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The Ravenwood Hauntings #1
An Empty Swing: The Ravenwood Hauntings Book 1
The Playground is Haunted.
Luis Chavez never wanted to speak to the dead, but it seems they wanted to speak to him. When he meets the restless spirit of Alice Thomas haunting the local playground, he gets pulled into a world of mystery and turmoil all revolving around a singular question: who murdered her?
Luis sets out to solve the case and bring peace of all the spirits trapped at the playground. But some of these ghosts are not so eager to pass on.
Filled with suspense and intrigue, An Empty Swing will take you on a paranormal adventure of the human heart and soul.
Luis Chavez never wanted to speak to the dead, but it seems they wanted to speak to him. When he meets the restless spirit of Alice Thomas haunting the local playground, he gets pulled into a world of mystery and turmoil all revolving around a singular question: who murdered her?
Luis sets out to solve the case and bring peace of all the spirits trapped at the playground. But some of these ghosts are not so eager to pass on.
Filled with suspense and intrigue, An Empty Swing will take you on a paranormal adventure of the human heart and soul.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2016
9 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 21, 2016
Reviewed For Readers Favorite
Luis is the target of the school bully Butch, and Serena is the gothic chic everyone avoids. When Luis spends some time in the old playground to avoid Butch he encounters Alice, a ghost, which completely freaks him out. He runs into Serena in the library in the section he needs to learn about ghosts and she ends up telling him what he needs to know, only to freak out on him. An Empty Swing is this amazing story that gives us teenage characters, coming into their own, the paranormal aspect of the ghosts. Then we have the mystery and crime element of why the ghosts are here and how they died. Author N. J. Hanson does a wonderful job of blending so many different layers of story together into one cohesive story.
An Empty Swing is such a complex story. For most of the ghosts, which happen to be innocent young kids that just happened to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, their existence as a ghost is no big deal, but to one kid, it turns him into a vengeful spirit. Luis has a backstory and history that plays into Serena's backstory and history, in ways that they never knew. There is some spiritualism, some crime and mystery, some detective work, some coming of age and teenage romance and some happily ever after. Author N. J. Hanson gives us characters to love, ones to hate, and ones we aren't sure about. Although this is marketed as a young adult book, it can easily be read by adults. There is one retelling of one victims account, but exact events are not described only alluded to, so I would advise parents to be available for teens should they want to discuss it after reading.
Luis is the target of the school bully Butch, and Serena is the gothic chic everyone avoids. When Luis spends some time in the old playground to avoid Butch he encounters Alice, a ghost, which completely freaks him out. He runs into Serena in the library in the section he needs to learn about ghosts and she ends up telling him what he needs to know, only to freak out on him. An Empty Swing is this amazing story that gives us teenage characters, coming into their own, the paranormal aspect of the ghosts. Then we have the mystery and crime element of why the ghosts are here and how they died. Author N. J. Hanson does a wonderful job of blending so many different layers of story together into one cohesive story.
An Empty Swing is such a complex story. For most of the ghosts, which happen to be innocent young kids that just happened to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, their existence as a ghost is no big deal, but to one kid, it turns him into a vengeful spirit. Luis has a backstory and history that plays into Serena's backstory and history, in ways that they never knew. There is some spiritualism, some crime and mystery, some detective work, some coming of age and teenage romance and some happily ever after. Author N. J. Hanson gives us characters to love, ones to hate, and ones we aren't sure about. Although this is marketed as a young adult book, it can easily be read by adults. There is one retelling of one victims account, but exact events are not described only alluded to, so I would advise parents to be available for teens should they want to discuss it after reading.
April 30, 2016
Great book! Could not put it down and just enough mystery to keep you hooked. Recommend it to anyone who loves supernatural books.
October 31, 2020
A sick psychopath violates and murders children. A vengeful spirit massacres a family in a gory bloodbath. Par for the course in an occult thriller aimed at adults.
But the rest of this book, following a kid psychic, his troubled girlfriend, and a ghost playing pranks, reads like Young Adult (i.e., teen) novel. Is this a bad thing? Parents of young readers might say yes. Contrariwise, some adult readers might find the book a tad light.
Still, others might find that “An Empty Swing” hits exactly the right balance. That I leave for each reader to decide.
