Review: Second Verse by Jennifer Walkup

Title: Second Verse 
Author: Jennifer Walkup

Publisher:  Luminis Books 
Publishing Date: October 1st 2013

Pages: 288
Genre:  YA Mystery Thriller

Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC 

  

Bad things come in threes. In Shady Springs, that includes murder.

Murder Now
Lange Crawford’s move to Shady Springs, Pennsylvania, lands her a group of awesome friends, a major crush on songwriter Vaughn, and life in a haunted, 200-year-old farmhouse. It also brings The Hunt: an infamous murder mystery festival where students solve a fake, gruesome murder scheme during the week of Halloween. Well, supposedly fake.

Murder Then
Weeks before The Hunt, Lange and her friends hold a séance in the farmhouse’s eerie barn. When a voice rushes through, whispering haunting words that only she and Vaughn can hear, Lange realizes it's begging for help. The mysterious voice leads Lange and Vaughn to uncover letters and photos left behind by a murdered girl, Ginny, and they become obsessed with her story and the horrifying threats that led to her murder.

Murder Yet to Come
But someone doesn’t like their snooping, and Lange and Vaughn begin receiving the same threats that Ginny once did. The mysterious words from the barn become crucial to figuring out Ginny's past and their own, and how closely the two are connected. They must work fast to uncover the truth or risk finding out if history really does repeat itself.

I was excited for this book after seeing it around and was so thrilled to receive the ARC in the mail. I couldn't wait to open it up and dive in. The book was a good read. The thrills started right from the start and carried on right through to the end. 

Lange Crawford has recently moved to a new town, new house, new school. She has made some friends, found a crush, and seems to be adjusting pretty well. The local high school seniors run a murder mystery hunt around Halloween, to get things off to a good start, the festivities start in the barn at Lange's house with a seance. Then things get weird. Lange finds herself being stalked, threatened, and so much more. The only way that Lange can solve the mystery of the one behind her threats is to solve a murder that happened almost 80 years ago. 

I liked how the story started off quickly and I was grabbed immediately. I liked the characters and I liked the story. The book was very fast paced and a lot was going on, maybe a little too much. I loved the story of old murder and I loved how it tied in to Lange. I was very happy with story and its development; however close to the end I did feel the story veer a bit into a resolution I didn't quite feel. I was happy to see the story go in the opposite direction of where I saw it going, but I wish it would have been a bit simpler. I never saw it coming. I can say that this book had me on my toes most of the way through. I was able to predict a few things but not even close to the end. 

The characters were alright. I liked the main character, Lange.  She was cool. Smart and independent. I also liked a few of the supporting characters. I did feel that the supporting characters were a bit cliche. I didn't mind so much because the main characters, Lang and Vaughn. They were original, like their names. I liked the relationship between the two. It wasn't real quick but it didn't develop slow. Their relationship was a main part of the story and it played its part very well. 

The story was a quick read and it was very enjoyable. I was never bored and felt very invested in the story. I think my only complaint was the ending. It felt a bit too much and a bit muddled but the story was worth the read. 

Good solid read. I would recommend this book anyone who likes a good mystery thriller with a bit of supernatural thrown in. Its a great book for a Halloween read.