Title: Ruined
Author: Paula Morris
ISBN: 9780545042154
Pages: 304
Release Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Point
Genre: Teen/YA, Mystery
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Summary:
Rebecca is thoroughly unhappy about the situation she has found herself in. Her father has to travel to China for his job, so she’s being sent to New Orleans to stay with a family friend while he’s out of the country. She’s not thrilled about leaving her friends and her school and starting over in New Orleans, and what’s more, her aunt is just a little bit weird.
Once she gets there, she begins spending more and more time in Lafayette Cemetery, as she doesn’t fit in with anyone at school. There she meets Lisette, a young girl who Rebecca finds herself becoming friends with. But there is more going on than Rebecca realizes, and Lisette is not exactly who she seems to be.
Review:
I love ghost stories, so I was really excited when I received Ruined in the mail. I thought the setting of post-Katrina New Orleans was wonderful for a spooky tale. I don’t know much about New Orleans and haven’t ever visited, but Morris’ vivid storytelling and details really made me feel like I had been there. I could easily picture what she was describing; it made reading Ruined a lot of fun to read.
The mystery in Ruined was captivating and really kept me hooked through the entire story. I have to admit, the ending was a little bit disappointing, but I can understand why Morris wrapped it up the way she did. The ghost story aspect is a lot of fun to read, and mildly creepy, but I was never scared when reading the book. Morris manages to create a gothic atmosphere without resorting to scare tactics in order to entertain the reader.
Rebecca was a fun character. She wasn’t self-conscious, which was really great. She was a refreshing protagonist that was much more concerned with doing the right thing than what other people thought. However, that doesn’t mean she drew unnecessary attention to herself. She was very realistically portrayed – Rebecca tried to stay out of the spotlight, but when it was on her, she wasn’t afraid to stand up to others.
Ruined was an immensely enjoyable novel that was great to read. I was a little bit surprised at how much fun it was, considering I’ve been reading more than a few of these teen paranormal books lately, and many of them have been disappointments. Ruined was well-written and a real pleasure to read – I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good YA mystery.
16 comments:
I have seen this book everywhere and I need to get my hands on it! The reviews have been pretty good!
I just won this book last week, so I'm glad to see a positive review about it. I can't wait till it arrives!
This sounds like one I could read -- a little spooky but not too much. I like the New Orleans setting. As long as I can understand why a book ended as it did, I can get over the fact that it didn't end the way I would want it to.
I've seen this one making the rounds in the blogosphere, and I can only hope my library gets a copy. It sounds great!
I want to read it! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)
Glad to hear it's good! I recently gave this book away but didn't get a chance to read it first. I'll have to keep it on the list. I love the cover too.
I'm so glad you liked this book. My mother-in-law called today and asked me to save my copy for her.
Great review! I have this on my TBR pile and can't wait to read it! I love ghost stories, too. I think it would be a perfect read for October!
I ordered this from Amazon this morning. I think I will read it in the read-a-thon. Glad to see a positive review, because it sounds so good!
I've this book in my pile and I can't wait to read it!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I just started it yesterday.
Someone else - perhaps Jennifer of Literate Housewife? - really liked this too, I want to read it!
I'm in the mood for ghost stories and mysteries...not sure if its because of Halloween being around the corner or not. But thanks for the review..
I'm not sure if the book is my type of read, but I like the cover...
Looks like a fun Halloween-time read.
I just won this in a giveaway. I'm hoping to get it by the weekend read-a-thon.
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