The characters come off as likable and realistic, given that the book is about ghosts and psychics. Alice, the ghost of a fourteen-year-old, says things like, “I still think you are the catalyst that set this off” or “It is relevant to my interests.” Not impossible for a fourteen-year-old's vocabulary, but she's unusually mature. Her actions and pranks, however, come off like a nine-year-old.
Actually, those nine-year-old pranks are some of the funniest bits. Like when Alice's ghost visits Luis in the classroom and plays tricks on the students and teacher or a later scene in the theater. Or when she says, “I’m the ghost, not you! I know about this sort of thing!”
The action picks up at the halfway point with multiple murderers, both spectral and mundane, revealed. The scenes depicting the sexual abuse of children might be too intense for some readers. Myself, I had a bigger problem accepting that a ghost can have repressed memories. The premise of the book is that the memory of their death was so horrible that they're unable to “move on”... but they don't actually remember the event.
Still, if you can handle the adult vocabulary of some of the children and the assumption that ghosts can repress memories, you'll enjoy this fast-paced tale of the supernatural and a clever ending with plenty of action.
But the rest of this book, following a kid psychic, his troubled girlfriend, and a ghost playing pranks, reads like Young Adult (i.e., teen) novel. Is this a bad thing? Parents of young readers might say yes. Contrariwise, some adult readers might find the book a tad light.
Still, others might find that “An Empty Swing” hits exactly the right balance. That I leave for each reader to decide.
The characters come off as likable and realistic, given that the book is about ghosts and psychics. Alice, the ghost of a fourteen-year-old, says things like, “I still think you are the catalyst that set this off” or “It is relevant to my interests.” Not impossible for a fourteen-year-old's vocabulary, but she's unusually mature. Her actions and pranks, however, come off like a nine-year-old.
Actually, those nine-year-old pranks are some of the funniest bits. Like when Alice's ghost visits Luis in the classroom and plays tricks on the students and teacher or a later scene in the theater. Or when she says, “I’m the ghost, not you! I know about this sort of thing!”
The action picks up at the halfway point with multiple murderers, both spectral and mundane, revealed. The scenes depicting the sexual abuse of children might be too intense for some readers. Myself, I had a bigger problem accepting that a ghost can have repressed memories. The premise of the book is that the memory of their death was so horrible that they're unable to “move on”... but they don't actually remember the event.
Still, if you can handle the adult vocabulary of some of the children and the assumption that ghosts can repress memories, you'll enjoy this fast-paced tale of the supernatural and a clever ending with plenty of action.
May 3, 2022
This was such an entertaining read and a real page turner. I was so engaged in the story that I even shed a few tears at the end of it. It was gory, sad, evil, and heartfelt all in one and I can’t wait to read the next book! My only gripe is that there are some spelling and grammar errors that would pull me out of the story when they would arise. The story more than makes up for that though! I would definitely recommend this novel to others!
August 19, 2016
What do a nerd, a goth chick, and a ghost girl all have in common? Much more than you might think in N.J. Hanson's "An Empty Swing." One day while escaping the school bully, Luis our loveable nerd, takes refuge in the local park when he can finally he meets Alice, whom he soon discovers is a ghost. Trying to find out more about ghosts he befriends Serena Ravenwood, you guessed it, the goth chick. Although all three of these characters seem to have nothing in common they are connected in ways they would never imagine. Together they must find a local arsonist and try and find out what happened to Alice. I don't want to reveal much of the plot because there are some nice surprises that I wouldn't want to ruin.
I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy and intriguing read. I think it's aimed at young adults, but there are some triggers I would warn about before hand (ie Alice's murder). I thought the author did these scenes well, without needing to go into graphic detail but still giving enough information to still get the right emotions across. This book had a little bit of everything, and sometimes that because a little formulaic. Out of 5 stars I would give this book a 4. It did drag out a little in places, but overall a well written and exciting read.
I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy and intriguing read. I think it's aimed at young adults, but there are some triggers I would warn about before hand (ie Alice's murder). I thought the author did these scenes well, without needing to go into graphic detail but still giving enough information to still get the right emotions across. This book had a little bit of everything, and sometimes that because a little formulaic. Out of 5 stars I would give this book a 4. It did drag out a little in places, but overall a well written and exciting read.
