Thursday, July 7, 2011

"Girl vs. Ghost" by Kate McMurry and Marie August

Girl vs Ghost (Book 1 Misdirected Magic Trilogy)From Goodreads: "Girl vs Ghost is a young-adult, paranormal, romantic comedy suitable for all ages.

Isabel Lindley doesn’t believe in magic, but her best friend is obsessed with witchcraft. Strictly as a favor, Isabel agrees to help with a spell and is shocked when the ghost of a teenage boy splat-lands in her bedroom. Her friend is thrilled—even though only Isabel can see or hear the ghost—but Isabel is horrified. She’s the most ordinary sixteen-year-old girl on the planet. What is she supposed to do with a ghost who doesn’t know his own name, how he died, or why the heck he’s tied to Isabel with a psychic chain? Her only hope to take back her life is to help him solve the mystery of his demise so he can go to the Light. Or wherever. She’s not particular, as long as the ghost is gone."
 

When I first read the synopsis of this book I was very excited about it because being a paranormal romance, with a hint of comedy, I assumed that the relationship between Marc and Isabel may be similar to that of Meg Cabot's "Mediator" series Suze and Jesse, however it was anything but -for all but the last few pages of the book Marc and Isabel constantly bickered or got on one another's nerves and it was quite disappointing (though I am ecstatic to see that there is a glitter of hope for a relationship of that sort in the next book in the series).

And it pains me to admit, but not only did Marc and Isabel get on one another's nerves, but they, alongside the other main character of the book, Tripp, also got on my nerves. Why? Because I found them so difficult to relate to. There were countless instances in the story where I couldn't fathom their thought processes (and in more than one occasion I wanted to jump through the book and shake some sense into them). Furthermore, they were not quite as developed as I had hoped them to be (Yes Tripp is a quirky and open-minded character whereas Isabel really isn't, but what else?).

All in all, I think that this book had the potential to be really great but that it didn't fully live up to said potential. While there definitely are some funny moments to the book, the large majority of it was underwhelming (though, as mentioned, I did have an "AHA!" moment with what went down at the very end of the book and I am excited to see how Kate and Marie play with that in the next book in the series).

Rating: 6.5/10

I received this book from the author to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

3 comments:

  1. Aw, sorry you found the characters annoying. In some ways though, I think it's better when you feel the need to "shake some sense" into a character rather than have absolutely no reaction to a character at all.

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  2. It's nearly impossible for me to really enjoy a book where I can't relate to the main characters. I've read several where I want to shake some sense into them, and it always a frustrating situation. I think I'll pass on this one for now!

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  3. Oh I don't think this one is for me. I can see them getting on my nerves and so would ruin my experience of the book. Great honest review. I may change my mind if you review the other books later in the series and it improves quite a bit.

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