So as I have said many times before - I am cover reader. I base most of my reading decisions on book covers and this is something that generally works for me and doesn't usually disappoint. This book was another cover read.

My only issue with this one was a personal one. I felt it was a little dark and I wasn't really in the head space to read this particular book. That being said, the author's way of writing and portraying trauma and how Dani as a character finds a way to overcome hers and find power and her own voice are relatively well done though not perfect. At times there does seem to be a bit too much going on, but the issues the author conveys are important ones for all people and readers out there to try and read and understand more about. Trauma isn't just an adult emotion/experience. And though some might find it a little dark for the age group, I think it is good for teens to see their experience portrayed through the characters they read, though I would definitely recommend to anyone through readers advisory to check trigger warnings and maybe read a synopsis about the story first.

I am always a sucker for the ghost whisperer characters "I see dead people" is a detail that I love. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot was a huge favorite of mine growing up. I like the call back to that mixed with a little more substance.

Not my favorite read, but I also wasn't disappointed by it either.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. This is a YA book about a girl Dani who can see ghosts, and helps to avenge their deaths. Violet Ghosts is about trauma, and finding peace with yourself and finding true friends.

Some parts of the book were relatable and had raw emotions, but other parts were a little boring and predictable. Overall I liked the read. Thomas has a good writing style and their characters are pretty fleshed out.

1.75/5
If the goal of the book was to make me uncomfortable and depressed, well Author, you succeeded. In “Violent Ghosts” Leah Thomas hit us with some very hard, hitting traumas right off the bat on and off the page that can definitely impact readers psyche while reading this book. I was honestly haunted by the events and had a very hard time finishing this book, when I initially started reading this from that galley. I had to come back to it because it kept bothering me, not knowing what was going to happen, so in that regard, I guess this was a brilliant device on the authors part. Definitely don’t recommend reading it if you were sensitive to child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, suicide. Having experienced many of these traumas, this book basically made me feel like I had to revisit therapy because of how triggered I was. So all in all this book definitely was not for me. I read so that I can escape my realities not so, I can dwell in the past and sit in this filth that was my upbringing. No hard feelings towards the author. This book just really upset me.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

This is a story about the ghosts who answer after dark.

I’ve taken ages to post this review because this book had a solid formula, but just wasn’t for me. I think if I had read it years ago it would have worked for me & I definitely think it’s a solid recommendation for younger YA readers.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Bloomsbury YA for the eARC!

I didn't quite know how to feel about this one. It's a lot--it's pretty bleak, with lots of horrible things happening to people. I've read other bleak books this year, so I'm wondering if it's a trend or just my reading habits. I feel like one thing I need to remind myself of with this book is what the world was like in 2002 compared to today with trans issues. Not that today is any utopia, but even I have to admit my views were different then than now. I don't know. I feel like I need to sit with this one for a while.

I don't think I've ever read a book like this one. Not in a good or bad way but it definitely stands out. Definitely read the trigger warnings for this book, it contains very heavy material. I loved reading about the dynamics between the characters, and I never really anticipated what the next plot point was, though it wasn't overly complicated. When I first started reading, I thought it would be a story about a kid who grows up and meets ghosts and how he interacts with them as he grows older. And that is what the book is about- kind of. It definitely has to do with the ghosts relationships with Dani and how they develop but there's more to it than that. There's innerturmoil, adventure, morality conflict. It's a bit all over the place and it's a bit much but I was into it from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It felt like there was too much going on in this book: domestic violence, trans identity crisis, bullying, murder, and ghosts. The bloated story line didn't leave room for character development.

This is a really hard one to review--I love Leah Thomas's writing, but this was difficult to read. The description doesn't really give a full picture of all of the trigger warnings, and there are many, and I was really unsettled by a lot of it.

This books is so hard for me to review. It is about how Dani his plagued by not just physical ghosts, but trauma and worry for the future. The tag warnings are no joke for this book, and Thomas can definitely emotionally impact the reader with her writing. I am not trans, but I empathized so much with Dani that I had to take breaks with reading.

I like Dani as a character, and I'm not really sure how to phrase this, but I did not feel that the trans representation is authentic to what the book is being marketed. It felt like the only reason Dani is trans to cause tension between him and Sarah and to tell other narratives through Sarah than to tell an authentic trans story.

Overall this is an important book, and I'm sure others will get more out of this than me. This is not a happy book, and not all books have to be. I just struggled with reading it, and some aspects did not sit well with me even after finishing it and waiting to review it. 2.5/5 stars

I was hesitant to read "Violet Ghosts" based on other reviews claiming it is "joyless" and "soulless." And after reading the very jarring first chapter, I nearly threw in the towel myself.

