The Moment Collector

The Moment Collector by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Title: The Moment Collector

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publishing Date: August 7th 2014

Publisher: Orchard Books

ISBN: 1476706891  

Provided by: Hachette Children's Books & Netgalley

Summary (via Goodreads)

"The yard of this house is a graveyard of moments and everything left behind is a clue. And I am here to dig."

There's a ghost haunting 208 Water Street. She doesn't know who she was, or why she's still here. She does know that she is drawn to Maggie, the new girl in town, and her friends - beautiful, carefree Pauline and Liam, the boy who loves her.
But the ghost isn't all that's lurking in Gill Creek... Someone is killing young girls all across the county. Can the ghost keep these three friends safe? Or does she have another purpose?

Review

Blinded by a pretty cover I was only ever going to be disappointed with this book but it still makes me feel a little sad that it just wasn't that interesting! I mean, don't get me wrong it wasn't bad either, it just lost momentum somewhere around the middle and didn't really pick up again until the end... and even that was predictable.

The story itself is split into two. The majority of it is told in third person about Maggie, Liam and Pauline as they develop a friendship - that is destined to end tragically - in a time when a serial killer is on the rampage. The other part comes in sparse snippets that tells the same story from the point of view of a ghost living in Maggie's house on Water Street. These small gems where my favourite part of the book, they were haunting and probably one of the only reasons I read on. Although, they gave the ending away much sooner than a book like this should. After all you read a book because you want to know how it ends, what's the point if you've figured it all out be the end of Chapter 17?

Now, on paper it actually sounds like an intriguing read. It sounds like it should have been a new favourite of mine. On paper it had everything - except a gripping plot. The mystery is lost pretty early on and while reading I felt that the author kind of swept one of the main story lines into a nice neat pile. When in fact it could have seeped into every page and created a truly terrifying and heartbreaking story. But instead we were left with the focus on three teenagers who in retrospect really didn't get up to anything of much interest.

The killings should have been woven into the story better. As it is, I felt like dead bodies were just randomly plonked into the page - they didn't even have any real impact on the main characters, and without the whole mass murder concept everything still would have turned out the same. Which was probably the most disappointing thing about this book.

As far as the characters? They were okay, but I didn't love any of them. I have a lot of sympathy towards Maggie but the Pauline and Liam character's are ones I've read a hundred times before. So in all honesty I don't have much to say about them.

Overall this book wasn't for me. It should have been, but I found it all too predictable. I think that this may be a suitable read for younger YA readers? But I fear that anyone over the age of 16 will loose interest in the story line by chapter 13.

**I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)
Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts head people.
People like Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna had killed everyone who's dared to enter her spooky home.
Everyone, that is, except Cas...
Just your average boy-meets-girl,
girl-kills-people story.

Review
Have you been wanting to read a effortless written ghost story that's enchantingly eerie, witty and has a streak of romance through it that will melt your heart? Well look no further than Anna Dressed in Blood. The story is constantly moving forward and unlike so many other ghost stories this is completely unpredictable and actually creepy. There's nothing forced about Anna Dressed in Blood and I challenge you to not fall in love this book!

The story itself follows one Theseus Cassio Lowood - also known as Cas - as he hunts down a murderous ghost that's been killing anyone who sets foot in her house for the last 50 years. Her name? Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. Cas hunts ghosts for a living, his father did the same before he died and now Cas disbands the undead that haunt our world. But there's something different about Anna. He doesn't know what it is but there's something that makes him linger. Linger long enough to cast doubt on what he's been sent to do. Should he put an end to Anna's afterlife? And more importantly, will he be able to?

The tale is told from Cas' point of view, however, Anna was my favourite character. Even when she was simply the sociopathic ghost girl with a mountain of bodies in her basement I found myself drawn to her. I wanted to know her story, I wanted to know why? Her story - which gets told about half way through - is heartbreaking and brilliant. I found myself holding my breath almost the whole way through those two chapters! There's never a moment when you think what was the point in that? Which I find happens a lot in supernatural books. Although there where the occasional points where I had to back track and figure out what had happened. For instance... THE CAT!

I adored the magical aspect of it all, with it's dark voodoo rituals and occult references. Blake has a way of describing what's happening in such vivid detail that you feel like you've been transported into the page. Also her phantoms feel almost real, giving them the ability to freak you out and make you sleep with the light on. My poor electricity bill...

Overall - Blake keeps you dangling all the way through this book. There was never a point where I thought I knew what was coming. And if there was ever a point where I suspected where it might be goig I was proven wrong within a couple of pages. It constantly twists and swaps directions and it's a very cleaver approach to a genre that can be all too predictable. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I loved it and there wasn't a thing I would change. Bring on book two, Girl of Nightmares.

Oh, just before I go a couple of characters for you too look out for when reading. Firstly Tybalt the witches cat and also Carmel. Even though she's a secondary character her transformation within the book is actually really interesting and worth keeping an eye out for. So enjoy lovelies and let me know what you thought of Anna Dressed in Blood!

Bellow are some of the notes I made while reading Anna Dressed in Blood via My GoodReads Page

Boo!

Ghost Stories 

"Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin?"

- Libba Bray, A Great and Terrible Beauty

I hate ghost stories! When I was 10 I went on a school trip and the owner of the hotel we were staying at decided to tell us all this a story. It was about a man who's family died in a car crash and then one night at EXACTLY midnight the wife turned up and well I can't remember the rest, but I do remember that I was terrified of midnight for about four years! I'm a total wimp. I can't watch horror/thriller movies and if I even think someone about to tell me a scary story I leave the room... and yet I seem to find myself picking up books that are about ghosts.

Why is it we feel the need to be scared? It doesn't make sense and yet there's this dark, almost seductive pull towards the supernatural that terrifies and enchants us. Maybe it's the fact in my head I keep thinking how much I loved Casper - so ghost's can't be that scary can they? And then I'm surprised when I put down a book or finish watching Supernatural and I'm sleeping with the lights on.

All of this is out of context for me though, because I don't believe in ghosts. I don't believe in other dimensions or gods... Zombie Apocalypse is totally plausible, but ghosts? Nope, sorry I'm not buying it. And yet my imagination runs wild with these stories and I'm able to freak myself out over something I fully believe doesn't exist. I'm not going to lie I said Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror when I was about 8 and was more than a little worried when I turned 21 I'd look into a mirror and die. For the record I'm fine, 21 and breathing!

So what I guess I'm wondering is am I the only one? And why do we feel the need to make ourselves scared? I mean, you're not going to walk down a dark ally in the middle of  a dodgy area in the city late at night for kicks are you? Well I hope you're not... and if you are? Please stop it's really not safe! So if anyone has any plausible answers please feel free to enlighten me because I'd really like to know!

The Name of the Star

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary (Off the back of Book)

Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux flies to London for the start of a new life at boarding school. But her arrival is overshadowed by a sudden outbreak of brutal murders, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific work of Jack the Ripper.

'Rippermania' grabs hold of London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory has seen their prime suspect on the school grounds. But her friend Jazza didn't see anyone.

So why could only Rory see him? And why is he planning to do next?

Review

I have serious respect for this woman after reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Which, if you haven't read yet, get off your computer and down to your local library immediately. Even so, I was a little worried when I read that this was going to be a book about a school girl, however, Johnson has managed to escape the dreaded winey school girl stereo-type that a lot of YA books have and created a world that, in parts, can be truly terrifying. There's this one part with a kidney that made my skin crawl, but you'll discover that little gruesome gem on your own. 

She captures London in a way that makes the reader want to set foot on its busy streets and try their hand at ghost hunting. There is no denying the supernatural in this novel, with enough ghosts in it to satisfy even the greediest of readers. 

The quintessential YA love story is slightly less prominent in this one, with the main focus of the book not being who Rory falls in love with but how and if she can help save the people of London from a mad ghost. It was actually quite refreshing not to read a character that falls madly in love with the first guy she sees after knowing him a grand total of two seconds. 

Overall The Name of the Star is well worth a read if you want a little spook in your life. I won't lie to you though, there were moments I wish I didn't have such a vivid imagination and had the common sense not to read this before I went to bed. 

And to finish off this review I wanted to share with you one of my favourite quotes from this book...

"Welsh is an actual, currently used language and out next-door neighbours Angela and Gaenoe spoke it. It sounds like Wizard."

***

The Official book trailer from PenguinYoungReaders:

Enjoy my little ghost fighters!