I absolutely loved this story! It was so much fun! It has that great creepy feel you want in this kind of story and lots of twists and turns. They deal with some darker subject matter and would definitely look into the trigger warnings if you are someone who gets triggered. I was actually a little surprised at how dark it was considering it was a YA, but it made me love it even more! I would definitely recommend!

I was so thrilled when I saw this cover and read the blurb. Ghostbusters and Mean Girls-sign me up! However, something happened in part one that I felt was unnecessary (no spoilers) and after that I just didn’t care anymore. There are some great reviews for this one and I hate leaving negative reviews but it just didn’t work for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. .

I don’t read much YA horror (or YA anything for that matter) but the synopsis for The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter piqued my interest enough to pick it up. Unfortunately though, despite a fresh premise, it still falls victim to a lot of the typical YA tropes that have put me off the genre.

I won’t sugarcoat it – this was very nearly a DNF for me. In the first half of the book, there is SO MUCH dark subject matter just thrown at the reader as an aside. Sexual assault, hoarding, bullying, suicide attempts…all within the first two chapters and just sprinkled in seemingly apropos of nothing. A few of these elements do eventually tie back in, and I am glad that I finished the book so that I could see those things slot into the overall plot and not be treated as throwaway moments, but it was still a LOT.

Anna doesn’t seem terribly concerned about any of these things outside of how they directly impact her and her ability to bone down with her crush. Until the last third or so of the novel, she’s a completely stereotypical, self-absorbed teenage girl, embarrassed by her father and engrossed in her own bullshit. It does eventually make sense in the context of the plot, but considering that this is her personality for most of the novel, I didn’t care much once things finally started shifting and she became more sympathetic. The characters overall felt very flat to me, so I didn’t find anything to really connect with.

I didn’t hate this novel, but it failed to hold my interest for more than a couple chapters at a time. There are some decent moments here, but largely I felt bogged down by all of the depressing subject matter treated in such a blasé manner for most of the novel, and it took far too long for everything to coalesce into a cohesive climax.

Credit where credit is due though, I really appreciate that the author/publisher/whoever have included a list of content warnings at the bottom of the Goodreads synopsis (at least for the Kindle edition). I’ve added them (along with a couple others I felt were worth a mention) below.

Trigger warning for suicide, suicide ideation, bullying, mental illness, self-harm, animal cruelty, predatory and abusive adults in positions of power.

This one totally kept me interested throughout reading it. I want to get myself a finished copy.

Great book for horror or teen fiction fans. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

Excellent read. Highly recommend it. I will be putting this on my shelves for student check out. If you like YA horror and paranormal reads then this book is for you.

❝ “Why is there holy water in the fridge?” She wiped her tongue down with a napkin. “It tastes weird.” ❞

When I found this book I was really excited about the potential Supernatural vibes and romance angles. Unfortunately, I didn’t get too much of those. It wasn’t that the Ghost Hunter’s Daughter was bad, it just didn’t build on the supernatural angle as much as I would’ve liked compared to some other elements.

Our main character is Anna a teenager who lost her mother at a young age due to a paranormal entity. Her father, Jack, has buried himself in his work as a paranormal investigator since then (and is a total hoarder). All in all, Anna’s social life is pretty nonexistent due to everything and her only true friends are Freddy and Dor.

I actually really liked the friendship angle of the story. I liked the whole Freddy, Dor, and Anna against the world thing—although it feels like they didn’t make as many appearances as I would’ve liked. There’s some tension in the group and Anna senses that Freddy might have feelings for her but that Dor might be into him as well. Plus, as the story progresses, Anna gets more wrapped up in her own problems and ends up neglecting her friends, which unfortunately takes a bit of the enjoyment out of the book. I really wanted to see more of them solving the mystery as friends. We do get some of that again towards the end, so at least there’s that!

❝ “I have the strongest sense of déjà vu,” she said.

“Some people think that’s a sign, that you’re right where you’re supposed to be.” ❞

I also enjoyed the paranormal angle of the story. I liked that some of the usual terminology was explained throughout the book, but without info-dumping. Besides one or two incidents, however, the story was a bit lacking in major paranormal activity. Part of that, I think was because of the direction the plot took, but I also would’ve loved to see more of Anna using haunted objects or solving cases with her father.

As far as the plot goes, it was a little cloudy. I didn’t really know right away what the plot was, and it made the story feel a bit aimless and slow for a while. When we finally figured out what was going on, I actually really liked what was done. I liked that it came back around to something mentioned before and that there was some closure for the characters.

Overall, this was an interesting story and good if you want something easy to breeze through. Just be aware that it can be a little slow.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Good horror books are hard to find. Decent YA horror books are impossible to find.

This novel relied heavily on everything high school, involving some pretty cringe-y moments. The pacing was pretty slow as well. Once again, I was lured in by an exciting cover!

