Book Review- Spiritus

20 Dec, 2011 by in spiritus 2 comments

Spiritus
by Dana Michelle Burnett
Young Adult Paranormal
Format: Kindle Edition
Print Length: 179 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B005V02FD4
Source: author

4 Stars

When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.

Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the “in crowd”, Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn’t expect things to change.But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for–A second chance.

Becca McAllister is new in Corydon, anxious to fit in to her father’s hometown. As if trying to figure out a new school isn’t hard enough, Becca discovers her ancestral home is haunted. Alastor Sinclair, a seductive blast from a past she doesn’t remember, is determined to woo her even though strange memories hint she may be responsible for his death in another life.

I enjoyed this short novel. It was easy to feel sympathy for Becca as she moves into a new town and deals with school jitters. Her relationship with her father feels true to life, and the paranormal activity around her home is spooky and believable.

While the locals and the neighborhood setting of Corydon are charming, Becca’s haunting admirer, Alastor, is a bit edgy. One never knows his intentions, and some of his manic behavior leaves swirling questions. At times I hoped Becca would walk away for good, and I questioned some of her decisions, but this made the story feel more realistic as the young and true love are often blind.

SPIRITUS is fast-paced. It kept me reading, though at times the plot developed too quickly in regards to Becca’s and Alastor’s volatile romance. There are bits and pieces very mature for the Young Adult genre, but I did not think any lines were crossed. However, I would only recommend the book to older teens and adults.

Ms. Burnett’s voice is likeable, strong, and talented — a potential for great storytelling. Her settings come alive and the inner dialogue is witty.

The only snag for me with this book was the lack of editorial attention, but as to whether or not my copy was an advanced copy, I could not find that information. Regardless, SPIRITUS is an entertaining tale in a series that I would continue to read.

Reviewed by one of our new part time reviewers-Danielle Thorne

About Author Dana Michelle Burnett
Dana Michelle Burnett spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more. Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak in 2006. Her literary novel, Ghost Country, was published in 2010. The romance novel, Two Out of Three, followed in 2011. Spiritus is the first book in her new paranormal romance series by the same name.

Visit Dana’s Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

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