Specter: YA Fantasy Paranormal

Hey guys, a very good evening from what looks to be a stormy Eastern England.

Today’s review is for Specter, a young adult paranormal fantasy, which follows sixteen year old Lanie Adams, self described ‘loner extraordinaire’ as she searches for answers to a ghostly problem.

Storyline

From the very first sentence- ‘It turned out, all the books and movies had gotten ghosts dead wrong,’ I was hooked. The author dives right into the core issue of the story as a ghostly apparition appears in lanie’s bedroom while she’s stricken with a fever.

The mystery of the female spirit gradually deepens as Lanie (with the help of new friend and love interest, Ryan) searches in Connecticut for answers as to the spirit’s origin.

Everything ties together well, with themes of deception (on behalf of important government bodies), friendship, and the supernatural.

Characters

Lanie Adams is one hell of a protagonist. As a girl that never fit in at Secondary school, I found it easy to relate to her. She faces a lot of her own demons without any help from her parents, all while trying to protect someone she truly cares about, Ryan. Lanie’s quirky sense of humour made me smile on days when I really needed something to lift my spirits, something which I quickly became grateful for.

Ryan, Lanie’s new best friend and shortly, boyfriend is adorable, smart, and a little bit of a troublemaker, much to her parent’s anguish. He’s a young man with his own flaws on display for the whole world to see, one that does all he can to help the girl he loves. His humour matches Lanie’s style, endearing them to each other from early on in the story, but it’s Ryan’s sweet and caring nature that made him most memorable for me. He and Lanie became an unstoppable team, one that shared their sorrows, dreams, and a passion for adventure.

Likes

Okay, so what did I like most about Specter? I thought I’d list my key likes as bullet points:

How Ryan is always there for Lanie through difficult times, as she tries to be for him. Their lasting bond made me feel warm inside.
The ‘lucid dream’ scenes were so well written. I could feel Lanie’s sense of wonder and elation as if they were my own. (Side note: I’m able to lucid dream but only in one scenario: if there are zombies in my dream, I immediately gain Spiderman’s web slinging abilities, in order to whisk myself away from danger.)
I loved the emotional intensity between Lanie and Melissa (the main ghost figure) and how they become connected during the lucid dreaming sequences.

Dislikes

I only had one dislike: Lanie’s mum was horrible and not very understanding at all, although once you learn about how her mum treated her, you can kind of understand why Lanie’s mum is so hard on her. There were times when I was screaming at Lanie’s character while reading because I wanted her to slap her mum. I know, I would never actually advocate for someone to slap anyone: that character just really got on my nerves at the time.

A Crucial Quote

This quote is an eerie truism. Like it or not, much of what goes on in the world is unknown to us, kept secret by the governments all across the world.

And recently, with so much discontent worldwide, this seems more true than most things we’re told.

Would I Recommend Specter?

And that’s my review for Specter, by Katie Jane Gallagher.

My rating? 5 stars.
Would I recommend this book? Abso-bloody-lutely.

Learn more about Katie’s work at her Goodread’s Page