I really liked this book.

It was a little predictable, but the story was good. I couldn't put it down. ( )

Although this mystery novel, a Snow Willow nominee and my #bookaday selection, was hard to get into, it slowly captured my interest as the mystery unfolded and clues were reveiled. Unfortunately, the plot was relatively predictable, with no great surprises along the way. I would have liked some elements of surprise. However, a suitable read for students in Grades 7-9. ( )

Dee’s life with her grandmother was pretty normal, until the police came to their house on their way up Pike’s Mountain to investigate a gruesome discovery: the skeleton of a teenage girl. When the bones are confirmed as Mary Ann Simpson's, Dee’s friend who disappeared four years ago, the village is creeped out by the suspicion and fear. When another girl is murdered, the most suspicious person in the village perceived by the locals is Dee’s grandmother, who is suspected of doing witchcraft by most of the villagers. Will Dee find the horrible killer who is roaming the village with her powers, or will she become a victim herself? Well you gotta read the book to know! ( )

Dee is feeding the chickens the morning that bones are discovered on the mountain. Something doesn't feel right - and her feeling is confirmed when local police show her a ring that they found with the bones, a ring belonging to Mary Ann Simpson, who disappeared four years earlier. Other girls, Dee learns, have gone missing from this small town nestled in the shadow of the Bruce Peninsula's rugged escarpment, the 'mountain' that Dee loves. Like her grandmother, Dee has 'the Sight', an ability not only to see spirits from the afterlife but also to experience their earlier deaths - an experience that becomes more horrifying as events take darker turns. While trying to help with the investigation, Dee is drawn into a deepening mystery that soon strikes terrifyingly close to home.(taken from book blurb) ( )

Setting Review

Barbara Haworth-Attard's Haunted interested me with its many characters and unique settings. However, the setting of this book made me think that it would be boring, but as I read more, I then found out that the setting of this book fit the plot.

One morning, bones are discovered on Pike Mountain. Dee and her grandmother have "the sight", an ability to see spirits from the afterlife and also experience their deaths, as well as sense what is going to happen. Local police, after finding the bones, have found a ring that belongs to Mary Ann Simpson, who was Dee's friend and they used to play up on the mountain when they were younger. She had disappeared four years ago. Dee has also heard of other girls who have disappeared too, many years before her birth. On Halloween night, Clooey, Dee's friend, also goes missing when she went to the Halloween party and left early. All these deaths of young girls lead up to who murdered them, though it is quite unexpected.

The book takes place in Price's Corners, in Ontario, and some parts in Wallen. In Price's Corners, there's the mountain, the schoolhouse, the police station, many houses, such as Dee and Gran's, Vivien's, and Cissy's. The months of when the story occurs is during September to December. The time that this book takes place in is around the mid 1900's, which is why there are still schoolhouses, and not everyone has a telephone. I first thought that this book would be boring since the setting didn't seem interesting enough, but later, I found out that the setting was perfect. I would have to say that the settings in this book are really descriptive, which allows me to picture it in my head, making reading it easier. Most of the murder and the suspenseful parts take place on the mountain, while the small, yet important parts, take place down in Price's Corners and late in the book, it takes place in Wallen.

I think that having the book be around the times of the 1900's makes the setting and plot interesting and unique. One of the reasons why I enjoyed it is because it may be boring having it take place in the past, but Barbara Haworth-Attard makes the plot of the book very original and different, even if it does take place in the past. However, there are only a few hints telling that it takes place back in the past, but I don't think that it would change the story too much if it were more modern. Also, the months which the book takes place in is from September to December. In September, it's just the beginning, finding the bones on the mountain and investigating the bones. In October, police interview Dee for information about Mary Ann's death, and another death occurs. In November, the mystery is still going on, until at last, it is solved. In December, the only important thing is that Dee meets her mother for the first time.

I would recommend this book to many people, including those who enjoy mystery, horror, suspense, some adventure, and fantasy. This book is suitable for many genres and can easily be enjoyed by all kinds of readers. ( )