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Der 13. Gast
Imagine being both victim and detective in your own murder . . .
448 pages, Hardcover
First published December 22, 2010
3 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Rhiannon Lassiter
32 books76 followersRhiannon Lassiter began writing when she was still at school. The first agent to see her work encouraged her to finish Hex, which was accepted when she was nineteen by the first publisher to read it (Macmillan).
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 8, 2011
Ah, this book reminded me so much of my first reading experiences that I couldn't help but love it. When I was much younger and had read more of The Babysitters' Club and Sweet Valley High than was probably healthy, I turned to the somewhat darker Goosebumps series by R.L.Stine, including such classics as Say Cheese and Die and Monster Blood. Anyone else read this? No? Just me then...
What I loved about those books, and indeed this one, was the unashamed use of the supernatural. I'm sure I've made this point before but I respect authors who will weave the supernatural into a story so tightly that it just seems to belong, rather than wasting time on characters who don't want to believe etc or worrying about whether the book is 'realistic'. The ghosts in this book are exactly that. Eva finds herself a ghost despite having no recollection at all about how she died. Rather than spending endless pages pondering the nature of the soul or not believing her predicament, there's good balance and timing for the phasing of reluctance into acceptance.
One strong point is Lassiter's expansion on what could have been a cheesy ghost theme. The ghosts of the House are varied and unique. Some ghosts were nothing more than a single feature, like 'The Stalker' that has nothing but the desire to kill other ghosts, while others retain their personalities and 'grip' on the world, like Eva. I found myself drawn into the tangled web of the ghosts in spite of myself and felt like that made it more than normal.
Obviously I couldn't review this book without mentioning Eva. Eva Chance is a social outcast and something of a recluse. Bullied by her schoolmates, she has all but retreated to the House. Her aching loneliness tugged at even my old heartstrings and it reminded me of all the harsh points about being a teenager. Eva's family and its history (which is suitably tortured...) make for great back story too.
Outside of the Chance family are Kyle and Kyra, employed to spruce the House up in time for the tourist season. Kyle is kind of sweet and features nicely as a 'white knight' type figure. Kyra, however, was a weak link for me. She is Eva's nemesis, so much as teenagers can have nemeses and is actually rather irritating to read. She is everything a stereotypical teenage character shouldn't be - arrogant, rude, ignorant and a bully. Still, her ability to annoy is dampened by the curiosities of those around her so it's not all bad!
The mystery element plays nicely alongside the ghost story and make for a tale worthy of any teenager's time. My only real criticism was that the ending (that I obviously won't give away) was a little too convenient for my taste. I would guess, however, that that is largely as a result of it being a story for younger readers so I won't grumble too much.
A final noteworthy point: I stayed up late because I had to read the end of this book. To anyone who knows me, this is high praise indeed. I require at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night or I am unfit for polite society. With this, I was gripped and tugged on into the darkness by that same urge that kept the teenage me huddled under a duvet turning pages feverishly. I accept that it might have been an exercise in reminiscing but golly it was fun!
Overall: I would definitely recommend this to early-late teens looking for something a bit more mature and (I'll admit it) creepy! It's very much a 'YA' book but a great one for the genre that offers something new in a paranormal sphere dominated by vampires and werewolves - I won't be passing it on to the adults in my life but I'll almost definitely give my copy to a younger cousin at some point for her to enjoy as an introduction to something new. Read it late at night for maximum "enjoyment"!
What I loved about those books, and indeed this one, was the unashamed use of the supernatural. I'm sure I've made this point before but I respect authors who will weave the supernatural into a story so tightly that it just seems to belong, rather than wasting time on characters who don't want to believe etc or worrying about whether the book is 'realistic'. The ghosts in this book are exactly that. Eva finds herself a ghost despite having no recollection at all about how she died. Rather than spending endless pages pondering the nature of the soul or not believing her predicament, there's good balance and timing for the phasing of reluctance into acceptance.
One strong point is Lassiter's expansion on what could have been a cheesy ghost theme. The ghosts of the House are varied and unique. Some ghosts were nothing more than a single feature, like 'The Stalker' that has nothing but the desire to kill other ghosts, while others retain their personalities and 'grip' on the world, like Eva. I found myself drawn into the tangled web of the ghosts in spite of myself and felt like that made it more than normal.
