Too scary for me to read, but I want to remember it. Probably not actually as scary as it seemed to start out, but I am huge wuss about ghosts.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

I'll admit, I took awhile on this book because I really just couldn't get into it. The novel's tone wasn't necessarily my style so, when I first started the book, I was a tad bored with it. It felt like the story was too confusing and developing at too slow a pace for me personally. However, once the story picks up (and it does), it doesn't slow down. Half the fun of the book is that it is told from the perspectives of two characters: Annie and Wes. Wes's perspective is introduced first and, because Wes is slightly confused by his situation, the reader is as well. Once the novel makes the transition to Annie's point of view, everything somehow clicks. What was once confusing suddenly makes perfect sense as the novel demands absolute full attention. Overall, I would say that the book was a very nice read. I really enjoyed the ending and all the surprises it presents, but because of how slow the beginning was and my dislike* for a certain tone the author displays, I only gave it 3 stars. I would say that if you're of fan of ghost stories and varying time periods, then this book would be a nice pick for your 'to read' list!

*take note that this is just personal preference and really just depends on the varying readers' tastes ( )

4.5 Stars (reasons include possible spoilers):

LOVE!!!! This book was amazing! I really enjoyed the back and forth between historical and present day New York...very well done! It definitely made me want to look into the different historical areas of NY in order to get a better picture of what the city used to be like in comparison to today.

I loved that "ghost" was never once said in this "ghost" story...like it would make Annie disappear or be less real.

I loved the family connection between Annie and Maddie...

However, there were a few things that left me wondering:
Was Annie able to change the future by changing the past?
In the epilogue where Wes made a comment about Maddie changing her hair she said she didn't...I didn't understand that...
What was Maddie and her father doing in that brownstone?
Then when Wes made note of the cameo she was wearing but without really recognizing it as Annie's.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! ( )

Wes is living his dream at NYU film school - except it is only a summer class, and he actually goes to the University of Wisconsin. His goal: to create a film so good, NYU can't reject Wes's transfer request. As he works on his own film, he gets wrapped up helping his friend Tyler, who asked Wes to help film a seance he will be attending. While at the seance, Wes sees a girl he can't get out of his mind. And when Tyler says he needs Wes to find her to get her to sign a release for being in his film, Wes isn't too disappointed about spending some time looking for her. When he finds her, he learns her name is Annie, and she seems confused about things she shouldn't be, but Wes just finds it charming. As Wes spends more time with Annie, he starts to realize that Annie's quirks he thinks charming are far more than quirks. As Wes helps Annie search for a ring she has lost, they start to uncover secrets that reveal Annie's true nature and her past. And what is hidden in her past is much darker than either of them could have imagined. Set in New York in 1913 and current times, this novel weaves past and present into one pretty good story. I liked this twist on a "traditional" seance ghost story. Something I always wonder is what someone from a past time would think of our current times, and this novel plays with that idea. I liked the juxtaposition of the time periods and the historical elements that were part of the story. There was enough suspense to keep the story interesting, but there were some twists I thought were predictable. I like Howe's work, though, with its intricacies and historical references. ( )

From Book Jacket:

It's July in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to begin his summer term at NYU. While shooting a seance at a psychic's in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicating beautiful girl named Annie.

My Thoughts:

The word for what Annie actually is is never said but from the beginning we get the idea pretty well. Annie calls herself a "Rip Van Winkle" but seems very disturbed by her discoveries in the modern world. She is on a 200 year old mission...determined to uncover the truth that destroyed her family. The differences between the social classes become evident in both worlds. Annie and Wes are a pair of very likable characters that carry the story line well from start to finish. It's humorous to see Annie's reaction to the modern world compared to her 1825 existence. The story is told from Wes's straight forward view as well as from Annie's sometimes confused concepts. It's a Young Adult novel but that doesn't take anything away from this blend of romance, historical fiction and supernatural offereng.
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