Melissa MacVicar
Autor/a de Ever Near (Secret Affinity) (Volume 1)
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Jane Hunt Writer First Steps
Jane Hunt Writer Book Reviews Google
Ever Near is a Young Adult Paranormal romance.
Teenage Jade's unusual supernatural gift seems like a curse. It frightens her and interferes with her already complex life. Living on Nantucket Island with her mother who is about to remarry is complicated enough. Jade rarely sees her father or her paternal grandparents whom she loves and misses. Then there's Charlie her soon to be step brother who she is crushing on. Fair Ever her new family home proves more challenging than she imagined. Only she can see the sad, tormented ghost who lives there.
Terrible nightmares threaten to reveal her secret and Charlie who sleeps across the hall starts to suspect something is amiss with Jade. As they become emotionally attached Jade's gift threatens to destroy their new found feelings.
Jade is a lovely character courageous and vulnerable as she battles with entities she cannot fully understand. She turns to the local ghost hunter for help but he only wants to exploit her gift. Dealing with him matures her and proves she isn't a victim. Until Charlie realises her secret only in her journal can Jade record and make sense of what she sees. Charlie is a great young hero willing to support and protect Jade despite his misgivings about the truth of Jade's stories.
The story is interesting and well paced and Jade's observations about the community humorous. I particularly liked the descriptions of the ghosts which produced vivid images in my mind.
The plot is full of suspense as Jade faces conflict on all sides. Help from an unexpected person makes the ending of the story satisfying and believable.
Ever Near is a charming story with romance, humour, poignancy and suspense which make it an absorbing page turning read.
I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
[a:Melissa MacVicar|7121755|Melissa MacVicar|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1378776173p2/7121755.jpg]… (més)
Jane Hunt Writer First Steps
Jane Hunt Writer Book Reviews Google
Ever Near is a Young Adult Paranormal romance.
Teenage Jade's unusual supernatural gift seems like a curse. It frightens her and interferes with her already complex life. Living on Nantucket Island with her mother who is about to remarry is complicated enough. Jade rarely sees her father or her paternal grandparents whom she loves and misses. Then there's Charlie her soon to be step brother who she is crushing on. Fair Ever her new family home proves more challenging than she imagined. Only she can see the sad, tormented ghost who lives there.
Terrible nightmares threaten to reveal her secret and Charlie who sleeps across the hall starts to suspect something is amiss with Jade. As they become emotionally attached Jade's gift threatens to destroy their new found feelings.
Jade is a lovely character courageous and vulnerable as she battles with entities she cannot fully understand. She turns to the local ghost hunter for help but he only wants to exploit her gift. Dealing with him matures her and proves she isn't a victim. Until Charlie realises her secret only in her journal can Jade record and make sense of what she sees. Charlie is a great young hero willing to support and protect Jade despite his misgivings about the truth of Jade's stories.
The story is interesting and well paced and Jade's observations about the community humorous. I particularly liked the descriptions of the ghosts which produced vivid images in my mind.
The plot is full of suspense as Jade faces conflict on all sides. Help from an unexpected person makes the ending of the story satisfying and believable.
Ever Near is a charming story with romance, humour, poignancy and suspense which make it an absorbing page turning read.
I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
[a:Melissa MacVicar|7121755|Melissa MacVicar|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1378776173p2/7121755.jpg]… (més)
4.5
*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Jade Irving can see ghosts. It’s not a huge problem because they aren’t as prevalent as one might guess, but Jade has already dealt with one nasty ghost and she really doesn’t want to mess with this drippy ghost on her first day at a new high school. She doesn’t mind living with her dad, but being separated from her boyfriend Charlie, who happens to now be her stepbrother, really sucks. And Layton Academy sucks, too. Kira seems ok, but she’s not Jade’s BFF Ally and the hot guy hitting on her is not Charlie. And now there’s a ghost. Just great. How’s she supposed to fit in with Mr. Drippy bugging her all day? The more she digs into the ghost’s past though the more she finds out about stuff she’d rather not know. One thing’s for sure, this new school isn’t going to be nearly as boring as she thought it would be and that’s really not good.