Obviously I couldn't review this book without mentioning Eva. Eva Chance is a social outcast and something of a recluse. Bullied by her schoolmates, she has all but retreated to the House. Her aching loneliness tugged at even my old heartstrings and it reminded me of all the harsh points about being a teenager. Eva's family and its history (which is suitably tortured...) make for great back story too.
Outside of the Chance family are Kyle and Kyra, employed to spruce the House up in time for the tourist season. Kyle is kind of sweet and features nicely as a 'white knight' type figure. Kyra, however, was a weak link for me. She is Eva's nemesis, so much as teenagers can have nemeses and is actually rather irritating to read. She is everything a stereotypical teenage character shouldn't be - arrogant, rude, ignorant and a bully. Still, her ability to annoy is dampened by the curiosities of those around her so it's not all bad!
The mystery element plays nicely alongside the ghost story and make for a tale worthy of any teenager's time. My only real criticism was that the ending (that I obviously won't give away) was a little too convenient for my taste. I would guess, however, that that is largely as a result of it being a story for younger readers so I won't grumble too much.
A final noteworthy point: I stayed up late because I had to read the end of this book. To anyone who knows me, this is high praise indeed. I require at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night or I am unfit for polite society. With this, I was gripped and tugged on into the darkness by that same urge that kept the teenage me huddled under a duvet turning pages feverishly. I accept that it might have been an exercise in reminiscing but golly it was fun!
Overall: I would definitely recommend this to early-late teens looking for something a bit more mature and (I'll admit it) creepy! It's very much a 'YA' book but a great one for the genre that offers something new in a paranormal sphere dominated by vampires and werewolves - I won't be passing it on to the adults in my life but I'll almost definitely give my copy to a younger cousin at some point for her to enjoy as an introduction to something new. Read it late at night for maximum "enjoyment"!
March 28, 2013
This, if it’s not too contradictory a description for a ghost-cum-detective story, is a delightful novel, often deeply satisfying and always captivating. The narrative is set within the span of a month, from April Fool’s Day to May Eve, and features the ghost of young Eva, who has to act as a kind of detective to uncover the details of her own murder. Good detective stories include a cast of suspects and a shoal of red herrings, and we get plenty of both here. Ghost stories, by definition, must offer us a closetful of skeletons, spooks and denizens of the spirit world and there are enough here too for all the proverbial hairs on your neck. Particularly memorable are the maid Maggie, the Witch and, most chilling of all, the Stalker, who feeds off other ghosts.
What I like about this book is the various levels at which the intelligent reader can connect with it. The setting is the classic aristocratic pile and associated estate, but the author hints that she knows this conceit is open to parody by including references to Cluedo. Some of the younger characters are only dimly aware of Shakespeare, but Rhiannon Lassiter ensures that we take on board her nods to The Tempest, Hamlet and, above all, to King Lear as parallels in the plot. And I like her play on words where, for example, the young Evangeline’s name suggest that she is truly a messenger to the living concerning the dark happenings in the House.
Lassiter has also written that “Diana Wynne Jones will always be on my top ten” of favourite authors, and so I can’t help being reminded of a couple of examples from that writer’s work which must have had some influence on Ghost of a Chance. First, Jones’ The Time of the Ghost, partly based on incidents in the author’s childhood and which includes one character who experiences events as a ghost. Secondly, while the rather trite title must have suggested Eva Chance’s surname, word association drew me to the young Christopher Chant of Jones’ Chrestomanci books as a possible influence on Lassiter’s choice for Eva’s family name.
It’s probably churlish to say that there are the odd awkward explanatory passages, or that one or two characters, such as twins Kyle and Kyra and Eva’s cousin Felix, don’t always ring true as realistic and convincing individuals; I can’t excuse these by noting that this novel is ‘just’ written for young adults, because that’s unfair both to author and to the intended readership. However these caveats are more than outweighed by the instances of fine prose poetry and atmospheric descriptions, plus its overall readability and un-put-down-able qualities. An acid test for any reviewer is whether they would be willing to re-read a book for pleasure; in the case of Ghost of a Chance the answer is certainly in the affirmative.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-chance
What I like about this book is the various levels at which the intelligent reader can connect with it. The setting is the classic aristocratic pile and associated estate, but the author hints that she knows this conceit is open to parody by including references to Cluedo. Some of the younger characters are only dimly aware of Shakespeare, but Rhiannon Lassiter ensures that we take on board her nods to The Tempest, Hamlet and, above all, to King Lear as parallels in the plot. And I like her play on words where, for example, the young Evangeline’s name suggest that she is truly a messenger to the living concerning the dark happenings in the House.
