Book Jacket:
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….
Review:
A light, competent story and a pleasant start to a new series. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
The premise is great – the daughter of paranormal TV stars, who has been dragged hither and yon by her parents her whole life, finally gets the chance to stay in one place long enough for a real shot at being normal, only to find the freaky nature of her parent’s job comes home to roost. I really liked the science and logic that was the foundation for the ghost story, and how her parents debunk more than they prove. It was a nice break from the supernatural powers that are everywhere in paranormal YA.
I definitely have a fondness for teenage sleuthing, but there wasn’t much investigating that took place in this story. On the paranormal side, Charlotte is basically fed dream clues and her parents and sisters go away to research and came back with the answers – she doesn’t do any actual solving of the mystery. On the high school side, there were some interesting secrets but they quickly and easily came to light. Enough was going on to keep my interest, but the plot was almost too straightforward, such that I couldn’t quite believe the ending was going to be that, well, basic – I kept waiting for some 11th hour twist or betrayal that never came.
Also towards the end the paranormal part of story strayed a little too far into stereotypical ghost story territory, with just about everyone suddenly becoming a believer. I wish more had happened to Charlotte that no one else could see, so that she had to deal with doubt and skepticism from her parents. I also would have liked to see the science playing some role in figuring out what was going on, instead of being merely window dressing.
Still, it was an agreeable story and a fun premise. The characters are a bit bare, but I think this will grow into a nice little series.
If you like Marlene Perez’s Dead Is… series, check this one out.
Byrt Grade: B
As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…
I absolutely adored Past Midnight! The story is the perfect blend of ghost story, coming of age story, and sweet romance. If you’re shaking your head in amazement, don’t despair. That is precisely what I felt the moment I reached the ending of the book. Mara Purnhagen manages to mesh all of these topics into a well paced book that will have you reading as fast as you possibly can.
Mara Purnhagen has an envy-worthy gift for story telling, as is obvious from Past Midnight, the first title in the series. She created an interesting plot and effortlessly weaved paranormal into a contemporary setting. The science and, dare I say, logic behind the energies in this story almost made me believe in ghosts!
Overall though, the characters are great, the plot is interesting, & Purnhagen really does seem to be on the right track here with this series. This book deserves at least one good read (or three) & I can really see this becoming a favorite with many readers.
Leave a Reply