It’s not necessary to read Ever Near in order to read this second book in the series though I would recommend it in order to get the full experience of what Jade went through with the nasty ghost she had to deal with and her growing relationship with Charlie. Jade is a typical teenager when it comes to things like school, friends and making stupid decisions. Yeah, I hate when they do that. I could forgive her the decisions she made in book 1, but now that people in her family know about her ghost problem she should have tried harder to make her dad, at least, understand. And when you have a teacher that is creeping you out with sexual innuendo, you tell someone! You don’t try to handle it yourself! Yeesh!
I love the change in POV in this book because I wasn’t really liking Mateo in the beginning. I kept thinking he was a smarmy dick and he probably usually was, but getting his POV helped understand him better. It took me a bit to warm up to him, but I like him better now. And what the hell is up with Charlie? Ugh! I got a brief glimpse of other new characters, but the only other person that is introduced in any quantity is Noemie. I like her. A lot. I hope she and Jade’s Grandma Irving will be in the next book. I’m assuming there will be a third book since there’s been two already. I know I’ll read it just to see what kind of trouble Jade can get into next, so I can sit here, shake my head and say, “Kids these days!” All-in-all a strong second book in a hopefully long series.… (més)
*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Jade Irving can see ghosts. It’s not a huge problem because they aren’t as prevalent as one might guess, but Jade has already dealt with one nasty ghost and she really doesn’t want to mess with this drippy ghost on her first day at a new high school. She doesn’t mind living with her dad, but being separated from her boyfriend Charlie, who happens to now be her stepbrother, really sucks. And Layton Academy sucks, too. Kira seems ok, but she’s not Jade’s BFF Ally and the hot guy hitting on her is not Charlie. And now there’s a ghost. Just great. How’s she supposed to fit in with Mr. Drippy bugging her all day? The more she digs into the ghost’s past though the more she finds out about stuff she’d rather not know. One thing’s for sure, this new school isn’t going to be nearly as boring as she thought it would be and that’s really not good.
It’s not necessary to read Ever Near in order to read this second book in the series though I would recommend it in order to get the full experience of what Jade went through with the nasty ghost she had to deal with and her growing relationship with Charlie. Jade is a typical teenager when it comes to things like school, friends and making stupid decisions. Yeah, I hate when they do that. I could forgive her the decisions she made in book 1, but now that people in her family know about her ghost problem she should have tried harder to make her dad, at least, understand. And when you have a teacher that is creeping you out with sexual innuendo, you tell someone! You don’t try to handle it yourself! Yeesh!
I love the change in POV in this book because I wasn’t really liking Mateo in the beginning. I kept thinking he was a smarmy dick and he probably usually was, but getting his POV helped understand him better. It took me a bit to warm up to him, but I like him better now. And what the hell is up with Charlie? Ugh! I got a brief glimpse of other new characters, but the only other person that is introduced in any quantity is Noemie. I like her. A lot. I hope she and Jade’s Grandma Irving will be in the next book. I’m assuming there will be a third book since there’s been two already. I know I’ll read it just to see what kind of trouble Jade can get into next, so I can sit here, shake my head and say, “Kids these days!” All-in-all a strong second book in a hopefully long series.… (més)
4.5
*Book source ~ Many thanks to Red Adept for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jade Irving is a typical 16-year-old living on Nantucket Island. Her divorced mom is marrying a widower with two teenage sons and they’ve moved into his beautiful house named Ever-Near just prior to the wedding. It’s summer break and while the teens work summer jobs and party with friend, they’re all adjusting to the new living arrangements, Jade is dealing with a major crush on Charlie her soon-to-be stepbrother and, oh, she’s being harassed by a right nasty ghost living in Ever-Near. You know, typical teenage stuff. What is Jade going to do about Charlie? And just what is she going to do about the ghost?
While this book was a bit of a slow go at the beginning, it was soon gaining speed, the excellent writing pulling me along for the ride as Jade reveals more and more about the ghosts she sees and experiences and her growing relationship with Charlie. I could understand her feeling of isolation, that she couldn’t tell anyone about her ghost seeing super powers for fear of being considered as a possible guest of Hotel Cuckoo, but when she had to actually live with a ghost I’m glad she finally told someone.
