CHAPTERS CONSIDERED FOR REVIEW : 1-11 (Wattpad includes publish date now, so I won't)
SPOILERS AHEAD
The prologue starts off in an intriguing way, from the perspective of a ghost boy, who sets his eyes on the enigmatic protagonist, Lucy Thompson as she is the new transfer student to Carlton High, with the barrier between the living and the no-longer living seem to have breached and the lonely boy finally having an observer, making his experiences and his existence a reality to the tangible world.
This is a light horror fantasy in a school setting, which is a premise that usually works for these stories and it does here as well. There is a reason why the classic "logical protagonist gets a connection with supernatural world" angle works. The setting is fun, lends itself to a few jump scares and builds mystery. The story deals with Lucy and group her similarly special group of friends discovering the mystery behind unnatural occurrences concerning the school and their responsibility as wielders of power to uncover and bring into light whatever sinister is brewing within the haunted school.
The characters introduced have good potential. And the chapters so far has hinted a possible team dynamic in the future. The entire focus is on Lucy, while the supporting cast like Alex, Max and Amelia make the most of the time they get, which is not much to be honest. The unveiling of their powers was the best part of the book so for. Especially Max's, which provided some cool imagery and awe. I also liked the central premise of Lucy trying to navigate around the history of the school, and the role paranormal elements play in her investigation and the way her power is interlinked with them. There is a sense of adventure in the last couple of chapters and a hint of what is to come, which is promising. Felix is a character to look out for, who I feel might be the the most relevant to the events so far.
The book is at it's best when it is expressing the thoughts of the characters and when the writing is descriptive. The word choices are pretty strong throughout in the descriptive sections while the dialogues take a conflicting tone which sometimes do not match with the surrounding text. If you've read any of my reviews so far, I do not go into a book looking for stuff to point at. But when I do, it is because it affected my reading experience. So please take whatever I have to offer with a grain of salt, for a review is an opinion.
In the first encounter with Mr.Anderson, the Principal, he offers Lucy all support in her quest and he is the one who reveals that she has the power to interact with the supernatural. Then in the later chapters, when she goes to him for help regarding school's past, he tries to dismiss it as urban legend. But in a span of minutes, just after Lucy asks again, he is back to his cooperating self. We are repeatedly reminded that Lucy is now feeling more determined than ever before, realizing the gravity of the situation etc. after every semi-important conversation rather than we as readers experiencing this change.
Amelia is supposed to be her best, loyal friend who is once referred to as her "guardian angel" and they barely talk in the book. It is mentioned that Lucy always liked Max's drawing, while it feels like they met moments ago when she reprimands her bullies and "saves" him. I will not complain about his immediate crush on her, as I understand that it is a romance genre staple and certainly leads to a couple of cute moments. In short, I think the pacing is rushed and Lucy's monologues are taking time away from others. But with Alex's involvement in the final chapters, I hope this will change and everybody will get their time to shine. Lucy shutting herself off from others, investigating the remains of the old school and the "incident" does signify a promising direction for her character as well. Some of the action was off-screen too.
Having said that, I did have fun reading it, especially when the book let me have fun and insight into the characters.
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Constructive reviews (COMPLETED)
Random[PERMANENTLY CLOSED] A honest take on Wattpad books that I read. Review is from a reader's perspective. My reviews are my opinion and not objective truth.
