Ghost Huntress Book 1: The Awakening [Paperback]

Ghost Huntress: The Awakening, is the first entry into a new series that follows sixteen year old Kendall Moorehead as she moves from her home in Chicago to a rural town in Georgia. Not long after she moves into her new home, she begins to realize something odd is going on, not just around her but also within; she can sense other people's thoughts and pains, and she's beginning to hear odd sounds in her room. A chance meeting with a local New Age businesswoman helps Kendall to understand that she's experiencing an awakening of her psychic abilities, so Kendall can now add extrasensory perception/sensing the dead to her list of things to worry about, along with making new friends and fitting in at her new high school.

Kendall, while perplexed at the odd things happening to her, embraces her newfound gift with gusto and decides she must confront the ghost currently living in her house, as well as the one menacing her father's workplace. It isn't long before she conveniently finds some new friends who are interested in the paranormal, and together the four girls form the Ghost Huntresses. With Jason, twin of Ghost Huntress Taylor, the group acquires expensive equipment through the wallet of wealthy Celia and proceed to find and kick ectoplasmic butt.

Ms. Gibson has done her homework, that's for sure; she has her teen paranormal investigators using the correct equipment and following standard debunking procedures. As a person with some interest in paranormal investigation, I really appreciated that the author was giving out accurate information. The references to popular television shows that feature ghost hunters are accurate as well, and the characters are realistically written teenagers who battle not only the not-crossed-over but hormones, too. It was a little convenient to have Kendall luck out with the friends and the money aspect, but this is tempered by her mother's very mom-like response to having a daughter who suddenly claims to have psychic abilities. Though the title is Ghost Huntress, this is actually a mesh of Ghost Hunters, Medium, and Ghost Whisperer; the amount of activity experienced by the group is just too good to be true for amateurs, but it does hold your interest well. There's also a lot of New Age/crystals/protection going on, which does make it seem a little scattered in focus. But this is a fast read that sets out to entertain and that it does quite well. I'll be looking for the second book, The Guidance, when it appears later this year.

I am interested in the paranormal and bought the book for my teen daughter. I thought I would give it a quick read on a long drive home from Kentucky after having Marley sign the book for my daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a teen daughter and she got the part of Kendall right on. It was an easy and fun read and not just for the young reader.

THis is the story of a teenager who moves with her family from a large city to a small southern town. Once there she realizes the house they've moved into seems to have a spirit in it, and what's more, she seems to have some psychic abilities herself. Along with some new friends who also believe in the paranormal, a ghost hunting group is formed, and the adventure begins!

I have to say, I was really surprised by this book- it was far better than I thought it would be. If you have a teen who is into the show "Ghost Hunters" then I can't recommend this enough- Jason and Grant are even mentioned in the book. If you follow the paranormal, you'll soon realize that the author is very up on the current trends and theories in paranormal investigation.

As a side story, the mother in the story is very religious and struggling with her daughter's potential psychic abilities, and I have to say that the religious aspect is handled very well, indeed.

Highly, highly recommended. I'll be looking for the next installment!

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