#BookReview - Haunted by @EileenMaksym #ReviewShare #YA #Paranormal

Haunted by Eileen Maksym
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

The beginning chapters of this book were not appealing to me. I was close to giving up. The characters seemed juvenile and dialogue is not the author’s best skill. The only thing that kept me going was the ghosts itself and who they were. I half expected a scene straight out of The Others (Nicole Kidman) where the ghosts did not know they were ghosts. Did Haunted turn out like this? Read it to find out.

The three main characters aren’t easy to connect with. At least one is moody and changes moods sooner than you turn a page, while the others seem to be placed in the story to aid her. However, it is easy to empathise with her because you know she is trying to find answers as much as the reader wants to know them.

Haunted by Eileen Maksym is a successful young adult paranormal story which maintains suspense for the reader. I only felt that the plot could have been further enhanced as it was underdeveloped because of the length of the story.

Would I recommend this read? Yes but don't expect too much. This is not a full length novel and as far as I know it is the author's first book.

Overall assessment:
Content: 3.5/5
Editing: 4/5
Formatting: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5

Offensive content?: Based on language and settings, I would recommend this book for anyone aged 13 and above.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obliged to write a positive one.

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7 Questions with #Author Eileen Maksym @EileenMaksym #YA #Paranormal

1. Tell us a bit about your family.

My husband Pete is an astrophysicist.  He studies black holes, searching the skies for the telltale burst of x-rays that results from a star being gobbled up.  Our son Kolbe is nine, a great student, musically talented, and a really sweet little guy.  Our daughter Josie is seven, an advanced reader, a talented artist and more energetic than should be humanly possible!

2. How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I have a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. stuck to my desk: “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Every day that I feel paralyzed by self-doubt and fear (and it happens more often than I would like) I just remember that it’s okay if I can’t fly that day.  Even if all I can do is crawl, I am moving forward.

3. What scares you the most?

I was going to say failure, but it’s really embarrassment.  I can be a very shy person, and I get mortified way too easily.

4. What makes you happiest?

My husband!  He has an incredible sense of humor, and I love geeking out over things with him!

5. What’s your greatest character strength?

I’m persistent.  No matter how tough things get, or how much I want to give up, give me a day and I’ll pick myself up and keep trying.

6. What’s your weakest character trait?

The flip side to being persistent is that I have a hard time letting things go.  I will try to get something to work past the point where I should have abandoned it.

7. Why do you write?

I played make believe constantly as a kid, and I never really stopped!

Tara Martin – exceptionally accomplished neurobiology major with a troubled past. Steven Trent – confident political science major with an irresistible attraction to Tara. Paul Stratton – history major who is able to hear spirits. Together, they make up the Society for Paranormal Researchers at their prestigious New England University. When they’re not in class or writing papers, the three friends are chasing their passion….ghosts.

When the group learns of a local retired couple trying to sell a house they claim is haunted, they decide to investigate. As the clues unfold, a familiar spirit interrupts their investigation and Tara finds her life in danger. Can her friends save her before it’s too late?

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Genre – YA paranormal, NA paranormal

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author

Connect with Eileen Maksym on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://eileenmaksym.wordpress.com/