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FindingJane
Oct 01, 2014FindingJane rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Matters get considerably tenser for Will and Alona as they encounter a vicious, murderous ghost and a nasty little Ghostbuster with an agenda of her own. Throwing Mina Blackwell, a ghost talker like Will, into the mix gives a decided spice and air of apprehension. Alona is justifiably worried about being replaced and the writing accurately lays out her inner turmoil. Will is growing up, attempting to negotiate between his newfound peace with ghosts and Alona’s distracting presence. He graduated from high school in the previous book and no longer has that preying on his mind. However, he’s still rather inept with girls, which proves a touch risible when he’s trying to deal with two of them. The character of Alona Dara tolerated no rivals or competition when she was alive and that cutthroat attitude didn’t cease once she became a spirit. But a contest wouldn’t be riveting without a clash of equal wills and Mina is more than up for the challenge. However, the consequences of winning and losing here are considerably more dire than the gaining of a cheap tin crown and scepter. The author lays out a whole new battlefield, one with numerous new players, most of them among the living. That shifts the focus of this series quite a bit. The previous book was mainly about the dead; this one is decidedly about live people, going on with their lives when their loved ones have gone. That perhaps is what real maturity is about and the author makes this point subtly and with considerable flair, making this an excellent sequel.