What the Dead Want
by Norah Olson
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Pub Date: July 2016
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Print
Source: Borrowed
16 -year-old Gretchen takes photographs to understand the world around her, a passion her mother Mona fostered and encouraged when she was still around. Since her mom disappeared years ago, Gretchen and her dad have lived on their own in New York City, haunted by Mona’s absence.
When Gretchen’s great aunt Esther calls unexpectedly to tell her that she has inherited the pre-Civil War mansion on her mother’s side of the family in upstate New York, Gretchen understands nothing except that her aunt needs her help. But what she finds there is beyond her imagination. The house is crumbling apart, filled with stacks of papers and journals from decades, even centuries past, and it’s crawling with rodents. It’s also full of secrets and a legacy of racism and violence so reprehensible that the ghosts of the past are exacting revenge on the living.
Somehow the mystery of Mona’s disappearance and the atrocities that happened on the land during the Civil War are inextricably intertwined, and it’s up to Gretchen to figure out how…before even more lives are lost.
My Review: I like a good horror book. I liked the sound of this book, but it fell short for me.
I read a book previously by this author and I wasn't thrilled, but then I saw this book and got excited. However it fell short for me. I couldn't finish it.
I loved the idea about photos and how spirits can be photographed. Learning about the family home and the real secrets it holds. But I can't put my hand on it, I just didn't feel this story.
My Rating:
✪✪