Lassiter has also written that “Diana Wynne Jones will always be on my top ten” of favourite authors, and so I can’t help being reminded of a couple of examples from that writer’s work which must have had some influence on Ghost of a Chance. First, Jones’ The Time of the Ghost, partly based on incidents in the author’s childhood and which includes one character who experiences events as a ghost. Secondly, while the rather trite title must have suggested Eva Chance’s surname, word association drew me to the young Christopher Chant of Jones’ Chrestomanci books as a possible influence on Lassiter’s choice for Eva’s family name.
It’s probably churlish to say that there are the odd awkward explanatory passages, or that one or two characters, such as twins Kyle and Kyra and Eva’s cousin Felix, don’t always ring true as realistic and convincing individuals; I can’t excuse these by noting that this novel is ‘just’ written for young adults, because that’s unfair both to author and to the intended readership. However these caveats are more than outweighed by the instances of fine prose poetry and atmospheric descriptions, plus its overall readability and un-put-down-able qualities. An acid test for any reviewer is whether they would be willing to re-read a book for pleasure; in the case of Ghost of a Chance the answer is certainly in the affirmative.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-chance
February 16, 2011
Review from Badelynge
Rhiannon Lassiter's Ghost of a Chance is aimed squarely at YA readers. Or others, of more mature years (that's me), who think the young shouldn't have all the fun where reading is concerned. It follows the attempts of lost spirit Evangeline Chase, haunting her crumbling stately home as she attempts to discover who killed her before the killer bumps off the rest of her family. Eva is an excellent character. All the best scenes belong to Eva. Her character works on many levels and holds the sympathy of the reader throughout. All the ghostly characters are fine, from the sad young ghost Sinje to the vengeful and lethal Witch and Stalker. The living characters are where the book fails though. They are for the most part half written and dull. Kyle is ok but his twin Kyra just doesn't work at all. There's a sort of half hearted anti-bullying theme which misfires completely, mostly due to the contradictory and unrealistic description and realisation of the girls character.
Despite all this I was quite enjoying this book until about three quarters through. Unfortunately, things start to flag at the end of the long and eventful ghost walk, which takes up most of the middle section of the story. The book loses its focus at this stage and starts to tread water. The narrative is further undermined by a sudden onset of random head jumping among the minor supporting characters.
The murder mystery won't baffle many readers and I expect even the most inept detectives among them will have had the killer tagged with a good proportion of the book still ahead. The shock ending is also not in the least unexpected, even if most of the telegraphing were removed it's unlikely anyone will reach the end without twigging well in advance.
It's a shame the atmospheric and well paced opening half of the book wasn't better served by its conclusion.
One other minor external quibble is the choice of title. A quick search on Goodreads reveals there are well over 60 books already called Ghost of a Chance and I dread to think how many are about ghosts who are called Chance. I'm all for a cheesy chapter title or two for a bit of fun but the book title drives the book's shelf identity and I would think something less well worn would serve it better.
Rhiannon Lassiter's Ghost of a Chance is aimed squarely at YA readers. Or others, of more mature years (that's me), who think the young shouldn't have all the fun where reading is concerned. It follows the attempts of lost spirit Evangeline Chase, haunting her crumbling stately home as she attempts to discover who killed her before the killer bumps off the rest of her family. Eva is an excellent character. All the best scenes belong to Eva. Her character works on many levels and holds the sympathy of the reader throughout. All the ghostly characters are fine, from the sad young ghost Sinje to the vengeful and lethal Witch and Stalker. The living characters are where the book fails though. They are for the most part half written and dull. Kyle is ok but his twin Kyra just doesn't work at all. There's a sort of half hearted anti-bullying theme which misfires completely, mostly due to the contradictory and unrealistic description and realisation of the girls character.
Despite all this I was quite enjoying this book until about three quarters through. Unfortunately, things start to flag at the end of the long and eventful ghost walk, which takes up most of the middle section of the story. The book loses its focus at this stage and starts to tread water. The narrative is further undermined by a sudden onset of random head jumping among the minor supporting characters.
