13132403Title: 17 & Gone

Author: Nova Ren Suma

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication Date: March 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Paranormal

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Synopsis can be found here.
I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

An eerie tale of haunting.

Lauren is haunted by missing girls, lots of them. She dreams of them. She speaks to them. And they speak to her. All 17 & missing. Lauren is 17 now too. What does that mean for her?

Intriguing. The writing is beautiful and fluid, the reader is submerged into a dreamlike trance where reality and dreams blur together. Ghosts are wandering in and out of Lauren’s van, her house, her school. But what do they want? The writing is lyrical and flowing, allowing the plot to take this surreal quality. Through most of the book, I thought I knew what was happening and then suddenly, I didn’t.

I love the writing. It’s diving into murky waters, not sure which was was up. It’s holding your breath until the blackness starts creeping around the edges. It’s a dizzy feeling from a strong drink and a sidewalk stumble.  Lauren is tormented by these girls, these ghosts that haunt her. Her friendships are suffering, her romantic relationship suffers and so does her ties with her mom. These girls change everything in Lauren’s life, turning a perfectly normal teenage girl into a ghost hunter, a tormented soul.

I won’t give away the ending, but it is really well done.  I didn’t realize how fast I was reading this book until I looked up at the clock, hours later, still hungry to know what happens.

Overall, a beautifully written tale with creepy girls, stark, bleak settings and a realistic spin.

Rating 8 Cookie Worthy