Ghost Huntress Book 2: The Guidance (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
One of the things that bothered me a bit in the first book was the relationship between the main character and her mother, who was religious, and scared of the occult. I felt that issue was beautifully resolved in this book, even if it did bring great conflict to the previous story.I'm not Christian but noticed the bible was used a bit carelessly in the story with verses being stretched, to say the least. I also did not like that the Bible was used to justify somewhat coarse language by a priest! Even as a nonchristian,I could have done without that. I'd have rather read about a brief disapproving look by the priest, then a smile. I just didn't like to see the Bible used to justify what most parents would not approve of.The story was great. It was much better in my opinion, than the first one as it moved a lot faster. In fact, my favorite part had little to do with the paranormal, but with the relationships between the teens themselves.The redemption of this book is the way that the adversarial relationship is approached - the strategy being to take the higher road, be nice, be honest about feelings and not to wish harm on someone, even though they'd have harmed you in a second. It explored the feelings, the uncomfortableness, the dread, of having to deal with people that just plain HATE you. It is something everyone has to deal with at some point I think - and the strategies the main character takes are EXEMPLARY. I liked that so much about the book, that I hope my son will read it, even though he's not that interested in the occult or ghosts.The book really leaves a cliffhanger at the end - I look forward to the next one. The Guidance is the second book in the Ghost Huntress series and picks up a couple of months after the first book, The Awakening has ended. We find that Kendall and her ghost hunting team have been in hot demand all over town. But not everyone is thrilled with their new found fame. Courtney, the malicious, bulimic high school queen bee, is stewing over Kendall’s popularity and new relationship with dreamy, ex-boyfriend Jason. In a jealous rage, Courtney decides to fake her own psychic awakening to shift some of the attention back on herself. Inviting spirits into your life isn’t something that should be entered into lightly though. The ghost that ends up oppressing Courtney is one so strong and vicious that Kendall must step in to try and save her, that is, if she can. On top of it all, Kendall’s mother is still struggling with Kendall’s psychic abilities and intent on having her probed and prodded by the medical community. Could life be any more stressful?!The Ghost Huntress series, which was once a trilogy, is now at least a five book series. The storyline kept the fun rolling right from the start in a believable and intriguing manner. Instead of giving in to the temptation to just lash out at Courtney; Kendall was extremely mature in dealing with her bullying tactics and phony awakening. I loved how she didn't hesitate to step in when Courtney’s plan to steal the psychic spotlight erupted out of control and to also bring in adult assistance when things REALLY got out of hand. Kendall’s voice, in the first person, is so wry and humorous; I would’ve loved to have had her as a friend when I was in high school too. Kendall deals with numerous issues that I think all teenagers can relate to, such as fitting in at school, and balancing family, friends and dating. The books are definitely aimed at fashion and music conscious teen girls and I can see why the product labeling would appeal to them. As an adult, I will say that too much teen speak with words like “craptastic” or “ridonkulous” gave me pause, and considering how quickly teen slang changes, I worry whether this series will become too dated down the road. But, I do think that Marley’s teen readers will appreciate her style of writing and relate to the character depictions on a personal level. Kendall is so believable in her mannerisms and speech that if I didn’t know better, I would swear Marley is a teen writer herself! And an author who can make her characters so vivid and believable like that is someone to watch out for.What stands out to me most in these books is the research Marley Gibson has done on ghost hunting. It’s obvious in the quality of her writing that she definitely knows her stuff. I really appreciate the way she illustrates the basic types of equipment and ghost hunting techniques without ever losing the reader with too much technical jargon too. I’m extremely curious about Book 3, especially since the epilogue left us with clues to ghostly Emily’s past and an ominous vision for Kendall’s future! Note: For more information on how to set up a ghost hunting team, equipment to use and where to look for spirits, check out this great resource- The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal by Marley Gibson and Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader . It's a fantastic reference for teens looking to start up their own ghost hunting teens or anyone with an interest in general!
What do You think about Ghost Huntress Book 2: The Guidance (2009)?
Pretty good... Didn't want to put it down... I love paranormal books and this one was good!
—nat