If I had to be born with super powers, even the kind to see ghosts, it would be nice to see good ones. Unfortunately for Jade she got the short end of the stick and sees only really nasty, angry and crazy ghosts. Yikes. That sucks. At least now she doesn’t have to carry that burden alone. I am really looking forward to seeing where Jade’s journey takes her in future books. All-in-all an exciting new YA paranormal book with interesting characters and a dash of romance sprinkled on top.… (més)
*Book source ~ Many thanks to Red Adept for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jade Irving is a typical 16-year-old living on Nantucket Island. Her divorced mom is marrying a widower with two teenage sons and they’ve moved into his beautiful house named Ever-Near just prior to the wedding. It’s summer break and while the teens work summer jobs and party with friend, they’re all adjusting to the new living arrangements, Jade is dealing with a major crush on Charlie her soon-to-be stepbrother and, oh, she’s being harassed by a right nasty ghost living in Ever-Near. You know, typical teenage stuff. What is Jade going to do about Charlie? And just what is she going to do about the ghost?
While this book was a bit of a slow go at the beginning, it was soon gaining speed, the excellent writing pulling me along for the ride as Jade reveals more and more about the ghosts she sees and experiences and her growing relationship with Charlie. I could understand her feeling of isolation, that she couldn’t tell anyone about her ghost seeing super powers for fear of being considered as a possible guest of Hotel Cuckoo, but when she had to actually live with a ghost I’m glad she finally told someone.
If I had to be born with super powers, even the kind to see ghosts, it would be nice to see good ones. Unfortunately for Jade she got the short end of the stick and sees only really nasty, angry and crazy ghosts. Yikes. That sucks. At least now she doesn’t have to carry that burden alone. I am really looking forward to seeing where Jade’s journey takes her in future books. All-in-all an exciting new YA paranormal book with interesting characters and a dash of romance sprinkled on top.… (més)
Estadístiques
- Obres
- 3
- Membres
- 25
- Popularitat
- #508,561
- Valoració
- 4.4
- Ressenyes
- 4
- ISBN
- 4
Also posted on Silk & Serif
Ever Near is a story about sixteen year old Jade who can see ghosts. She has been able to see ghosts ever since that one summer when a man chased her from a graveyard. A man no one else could see.
Her mother is getting married to the successful and rich Mike and their fortunes have improved from divorcee-single-mom-and-daughter to part of a family. Unfortunately for Jade, its the family of Charlie: her childhood crush since forever.
A down to Earth ghost story that harks back to the days when YA was actually written for adolescents and not adults.
Melissa MacVicar devises a story that is both believable and childish in a very intelligent manner. Her characters act realistically to experiences and their thinking is on par with someone with limited life experience. The budding romance between Jade and Charlie is a great example of a couple of kids who live in the now, rebel against their parents who "do not understand their love" and many of Jade's reactions to her situations are acceptably self-centered. It's a bit annoying, but let's be honest, we all did things when we were Jade's age that we now cringe over.
The novel fits in with the current reader trend towards requesting more diverse characters in YA. Jade is a black female protagonist who seems to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder concerning whites. Although not full blown racist because of her white mother, Jade is definitely struggling with her identity as a black woman. She often makes remarks about the color of skin and racial issues which highlights her own inner conflict. I can only hope that Jade learns to become comfortable with her race in the coming books of the Secret Affinity series. .
I definitely loved that this book is a true Young Adult novel complete with reactions from the cast that was realistic. MacVicar wove a tale that was perfect for young readers without all the YA-adult politics, behaviours and thought processes. MacVicar is a genius at writing real teenagers for real adolescents.
I didn't like Jade's character and the scene where she threatens to lie about a man raping her pretty much solidified by distaste for her. I hope she never threatens to lie about rape again. The fact that she continuously links it back to Jane Austen only made matters worse. Romanticizing rape is never cool and Jade needs karma to bite her on the ass.
I didn't much feel for Charlie. I didn't believe his desire for Jade or understand his belief in her wild tales of ghosts. The one dimensional feeling of his character was unfortunate since they are risking their parent's happiness for their own. I do understand that this being their first love I suppose the behaviour is completely within it's limits when dealing with a true YA novel and is not specifically written for adults.
This novel will appeal to those who love ghost stories, YA that is actually YA and not a New Adult variant, paranormal, young love or first love. I would certainly recommend this as a clean read (kissing/touching but no sex and very little detail beyond the kisses).… (més)