Immortal Remains (Weirdsville) by Rook Hastings

Immortal Remains (Weirdsville) by Rook Hastings
Buy Immortal Remains (Weirdsville) by Rook Hastings at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Teens
Reviewer: Jill Murphy
Summary: Enjoyable follow-up to Hastings's first tale of the unexpected set in Weirdsville, sorry Woodsville. It's just as creepy, has just as good a twist in its tail, and readers will enjoy the developing character relationships.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 272	Date: September 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 0007258119
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Welcome back to Weirdsville, sorry Woodsville, the town set in a truly creepy hollow, whose forest contains the greatest concentration of ghosts you'll find anywhere in England. Fresh from vanquishing a ghost army and enabling Emily to pass on to the other side and be reunited with her mother, our four reluctant ghosthunters have a new mystery to solve. Freak accidents have killed four local girls in the last four months, and Charlotte is convinced she will be next. She's the only one left alive from a seance she and her friends took part in, and she is certain that death is stalking her.

But is our trusty band of Woodsville ghosthunters up to the task? Jay has had a worrying encounter with his own ghost, who predicted his death, so his mind isn't really as sharp as it should be. Bethany was foolish enough to write a supernatural blog and post it on the school website, so she's drawn some unwelcome attention and is fighting off pranks and freak-hating bullies. Kelly is missing Hashim and trying to avoid being sucked into Beth's social pariah status. And Hashim - poor Hashim - he's bailed out altogether, unable to banish memories of poor dead Emily from his mind, and just as unable to avoid the ghosts who follow him around all day and all night.

Grandad Albert isn't feeling too hopeful either...

Hooray! Immortal Remains was just as enjoyable as Rook Hastings's first book about Woodsville. It's just as creepy, has just as good a twist in its tail, and maintains the same lightness of touch. I love the dialogue between the main characters in particular - it's smart and snappy and full of smart one-liners. Readers should pinch some as catchphrases! In Nearly Departed we got quite a bit of character backstory, but in Immortal Remains we see relationships develop into some interesting conflicts. Kelly fancies Hashim, Jay fancies Kelly, Bethan fancies Jay. But somehow, they need to put all that aside so they can save the world. I like the way Hastings treats the romantic conflict in her books - it's there and it's interesting, but it's not the whole point. It's a welcome change from the entire paranormal romance genre that's grown up around Twilight.

The writing is accessible and efficient, with a good sprinkling of wit. The pace is good and so is the tension, and as you read you find yourself making guesses about what the inevitable twist will be - so Hastings involves her readers all along the way. Immortal Remains will appeal greatly to all junior lovers of creepy fiction - boys and girls - and I'd particularly recommend it to tweens and early teens.

My thanks to the good people at Harper Collins for sending the book.

If they're into all things that go bump in the night, they might also enjoy The Dead (The Dark) by David Gatward, which is gloriously gruesome, or The Glittering Eye by LJ Adlington, which adds timeslipping and Ancient Egypt into the ghostly mix. You might also enjoy Grymm by Keith Austin.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Immortal Remains (Weirdsville) by Rook Hastings at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Immortal Remains (Weirdsville) by Rook Hastings at Amazon.com.

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