Review: Ghostgirl

TITLE: Ghostgirl
AUTHOR: Tonya Hurley
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5.0

Ever Feel Invisible?

Ever feel like you are a waste of space, another person to suck up the air?

Meet Charlotte Usher, because chances are you probably haven't, even if you went to school with her the past years. A positive start makes a positive year right? A new wardrobe, act, and self esteem, Charlotte is ready to be a part of Petula's popular status. To be like her. And well, to basically get her boyfriend as well. Damen. The hottest guy to ever walk the halls of Hawthorne High.

But thanks to a gummy bear, and Damen, Charlotte meets her end. Now she will be invisible for good. Not to the other dead students though. Sadly, after getting her toe ring that explains her death, and meeting a girl named Piccolo Pam, she is now a part of Dead Ed. But all the students in dead ed have their stories on how they made it here. Charlotte just doesn't want hers to end. Sadly, she can't get the living kids that share the school with her to notice her, once again.

That is what Dead Ed is for, though. Explaining to them they are in this world for a purpose, and exploring the things they can and can't do.

And just as she had one enemy, Petula, in the living world, she now has an enemy in the dead world. Prue.

As fast as Charlotte arrived in this different world, it's soon going to come crashing down in attempt to be part of the living again. To be part of it though, you have to overtake someone who is willing to give up their body. And that's when Petula's gothic sister, Scarlet, comes in. The only living person to be able to see Charlotte, Scarlet understands the importance of Charlotte's plans, and that is to keep Damen from failing his classes, so he still can go to the dance. And possibly go with Charlotte as Scarlet.

Putting time into getting her noticed in the real world, is taking away from what is more important now. Her only home, as well as all the other Dead Ed kids. Hawthorne Manner, is about ready to be taken from them for good. The students must find a way to keep it as their place, without haunting it, or having it demolished. And everyone needs to pull their weight in order for it to happen...Including Charlotte.

What will it take for Charlotte to realize death is her destiny? Will Hawthorne Manner, once again, become theirs? And what is really up with Prue, the mean dead girl who can never give Charlotte a chance? Most of all, will someone realize what is going on between Charlotte and Scarlet, and ruin it all for them both?

The One will have to rise above the others, and realize once and for all, this is the destiny. Will it be too late for her to realize it though?

MY THOUGHTS:

Where to begin..... Tonya Hurley twisted a unique plot along with a heartfelt story line, almost too perfectly together. It was a fun, yet a sad read, and I felt as desperate as Charlotte while reading Ghostgirl. I never believed a story could be as well mixed as Ghostgirl, but after reading the book, it proved me wrong.

The idea for this story was amazing! I felt that the plot was fast moving, but not fast enough to make me confused. The whole theme to the story, was unique by its self. Everything tied in perfectly together, and it couldn't have been written any better. I felt sorry for Charlotte, but I also understood why Prue was so harsh on her during the end. She wasn't letting go, even if it was hard. At the climax though, it was all worth it. Everyone was shown who they really were without the maggots crawling on them, or the translucent skin decaying off of their frail bones.

One thing though, bothered me. I guess it was the fact that the story didn't include not one little thing about the parents of the dead kids. Maybe it would've been a little too much being added in with the story and all, but it did keep me thinking and wondering.

One more unique thing, I forgot to mention, was the beginning of each chapter. There were short messages telling you about things Charlotte should have kept in mind, and what we should think about on a daily basis. A few include: "If it's meant to be, then it will be" or "Time will tell all things" and so on. Another thing added in each chapter are quotes that have some role within the story. I found several that I absolutely love: "All that we see or seem, Is but a dream within a dream" by Edgar Allan Poe, along with: "And there was a beautiful view, But nobody could see. 'Cause everybody on the island, Was saying: Look at me! Look at me." by Laurie Anderson. I believe those to be 2 of the most powerful quotes included in this book. Overall, the uniqueness, plot theme, and overall fun mixed with the story, were definitely amazing.