review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

pub date: June 21, 2011
publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
pages: 352
source: ALA Midwinter Conference
appeals: ghost, historical fiction, supernatural,
content: clean

thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Harvey's Drake Chronicles. I love the humor and the romance. So I was super excited about Haunting Violet because I expected more of the same, just ghosts instead of vampires. Sadly, I didn't get it. There was a little romance and a little humor, just not what I had expected. I wanted more!

Because it wasn't what I expected it to be, I was disappointed in Violet's story. Which is really unfair to Violet, because honestly, who can compare to seven vampire brothers? No one.

The bones of the plot were fun...Violet's relationship with her mother, her own budding talent, her relationship with Colin (though I would've liked more of it), and the ghosts in general. But the particulars I wasn't a big fan of...the secondary characters I didn't like so much. Especially the very persistent ghost who's behavior I didn't understand. Did she want her murder solved, or not? I wasn't sure if she was helping or hindering. It wasn't even much of a mystery and I thought the book too long for what little story there was.

So, chalk it up to unfulfilled hopes, but this wasn't my kind of book.

blurb:
Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?