Friday, August 7, 2015

Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Rating: PG-13
Score: 4.5 stars
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery
Page Count: 258
Stand Alone
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: July 1, 2014

Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.
The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.
I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.
All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.
From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind.

Review:
PROS:
1. Not going to lie here but the only reason I ended up buying this book was because of the beautiful cover. Yep, that's right, most books I buy are bought because half of the reason for buying them is because of the cover. I can't help if I like pretty covers more than the actual content! Anyway, I decided to actually pick this book up because the synopsis sounded very mysterious and kind of ghost-story like. I'm currently really in the mood for mysteries and this one did the trick! Here's the review:

2. I really enjoyed the characters. One, to be more specific, which was our main character Maggie. I liked that she was very quiet and kind of kept to herself. She never asked her parents for anything and was a little shy at times and not very outgoing. I thought it was cool to finally see a quiet and shy character get the spotlight and I thought it really helped the book to be what it was. Given, there wasn't a lot to relate to when it came to Maggie's character and her family, but she fit the story perfectly in my opinion and because of that, she's my favorite. I also really enjoyed the new friends she made even though I ended up hating both of them at the end of the book. You'll know why if you decide to read this book. The three friends were very loyal to each other and connected very easily. 

3. I also loved the writing in this book so very much! I never exactly knew why there was so much hype surrounding Anderson's other book Tiger Lilly but now I can get an idea of why. Her writing was absolutely beautiful and I loved how she was able to say so much about a character or place with so few words. The writing gave the book a very mysterious and melancholy feeling that actually made me shiver and get goosebumps. The descriptions were beautifully written and you could really visualize everything without needing a description of every single little detail. I think Jodi Lynn Anderson has just made it onto my list of favorite authors.

4. I also loved the feel of the book while reading the story. The book takes place during a bitterly cold winter in a small town where a string of murders starts happening and it's very mysterious and eerie, which is the exact feel I was getting while reading this book. I liked that you really got a sense of a ghostly presence especially since one of the POV's is actually told from a "Ghost Girl" whom is not actually named until the end of the book. I loved that this Ghost Girl was somehow tied to the three friends and had to follow them  as they had to deal with living in a town they no longer felt safe in. It reminded me a lot of The Lovely Bones and Paper Valentine because of this eerie string of murders in a small town while also having a Ghost Girl tell a little of her story as everything plays out.

5. Overall, I think this book is something I'll be picking up again sometime in the future. I highly recommend this book is you want something eerie and wintery. I think this would make a perfect Halloween read for those who don't exactly like being scared. I think this would also be a good one to pick up on a rainy day or during the winter. I really enjoyed this one and I really hope to get my hands on another book by this very talented author!

The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating is because I got frustrated with Maggie's friends and I never recovered from it. I honestly don't think I ever will to be honest. You might understand why once you actually read the book, which you should. It's great. Go. Read it now.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!


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