
The Ghost’s Call (Afterlife Calls #1)
Author: K.C. Adams
3 out of 5 stars
Niamh and her late husband were ghost hunters, but after his death, she quit to focus on their daughter. Ten years later, her daughter, Edie, is 17 and wants to get involved in ghost hunting. Their arguments about it come to a head when an earthquake seems to release multiple spirits in town. When Edie decides to investigate on her own with her friend Josh, Niamh has no choice but to get involved too. And the stakes rise even higher when multiple people are possessed.
Overall, I liked the characters and thought they were mostly well written. The relationships were also realistic. Niamh and Edie can see spirits, which is how Niamh got involved in ghost hunting. Edie is now 17 and thinks she’s basically an adult and should be allowed to get involved. Niamh, of course, sees it differently, which causes friction and arguments. Something relatable for many parents of teenagers. But you can still tell that they usually have a close relationship. They are good friends with another family, the Morgans. The mother, Maggie, was childhood friends with Niamh. Josh, Maggie’s son, is the same age as Edie, and they’re close friends. Edie also has a crush on Josh, which is a subplot throughout the book.
This biggest problems with this story was the lack of tension. The big climax that the story is building to involves a member of the Morgan family being possessed. The characters say this is an urgent matter, and they need to get the spirit out of them before the spirit kills the living soul. However, the way it’s written, I didn’t feel the urgency or any kind of suspense about it, because the characters don’t seem to feel it. They’re working on it, but the possession never feels like the main focus until right at the end.
There were some other smaller problems too. Some of the chapters had abrupt endings. At one point in the story, Edie realizes that one of her classmates is probably possessed, but doesn’t tell her mom, just because she is one of Edie’s bullies, which just didn’t fit with the sense I had of her character.
Due to the issues I mentioned, I’m rating this book 3 out of 5 stars. If you like books about the paranormal that also have a focus on family relationships, then you’ll enjoy this book.
Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094W8G8WR
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)