The Ghost's Call

The characters in this book are so lovable, especially Tilly (the dog)! Unless they’re the bullies and then you want to punch someone. I love the premise of this book, the overall idea of this story. It needs a little more editing and just a few tweaks and it would have been perfect. It’s still a very entertaining, engrossing book that keeps you wanting more. It’s also perfect for those who like spooky-ish vibes without scaring the pants off you or getting graphic or violent. Love it!

I liked the characters. The plot was fun. But the oblivious conclusions drawn regarding a bunch of events and the ignoring of the most obvious oddities and indicators of supernatural activity on the part of the main character especially had me frustrated and muttering “idiot” far far too often. Remember, the main character is a pro who was born into a long line of practitioners interacting with ghosts and married her first husband who could see ghosts and was also very aware of ghost culture.
Example - already aware of Maggie’s family’s vulnerability without wards on their home and following a surge/ infestation of risen ghosts followed by the town’s pets aggressive behavior- when Maggie’s 5 yr old daughter starts acting out and becomes ill it takes days for anyone to reach a conclusion the reader reached pages earlier. Meanwhile the situation just gets more and more dangerous. Things like this pretty much ruined the book for me. I can’t bring myself to read the second one. Cliff hangers can be annoying OR deal with a thread that is a subplot to each books main action that makes a reader want to both experience the next dilemma and follow the character’s lives as they progress in relationships and develop their lives using their talents during difficult circumstances. In this case I found the cliff hanger aspect annoying and off putting as the entire premise of book one centered on an entire town at risk - as apparently does the premise of book two. I was left with no real sense of progress or understanding made or lines of conflict drawn.
I know I probably haven’t adequately defined my sense of imbalance or explained myself and that my review is harsh. I apologize to everyone who disagrees and thinks I’m just being mean.
I rarely write a review but was just so frustrated. To be honest, I think that’s because I thought it came so very close to being good. It had great characters and a really good baseline premise and was competently written. But there were too many moments of unrealistic unnecessary stupidity. ( Something felt off in the juxtaposition of incidents, plot, forward movement and series development evidenced in the cliffhanger. Again, here is where I think i’m explaining this particular thought inadequately.)

Really enjoyed this book and the interokay of mom/daughter ghost hunters