Ashes to Ashes

December 2, 2013
Walker's (Unbreak My Heart) paranormal coming-of-age story is built on a premise that drains the narrative tension before it really gets going. Callie McPhee is an improbable adrenaline junkie, calm and introverted in manner but addicted to stunts like gunning her new BMW convertible at top speed down an open Charleston pier. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Callie is soon dead. Her afterworld is called the Prism, a way station of sorts between Earth and "the Solus." She's given a Ghost Guide, Thatcher, who escorts her to visit all her grieving loved onesâher boyfriend, Nick, her best friend, Carson, and her fatherâand instructs her to let go of earthly concerns. Thatcher speaks by rote, communicating little conviction with his pedantry and leading Callie to seek alternative answers. There's no question what Callie's reaction is going to be, but there's a lot of purgatorial waffling before she rebels. The intrinsic appeal of afterlife speculation may carry readers despite the predictability, but the story suffers from a lack of suspense and a somewhat weaseling denouement. Ages 13âup. Agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic.

Walker's imaginative first installment of a two-part afterlife drama about what comes next. Six when her mother died, teenage Callie lives with her dad and doesn't believe in ghosts, other than "the ones that haunt the corners of my dad's mind. The ones that keep him quiet, unable to give me a real hug...." Dad may have locked in his feelings, but Callie still knows how to get a rush: with her boyfriend, Nick, and with risky driving in the new convertible her dad has given her. Frequent allusions to Charleston's storied ghost history and best friend Carson's obsession with the spirit world all portend one outcome: tragedy. Post-death Callie has a soft landing into the Prism, where dreamy guide Thatcher, stalled in his own quest to move on to the next level, explains her post-death haunting assignment: act as a silent, hidden grief counselor to the living. But Callie ("my curiosity has always overwhelmed my caution") is drawn to ghostly outliers Leo and Reena, who have their own plans. Rather than provide comfort and progress from the Prism to Solus (Solace? Soulless? Callie notices the ambiguity...), they are determined to rejoin the living, and Callie's unique energy is crucial to their success. Callie's present-tense narration emphasizes her limbo status. An appealing and sometimes-poignant blend of savvy adolescents, young romance and paranormal evil suggests there's no escaping teen drama--even in the afterlife. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-On the night 16-year-old Callie McPhee hopes to take the next step in her physical relationship with her boyfriend, she dies in a tragic car accident. Instead of going to heaven, she is stuck in the Prism, "the celestial plane between Earth and the next dimension," where all ghosts stay to help their living loved ones accept their deaths and move on. However, Callie isn't like other ghosts. She remembers everything from her life and is full of an energy that her fellow spirits lack. She attracts the attention of ghosts who are determined to stay on Earth-no matter the cost to the living. Callie struggles with her attraction to her Ghost Guide, Thatcher, and tries to bring peace to her loved ones. Walker's vivid imagery paints a rich picture of Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the Prism, where Callie must return between her stints on Earth. The secondary characters have distinct personalities and histories. Hand this supernatural romance to fans of self-discovery novels.-Natalie Struecker, Rock Island Public Library, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2013
Grades 8-12 Ten years ago, Callie's mother died and the loss still pains her. But her current life in Charleston includes loyal best friend Carson, loving boyfriend Nick, and an undemonstrative but adoring father. On her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a BMW convertible, and later that day, on her way to meet Nick, Callie is involved in a terrible accident. She wakes up in a different reality called the Prism, which is not heaven but a place where the recently dead can come to grips with what has happened. Her handsome spiritual guide, Thatcher, teaches her how to haunt her loved ones, bringing them a degree of peace and acceptance. Callie finds herself torn between wanting to return to her mortal life and staying with Thatcher, a caring and troubled soul himself. Walker infuses standard romance with larger issues of mortality, afterlife, forgiveness, and morality, lending an unexpected depth to what starts as a fairly predictable love triangle. The surprise ending may leave some readers feeling tricked, but the full and swift-paced plot, imaginative vision of an afterlife, and cozy romance will help compensate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)