An enjoyable young adult psychological thriller with a supernatural twist

This was my thirty-fifth book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise

Months after their abusive father’s death, siblings Jessie and Bryan grapple with moving forward. But Jessie’s alter-ego Lena gets in the way, and their father’s ghost is hell-bent on destroying both Jessie and her alter-ego(s). Can she find the strength in herself to overcome this dark force?

The Pros & Cons

This was an enjoyable young adult psychological thriller with a supernatural twist.

I chose it because the preview was intense and completely blew me away — it opens promisingly with a violent scene; however this shocking intro does taper off a bit as the story unfolds. Nevertheless it is a good read, and there are many elements to like here.

I loved the relationship between the two main characters, siblings that endured their father’s abuse and their mother’s poor management of the family and of her own emotions. It was heart-wrenching to see the way she behaved in not protecting her children, though we understand she was dealing with her own trauma when she attempts to take her own life.

Brian’s love for his sister and his fear of her inability to control her multiple personalities make him want to stay home to protect her, but he eventually leaves. I liked seeing the ways in which both he and Jessie engage in relationships and find solace in their love lives, and also was happy to see their mother recovering and emerging from her shell. I was glad to see the wider support network with Dr. Chen and Reverend White providing help, as therapy and guidance are much needed to help deal with the ordeal they have been through.

The novel is short and it held my interest well enough, but I do not believe I am the ideal reader. I did not feel fully invested with the characters — though I usually love books that jump between multiple characters, it somehow felt strange to be reading from the points of view of siblings (both male and female), with little difference in the style of writing (making it hard to differentiate between them apart from the chapter titles) — and then it briefly jumps into Lena (Jessie’s alter-ego) without explanation. I also usually love psychological thrillers that deal with dissociative personalities, but here it is not executed as well as I hoped it would be. Finally, the build-up to the “showdown” with the ghost was great, but then there were just a few paragraphs of actual confrontation before the book winds into an abrupt end.

Conclusion

Overall the plot is a doozy, but I wished the story had bloomed a bit better to pack a more powerful punch into its short word count. I’m glad I gave this book a try, and though it wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, I can recommend to younger readers. The short, choppy chapters are easy to breeze through (I read the book in just a few hours), and this will well suit the YA target market. The language is fluid, and the action is continuous and engaging all the way through. I also loved the overall message of strength and power in yourself to overcome the ghosts of your past — this is so crucial, particularly for young people, and I thank the author for using her own personal experience to craft a story that can inspire and help others. I’d love to give the author another try, and I may also look into the first book in this series.

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