My rating: 4 of 5 stars
GENRE: YA Paranormal
THEME: Romance, Ghost
RECEIVED: Blog Tour
AUTHORS BLOG: Stephanie Lawtons' Site
BLURB:
It’s been six years since Dylanie and her family visited a Civil War site and the place came alive with cannon fire. Problem was, no one could hear it but her.
Now she’s sixteen, her dad’s moved out, her mom’s come out of the closet and Dylan’s got a spot on Paranormal Teen, a reality TV show filming at historic Oakleigh Mansion. She’ll spend a weekend with two other psychic teens—Jake and Ashley—learning how to control her abilities.
None of them realized how much their emotional baggage would put them at the mercy of Oakleigh’s resident spirits, or that they’d find themselves pawns in the 150-year-old battle for the South’s legendary Confederate gold. Each must conquer their personal ghosts to face down Jackson, a seductive spirit who will do anything to protect the gold’s current location and avenge a heinous attack that destroyed his family.
Now she’s sixteen, her dad’s moved out, her mom’s come out of the closet and Dylan’s got a spot on Paranormal Teen, a reality TV show filming at historic Oakleigh Mansion. She’ll spend a weekend with two other psychic teens—Jake and Ashley—learning how to control her abilities.
None of them realized how much their emotional baggage would put them at the mercy of Oakleigh’s resident spirits, or that they’d find themselves pawns in the 150-year-old battle for the South’s legendary Confederate gold. Each must conquer their personal ghosts to face down Jackson, a seductive spirit who will do anything to protect the gold’s current location and avenge a heinous attack that destroyed his family.
REVIEW:
This is my first book from Stephanie Lawton and I couldn’t wait to see what she would do with three gifted teens in a haunted house in a paranormal reality show. These characters learn a lot about themselves, their abilities and that together they don’t feel like the outcast everyone else has made them out to be.
Shrapnel follows Dylan, Ashley and Jake as they all meet at the historical Oakleigh Mansion to film the new season of Paranormal Teen. But once they step foot in this mansion their abilities catch the interest of a very powerful ghost who turns their weekend into a whirlwind of chaos.
Dylan is the first to be introduced and the one who has the most personal baggage that she’s been trying to deal with. She has a old woman spirit who has been nagging her in her room, her father left and her mother has a female partner, thus adding to the list and making her a major bully target at school. Dylan’s character starts to unfold as she meets Ashley and Jake, she’s able to open up more and learn about her ability to see ghost. But she is also the perfect target for a malevolent spirit in the house that really has his eye on her. She’s a spunky, gothic, and sarcastic young teen who knows how to frustrate everyone in the group.
Jake was my favorite; he can feel the emotions of others (an empath), which makes it a challenge and learning experience to block everyone when he gets there. He has a unique connection and chemistry with Dylan and I enjoyed their little spats and trying to uncover the truth with what’s really going on. He also has a few secrets with his ability that I found to be an interesting addition to his character.
Ashley is more of the innocent and weaker of the three; she has to deal with the possession of a younger spirit in the house. Her character clashed a lot with Dylan, adding some interesting dynamic and drama between the two. She did whine, cry and complain a little too much but I felt her development in the end was good for her.
Overall this is a great start to what I hope is going to be a series since this has so much potential. I would love to see these three take on another haunted place and use their gifts to help whatever spirits are in need. Plus they still have a lot to learn about themselves and what they can really do with their abilities. The villain of this story is one that will frustrate the readers and intrigue them; he’s defiantly a sneaky and mysterious character. All in all this was a fun mystery solving adventure with a wild bunch that will keep the readers guessing on what’s going to happen until the very end.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a Young Adult novel that I could very much see as a real television show or movie. Fans of the Ghost Hunter tv show will love this! Plus fans of Bodi Ashton’s Everneath series and Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series will enjoy Shrapnel by Stephanie Lawton.
LINKS:
Goodreads SHRAPNEL | Goodreads Author | Facebook | Twitter | Site | Amazon | B&N
Being from the South and very familiar with Mardi GRAS, Julianne's journey in Want sounds really interesting. Want sounds like a read I would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteOoh sounds very interesting. This would be my first read from the author since I haven't heard about her, til now. The plot has piqued my curiosity. I'm into everything paranormal. Can't wait to read it! Thank you for sharing and review =)
ReplyDelete