Review: "Ghost House" by Alexandra Andornetto

Let me start by saying I wanted to like "Ghost House", I really did as it has two of the elements that I usually love in books: a creepy English estate and the paranormal. Yet, in the end "Ghost House", the first of Adornetto's books I have read, was a huge dissapointment.

Even though she has suppressed the ability since she was a small child, after the death of her mother Chloe begins to see ghosts again. Her grieving father decides that Chloe and her brother should spend some time with her grandmother who lives in an English county estate. Once there Chloe befriends a handsome young man, who happens to be a ghost. The set up is perfectly fine, if not a bit cliched. Therefore, whether this book worked or not depended heavily on Adornetto's execution of the story and abilities as a writer. Unfortunately, here she failed.

She never fully embraced the potential of an atmospheric haunted English estate as a setting. Additionally, the main characters of Chloe and Alex were ultimately forgettable. While, the main antagnoist, also a ghost was rather cartoon like in her villainy- more of a plot device than actual character. By the time I reached the overblown and frankly ridiculous climax of the story I knew I would not be back for the sequel the author seems to set up at the end.