Ruined
by Paula Morris Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-545-23607-2 This is the third book in the 2017 Halloween Book Review Series! I love doing these because this is my favorite Holiday! I try and pick books that revolve around topics that fit the Halloween vibe- murder mysteries, ghost stories, monsters, etc. (I mean, some people I know only read those type of books during this time year.) Now with Ruined by Paula Morris, we have a slight mix of genres. This novel is marketed as a ghost story but I gotta say it's not going to be exactly what you're expecting when you hear 'ghost story'. However, there are mysteries and clues at every turn. And I did NOT see it unfolding the way it did! This story takes place in New Orleans. [[And for anyone who is an Originals fan there's ONE sentence in this book that mentioned vampires and I laughed really hard.]] Our main character is Rebecca, a fifteen year old girl, whose father takes a job in China and sends her to live with her aunt in New Orleans for a year. This is a far cry from her home in New York, and she protests at every step of the way. To make the adjustment harder her Aunt Claudia is a very eccentric woman who reads tarot cards for a living. There are even rumors that she's a descendant of a voodoo priestess. As if all these changes weren't enough for Rebecca she also must attend a new school, all girls, with a hideous uniform, and a very strange social order. Instead of your typical jocks vs nerds we find "Old Families" aka old money running the show, even being able to overrule teachers because their parents are so influential. So where does this ghost come into play? Did I forget to mention that Rebecca is now living directly across the street from an old cemetery? On one particular night of rule breaking, Rebecca sneaks into the cemetery and meets a very peculiar black girl about her age. (Now I mention her race because it is relevant to the story, see Lesitte has been dead for over 150 years. I don't need to go into a history lesson for people to understand the significance of heritage back then.) Thinking that this bare footed, ripped shirted teen is homeless, Rebecca seeks her out, only to discover that Lesitte is a ghost and no one else can see her. At least that's what she thinks. She learns how the spiritual world works, mostly ghosts who were murdered or have some sort of unfinished business remain until things are sorted out. For some this never happens. Correspondingly, Lesitte is not the only character in this book who has a long complicated history riddled with mystery. I know, that rhymed. The Elite children of these Old Families all have their own secrets/rules and keep to their 'own'. They look down on Rebecca and do their best to put her down and keep her "in her place". All except Anton Grey, a kind young man, who struggles between wanting to be more/do more, and not disappointing hundreds of years of family traditions. Old Families are friends with Old Families, their children grow up together, they keep the same secrets, and throw the same parties. His interest in Rebecca does not sit well with these families. But as supernatural events occur and more clues are laid out, Rebecca may just find herself in the worst episode of Murder She Wrote she could ever imagine. With so much at stake, will the clock run out and if it does, who will you have to say goodbye to? I'm LOATHE to leave you with so little information! But like I said I DID NOT see the ending coming, and I fear that anything more I would say would help unravel the events as you yourself read this novel! I also want to mention that the links to the authors pages are listed below and if you follow the Goodreads button pay CLOSE attention to the list of books she's written! Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's Library!
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