Review: The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Title: The Dead and Buried 

Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher:  Scholastic Point
Publishing Date: January 1st 2013

Pages: 304
Genre:  YA Supernatural Mystery 

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Paperback ARC 

  

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

I love a good mystery and I love a good ghost story. This book had both. The book wasn’t quite as creepy as I would have liked but it was enough to keep my mind thinking and turning. The mystery was a good one for sure. It had me guessing all the way until the last couple of chapters. I did figure it out before Jade did but I am sure the book was meant to lead me there. The book was very fast paced and exciting. Never a dull moment for me.

Jade lost her mother as a young girl and shortly after her father remarried and shortly after that they had a baby boy. Jade has a new family. She loves her father, tolerates her step mother, and cherishes her little brother. Everything seems to be going as it should when her father decides to move them to a new town, bigger house, and a busier high school. Shortly after moving in, Jade finds out her house is haunted by a mean girl from the high school she is now attending. The ghost is mad, someone murdered her and she wants to know who. Now Jade must live the ghost’s past life to uncover the secrets behind her death before the ghost seeks havoc on Jade’s family.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a very short read that kept my attention through the entire book. Although it was a quick and easy read, I didn’t feel like anything was missing or rushed as I do many short books. I liked the story line and the characters and it was easy for me to get wrapped up in the mystery as well as the high school drama. I did enjoy the high school drama, the romance, the family issues… but the mystery is what really held me to the book. I just had to know who did it.

The mystery was written well in my opinion. I admit I am not the best at figuring it out and I am easily entertained by mysteries. They always get me, but this one really had my mind going in circles. I really thought I had it figured out like 4 times. In the end I got it… right before Jade did. So I am not sure how much that counts. I am pretty sure I got it at the time the author wanted me to.  Anyways, it was fun, creepy, and very puzzling. Just like I like them.

The characters were fun too. I liked them and they were far from flat, I didn’t get as attached as I normally do but I think it was due to being so focused on the mystery. I can say that I did fall a bit for Donovan, and Colby stole my heart.

Jade was a good character. She lost her mother when she was very young and not long after that, her father remarried. She wasn’t ready for a replacement mother or a new family but in a few short years she got both. Not longer after her father remarried, Colby, a new little brother arrived. Jade isn’t so close to her stepmother but she loves Colby. I enjoyed watching the relationship between the 5 year old and Jade. She was very protective over him, sweet, caring. It was wonderful to see. Jade didn’t believe in ghosts and when she heard her brother talking about some girl in the house, she had a hard time believing him until she learned of the death in the house. The only moment that Jade really bothered me was when she had a fit about not being told the house had a death possibly a murder. I know that it would be creepy to live in a house with that kind of past, but I felt that she could have understood why her father and step mother did not disclose this info to her.
I also enjoyed the relationship between Jade and Donovan. I really liked Donovan. He didn’t quite steel my heart like Colby, but he was definitely swoon worthy. Sweet and brooding, a loner. The way he treated Jade and handled others was amazing to me. He has been through some tough times and he let it shape him instead of define him. He was a great love interest for Jade, they balanced each other out and worked well together.
The book really is full of great stuff and I am thrilled I read it. It was a very fast paced read and I had a very hard time putting it down. A book I couldn’t stop thinking about when I couldn’t read it.

If you like contemporary romance, ghosts, and a good mystery, pick this book up. I am sure you will enjoy it.