April 17, 2018
An Empty Swing is a great mystery with a paranormal twist. This novel is an easy and intriguing read and the characters quite interesting. A great read!
I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review.
I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review.
January 20, 2020
14-year-old Luis Chavez is plagued by a bully, until he meets the ghosts of children in the city playground. Add the Goth girl he meets at school, and they both deal with the ghosts. Luis's task, he learns, is to help the spirits find closure after experiencing their deaths by a serial murderer.
The title with the cover invites the reader to experience page after page of excitement. The story is simply told from a variety of view points but mainly Luis's. I like the inclusiveness of a variety of characters without making a big thing of it. And you can't help liking this nerdy kid who, nevertheless, can run fast so he can escape the bully. I like all the good kids, and dread what the evil characters will do. And they are monstrously evil.
I was grossed out by the murder of a family in one chapter and as a result came close to putting the book down. Nevertheless I decided to give the story a chance, as that was the only place that struck me as too graphically violent. And for me, the story sags when Luis and his girl friend decide to become romantically involved. Luis's embarrassment is overplayed throughout the book. Other than that, the story fully engaged me, despite the way it was set on the page.
That is, it is riddled with typos, missing or repeated words, a couple of run-together paragraphs, confused pronouns or wrong names in a couple places, and awkward wording. That can happen if the author runs a spell-check but doesn't follow up with a read. It can also happen if the proof reader is reading too fast. Wait until the novel is properly edited before publishing.
Generally the story is told well enough that increased tension holds our attention throughout to a satisfying ending. It's a fast read, meant for young adults.
The title with the cover invites the reader to experience page after page of excitement. The story is simply told from a variety of view points but mainly Luis's. I like the inclusiveness of a variety of characters without making a big thing of it. And you can't help liking this nerdy kid who, nevertheless, can run fast so he can escape the bully. I like all the good kids, and dread what the evil characters will do. And they are monstrously evil.
I was grossed out by the murder of a family in one chapter and as a result came close to putting the book down. Nevertheless I decided to give the story a chance, as that was the only place that struck me as too graphically violent. And for me, the story sags when Luis and his girl friend decide to become romantically involved. Luis's embarrassment is overplayed throughout the book. Other than that, the story fully engaged me, despite the way it was set on the page.
That is, it is riddled with typos, missing or repeated words, a couple of run-together paragraphs, confused pronouns or wrong names in a couple places, and awkward wording. That can happen if the author runs a spell-check but doesn't follow up with a read. It can also happen if the proof reader is reading too fast. Wait until the novel is properly edited before publishing.
Generally the story is told well enough that increased tension holds our attention throughout to a satisfying ending. It's a fast read, meant for young adults.
July 8, 2025
4.5 Stars
An exciting story full on mystery, intrigue and ghosts.
Luis and Serena's personalities were what first drew me into the story. But the mystery of the ghost children and the multi-layered connections between the people in this book kept me hooked. I didn't want to put the book down I needed to know what was going to happen next.
The way the in which the history/background/events were unfolded as the story progressed to add more detail/meaning to a bunch of events and how they were all connected was amazing. There was so much attention to detail regarding every aspect of the story. I can't wait to continue on to the next book.
An exciting story full on mystery, intrigue and ghosts.
Luis and Serena's personalities were what first drew me into the story. But the mystery of the ghost children and the multi-layered connections between the people in this book kept me hooked. I didn't want to put the book down I needed to know what was going to happen next.
The way the in which the history/background/events were unfolded as the story progressed to add more detail/meaning to a bunch of events and how they were all connected was amazing. There was so much attention to detail regarding every aspect of the story. I can't wait to continue on to the next book.
June 24, 2025
An empty swing
This book was awesome it had a little of everything I love in a good book. Death hope healing and a story that unfolds before your eyes I will be starting the next book right away and checking to see if this Author has other books to great writing!
This book was awesome it had a little of everything I love in a good book. Death hope healing and a story that unfolds before your eyes I will be starting the next book right away and checking to see if this Author has other books to great writing!
October 27, 2018
A different take on a ghost story.. Very well written and quite enjoyable.
October 16, 2022
A fun paranormal mystery that kept me entertained.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews