With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it’s a gift. But to Lexi it’s a curse—one that keeps her friendless and alone. All that changes when Lexi foresees the violent death of a young woman, Jane, outside a club. But Jane doesn’t go to the afterlife quietly. Her ghost remains behind, determined to hunt down her murderer, and she needs Lexi’s help. In life, Jane was everything Lexi is not—outgoing, happy, popular. But in death, all Jane wants is revenge. Lexi will do anything to help Jane, to make up for the fact that she didn’t—couldn’t—save Jane’s life, and to keep this beautiful ghost of a girl by her side for as long as possible. (Pub Date: May 21, 2019)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Not sure if it's YA, but it's not bad however you'll call it.
Lexi can not only see the dead but also when people will die the moment they touch them. And that's why she avoids all kinds of contact. Having dropped out of school, she works for the same man her grandfather used to, protecting others with magical powers. While investigating disappearances, she finds the ghost of a girl the same age as her who's been murdered and no one knows it yet.
Even though this is the author's second novel, I still think there's room for improvement. It was easy to relate to Lexi but all the emotional journey felt superficial. I wish I could describe the feeling better, but in easy words, it was lacking something.
I think this only got worse when it came to romance. Lexi starts having feelings for Jane, the murdered girl, who happens to be the only person Lexi lets get close. The author is very good analyzing this, since for one Lexi never gets close to anyone and she's forced to with Jane; moreover, Jane is obviously lonely when no one else can see her. It's a good dilemma, are there feelings real? And yet, I never felt the romance. I really couldn't see the chemistry there.
This repeated and lesser levels with other relationships surrounding Lexi. In most of them, I only had the author's words for it, because I couldn't feel it. Yes, Lexi keeps everyone far, that's the fact. But at the same time, the book is trying to show the opposite, really—as much as she tried, there were still some who were there for her. Instead, I only got a list of names and occupations.
There were still great characters I wish I could see more of, like Trevor and Ilia and Nichole... as you can see, the characters themselves were nice.
As for the story, there is a mystery Lexi is trying to solve beyond a possible serial killer. Unfortunately, the plot twists weren't that big but the conclusion was okay enough.
And as I mentioned in the opening, is this really YA? Lexi is eighteen, so is Jane, but that's as far as it goes. All the setting is pretty much out of what I usually see in YA's, the theme—a murderer out there!—isn't very YA either. Above all, Lexi surely doesn't act her age. I don't think her being eighteen is enough to make the genre so I'm not classifying it as such here.
On the other hand, this opens way to a wider audience. There's some gore when describing the ghosts but it's not really bad. It's a nice story and the worldbuilding is fantastic. Not sure I would have gone through so much trouble for this plot, so kudos to Emma Berquist. It did make me feel like reading more in this universe, so of course I'd read more from her.
Recommended for those who like a quick read in the supernatural genre.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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