Crossed Out
Kim BaccelliaYoung adult
Available from Lachesis Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-897562-68-0
January 2010
| Stephanie Stewart has all the normal problems a sixteen-year-old has, including a mother who doesn't understand her and the popular girls who seem intent on making her days at school unbearable. Beyond her everyday problems Stephanie also has to deal with the spirits of murdered girls. She calls herself a rescuer and spends her spare time building crosses to help the confused spirits pass into the light. She seems to be muddling along fine until she gets a visit from a past rescue warning her that evil is near then a rescue goes wrong. Now she has to deal with her attraction to a hot new guy at school and a next door neighbor who seems to be closing in on her secret.
This was a fabulously original twist on the usual teen paranormal theme. I loved that Stephanie was helping restless spirits find peace and the fact that she was doing this all by herself and just following her own instincts. Her frustrated loneliness explained why she was so antagonistic at times, if it wasn't for that I would have chalked her up as being another snide adolescent. I completely understood her attraction to the bad boy hottie but I found it hard for her to repeatedly fall for his ruses. I wish her relationship with both her mother and Dylan had been a little more substantial. Cura seemed to want to be a bigger part of Steph's life and I was frustrated that she seemed to ignore the friendship the other girl was offering. I found some of the pop-culture references outdated and they seemed forced. All of the characters are likable if a little underdeveloped. I hope that this is a series as I felt the book came to a conclusion without answering all of my questions. Overall I found this to be an intriguing story and would recommend it to those who are looking for something that varies from most paranormal young adult offerings.
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Reviewer: Theresa Joseph |
