Book Thoughts on Thursday: The Ghost, Christine Rains

Book Thoughts on Thursday is somewhere that I like to share with you all some of the books I've been reading lately, and why I liked them. Not officially reviews per se, but nevertheless they may inspire you to pick up something new.

 

 

This week:

The Ghost, Christine Rains

A friendly warning: Although not intentional, I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts!

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Chiharo Black lives with six supernatural tenants in a haunted building's mysterious thirteenth floor. Of course, no one knows she's there except the cats. Being a ghost can be a bit frustrating and lonely, but it isn't as bad as her mother made it out to be.

 
Until another ghost intrudes on her territory. Jeremy Emerson wants revenge on the vampire that killed him and won't stop until he has it. To top it off, a nightmarish shade sneaks in and leeches the energy from the building's residents before setting its sights on Chiharo and the thirteenth floor. She can't decide which one is more frightening: the one wanting to eat her soul or the one who might win her heart.

 
Chiharo must convince Jeremy to stand with her against the hellish parasite. If they cannot work together, the greedy fiend will not only drain their energy but everything that supports the thirteenth floor's existence.

 

 

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The Ghost was a wonderful conclusion to The 13th Floor Series. Not an actual resident of the floor, Chiharo roamed the entire building in which she has been trapped since her murder.

 

When we first meet her, she is contemplating her existence in a world where she cannot communicate with or even be seen by others.  This triggered something within me that made me wonder quite how would someone cope with this kind of solitary confinement, which it is as good as in every sense.

To be alone with only your own thoughts which you cannot share with another, drifting from one floor to the next and observing all of the lives around her without ever being able to be included in any of them. This is surely enough to send anyone crazy. But somehow she has coped.

 

The introduction of Jeremy into her existence was a shock for her, and the natural response was to get rid of him. Having been on her own for so long she seemed unable to deal with such an unexpected social dilemma.

 

Seeing her fondness and attraction grow for him though was very sweet. Having only ever been on one date, she was going through the same emotions as any other teenage girl, regardless of being a ghost. 

 

The fiend that was in pursuit of her was truly terrifying. It made me sit up in shock more than once as this unseen terror plagued the floors of her building. It was an excellent backdrop for her developing relationship and blended into the tale well.

 

My favourite part of the story, when her and Jeremy were finally visible to the rest, was a wholly satisfying end to the entire series of novellas. Having all of the residents come together in the hall for one final mention was a lovely touch, and it was nice to finally learn what Meira's final mission was.

I hope Chiharo and Jeremy find what they are looking for and stay happy together.

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If you've enjoyed reading through my thoughts on this series of novellas, then make sure you head on over to Christine's pages for more information on all of the characters that live on The 13th Floor. Trust me when I say, you won't be disappointed with any of them. I'm still trying to decide on my favourite!

 

In October Christine will be on tour to celebrate the release of The 13th Floor Collection in its entirety, and will be making a little stop by here to answer a few questions about her work.

 

Don't miss it!

 

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