Twice the Ring of Fire

Ghostop #2

by Libby Hathorn

In Rose Cottage, Juliet is taunted by the ghost of Rosette. What is the tragedy behind her death? Every time Juliet thinks she is close to the truth, Rosette reveals her lies. Why is Rosette so determined to part Juliet and Mario? And why does she demand Juliet give up Mario's gift to her - the ruby ring?

Juliet is warned of death and danger - the tragedy of Rose Cottage will be played out again. Mario begs Juliet to leave Rose Cottage, but Juliet is hell bend on unravelling the mystery of Rosette's death - alone if she has to.

Genres: Supernatural, Romance

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Libby Hathorn is an Australian writer who produces poetry, picture books, drama, novels, short stories, and nonfiction for children, young adults, and adults. Best known in the United States for her critically acclaimed novel Thunderwith, Hathorn has created works ranging from serious stories of troubled youth to lighthearted, fast-paced comedies. She writes of powerful female characters in her novels for junior readers, such as the protagonists in All about Anna and The Extraordinary Magics of Emma McDade; or of lonely, misunderstood teenagers in novels such as Feral Kid, Love Me Tender, and Valley under the Rock. As Maurice Saxby noted in St. James Guide to Children's Writers, "In her novels for teenagers especially, Hathorn exposes, with compassion, sensitivity, and poetry the universal and ongoing struggle of humanity to heal hurts, establish meaningful relationships, and to learn to accept one's self—and ultimately—those who have wronged us."

Reviews

[Darcy (Daydreamingofbookdragons) · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5)

The exclamation!! Marks!!! Continue!!! Oh boy!!!!

The romance still did nothing for me because I still don’t like Mario. I like him even less after this book because he acted, quite frankly, like a dick. If you’re lover isn’t the vindictive sort, and acts completely shocked when you say you received a letter from them that they say they didn’t write, then they’re probably telling the truth. And maybe, just maybe you should believe them. And not only once your make-up-because-I-realised-I-was-a-dick present is trashed by seemingly the same person/being.

And again, that ending was quite a let down for me. It tried to be a shocking cliff hanger, and just no. Stop.

Frankly, the only part of this book that I really enjoyed was Rosette’s writing. That was the only thing that kept the book afloat IMO.

[Skye Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit from Libby!!! if you liked the first book in this series you'll love the second book! the mystery gets deeper and deeper in this book. is it Flo? or Rosette? which one is telling the truth? keep reading for the story to unfold! A must read!

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

have not finished yet but love the book

[DeemsWenre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the book actually kind of pulls you into the story like you’re experiencing it in real life. It was always keeping me on the edge of my seat each word filling me with suspense thinking of what was going to happen next.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're still somewhat thin on plot, heavy on vibes. And I know why I liked the vibes so much when I was a teen because they are very... on brand teen me vibes, but some of them are super cringey now. The tarot cards remain a description of beauty, the zodiac sundial, the overgrown garden and the house but whew boy the whole "g--sy curse" of it all. Yikes.

We're journalling with ghosts now. And there's some sort of secret Nana is hiding from Juliet in regards to Tanzini family. Mario is a dick. And his characterisation is so thin that ultimately there is very little to him other than him being Italian and having a dick father. The neighbour, Violet, is still being weird as fuck but apparently has stopped going through the trash.

Again, I've rounded this down to three (previously five) and that's pure nostalgia talking because these aren't strong books. Sigh.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've saved the review for the third book in the series which summarises my thoughts on the series overall.