Review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Haunting Violet

Author: Alyxandra Harvey

Publisher: Walker Publishing

Publication Date: June 2011

Genre: Young Adult Ghost Story

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Synopsis can be found here.
I purchased this book.

Review:

Violet has spent her childhood helping her mother "contact" spirits, as in fooling everyone into believing she is a medium. However, one day, Violet finds that she can really talk to spirits. And the dead have a lot to tell her.

I really like Alyxandra Harvey's Drake Chronicles, so I was excited to give this stand alone novel a try. The book is much more serous in tone, taking place in Victorian England with all of the era's rigid rules and social restrictions. Immediatley, it's obvious that Violet's problems is not restricted to only being haunted by ghosts. Her dear mother is a huge source of danger, manipulation and abuse. The ghosts are scary, but Mrs. Willoughby is scarier.

The challenges Violet has to face, coming to terms with her own gifts, finding the murderer of this innocent girl, choosing between to very different suitors are well balanced. Harvey's dialogue is natural. It's easy to believe that Violet and Elizabeth are friends, why she is attracted to Colin and how years of being treated by a selfish mother has cost Violet.

The book started off slow for me, it took me a couple of days to get into it. But by the time I was over half way through, it picked up and I finished the rest in a night. It's worth the wait. While I didn't love it as much as I do The Drake Chronicles, Haunting Violet is still a well written ghost story with a creepy personality.

Rating 5 Ok, Decent Like Diet Coke