The murder mystery won't baffle many readers and I expect even the most inept detectives among them will have had the killer tagged with a good proportion of the book still ahead. The shock ending is also not in the least unexpected, even if most of the telegraphing were removed it's unlikely anyone will reach the end without twigging well in advance.
It's a shame the atmospheric and well paced opening half of the book wasn't better served by its conclusion.
One other minor external quibble is the choice of title. A quick search on Goodreads reveals there are well over 60 books already called Ghost of a Chance and I dread to think how many are about ghosts who are called Chance. I'm all for a cheesy chapter title or two for a bit of fun but the book title drives the book's shelf identity and I would think something less well worn would serve it better.
April 21, 2019
Lassiter schreibt gruselig und der Hauch der Angst sitzt einem bei jedem Umblättern der Seiten im Nacken. Evangeline ist aber eine tolle Protagonistin, und auch die Nebencharaktere haben ihren Teil zur Geschichte beigetragen.
Alles in allem eine gelungene Erzählung, die mein ungutes Gefühl über alte Gewölbekeller nur bestätigt hat...
Alles in allem eine gelungene Erzählung, die mein ungutes Gefühl über alte Gewölbekeller nur bestätigt hat...
August 12, 2024
had no business reading this at 12...very good book tho
February 25, 2011
Eva always prefers to be invisible. From her experience, being noticed just means being an object of scorn. Considered a bad blood by her aunts. A freak in school. Eva just prefers invisibility
The only companions she can be comfortable with is her grandfather and the manor who are both deteriorating with age and sometimes some occasional ghosts she vaguely senses.
However, one day in her family gathering, she suddenly realized that she was really invisible. She's not being ignored. They just can't see her. That day, she comes into realization that she was a ghost. Missing for two weeks already, she was presumed dead. The problem is Eva just couldn't remember how she was dead. Accident, suicide, or could it be murder?
Being a ghost also gave her entrance to the supernatural realm of the manor. Now, she could see all the ghosts of the manor from the dead maid, the priest in the hole, the stalker,and of course The Witch in the Dungeon. The Witch 's curse to destroy the family had just begun its climax and her malevolence spreading.
Eva got her hands full with solving the mystery of her death, adapting to be a ghost, exploring the supernatural world, and fighting the Witch's growing power . Then, the attack on her family members began. It seemed her murder was just the beginning and now her family members would be the next targets.
The only companions she can be comfortable with is her grandfather and the manor who are both deteriorating with age and sometimes some occasional ghosts she vaguely senses.
However, one day in her family gathering, she suddenly realized that she was really invisible. She's not being ignored. They just can't see her. That day, she comes into realization that she was a ghost. Missing for two weeks already, she was presumed dead. The problem is Eva just couldn't remember how she was dead. Accident, suicide, or could it be murder?
Being a ghost also gave her entrance to the supernatural realm of the manor. Now, she could see all the ghosts of the manor from the dead maid, the priest in the hole, the stalker,and of course The Witch in the Dungeon. The Witch 's curse to destroy the family had just begun its climax and her malevolence spreading.
Eva got her hands full with solving the mystery of her death, adapting to be a ghost, exploring the supernatural world, and fighting the Witch's growing power . Then, the attack on her family members began. It seemed her murder was just the beginning and now her family members would be the next targets.
April 13, 2013
Ich geb 5 Sterne weil es nicht mehr zum vergeben gibt. Das Buch war sensationell! Ein Abenteuer das langsam begann und sich von Seite zu Seite steigerte und durchgehend spannend blieb. So ab Seite 100 geht es dann los....
Das Cover ist in verschiedenen blau Tönen gemalt und sieht wirklich edel aus.Auf den Seiten wo ein neues Kapitel beginnt ,ist oben links in der Ecke, der Abdruck, der auch auf den Cover an der Stelle ist. Ein Muster mit einen Vogel. Auf den restlichen Seiten ist unten rechts das Spiralenmuster das ebenfalls dort auf den Cover zu sehen ist.
4 verschiedene Teens die gemeinsam ein Geheimnis lösen. Außerdem wird das Thema Mobbing angesprochen wann jemand gemobt wird und wann jemand der Mobber ist und das auch Menschen mobben, die ja eigendlich nichts böses jemand anderen wollen...
Der Schreibstil war wundervoll! Für mich, ein perfektes Buch!
Das Cover ist in verschiedenen blau Tönen gemalt und sieht wirklich edel aus.Auf den Seiten wo ein neues Kapitel beginnt ,ist oben links in der Ecke, der Abdruck, der auch auf den Cover an der Stelle ist. Ein Muster mit einen Vogel. Auf den restlichen Seiten ist unten rechts das Spiralenmuster das ebenfalls dort auf den Cover zu sehen ist.
4 verschiedene Teens die gemeinsam ein Geheimnis lösen. Außerdem wird das Thema Mobbing angesprochen wann jemand gemobt wird und wann jemand der Mobber ist und das auch Menschen mobben, die ja eigendlich nichts böses jemand anderen wollen...
Der Schreibstil war wundervoll! Für mich, ein perfektes Buch!
January 21, 2025
Last Chance...
‘You know that girl, the one in my class? The one that died. She lived here.’
Lost Chance...
‘You’re dead, Eva Chance. You died and nobody noticed. You died and nobody cared.’
No more Chances left...
They said it was suicide, but Eva knows she was murdered. Now she inhabits a skewed ghost world along with the tortured and malevolent spirits of her family home. Solving the crime could end her existence — but if the killer isn’t found how many more will die?
This book had everything a classic ghost story should have: a creepy house, old legends, dotty occupants and resident ghosts.
I really liked Eva and enjoyed following her about as she tries to solve her own murder. I did feel the book was a bit drawn out at times but felt there was enough in it to hold my attention till the end. I didn’t guess the ending at all and had a nice twist.
Where books by the likes of Thomas Emson has given horror back to the adult, books like this have given the supernatural to the teenager.
I’m glad I had the chance to read this book but felt it was really more for the younger generation. I like my horror books to be a bit more gory but feel that this book would provide some thrills and chills.
‘You know that girl, the one in my class? The one that died. She lived here.’
Lost Chance...
‘You’re dead, Eva Chance. You died and nobody noticed. You died and nobody cared.’
No more Chances left...
They said it was suicide, but Eva knows she was murdered. Now she inhabits a skewed ghost world along with the tortured and malevolent spirits of her family home. Solving the crime could end her existence — but if the killer isn’t found how many more will die?
This book had everything a classic ghost story should have: a creepy house, old legends, dotty occupants and resident ghosts.
I really liked Eva and enjoyed following her about as she tries to solve her own murder. I did feel the book was a bit drawn out at times but felt there was enough in it to hold my attention till the end. I didn’t guess the ending at all and had a nice twist.
Where books by the likes of Thomas Emson has given horror back to the adult, books like this have given the supernatural to the teenager.
I’m glad I had the chance to read this book but felt it was really more for the younger generation. I like my horror books to be a bit more gory but feel that this book would provide some thrills and chills.
February 20, 2019
Eine super-spannende Geister/Mystery-Geschichte. Von Anfang an fühlte ich mit Eva mit und es tat mir sehr Leid, wie man mit ihr umging. Sie war aber keine sich selbst bemitleidende Hauptfigur, sondern eher eine junge Frau, die mit ihrem Leben umgehen konnte, weil sie es musste. Das hat ihr etwas sehr Erwachsenes verliehen, obwohl sie ein Teenager ist.
Gottseidank hat die Autorin nicht lange gebraucht, um klar zu stellen, dass Eva ein Geist ist, denn es war von Anfang an offensichtlich. Angesichts der Dicke des Buches hab ich befürchtet, dass man sich als Leser erstmal mit lauter unwichtigen Dingen beschäftigen muss, bevor man die Lösung bekommt. Als sich die ganze Handlung um den Tag der offenen Tür drehte, hab ich schon aufgestöhnt, doch ich wurde überrascht. Man erfuhr so viele neue, interessante Dinge über das Haus, die Geister und die Haupthandlung. Außerdem passierten mehrere Dinge, die ich nicht erwartet hatte. Es wurde zwar teilweise frustrierend, wie oft man zwischen Eva und den Zwillingen hin und her sprang, doch es machte die Handlung definitiv spannender.
Das Ende kam nicht als vollkommene Überraschung, weil ich mir schon am Anfang des Buches gedacht hab, dass es so eine Möglichkeit wäre. Trotzdem muss ich bemängeln, dass es zeitlich gesehen doch ein wenig unmöglich schien und eher so, als wolle man verzweifelt ein Happy End. Ich habe es aber genossen, weil ich -wie schon gesagt- Eva irgendwie mochte und wollte, dass ihr etwas Gutes passiert.
