The Haunter

by Kendra Alvey

2018 B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

2019 IAN Book of the Year Finalist

A teen goth attempts to use her secret ghost-seeing powers to save her town from a restless spirit in the first book of the Sam the Spectator series--a spooky and humorous supernatural mystery set in 1990s West Texas.

Samantha Winters is not like the other girls in Bluebonnet, Texas. There's the combat boots, the whole orphan thing, the fearless way she operates the jigsaw in the scene shop of the local community theater, and oh yeah, there's the fact that she sees ghosts. She's what the media calls a "spectator," a person who sees specters. Sam has to keep her gift a secret from the nosy narrow-minded locals but it's fine! It's not like spirts are dangerous or anything. After all, these days everyone knows that ghosts are fun-loving nonviolent sweethearts.

Until they're not…

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Ghosts

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

Kendra Alvey is an author, a yogi, and a live music junkie. She's part goth on her mother's side.

Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, xoJane, Marie Claire, Hello Giggles, Thought Catalog, BeatCrave, Life With Dogs, ScreenCrave, The Impersonals, and several anthologies.

You can find her at the coffee shop petting all the dogs.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunter is an immensely fun read! The book made me feel like I was right there in the '90s as I read what Sam and her friends got up to in small town Texas. Sam is a cool, smart protagonist and I loved being in her head for the 276 pages. It's a novel that packs so much heart and empathy into it that I wasn't expecting in a book about ghosts and while I don't normally read a lot of spooky fiction this one had me turning the pages because I needed to know how it was all going to work out. Come for the Morrissey references, stay for the hilarious dialogue and crazy characters.

[kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

ummm there's a part where two teens make out to "here is the house" by depeche mode, so obviously this book was made for me. really though this book was just FUN. I like paranormal stories but I don't like tooooo much action, and this was seriously the perfect blend of small town details, teen goth angst & ghosts. Not to mention I think it finally got me out of a long reading slump. I will definitely be reading the next book!

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It’s so very unlike any I’ve read - it’s fresh, laugh out loud funny, and just well written. The characters are well developed and relatable - we all had the freaks, geeks, bullies, popular kids, and theatre kids in our formative years. Kendra brings those familiar characters together in a way that left me wanting more. To be honest, when I die I now want to come back as a ghost that resembles Uncle John...but maybe just not in West Texas.

[Brandon Gutermuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Sharp witted, quirky, joyful, funny, and spooky all in one novel. Kendra Alvey has pulled off quite a feat with this beautifully written and engaging novel. Sam the Spectator is a wonderful protagonist and I can’t wait to see where her next adventure takes her!

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lemme tell ya that while the synopsis had me intrigued (I mean, who can say no to 90s nostalgia and a goth teen from a small town who can see ghosts?) I was in no way prepared for how much I was going to love this book.

I’ve been known to devour a book with gusto when it was Harry Potter or something else as universally acclaimed. The Haunter is 100% on that level. I could not put it down. I was waking up early, staying up late, and even taking extra time on my lunch breaks at work because I. Could. Not. Stop.

The world Alvey has created is relatable to anyone from a small Southern town and would prove insightful to Yankees and others “not from around these here parts.”

I can’t recommend this enough and I am absolutely DYING to see what happens in the next book in this series!

[Christie Insley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunter is a thoroughly riveting, entertaining read from start to finish! I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, so I started reading The Haunter and next thing I knew I was 120 pages in and it was time to get ready for work. Sam is such an engaging, unique, yet totally relatable character, and Alvey has somehow managed to provide a fresh take on an otherwise admittedly over-mined genre. The world she creates is so thoroughly fleshed out and fun, once I started I couldn't put it down. Much like Harry Potter has transcended generations to become a series beloved by all ages, The Haunter is not just a book for young adults, but for grownups as well. I'm genuinely excited this will be an entire series, because I can't wait to see what new adventures Sam will find herself in!

[Elizabeth Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE HAUNTER introduces us to Sam, an original -- and reluctantly ass-kicking -- female protagonist from a long-ago era: the 1990s. Sam is smart, sardonic, and sarcastic. Oh, and she can see ghosts. (Like, all the time.) With Alvey's sharp wit and gift for capturing the natural quirks of dusty, small town dialogue, we get a perfect portrait of a seriously unusual West Texas town. If you love '90s pop culture nostalgia, music, mix tapes, and theater dorks -- coupled with serious scares you weren't anticipating -- this is a must-read. We can't wait to find out what happens in the next book after [we can't say, because it's a spoiler alert...].

[Kamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kendra Alvey’s debut novel is a gem. If you’re a fan of YA lit, loved the 90s, appreciate colorful characters, or enjoy anything remotely supernatural, this is your book. I became totally immersed in this world and didn’t want to leave it. It’s rare to read a book that is dripping with wit AND heart. I especially enjoyed Sam, the strong female lead. Sam is relatable in a way that’s refreshing — she’s a bad ass while also being a vulnerable and innocent teen. Oh, and don’t get me started on how addictive the world of spectators is! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and lose myself in this world again.

[Monte Means · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kendra Alvey's debut novel, "The Haunter," had me hooked from the get-go, and now that I'm finished I am eagerly awaiting book two! Alvey does an excellent job of creating a vivid, fleshed-out world that I can't wait to visit again. Think small town West Texas, blistering summer heat, copious consumption of Dr. Pepper, pickup trucks & gun racks, boy crushes, an evil preacher, a favorite uncle who is dead but far from gone, and mix tapes to die for. The book is a fun ride of humor, teen angst, 90's pop culture references, and some genuine scares...this is a ghost story, after all! At the center is Sam, a goth teen who has stolen my goth-loving heart. Sam's character is a combination of moxie and genuine teen vulnerability, and this is where Alvey's talent really shines. Her characters - both living and dead - are unique, imaginative, and unforgettable.

