Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this one! From the super appropriate timing for release (it IS October, and all things with a SPOOKY tinge rule, and yes, this has it in spades!) to the family heritage shared (fascinating learning about a culture!), the bigger back story that allows you to really get into it to the characters themselves (both alive, and not so much!) that bring you along for the ride to the lessons learned along the way (such as asking for help is not a sign of weakness!), everything feels real, has that tangibility that only comes from great storytelling.

I really felt for Theo as he seemed so locked in by his "talent", but he handled it with hard earned maturity, and more responsibility than most adults could/would. What he tried to do for the spirits left behind was commendable, even if he didn't always seek assistance where assistance was MORE than warranted. Issa was also a curiosity to me...one of the scenes I remember most was the aquarium and how she charmed the sea animals seemingly without trying, and yet could be so easily taken over by a rogue spirit for better or worse. It seemed she had two halves of a wicked powerful stone that didn't add up to much freedom either. All of the Aunties leave their mark as well, but if I start listing them out, we'll be here all night. My point is, the entire Tatterly family is remarkable in their own way, but they also remind us that that which makes them remarkable, whether asked for or not, comes at a price. They were all too happy to "pay" it, but would YOU be?

Now, let's get into a little TOP FIVE action with the author herself as we tackle your favorite subject and mine...BOOKS!

Theo Tatterly sees ghosts everywhere which can make it difficult to act like a "normal" 12 Y.O. He does his best to keep his head down and not garner too much attention from the non magical folks. Until an exorcism goes wrong and he needs to fight for his family's home against gentrifyers and confederate ghosts.

The cover and synopsis grabbed me from the beginning. I almost quit with all the characters to keep straight at the beginning but I’m glad I hung in! Theo, our main character, is an outcast who can see and talk with ghosts and the house is full of them! The aunts cracked me up, and are certainly entertaining! The main premise is to rid the house of passed family members but since when do things go as planned? The story is a lot of fun and things were wrapped up nicely. I’d certainly read more from this author.

So the premise for this one sounded really intriguing. Young Theo is a medium and comes from a big family of mostly dead relatives. When his family line is being threatened they have to come together to save their home.

My issue was while this book had a lot of interesting elements it was incredibly slow paced. To the point where it felt longer than the actual page count and lost me a few times during reading. At first it feels very slice of life about this boy and his quirky family. I saw the vision of what the author was trying to do using history and ancestry and the importance of family but I wasn't a fan of the execution.

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in the beginning trying to learn all about the characters. There are a lot of characters in this book and I feel like we had to learn about all of them at once. I got into it towards the middle. I enjoyed Theo and his abilities! The ending felt a little rushed and I got a little confused in some parts, but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend!

Thank you so much to Union Square Kids and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Theo is a medium, his whole family come from a long generational line of magic wielders and mediums. After a failed exorcism things go very wrong for his family and the living and dead relatives must come together to save the family line and home.

This was sadly really hard for me to get into, it was so slowly paced and it didn’t capture my attention. It didn’t really draw me into the world at any point and certain parts seemed to last longer than they needed too. I kept waiting for more to happen than it did and it felt really slow before we did get anything exciting.

I did like Theo and thought he was interesting, he wielded the most interesting gift with being a medium and wanting to help as many spirits as he could to pass over. He also was able to tell the difference in how long a spirit had been dead and if they wanted to pass on or not, it was really clever. He was really sweet, I liked that he really loved his family both living and dead and when he needed to unite them to save them he had the ability too. He was also really clever in how he hid that he was talking to ghosts, he had everything he needed with him at all times and I liked how thought out his character was.

I did find the aunts way too much, they were really annoying and quite rude honestly and there was a bit too much of them. They wouldn’t include Theo in anything, they were very wrapped up in themselves and didn’t seem to have much time to dedicate to him and just snubbed him at every turn. I wasn’t a fan of them from the start, which is sad with how much Theo actually loved them.

This wasn’t a book that I was able to get into or enjoy which is such a shame, however that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it. I actually think lots of people would enjoy it, It has a lot going for it with the really unique and interesting plot line, all the ghosts, the magic, the family connection and the dramatic turn of events. I think that some one will pick this up and be so engrossed in it and really enjoy it.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a middle-grade magical fiction that for me, could have been better - I quite liked the main character, Theo, and his family, but that's about where it ended. I felt it was unbalanced - it had some bits that could have been great for the plot if the worldbuilding was stronger which really let it down - events became far fetched and a real stretch because there wasn't enough detail in the build up to draw you in. I seriously considered not finishing it. I think that perhaps another 50 pages would have given it the space it needed to build everything a little more vividly and then it would have been quite good.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


We all have family members who are a bit too much and are always on someone else's business. Imagine not being able to escape them and needing their help. This is Theo's story. It is fun, will challenge your emotions and thoughts about ghosts and family dynamics. It is a good read.

*Thank you netgally for giving this copy to review*

Theo can see ghosts and it not just him but his whole family have a connection with spirits. I enjoy reading about the different Generation a living in the house. I love seeing that beautiful moments with Theo and his Nana because even she saying she want be his for long.

Definitely interesting see the way Theo hide the way he talk to ghost and learn that some move on and other are okay with just being her watching and protecting Innocent people.

One of my issues is the pacing, it like at the hight of the book and just drop gor 50+ pages. Another things the aunties they were just soo annoying, keeping kids our adult business Definitely understand but getting made when they don't know it.

Quick read , would like to see where this goes next

I was really excited for this based on the description but was unable to get into it. After 5 chapters, I didn’t feel like I knew what was going on so I left the rest unread.

The aunts are a handful lot! And there are a lot of characters you have to catch up with in the first few chapters but it’s so worth it and you will enjoy the book best in the later half.

The writing is fun and enjoyable. The characters do stand out and there won’t be much confusion when it comes to their parts.

This is the story of Theo who has the ability to see ghosts and talk with them. But he is an outcast otherwise.

I would be damn annoyed if all these ghosts pester me all the time like they do in the story, most of all, because they are the aunts you wouldn’t be able to ignore! Poor Theo! But it’s the best parts of the story too!

The central plot deals with exorcism to put an end to the family line by bringing all the members gone and alive together to save his home. However, things aren’t as easy as planned and Theo gets to meet other surprising paranormal characters on the way.

Things do get chaotic yet entertaining and adventurous.

When you get to know more of the characters and the House of Tatterly, this book gets much more engaging and enjoyable towards the second half.

Good closure for the ending which I really appreciate for such stories, I would definitely recommend this fun read.

Thank you, Union Square Kids/Sterling Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

This was such a fun and lightly spooky read. I enjoyed our main character and the execution of the story. This is enjoyable for kids and adults.