155) Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

The Blurb -

Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings.

Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

My Thoughts -

This interesting blurb had me intrigued and couldn't resist accepting the opportunity to read and review Past Midnight. The chances of liking a new author is slim but after watching my fair share of ghost-hunting reality shows I really wanted to see how the author used the angle in this story and if it was as good as it sounded.

I was impressed within a few chapters. The suspense and spookiness of story had me unwilling to put the book down for very long. Charlotte isn't your typical needy naive main girly character and I enjoyed getting to know her. It was a relief to come across a non romantic based Young Adult story with no unrealistic dramatics. Sure this is about paranormal activity but it comes across as something that could happen.

What I liked a lot about this story was that the 'ghost' angle is still up for debate. The author doesn't say that it is not possible but she also doesn't deny it could happen. Despite everything Charlotte, her family and friends go through there is still the possibility that there was a logical explanation for everything that happened.

If Past Midnight is the beginning of a series then it is definitely going on my to be read list. I had never heard of this author before but her style and the concept for this story really was enjoyable to read and quite spooky. I loved this Young Adult and loved it even more for its lack of romance and teenie girls. Yes there are cheerleaders but no page long talk about what to wear and putting on make-up. Mara Purnhagen has kept things simple but special.