[Shira Selkovits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely fun and nostalgic YA fiction that truly anyone will enjoy. I love the world that Kendra created, the rules about that world, and the characters within it. This truly captures what it feels like to be 16 in the 90s - the music, straddling différent friend groups, the young love, it’s all perfect. There were several times I LOLd!

My favorite passage:

“Hey,” I said
“Hey,” he said
Why was everything he said so perfect?

Can’t wait for book 2.

[Nightbow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable. I discovered this author and her books by accident, when one of her Tweets (probably shared by someone else and showing up in my feed) was so brilliant I had to look up who she was and follow her. Which I did. And that very day there was a sale on 2 of her e-books, so I bought them because .99 each really? I didn't even own a Kindle (just my stupid phone). Well, here comes the pandemic so I get a Kindle because I can't get actual books from the library. Magic: I've got Kendra Alvey all queued up and ready to read!

Now the actual review: like I said, ADORABLE. Wicked-smart-fast paced narrator (16 year old girl)...in fact I had to make the font on my Kindle bigger because I was getting a little out of breath trying to keep up with her groove. Once I did, though, really: just fun AF. Enjoyable premise (spectators are humans who can see ghosts; most ghosts are basically hard partiers with ADD), set in the fun, nostalgic 1990s in West Texas. Lots of pop culture references (bands, foods, fashion) and lots of musical theatre. Because FUN. Really: delightful. A sparkling read in these crazy times.

[Jake Cookston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because my mom grew up in midland and vaguely knew the author. I don't normally read fiction or ghost stories but this one had me hooked. The overall plot and idea was interesting and the ghosts/specters seemed more like a metaphor for how conservative TX can be (which i'm sure was the authors point) The only reason i'm not giving it a full 5 is the climax of the book felt a little rushed and empty. There was no real answer or big finish, just lets all be nice to each other. But I understand the actual ending had to be left vague for the author to make it a series. But the vertex of this story just didn't scratch the itch like I was hoping it would. And the main character annoyed me a bit at the beginning with the "i'm not like other girls" shtick. But the characters overall were fleshed out and real which made me want to keep reading. I'll pick up the next book and see where it goes.

[Amy K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining YA so-not-urban supernatural fantasy delightfully set in a fully realized 1993. Though that's just a little past my prime teen years, I can definitely relate to the fish-out-of-water experiences of the main character, Sam, and enjoyed the many pop culture touchstones. The story itself is a little unevenly paced, but Sam is such a quirky, engaging, down-to-earth character and the cast of supporting characters is likewise so engaging that I didn't mind that I could occasionally see the tracks of the plot, if that makes sense. I'd like to read more in the "Sam the Spectator" series and hope that Alvey makes it big. I have a feeling what she produces next will be even better!

[Ari Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit, I don't normally read YA novels but I'm trying to expand my reading repertoire in 2019, and I know Kendra to be a great writer, so I was eager to try this. I'm so glad I did. It's one of the most inventive stories I've ever read and such a fun, easy read. I also loved all of the 90s music references, many of which took me back to my own high school & college mixtape making days. If you like ghost stories with heart and humor, give this a try. And I promise you don't need to be a "young adult" to enjoy it.

[frando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on Amazon because I saw people I liked retweeting the author's announcement that the sequel was coming out this month. I decided, since people I liked were boosting it, that I would give the first in the series a shot and see whether to continue from there. This was fun, moved fairly quickly, and I am compelled to pick up the sequel soon. I really liked Sam as a narrator. The voice felt very true to my experience being a disaffected young woman with no girlfriends and an affection for black clothing. This world is definitely worth spending a couple afternoons in.

[Ms. Kay renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine.

I grew up in the 90s, but nostalgia isn't strong enough to make me love a book. I do think the author relied on that a bit too much.

I did like the main protagonist and her sordid lot of close friends, but the rest of the characters were not well-developed. I could have overlooked that, had the plot been more compelling. But I found myself wanting more from action and a stronger story line.

Though the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, I have no interest in reading the next one. I've fallen for that trick with too many middling YA books!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing debut novel! I can't wait to see what happens next in the series (and am slightly regretting reading this book while there is only one out so far).
I couldn't put this book down, I loved the music references and the characters made me want to know more about them as soon as they were introduced.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Alvey has created a vivid ghost story, set against the 90’s west Texas landscape. The characters are rich, relatable and the story is compelling. Once I read it, I shared it with my 12 year old nephew who thought it was awesome. I greatly enjoyed this story, and am eager to read more from Alvey!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howdy y’all

The Author; Kendra Alvey and her support team, did wonderful. Besides the main plot, you will find valuable life lessons. We should all be so lucky to have the family that ‘Sam’ has. Happy Reading!

[Andleeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little book that takes place in West Texas! If you haven’t listened to the Haunter mixtape on Spotify, you’re totally missing out.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that THE HAUNTER by Kendra Alvey is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Anjeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book that brought me back to the 90’s only with ghosts which is honestly better than my own teen years! Fun characters, great writing. Can’t wait to dive into book 2!

[Michael E Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the beginning was a little shaky but then it was: hang on tight and enjoy the ride.

[Genny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway and I’m grateful it put this book on my radar when I had previously not heard of it. It’s funny, well paced, and an overall great story. Definitely recommend it if you love paranormal books!

[Lyssa F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book

I did like the story line but too much drama. Very high schoolish. The characters were fun and the moral of this story was spot on.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE HAUNTER is a quirky, voicey, and super fun read—perfect for Halloween month and beyond! I recommend this to everyone who loves YA, ghosts, the 90s, and strong female characters (and who doesn't?)!!