But by the end of the book, my opinion has changed completely.

This book deals with incredibly difficult subject matter, from domestic abuse to molestation, and the trigger warnings provided certainly should not be taken lightly.

But to call the work "soulless" is a disservice to this incredible story.

I found joy in the way that Danny learns that first impressions are often incorrect, or at the very least incomplete. I found joy in the way that Patricia and Seiji accept Danny without hesitation, and support his transition unconditionally.

And I absolutely found joy in getting to know these characters. And I fell in love with each and every one of them.

Was this a difficult read? Definitely. But it was also one that I found rewarding, especially regarding its discussion of important trans and woman's issues.

And the fact that the writing is engaging and highly consumable is just the icing on the cake.

Sometimes when I go to write a review I'm not sure where to begin... this is one of those times, so forgive me if I'm scatterbrained a bit. There is a lot happening in this book, a lot of necessary trigger warnings, all for a very dark story. I absolutely loved that one of the central characters Dani is Transgender... and that they can also communicate with ghosts. This book was a lot heavier than I expected, but an important story about being ones true self and acceptance.

After several people have read and reviewed this book, I’m now aware of many trigger warnings and have decided not to read and review this book.

Approved with less than 24 hours to download, so I missed the window. I was really excited for a trans character and ghosts to be in the same book.

This is a difficult book to review. There is so much happening in the book so make sure that you check the trigger warnings because there is a lot of dark stuff in this book. It's difficult to summarize what happens in the story, because there is so much going on, but the gist of it is that is Dani, a trans teen, is able to communicate with ghosts, and by the time he meets his best friend Sarah, she's been long dead. He is scared to tell he he is trans because he thinks she'll stop haunting him if he does. This was a really difficult read for me and despite the fun cover, turned out to be something other than what I expected. It does explore gender in a unique was and for that I give it 3.5 stars.

This is a dark story and at times hard to read. The book deals with sexual assault and violence, murder, and toxic relationships which may be triggering for some readers. While the story does have some brighter moments there is a lot of loss and difficulty on the way. That said the characters are well written and I was impressed with the character development. The characters confront difficult things and learn to better trust and support each other was interesting as some are human and some are ghosts. This was particularly interesting with the ghosts and seeing how they could change in some ways but their untimely deaths also halted some changes. The ending was well written and hopeful, which was satisfying to read after all the main characters had been through.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.

No Rating If Possible — Did Not Finish

i was really really excited to read this book!! the cover was really eye-catching, and the description even moreso. a trans protagonist? ghosts? murder and mystery? that sounds super fun! and at first, i was genuinely enjoying the character interactions and writing. however, i was only a few pages in when i went to add this book on goodreads and saw many many reviews listing trigger warnings and to take them seriously. after reading the many trigger warning lists and spoiler-free reviews, i decided to dnf this book for my own mental health.

i see absolutely nothing wrong with writing about these topics, however, a trigger warning at the beginning of this book would be greatly appreciated because they are so heavy and serious, and the blurb made me believe i was signing onto a book that, while still was a little weighty, was a lot more fun.

trigger warning list (although i believe some may be missing according to reviews i've looked at)

2.5 rounded up to 3

TW: sexual assault, rape, murder, physical abuse, suicide, transphobia, homophobia, dead-naming

Despite its darker subject matter, Violet Ghosts is a quick read that simultaneously follows Dani’s coming-of-age narrative as a trans boy while also serving as a paranormal drama/thriller. I enjoyed the book most when its focus was solely on Dani and his relationships with the people in his life, as well as exploring his gender identity and sexuality. However, I’d have to say overall there weren’t any characters I felt strongly about nor did I love the paranormal plot line, which was often tedious and a struggle to get through.

Given the heavy topics explored in the novel, I also wasn’t expecting the writing style to sound so juvenile most of the time. This unfortunately often took me out of the story, especially during instances like calling an abuser “****head ****ington.” I felt the novel could have been a much more hard-hitting discussion on abuse, power dynamics, and trauma but instead Violet Ghosts seems more concerned with glossing over each of these in a passive manner.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Books for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't enjoy this book whatsoever and that's unfortunate because it seemed to be right up my ally.

let me just start off by saying it actually wasn't a bad book. It's just that due to past experiences I had, certain things in this book really bothered me. Of course that's a personal thing and i'm not going to go into detail about it, but I just needed to get that out there since it probably affected my enjoyment.

With that said though, I also felt no connection to the characters and found most of it really boring ; again that might have been due to my personal feelings.

overall not for me, but not necessary a bad book.