Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Kimberly G. Giarratano / Grunge Gods and Graveyards


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA/Thriller/Paranormal

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Kimberly G. Giarratano, a forever Jersey girl, now lives in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and small children. A former teacher and YA librarian, Kimberly adores Etsy, Jon Stewart, The Afghan Whigs, '90s nostalgia, and (of course) everything YA. She also speaks Spanish, but is woefully out of practice.”

Description:

“Parted by death. Tethered by love.

Lainey Bloom’s high school senior year is a complete disaster. The popular clique, led by mean girl Wynter Woods, bullies her constantly. The principal threatens not to let her graduate with the class of 1997 unless she completes a major research project. And everyone blames her for the death of Wynter’s boyfriend, Danny Obregon.

Danny, a gorgeous musician, stole Lainey’s heart when he stole a kiss at a concert. But a week later, he was run down on a dangerous stretch of road. When he dies in her arms, she fears she’ll never know if he really would have broken up with Wynter to be with her.

Then his ghost shows up, begging her to solve his murder. Horrified by the dismal fate that awaits him if he never crosses over, Lainey seeks the dark truth amidst small town secrets, family strife, and divided loyalties. But every step she takes toward discovering what really happened the night Danny died pulls her further away from the beautiful boy she can never touch again.”

Appraisal:

While on the surface Grunge Gods and Graveyards is a ghost story with the common story conflict that the spirit in question is in limbo and needs something resolved before he can cross over to the other side, the story is much more than that. At its heart, it is a mystery. It’s a story about friendship and living as an outcast from the popular crowd. It shines a light on the good and bad of small town life. And last, as you might expect with the word grunge in the title, there is a subtle theme of the power of music to bring people together. An enjoyable read.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues


Rating: **** Four stars