I flew through this book but when I went to describe it to someone the next day the only salient summary I could give wase Ghostbusters meets hoarders by way of the Xfiles episode Syzygy.
As junior year approaches, a rare solar storm lights up the night skies and the citizens of Bloomtown begin to act strangely: Anna's teachers lash out, her best friends withdraw, and the school bullies go from mean to murderous. When Anna realizes she can harness this evil power, she sets out to save Bloomtown and the only family she has left.
I really engaged with several of the characters and was swept along with the story.
I think the main problem for me was that I really didn't like Anna- the protagonist. I thought she was selfish, self-obsessed and didn't really redeem herself, even if she did manage to get to her friend in the nick of time.
The supernatural element was great and the descriptions were graphic and mesmerising but Anna (and Genevra) sort of spoiled it for me.

I received this book free from Netgalley for an honest review.

I’m sorry, I no longer have access to this title to read and review it for you.

This book unfortunately wasn't my cup of tea so I did end up DNF'ing the book. I was attracted to the plot of this book but unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

Anna is the outcast daughter of a ghost hunter father. Her mother was possessed and committed suicide. I really enjoyed this tale of a girl finding her own strength when her town was faced with a supernatural danger. Everyone else doesn't believe in the things she does, so they aren't able to put a stop to it all, but the outcast girl comes to the rescue and I enjoyed reading it.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I really wanted to love this book. It was incredibly well written, and had a premise that I really loved. Unfortunately this book was just not for me. The author did such a great job at fully realizing an exaggerated level of anxiety (more than is already heightened for teens) that it made me vibrate with sympathetic anxiety. I would feel my heart race and I think that is just a little too much for me now a days. I hated high-school and my teenage years when I was there and this just hit a little too close to home for me. Otherwise though an excellent book that was very well written.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, East Side Press and Caroline Flarity for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book I just couldn't put down.

We first start the novel with Anna Fagan (AKA Goblin Girl) waking to a Trickster (the least dangerous type of spirit attachment) waking her up the day before the anniversary of her mother's death. We then meet her father, Jack, a hoarder to the highest degree. He's also a veteran paranormal investigator. Anna only has two loyal friends, Freddy and Dor.

As their junior year approaches, a rare solar storm lights the night sky and the citizens of her hometown begin acting really strange: Anna's best friends withdraw, her teachers lash out, and the school bullies go from mean to murderous. She realizes that she and only she can stop the evil growing in her New Jersey hometown. But she must first stop her own dark thoughts.

There were several trigger warnings: suicide, possession, suicide ideation, mental illness, bullying, self-harm, animal cruelty, and abusive adults in power.

I don’t even know how to approach this.

I really wanted to like <u>The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter</u>, especially since the cover is so eye catching to me. It gave me <i>Ghostbusters</i> vibes, in a strange and unusual way. I was here for it.

What I got was a little bit of . . . nothing.

I admit I didn’t finish it completely. I DNF around the 30% mark. Maybe more happened in the second half, who knows. I just know I was struggling and I can’t keep forcing myself. Which sucks, because maybe the book did have potential.

It’s blurbed as being for older teens, but it felt very juvenile to me. Maybe more of the lower end of YA but not quite middle grade yet. Not horror, at all. Definitely supernatural, as there was something in that regard. It was just nothing like I was expecting after reading the blurb.

Anna really got under my skin. Yes, her father was a hoarder and I can completely relate with the embarrassment of the clutter and what-not . . . I just feel she was very self absorbed and just wanted to complain about everything.

I was expecting something <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer </i>-esque, but alas that was not the case. I was just let down. I’m sure it will be a hit with others who are more into the supernatural element, but it wasn’t for me.

I definitely see the comparisons with the show "Supernatural". There are demons and possessions and just overall creepy things.

I didn't find the YA story thrilling but enjoyed the topic enough for 3 stars. The main character shows increased maturity over the course of the story. She learns to appreciate her dad and friends, while not bowing to the bullies.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Due to unexpected content (death of animal after losing my Luna not too long ago), I was not able to finish The Ghost Hunter's Daughter.

I enjoyed reading this book. Both the story and characters are interesting. It was creepy, suspenseful, and dark. And that is a good thing. This is the first book I've read by this author and I would read future books by this author. I recommend it. It's a great read.

I highly recommend this book. Fell in love with main character from very beginning. She is quirky which I love. The plot kept my interest and I would definitely read more by this author.

Thanks NetGalley for the Arc!

Can you image growing up with cursed objects, and demons? I can't but Anna did just that.
Her father is a paranormal investigator (something that has always fascinated me) but they don't focus all that much on the paranormal but rather the supernatural as a tie in to the story, which was disappointing but it did a little.

However, what pleasantly surprised me was how the book dealt with grief. Anna's mother had killed herself because she thought she was possessed by a demon. The grief that her father and herself deal with is spot on.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would