Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed The Ghosts of Ashbury High (Ashbury/Brookfield, Bk 4) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
When two new exchange students come to Ashbury High who seem to be stuck in their own world, everyone, including the teachers, starts dressing and acting differently to try and get them to take notice.
Amelia and Riley have been in love since they were fourteen. By night they dance and dance; by day they sleep through all of their classes. Mysterious things, however, start happening when they arrive at Ashbury High. Emily seems to be drawn towards her past before she ran away from home, and possibly even before that time. Torn on what to do, Riley asks for the help of his classmates to pull Amelia out of this dangerous obsession.
Amelia's past isn't the only thing the school has to worry about, though. A girl named Emily keeps sensing a cold, threatening presence in the Art Room. When she tells the principal, he threatens to not sign off on her major unless she can prove there really is something there.
Could there really be a ghost haunting Ashbury High? Could it and the mysterious couple have some connection to each other? Can Riley pull Amelia out of the past before it's too late?
THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH is a gripping, intriguing read. The characters are well-developed, mysterious, and likable. The plot is well-developed and moves at a good pace. Although it might be helpful to have read Ms. Moriarty's first three books in order to understand the preexisting community in the Ashbury-Brookfield saga, it is not necessary. Those who like mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading this book.
When two new exchange students come to Ashbury High who seem to be stuck in their own world, everyone, including the teachers, starts dressing and acting differently to try and get them to take notice.
Amelia and Riley have been in love since they were fourteen. By night they dance and dance; by day they sleep through all of their classes. Mysterious things, however, start happening when they arrive at Ashbury High. Emily seems to be drawn towards her past before she ran away from home, and possibly even before that time. Torn on what to do, Riley asks for the help of his classmates to pull Amelia out of this dangerous obsession.
Amelia's past isn't the only thing the school has to worry about, though. A girl named Emily keeps sensing a cold, threatening presence in the Art Room. When she tells the principal, he threatens to not sign off on her major unless she can prove there really is something there.
Could there really be a ghost haunting Ashbury High? Could it and the mysterious couple have some connection to each other? Can Riley pull Amelia out of the past before it's too late?
THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH is a gripping, intriguing read. The characters are well-developed, mysterious, and likable. The plot is well-developed and moves at a good pace. Although it might be helpful to have read Ms. Moriarty's first three books in order to understand the preexisting community in the Ashbury-Brookfield saga, it is not necessary. Those who like mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading this book.
Shanan B. (yogimommy) reviewed The Ghosts of Ashbury High (Ashbury/Brookfield, Bk 4) on + 35 more book reviews
This was the first book I read by Jaclyn Moriarty. She tells the story primarily through the student's responses to essay prompts, through the notes/minutes of meetings, or through blog entries and comments. This style was completely new to me. So I found the story a little hard to get into, and I was a little annoyed (or maybe irritated is a better word) by some of the character's whose perspective Moriarty used to tell the story.
By the end though, I was intrigued by the story. I could not put the book down and in fact stayed up until midnight reading the final part of the book. And even the next day, I kept replaying elements of the story in my mind. I slowly realized that Moriarty's references to ghosts had little to do with the Halloween depiction that goes boo. Instead a ghost is someone who cannot move beyond a past memory, who is constantly drawn back to that memory and consequently is not fully living in the present. And not able to move beyond that memory.
And even the characters that I found annoying I ended up liking in the end, but the way Moriarty did that did not seem contrived or forced. They all seemed to bring something significant to the wrapping up of the story.
I do not know if I will read more of her books--I know I will not actively go out and look for more of her books to read. But I am glad that I read this book and that I finished it (for a while, I was not sure I wanted to finish it at all).
By the end though, I was intrigued by the story. I could not put the book down and in fact stayed up until midnight reading the final part of the book. And even the next day, I kept replaying elements of the story in my mind. I slowly realized that Moriarty's references to ghosts had little to do with the Halloween depiction that goes boo. Instead a ghost is someone who cannot move beyond a past memory, who is constantly drawn back to that memory and consequently is not fully living in the present. And not able to move beyond that memory.
And even the characters that I found annoying I ended up liking in the end, but the way Moriarty did that did not seem contrived or forced. They all seemed to bring something significant to the wrapping up of the story.
I do not know if I will read more of her books--I know I will not actively go out and look for more of her books to read. But I am glad that I read this book and that I finished it (for a while, I was not sure I wanted to finish it at all).
