The Haunted

I'm rating this based off of enjoyment and not the actual content. I really enjoyed this (besides the ending), but I can see the problems with this book. I thought parts of this book were very terrifing (especially the beginning), but the later parts not as much. I'm not going to go into what the book is about (you can read the synopsis, or anyone else's review for that). The storyline was pretty good and for the most part I liked how the author revealed things to us. I was disappointed by the romance and am irrated there was insta love. The ending was ridiculous. I read other reviews before writing this, and I agree with them on the ending. It felt very rushed and it didn't make sense that the main character knew some of the things that she did. I do have to say I didn't guess the big reveal (great job there). I wish there had been more explanation at the end as to what happened with certain characters, but we didn't get it. The big climax was very rushed and not the best. To put it in two words (yes two), it was cheesy and cliche. The ending was more gorey and just for the sake of it. I have more thoughts but can't seem to put them inti words right now. Over all I enjoyed this book. I'm going ahead and rating it 4 stars. Would have been five if it weren't for the things I mentioned above.

I am confused. I'm feeling both heartbroken and creeped out at the same time. What a weird combination. And look - this new YA installment is actually my favorite release from this author. Granted, I've only read the first book in the Merciless. But I felt that there's something about The Haunted that reminded me of the horror media that I actually consumed so this book kind of has a special place in my heart. I can't believe it. This book was as campy as R.L. Stine's Fear Street books but The Haunted had also been as violent and gory as American Horror Story: Murder House (a little bit). Sounds interesting? Then keep on reading! The story starts with a cheesy but boring prologue. I know, I didn't even expect to like this book. It wasn't riveting, scary, nor surprising. The scene was used as a shock factor like in the first few minutes of every episode of American Horror Story. Needless to say, I wasn't completely "sucked in" the story. Additionally, writing can be awkward. I remembered reading a scene where the main character felt that she was "flying," however she was actually "sinking." Sometimes though, the writing can be pretty on point. The details of the mc's paranormal experiences and the transitions (page by page or chapter by chapter) just flowed. It was like watching the story unfold in front of me. Writing wasn't choppy and it had been easy to imagine what the author wanted to show. Our main character harboring a secret (seems very Fear Street to me). She was kind of paranoid and hoping no one will learn anything about it. I admit that I could care less about the character. Fortunately, this book's plot driven so it didn't really matter. It did not affect my reading experience in a negative way. In fact, I was more curious how the author was going to end her story. Also, there had been some missed opportunities for other characters to be more involved in the story. I just felt that some characters needed more spotlight. Trigger warnings: blood, self-harm, abuse just to name a few. All in all, I liked the story and the romance (which was what I've been wanting since the beginning) except how it was all wrapped up. I just felt that it could've been handled differently. I understand that the author wanted to write this story but I badly wanted this novel to be more than this... I was just expecting something else entirely.