappointed that the ghost's action weren't better explained. It seemed like he was all crazy for no reason, but maybe a lot of it was outside interference. Regardless, I would check this one out if I were you, it was plenty interesting.

First Line:
"Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared."

Favorite Line:
"The crypt's soft stone ground each time I pried, sending a nasty, bone-crunching sensation up the metal that made me want to boil my hands in bleach."

2 comments:

  1. I've never heard of this one and I love ghost stories! I'm not sure if I'll ever pick it up, but it does sound interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love books that keep you guessing. I've had a copy of this one on my shelf for awhile, but I keep picking up something else instead of it. Oh well. I'll get to it...eventually! lol.

    ReplyDelete

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