Alles in einem eine sehr gelungene Geschichte für lange Abende.
Gottseidank hat die Autorin nicht lange gebraucht, um klar zu stellen, dass Eva ein Geist ist, denn es war von Anfang an offensichtlich. Angesichts der Dicke des Buches hab ich befürchtet, dass man sich als Leser erstmal mit lauter unwichtigen Dingen beschäftigen muss, bevor man die Lösung bekommt. Als sich die ganze Handlung um den Tag der offenen Tür drehte, hab ich schon aufgestöhnt, doch ich wurde überrascht. Man erfuhr so viele neue, interessante Dinge über das Haus, die Geister und die Haupthandlung. Außerdem passierten mehrere Dinge, die ich nicht erwartet hatte. Es wurde zwar teilweise frustrierend, wie oft man zwischen Eva und den Zwillingen hin und her sprang, doch es machte die Handlung definitiv spannender.
Das Ende kam nicht als vollkommene Überraschung, weil ich mir schon am Anfang des Buches gedacht hab, dass es so eine Möglichkeit wäre. Trotzdem muss ich bemängeln, dass es zeitlich gesehen doch ein wenig unmöglich schien und eher so, als wolle man verzweifelt ein Happy End. Ich habe es aber genossen, weil ich -wie schon gesagt- Eva irgendwie mochte und wollte, dass ihr etwas Gutes passiert.
Alles in einem eine sehr gelungene Geschichte für lange Abende.
October 27, 2023
One of my first experiences of reading a book and enjoying it. I read it on a whim and was hooked but when I gave it back to the library I didn’t bother remembering the name, then covid happened and I tried Googling to plot and nothing popped up. I spent years looking for the book but finally found it and reread it again. Enjoyed it as much as I did last time. I highly recommend this YA neo-gothic mystery book :)
August 20, 2023
Great underrated YA tale, all gothicky and creep. I really fell into this story like an open grave. The story of being a ghost is well-trod territory in YA lit, and is the plot of at least two Patrick Ness books, but I've never seen it explored as well as it has been here.
January 10, 2025
Während ich den Roman Böses Blut nicht so gut fand, ist der 13. Gast echt gut gelungen. Im dritten Viertel zog es sich, mir persönlich, stellenweise zu sehr, aber zum Ende hin wurde es nochmal spannend.
Es war spannend, gut geschrieben, mehr Mystery als Thriller/ Horror, sehr gut umgesetzt.
Es war spannend, gut geschrieben, mehr Mystery als Thriller/ Horror, sehr gut umgesetzt.
April 2, 2011
Review: Eva Chance lives with her grandfather in a mansion. He hosts a dinner party, but for some reason everyone seems to ignore Eva. Then a couple of teenagers discover a torture chamber with the corpse of a witch in it. As you do. Eva also finds this witch, who tells Eva that she died but nobody cared. Eva also makes friends with Maggie, the ghost of a servant girl, Kyle one of the discoverers of the witch and Kyra, his twin sister that gets more likable as we get to know her. The twins start to investigate Eva's disappearence, as do Eva and Maggie, but as two seperate groups, not as a four. Then other members of the Chance family, such as the grandfather and the aunts, start getting attacked too, resulting in either death or hospitalisation. Kyle, Kyra, Maggie and Eva all investigate these together, and the book ends with the killer/attacker being reveale and closure for all. Bad summary I know, but I'm no good at summarising mysteries...
The concept was very good. A ghost solving her own murder mystery, helped by other ghosts a the living.
I liked the lot of description in it. It gave a real sense of what was happening, which is good since parts of the book is fairly complicated.
It was fairly easy to connect with Eva, to understand her thoughts and reasoning. Kyra and Kyle, I didn't like at first, but they seemed to grow on me as we learnt more about them and whats going on. Maggie was an interesting character with an odd personality.
Ghost of a Chance was quite hard to follow, because there's a lot going on. The murder mystery part was good, complicated with lots of plot twists and red herrings, which meant the revelation of the murderer was a suprise. The storyline following the witch, with the possession and the ghosts was really hard to follow, possibly because remembering everything was hard. The cast was large enough without all the ghosts coming into it. I had trouble remembering who was who, why Eva would be upset when they got attacked, and so on, and I had to keep going back to when characters were introduced to fully understand it all.
