Review: Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan

March 20, 2012

Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan: Daisy is finally managing to fit in at the new school where she’s a sophomore. No one here knows her checkered past, or the awful secret of her freakish nature. No one, that is but her best friend, Danielle.

Danielle doesn’t care that Daisy is odd, lives in a trailer park and doesn’t own a TV, laptop or even the basic necessity for any teen – a cell phone. She gets it.

Daisy is a powerhouse. Literally. She can think the lights on, or fry an entire room of computer equipment with a sneeze. Which is why she left her last school. She isn’t really a troublemaker that her permanent file makes her out to be. But, with a lot of meditation and breathing exercises she’s managed to get her gift (or more likely, curse) under control. Or has she?

When Daisy’s favorite English teacher sends her after a classmate, Vivi, Daisy’s world becomes topsy-turvy. Vivian is being haunted, after Daisy befriends Vivi, so are she and Danielle.

The only good thing happening in Daisy’s life right now is swoon-worthy, senior, Kevin, likes her and becomes her boyfriend.

Vivi’s ghost, the haunting of both Daisy and Danielle, a mysterious haunted house and Daisy’s electrifying nature all collide to make a book unlike any I’ve ever read.

Gift is a truly magnificent creation of storyline, character and atmosphere. I literally was surprised by plot twist more than once. This book is a combination of murder mystery, contemporary fantasy and horror. (This is an e-book only publication. I also understand that the iPad version has interactive features such as moving text, live links to a character’s Facebook page and music. None of these features were available on my Nook version.)

Upon completion of the novel portion of the book, there is also a short graphic novel from Vivi’s point of view, followed by pages torn from Danielle’s diary. While interesting, I don’t feel they added much to the already completed novel, but just reiterated what the reader already witnessed.

This is a highly recommended book. Run out and get it if you like ghost stories. Or even if you don’t.

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Note: I received an ARC of Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan for review from NetGalley.