Manifest by Artist Arthur

Hi all, curlypow here. This is my first review from a yet-to-be published ARC, and it was so much fun knowing that I could read this book ahead of time and tell you all about it.

Manifest by Artist Arthur

Pub Date: 08/01/2010
e-ARC courtesy of Harlequin and Net Galley

Krystal is a typical teen. Mad at her parents for getting divorced, mad at her mom for getting remarried, mad at her stepfather for trying too hard, and mad at her dad for not being around when she needs him. Then there's the fact that her mom moved her from her home and relocated to Lincoln, in the back end of nowhere. Could things get any worse? Well perhaps the fact that she is seeing, and hearing, ghosts might count.

Ricky is one of those ghosts she's talking to and he wants Krystal to find out who killed him - but where should she start? Krystal becomes friends with Sasha and Jake, two other misfits at her highschool and together they try to help find Ricky's murderer. Of course for Krystal, the fact that she's crushing on a dead guy doesn't help matters!

I have to be honest that when I started reading this I wasn't too sure about it, and I found Krystal a little annoying, but before long I was hooked. Krystal, Sasha and Jake were believable without being too over-the-top and Krystal's transition from moody to accepting was well handled. There is a good lesson in here, for both teens and adults. The mystery behind Ricky's death was somewhat startling, but I don't want say too much about it or I'll give away the story. It's an interesting and awkward subject and would make this story a great addition to our ISU list, in the social issues category. I ended up really enjoying the story. It looks as though this may turn into a series and I will look forward to reading more about these characters.