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The Ghost and the Real Girl
"There was never a good night to rob a grave, but the night of a full moon was certainly the worst..."When Sera is hired to rob a 200 year old grave, the last thing she expects is the ghost of Lady Clementine de Quill rising up to scold her for it. Though her world is full of magical echoes from a not-so-distant past, a ghost is completely unheard of. What’s more, no one else can see or hear Clem. Sera tries everything to get rid of her– selling the items she took from her grave, bathing in saltwater, even putting herself through a religious smoke cleansing from the Church of the Wheel. Nothing works, and Sera finally resigns herself to having a ghost follow her around for the rest of her life.
Despite their differences, a partnership begins to bloom between the streetwise gravedigger and the cultured noblewoman. Just as they realize that maybe they aren’t so different after all, Clem starts to fade, flickering in and out for longer and longer stretches of time. Sera begins to realize that with each time Clem vanishes, there’s a chance that she won’t come back. There’s only one she can’t imagine life without her anymore.
Despite their differences, a partnership begins to bloom between the streetwise gravedigger and the cultured noblewoman. Just as they realize that maybe they aren’t so different after all, Clem starts to fade, flickering in and out for longer and longer stretches of time. Sera begins to realize that with each time Clem vanishes, there’s a chance that she won’t come back. There’s only one she can’t imagine life without her anymore.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2022
17 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Avery Carter
13 books26 followersAvery Carter is an English teacher and walking art museum, covered in tattoos, ocean blue hair tied out of their face, and square, purple glasses. They proudly proclaim that they are the "coolest person you know" to their students, and spend each day trying to live up to that title. They are a nonbinary queer author living in South Korea with their wife and two dogs. They spend their days writing new stories, and teaching their students to love words as much as they do.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 5, 2022
WOW! Kindle Unlimited.
This is a truly atmospheric read, with an incredibly unique storyline. It's part fantasy part paranormal.
Our MC Sera is a grave-robber, to make ends meet. I highly suspect she is on the Autism spectrum like myself, with a fair few of her quirks. But that just may be me making assumptions.
She becomes 'haunted' I guess you could say, by the ghost of Clem, a more affluent lady back in her time, who is indignant at the grave-robbing treatment, and the 'lower class' Sera, but the two soon find common ground and much more.
It's a fairly fast read (2ish hours?) but it has so much heart and atmosphere in such an interesting and detailed world, that I hope this isn't the last we see or hear of this land. I would love to explore a lot more of the mythical and magical elements presented.
It's very well written, with lots of great details and emotion, so I would highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy and paranormal, with a quirky twist, and intriguing plotline that keeps you guessing.
This is a truly atmospheric read, with an incredibly unique storyline. It's part fantasy part paranormal.
Our MC Sera is a grave-robber, to make ends meet. I highly suspect she is on the Autism spectrum like myself, with a fair few of her quirks. But that just may be me making assumptions.
She becomes 'haunted' I guess you could say, by the ghost of Clem, a more affluent lady back in her time, who is indignant at the grave-robbing treatment, and the 'lower class' Sera, but the two soon find common ground and much more.
It's a fairly fast read (2ish hours?) but it has so much heart and atmosphere in such an interesting and detailed world, that I hope this isn't the last we see or hear of this land. I would love to explore a lot more of the mythical and magical elements presented.
It's very well written, with lots of great details and emotion, so I would highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy and paranormal, with a quirky twist, and intriguing plotline that keeps you guessing.
November 7, 2022
This is probably the most adorable sapphic book I’ve read recently. The storyline is definitely a unique one. Although it’s a pretty short novella, I wouldn't ask for more. It’s all well-written and the pacing was perfect!
I’ve finished this book days ago, but now that I’m typing my review, I can’t stop smiling. I think I’m going to re-read it again
I’ve finished this book days ago, but now that I’m typing my review, I can’t stop smiling. I think I’m going to re-read it again
August 14, 2023
Who says cemeteries have to be scary places?
The romantic storyline was handled perfectly. This is something I’m saying as someone who usually steers clear of that genre, so don’t let that label dissuade you from reading this if you’re the same way. The author did an excellent job of creating two unique, realistically flawed characters and giving them a ton of time to pursue other goals in life before the slightest hint of romance filled the air. Having all of those things established ahead of time made it much easier for me to understand why these characters ended up becoming romantically interested in each other. I loved this portion of the plot just as much as the rest of it.
There were a few spots where the pacing sagged a little due to how much character development and world-building the author needed to do. While I appreciated it later on, I did find myself feeling a little restless in that moment when the storyline slowed down and I wasn’t sure why. Keep the slow moments in mind as you read. I wish certain scenes had been sped up a little, but there is a payoff coming if you persevere!
I was impressed with the world building, though. It’s hard to create a complex society in a shorter work like a novella, but I was immersed in Sera and Clementine’s world by the end of the first scene. More details were released over time, of course, and I relished the opportunity to expand my understanding of where they came from and how their society had evolved in the few hundred years between Clementine’s death and Sera deciding to dig up Clementine’s grave.
The Ghost and the Real Girl made me yearn for more.
The romantic storyline was handled perfectly. This is something I’m saying as someone who usually steers clear of that genre, so don’t let that label dissuade you from reading this if you’re the same way. The author did an excellent job of creating two unique, realistically flawed characters and giving them a ton of time to pursue other goals in life before the slightest hint of romance filled the air. Having all of those things established ahead of time made it much easier for me to understand why these characters ended up becoming romantically interested in each other. I loved this portion of the plot just as much as the rest of it.
There were a few spots where the pacing sagged a little due to how much character development and world-building the author needed to do. While I appreciated it later on, I did find myself feeling a little restless in that moment when the storyline slowed down and I wasn’t sure why. Keep the slow moments in mind as you read. I wish certain scenes had been sped up a little, but there is a payoff coming if you persevere!
I was impressed with the world building, though. It’s hard to create a complex society in a shorter work like a novella, but I was immersed in Sera and Clementine’s world by the end of the first scene. More details were released over time, of course, and I relished the opportunity to expand my understanding of where they came from and how their society had evolved in the few hundred years between Clementine’s death and Sera deciding to dig up Clementine’s grave.
The Ghost and the Real Girl made me yearn for more.
October 8, 2023
wonderful quick ghostly story
I quite enjoyed this story. It’s a quick read but a fun one filled with ghosts and longing. I really loved the gothic setting and the characters were great. I would love to know how their relationship grows!
I quite enjoyed this story. It’s a quick read but a fun one filled with ghosts and longing. I really loved the gothic setting and the characters were great. I would love to know how their relationship grows!
May 12, 2024
Cute little sapphic gaslamp fantasy novella.
I had a hard time parsing the names "Sera" and "Clem" while reading and frequently had to re-read sections to figure out who was talking/being talked about, possibly because they have the same amount of letters in their names. (And this problem may be unique to me, I realize.)
I really appreciated the map of the city in the front of the book and the quality editing. The world didn't seem fully built yet, but I imagine as the books continue, more and more of the world will be built.
I wish we would have gotten more of what made Clem special earlier on in the book. I wasn't very invested in her character until about halfway through; what was propelling me to read was Sera, and then Sera and Clem's interactions.
The one big question I have is how old Bahil and Sera are supposed to be. It seems like they are young, but Bahil is studying medicine? Maybe I missed something, but it was hard to put my finger on just how old they are supposed to be.
As gorgeous as the cover is, I feel like it doesn't suit the novella as much as it could. In my head, I picture Sera, covered in grave dirt, with a shovel over her shoulder, and Clem just hanging out in the background.
I had a hard time parsing the names "Sera" and "Clem" while reading and frequently had to re-read sections to figure out who was talking/being talked about, possibly because they have the same amount of letters in their names. (And this problem may be unique to me, I realize.)
I really appreciated the map of the city in the front of the book and the quality editing. The world didn't seem fully built yet, but I imagine as the books continue, more and more of the world will be built.
I wish we would have gotten more of what made Clem special earlier on in the book. I wasn't very invested in her character until about halfway through; what was propelling me to read was Sera, and then Sera and Clem's interactions.
The one big question I have is how old Bahil and Sera are supposed to be. It seems like they are young, but Bahil is studying medicine? Maybe I missed something, but it was hard to put my finger on just how old they are supposed to be.
As gorgeous as the cover is, I feel like it doesn't suit the novella as much as it could. In my head, I picture Sera, covered in grave dirt, with a shovel over her shoulder, and Clem just hanging out in the background.
November 14, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this. I'm a sucker for olden day magical kingdoms, so I was very happy with the descriptions of background characters, places, and societal hierarchy that breathed so much detail and life into this story. While that's awesome, I would've also just read this for the two main characters. I find their little quirks and motivations to be endearing if not downright relatable. And while they're technically opposites to each other, their relationship forms very naturally with these cute and wholesome exchanges. And omg this may be a little spoiler but the cutest little bean is introduced near the end :)
February 2, 2023
Interesting read! I liked it.
Sera is a grave robber. She is good at and the money she makes goes to help her brother become a doctor, he hopes. Sera receives a request to remove a skull and a locket around a young lady who passed away 200 years ago. Unfortunately for Sera, the dead young woman is not happy with the arraignment and Sera hears the corpse go "that's rude". Good thing the corpse Clementine is pretty and decides to follow Sera. Hard for me follow at first but enjoyable to read. Enjoy!
Sera is a grave robber. She is good at and the money she makes goes to help her brother become a doctor, he hopes. Sera receives a request to remove a skull and a locket around a young lady who passed away 200 years ago. Unfortunately for Sera, the dead young woman is not happy with the arraignment and Sera hears the corpse go "that's rude". Good thing the corpse Clementine is pretty and decides to follow Sera. Hard for me follow at first but enjoyable to read. Enjoy!
August 21, 2023
Lovely
This was such a lovely read and definitely one of my favorites. I was pretty satisfied with the ending. Book 1 feels complete to me and like book 2 possibly just being a bonus. Maybe explaining more about the church, society, magic, and possible evil organizations? Might read it to find out.
This was such a lovely read and definitely one of my favorites. I was pretty satisfied with the ending. Book 1 feels complete to me and like book 2 possibly just being a bonus. Maybe explaining more about the church, society, magic, and possible evil organizations? Might read it to find out.
August 6, 2024
This was a cute little story line but the characters were a little hollow, then jumped immediately to madly in love can’t live without each other. Would have liked a little more development there. And there’s very little backstory on the ‘magic’ that really needed to be elaborated on. Overall a good, easy read.
April 15, 2023
This novella captured my attention immediately. It is such an original and engaging story with a satisfying ending. Although relatively short, it feels like a full-length novel. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more stories by this author.
August 27, 2023
3.5 I liked it a lot and I loved the premises of it. I just feel like it needed to be a little bit more fleshed out? It was definitely worth reading and I hope that there’s more to come!
September 7, 2024
This novella is adorable. Despite its short length, the world building was rich and exciting.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews