The Girl Who Saved Ghosts by K.C. Tansley

When I did Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon in October this year, I had this on my reading list for the event, and was glad I got round to reading it. Click here to seee my Day 1 Readathon post and here for my Day 2 Readathon post. NOTE: all book titles for the Readathon were Kindle eARC format unless stated otherwise. 

I never did a review post for this specific book, so I decided that would be the subject of today’s post. 

 I was pleasantly surprised by this book. For me, it had elements of Harry-Potter-esque writing, and also reminded me of The Twilight Saga. 

Kat and her college friends are strong characters, and I was really swept up by the writing style. KC Tansley is a new author for me, and I felt like I really “got into” the story very quickly and my intest didn’t wane. I do want to read the first book to get more background as to how the story started from the beginning of the series. Even though I started with the 2nd book, I felt like I knew the characters and surroundings well. There are ghosts, mysteries and challenges which I think will appeal to young adults and older adults alike. 
Thanks to KC Tansley and publisher for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book really left an impact on me and is a great story. 

Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine.

“Don’t go to Morganville, you’ll never leave.” 
Glass Houses is the first in a series of 15 books by Rachel Caine. 

After the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, I was looking for a paranormal/vampire – related series to read. I loved it, and felt, because of its popularity, it would be hard to compete with. 
Then, I came across the Morganville Vampires series quite by chance at my local discount bookstore. They had the whole series, but I had just enough room (after a huge shopping spree) to buy the first three books. Glass Houses, The Dead Girl’s Dance, and Midnight Alley. The offer was 3 for £10. 
I really wanted to buy more at another time. Due to lack of bookshelf room, I got the e-books or read the books online.

Enough with my anecdotes – let’s get started with the review!
Claire Danvers is, in her words “16, almost 17, “and is a freshman at Texas Prairie University in the town of Morganville, Texas. Caine brings us right into the action, with Claire going about life at University and train to avoid Monica and the Monickettes- bad girls on campus. After an incident with them, she takes the radical (for her, seeing as she is really self-conscious) decision to move off campus to try and improve her life. I feel for her throughout the book, as I’m sure anyone who can remember their first days and year of university will. 

She ends up visiting a house that has a room free. Feeling less than great, she is greeted by Eve, a sweet Gothic girl who is living there with Shane and Michael.

Eve isn’t much older than Claire, which, apart from the fact she’s the only other girl in the house,  is a big help to Claire and I think part of the reason they get on well from the beginnng. Eve seems thoughtful and sensitive and both she and Shane  seem caring and welcoming. I felt proud of Claire as she fought for what she wanted-to stay in the house rather than take the easier, “scaredy-cat” route of calling her mum and dad.  

Together, thanks to friendship, Shane’s chili and teamwork, they must defeat the quiet town’s other inhabitants – the vampires.
The book was full of suspense from this, Claire’s new housemates grow on me. Morganville itself is a very creepy place and the atmosphere is very well represented. Claire is an only child and does not want to be protected by her parents. They want to protect her.
Rachel Caine does a great job of creating the villains (Monica and her evil friends and the vampires). 
I think the book is suitable for all ages, despite being written for 13 year olds . The book has everything, a great product, believable character and suspense. Glass Houses is a great start to an unforgettable YA paranormal series of books.