The Bookslut Review of Nothing but Ghosts

Sometimes, after a long walking day in the city, words float in toward you, and you catch your breath.

That just happened, with the Bookslut review of Nothing but Ghosts. I post here a small excerpt from Colleen Mondor's most generous review.

Kephart's incredibly elegant writing style is what really stands out. Her use of language is startling at times and it cuts right through all the clichés that burden so many novels for teens. Here is Katie remembering a final vacation with her parents: "History is never absolute truth. It isn't just the thing that was. It's the thing that could have been." It's a lovely sentiment and transcends Katie's memory to Martine's loss.

In ways the reader will not expect the two are brought together which makes the ending that much more bittersweet. I loved Katie, loved her dad and all the memories of her mother. I thought the mystery of Martine was authentic and interesting and the way that Katie followed it, with help of the coolest librarian ever, to be quite engaging. The supporting cast also stands out well from Danny (boyfriend material) to Olson, the man who might very well have all the answers. The ending is about as good as it gets making Nothing but Ghosts one of those classic summer success stories. The adventure here might be small, but it's a trip worth taking.