Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 15, 2009)Harcover: 256 pages
Price: $11.55 from Amazon
Summary:
Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.
But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….
Rating:
Review: Give Up the Ghost was an enjoyable read with a bit of a ghostly twist. Megan Crewe’s take on ghost seeing was interesting, though I felt it could have been taken a bit further. I definitely, definitely (ugh, drama) could use a ghost gossip-chain any time of the day, but I would have liked to have seen more about Cass and the ghosts’ relationships outside of gossiping. It seemed a bit like Cass was taking advantage of them, getting information for simply acknowledging them, though I don't think it was meant that way. Though Megan didn't necessarily bring anything new to the psychic concept, but I liked how she incorporated ghosts into her story.
Now, I’m not saying Cass is a bad girl. She’s definitely a quiet type, but one who is willing to stand up for others. I’d categorize myself into the shy type that often prefers being solitary, and I can wistfully say I wish I had the guts to march up to a group of kids and hint around some scandal like I don’t care what people think. And though Cass may put up that front, which I can appreciate, she’s actually pretty sensitive inside, which who can’t relate to? I do have to say that I sometimes got annoyed with her though. I can understand that she doesn’t often talk to “breathers” as she likes to call us normal people (I’m assuming we’re normal here… right?), but she was so prejudiced against everyone that I was thinking “can’t you see you’re a human too?!” It annoyed me that she kept on denying her own self-worth and pushing others away to the extent that it was actually a bit childish and immature. However, Cass does learn throughout the book, and I liked her a lot more towards the end.
The biggest sense I got from this book was an introduction. I got to know the characters, know Cass’s ability, know the setting, know some history, but overall the plot didn’t move very far. Fortunately, there is a sequel, though I still wish there could have been a little more exciting progress and less predictability. That being said, the ending was extremely predictable, like so predictable that even me, the clueless little girl, knew what would happen from miles away. The ending was satisfying enough though; happy, nothing climatic, and slightly hinting towards the sequel.
Romance: 2/5. Ah, Tom. Typical guy: blond, lanky, tall, sweet. Though he was definitely nice, I just didn't really feel him because he seemed just that: nice. I think part of that may be the lack of interaction between him and others; I heard a lot more of his history rather than saw his personality in action. There wasn’t a lot of romantic progress between him and Cass (I’m pretty sure that’s where it’s headed), but I’ll be crossing my fingers for some *ahem-ahem* "action" in the sequel! ;)
Cover: 3.5/5. Very nice feel to it, and soothing color scheme.
Bottom Line: A fairly solid introduction to a series with an interesting concept. An enjoyable read, though not riveting, and mainly I wished there could have been some more character development; the characters weren't flat but they didn't exactly evoke a well of sympathy and love either. I'll definitely be looking forward to where Megan Crewe will take this series, and though I personally wouldn't go out of my way and buy this book right now, I would reccomend Give Up the Ghost to anyone looking for a light, supernatural read.
