Official Review: Ghosted by Baye Hartshorne
Posted: 23 Mar 2020, 12:27
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ghosted" by Baye Hartshorne.]
I rate Ghosted: The Treason House by Baye Hartshorne as 2 out of 4 stars because I enjoyed the story, but found it not well edited. The first two typos I found within the first three pages. I was also a little disappointed at how the story ended so abruptly. That being said, the story is good and with another round of edits would be a book I easily recommend for purchase.
The story begins with the main character and her stream of thoughts as she trudges through the rain on her way to her Grandmother’s house, having been stood up at the ferry landing. Through her eyes and her thoughts we quickly begin to picture the setting and the characters to come. Through her thoughts we soon know her background history and what she is looking forward to in the next period of her life. There is one ghost in particular, Hillier Knight, who befriends Julia. Numerous other ghosts make their appearance: a rowdy pirate, a gentleman, children dead of a fever, a war criminal, others connected to the mansion, and an angry second wife. Julia has just discovered that she is able to hear, communicate with, feel and see ghosts. Not only is her “normal” world turned upside down as she sets up a new life after being laid off from her job, but now she is surrounded by spectres who may or may not be friendly. When she meets her half siblings she learns that this ability is actually a family trait. Soon after this she learns to use this special ability to reclaim her career. Everything is improving in Julia’s life until the sudden end of the book.
The characters quickly come alive. Julia or Julie, the main character, provides the main point of view for the book. Through her perceptions and interactions we meet Gram and Uncle Dex. Uncle Dex is completely a jerk, an adult living with his mom, spoiled, obsessed with pigeons, and a pervert. Gram seems a sweet lady, making the best of her family and enjoying life but blinded to Dex’s shortcomings. Through Julia we learn about her sister and her mother, dear family friends and old co-workers. We also see scenes through the point of view of Knight, the gentleman ghost from the mansion. Mostly through Knight we learn about the characters of the other ghosts of the mansion, though we feel and see most of their actions through Julia.
The greatest strength of the book is how the points of view of Julia and Knight merge together to paint a full picture. Through their conversations, thoughts and what they observe, the reader has a grasp of the full story. There is not constant, exciting action, but the actions of the characters are completely believable. Generally, the purpose of the book is to follow the characters, human and ghost, through weeks of their “lives”. It follows the sweet romance between Julia and Knight. The characters are strong, the plot is ok, but the ending is a little too easy. However, it does set up for another book, to continue the interactions between these characters. I would recommend this as a light read for someone who can deal with the many typos. The romance is pretty mild, and as long as ghosts don’t bother anyone’s religious views, the book is not overtly religious. The language is very appropriate also. With another round of edits, I would be happy to recommend this book to many people.
******
Ghosted
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I rate Ghosted: The Treason House by Baye Hartshorne as 2 out of 4 stars because I enjoyed the story, but found it not well edited. The first two typos I found within the first three pages. I was also a little disappointed at how the story ended so abruptly. That being said, the story is good and with another round of edits would be a book I easily recommend for purchase.
The story begins with the main character and her stream of thoughts as she trudges through the rain on her way to her Grandmother’s house, having been stood up at the ferry landing. Through her eyes and her thoughts we quickly begin to picture the setting and the characters to come. Through her thoughts we soon know her background history and what she is looking forward to in the next period of her life. There is one ghost in particular, Hillier Knight, who befriends Julia. Numerous other ghosts make their appearance: a rowdy pirate, a gentleman, children dead of a fever, a war criminal, others connected to the mansion, and an angry second wife. Julia has just discovered that she is able to hear, communicate with, feel and see ghosts. Not only is her “normal” world turned upside down as she sets up a new life after being laid off from her job, but now she is surrounded by spectres who may or may not be friendly. When she meets her half siblings she learns that this ability is actually a family trait. Soon after this she learns to use this special ability to reclaim her career. Everything is improving in Julia’s life until the sudden end of the book.
The characters quickly come alive. Julia or Julie, the main character, provides the main point of view for the book. Through her perceptions and interactions we meet Gram and Uncle Dex. Uncle Dex is completely a jerk, an adult living with his mom, spoiled, obsessed with pigeons, and a pervert. Gram seems a sweet lady, making the best of her family and enjoying life but blinded to Dex’s shortcomings. Through Julia we learn about her sister and her mother, dear family friends and old co-workers. We also see scenes through the point of view of Knight, the gentleman ghost from the mansion. Mostly through Knight we learn about the characters of the other ghosts of the mansion, though we feel and see most of their actions through Julia.
The greatest strength of the book is how the points of view of Julia and Knight merge together to paint a full picture. Through their conversations, thoughts and what they observe, the reader has a grasp of the full story. There is not constant, exciting action, but the actions of the characters are completely believable. Generally, the purpose of the book is to follow the characters, human and ghost, through weeks of their “lives”. It follows the sweet romance between Julia and Knight. The characters are strong, the plot is ok, but the ending is a little too easy. However, it does set up for another book, to continue the interactions between these characters. I would recommend this as a light read for someone who can deal with the many typos. The romance is pretty mild, and as long as ghosts don’t bother anyone’s religious views, the book is not overtly religious. The language is very appropriate also. With another round of edits, I would be happy to recommend this book to many people.
******
Ghosted
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon