Release Date: January 1, 2013
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Source: Bought
Interest: Ghost Stories; Mystery; Author Kim Harrington; 2013 SARC
Buy the Book: IndieBound | Amazon | B&N
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?
Rating: 2 / 5 Riceballs
Book Review:
Coming into this book, I was expecting a fun, magical mystery, with smidges of light romance, like in Harrington’s Clarity series. Unfortunately, what I got in The Dead and Buried wasn’t all that light, funny, or mysterious: it was more “bland” as other reviewers have said, and frankly, a bit boring :/
In The Dead and Buried you’re presented with a seemingly dark and haunting murder mystery and ghost story. For one, there’s not a huge presence of ghosts, which personally I was a bit disappointed with; instead, you have a few freak appearances that didn't really add to the story. I’m also the type of reader that likes mysteries where small clues are left behind, and the reader could try to solve the mystery along the way. When I was reading, however, I found that the storyline was very straightforward – you got one clue, which led to the next clue & discovery, which led to the next, etc. – and you didn’t have a chance to try to put together small clues, or be surprised by twists. Overall, I couldn’t be excited by the story because of the lack of suspense, twists, or creepiness I was expecting.
In general, I also felt like a lot of things fell in place too easily or quickly. Especially the ending – it happens pretty quickly and, I suppose, didn’t really develop enough suspense for my tastes. The book also ends with a generic type of “family reunion”. Like, something along the lines of “I’m so sorry I didn’t trust/love/respect you enough” or “I understand bla bla bla, but we can get through this, and hopefully in the future everything could get better”. It’s one of my smaller issues with the book, but it still bugged me.
The characters and romance didn’t quite connect with me either. Pretty much all the characters fell flat for me. Even the main character, Jade, didn’t really show any complexities in her character or develop. Her eventual romance with Donovan also lacked chemistry, and again, fell flat. Donovan is also the typical YA love interest – dark, mysterious, kind, artistic, etc. – it just made me role my eyes! Whereas in Clarity I at least could smile at some funny but sweet moments, I was bored by this book’s cast of characters.
Overall, The Dead and the Buried was a disappointing read for me. It lacked both the light fun or haunting mystery and suspense that could have happened, leaving me disappointed. Slightly younger readers might enjoy the book or check it out at the library because of the simplicity of the plot, but otherwise I wouldn’t move this one to the top of your TBR.
In The Dead and Buried you’re presented with a seemingly dark and haunting murder mystery and ghost story. For one, there’s not a huge presence of ghosts, which personally I was a bit disappointed with; instead, you have a few freak appearances that didn't really add to the story. I’m also the type of reader that likes mysteries where small clues are left behind, and the reader could try to solve the mystery along the way. When I was reading, however, I found that the storyline was very straightforward – you got one clue, which led to the next clue & discovery, which led to the next, etc. – and you didn’t have a chance to try to put together small clues, or be surprised by twists. Overall, I couldn’t be excited by the story because of the lack of suspense, twists, or creepiness I was expecting.
In general, I also felt like a lot of things fell in place too easily or quickly. Especially the ending – it happens pretty quickly and, I suppose, didn’t really develop enough suspense for my tastes. The book also ends with a generic type of “family reunion”. Like, something along the lines of “I’m so sorry I didn’t trust/love/respect you enough” or “I understand bla bla bla, but we can get through this, and hopefully in the future everything could get better”. It’s one of my smaller issues with the book, but it still bugged me.
The characters and romance didn’t quite connect with me either. Pretty much all the characters fell flat for me. Even the main character, Jade, didn’t really show any complexities in her character or develop. Her eventual romance with Donovan also lacked chemistry, and again, fell flat. Donovan is also the typical YA love interest – dark, mysterious, kind, artistic, etc. – it just made me role my eyes! Whereas in Clarity I at least could smile at some funny but sweet moments, I was bored by this book’s cast of characters.
Overall, The Dead and the Buried was a disappointing read for me. It lacked both the light fun or haunting mystery and suspense that could have happened, leaving me disappointed. Slightly younger readers might enjoy the book or check it out at the library because of the simplicity of the plot, but otherwise I wouldn’t move this one to the top of your TBR.
Sorry you didn't enjoy this one much. From the summary I'd expect more ghosts too...
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