Overall: Strength 3 tea to a mix of murder mystery and paranormal elements that's done very well but can at times be hard to follow.
The concept was very good. A ghost solving her own murder mystery, helped by other ghosts a the living.
I liked the lot of description in it. It gave a real sense of what was happening, which is good since parts of the book is fairly complicated.
It was fairly easy to connect with Eva, to understand her thoughts and reasoning. Kyra and Kyle, I didn't like at first, but they seemed to grow on me as we learnt more about them and whats going on. Maggie was an interesting character with an odd personality.
Ghost of a Chance was quite hard to follow, because there's a lot going on. The murder mystery part was good, complicated with lots of plot twists and red herrings, which meant the revelation of the murderer was a suprise. The storyline following the witch, with the possession and the ghosts was really hard to follow, possibly because remembering everything was hard. The cast was large enough without all the ghosts coming into it. I had trouble remembering who was who, why Eva would be upset when they got attacked, and so on, and I had to keep going back to when characters were introduced to fully understand it all.
Overall: Strength 3 tea to a mix of murder mystery and paranormal elements that's done very well but can at times be hard to follow.
January 24, 2020
The story was interesting and made me want to know whats going to happen to the protagonist, so I kept on reading. I liked it very much. it was a very good read, great pacing and interesting plot.
what I did not like was the ending,
what I did not like was the ending,
January 25, 2011
Written with as much grace and terror as Bad Blood, every page breathes down your neck, chills you to the bone and commands you to race on. This was one of my most-anticipated books for 2011 and I have not been disappointed. I loved every page of it.
The pace is fast forward from the first page on and you don't get a single moment to catch your breath. The compelling narrative, split between Eva Chance and Kyle and Kyra Stratton, keeps you glued to the book until you finally know what really happened to Eva.
Tension, suspense and terror hold steady throughout the entire book and have you puzzling over the murderer until the last chapter.
Masterpiece.
The pace is fast forward from the first page on and you don't get a single moment to catch your breath. The compelling narrative, split between Eva Chance and Kyle and Kyra Stratton, keeps you glued to the book until you finally know what really happened to Eva.
Tension, suspense and terror hold steady throughout the entire book and have you puzzling over the murderer until the last chapter.
Masterpiece.
Read
September 28, 2011Not giving this one a rating, because it wasn't the book I was in the mood for, to the point that I gave up and read the end. All the neglected and abused at home, bullied at school poor orphan stuff just got to me. I was so surprised by the ending that I had to go back and read on, if a bit skimmingly, to find out how it got from where I'd given up to the ending. I think it was well done in many ways, but the sheer malevolence of some of the supernatural beings encountered and the casual awfulness of some of the people made it darker than I felt like reading at this point.
April 17, 2011
The fact that I finished three other books since starting Ghost of a Chance probably says it all. While the story was an interesting one and definitely got more fast-paced towards the end it really wasn't so gripping that it was able to hold my attention for more than a few chapters at a time I am afraid. I am only giving it three stars instead of two because for the most part this novel was written beautifully and that is its only saving grace.
September 28, 2014
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as the author is new to me, but I found this to be a fast paced enjoyable read. The book had a great atmosphere and the descriptions of the dilapidated stately home at the core of the mystery were superb. The plot was not the most original but the story telling carries the reader along.
April 10, 2014
Ein spannendes Buch von Anfang bis Ende. Es ist eine sehr gelungene Kombination aus Jugendbuch, Fantasie und Thriller. Es geht um ein Mädchen, dass an ihrem 16. Geburtstag erkennen muss, dass sie ein Geist ist... Doch wer ist der Mörder, ist es ein Geist oder ein lebendiger Mensch? Wird sie es herausfinden?
February 22, 2016
Hmm. I think this book was quite well constructed, but it had the problem that I didn't really care very much about what happened to the characters. Also, I really didn't buy Kyra . 2.5/5.
October 20, 2011
This book got better as it went along.
May 6, 2013
Considering I am not a big fan of 'ghost stories', this book had me gripped. The 'murder mystery' element gave a new and exciting twist to the ghost story genre.
Definitely worth a read
Definitely worth a read
November 6, 2012
This was really an awesome Halloween read
January 16, 2014
Good, simple - ghost Entertainment. Quick read
March 19, 2016
Ein wunderschön geschriebener Roman, der mich bis zum Schluss gefesselt hat.
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