Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen: Review Posted by Tiffany at 7:21 PM

Title: Beyond the Grave

Author: Mara Purnhagen (site)

Published: August 30th, 2011 by Harlequin Teen

Pages: 256

Buy: Amazon / Book Depository/ Powell's 

Rating: 4/5

Source: NetGalley
Synopsis: Being Charlotte Silver, the daughter of famous paranormal investigators, means my life isn’t like that of other teenage girls. Especially after what happened to my parents. Things changed. I missed prom and deferred my big college plans. But I still have my boyfriend, Noah. He’s everything I could want—if I can figure out what’s up with him. Suddenly Noah is secretive.

I fear it has something to do with what happened to us three months ago. The bruise Noah suffered during a paranormal attack has never completely faded. Now I’ve learned Noah is researching demons. And when he disappears, it’s up to me to find him—before something else does. (Goodreads)


Review: The third book in Purnhagen's Past Midnight series is by far the best. There was a lot more going on here and none of it dull. If you've read my reviews of Past Midnight and One Hundred Candles, you'll know that I wasn't too very impressed. They were quick, fun books. However, there wasn't really anything memorable. This book, on the other hand, was intense. I stayed up all night (which was a mistake, so tired now) to finish it. After I finished it, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking of a demon crawling through my window to murder me. Maybe part of it was the fact that I was reading it at night, but this book really creeped me out. Things don't get any easier for poor Charlotte. Her mother is still in a coma, she can't count on her dad for any support, and something very evil is coming after her. I was a bit annoyed that she made the same mistake as last time- Tell No One, See What Happens. And don't worry about things getting too domestic and dull with Noah- they are anything but! There are a few weak spots. The Climax is resolved a bit too suddenly and the sudden addition of the Protector felt a bit awkward at first, but I really enjoyed this book and I'm very grateful to the publisher for putting it on NetGalley. I don't know if I would have stuck with this series after reading the first two, but now I'm excited for the next installment.

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen: Review Posted by Tiffany at 9:22 AM

Title: Past Midnight

Author: Mara Purnhagen (site)

Published: September 1st, 2010 by Harlequin Teen

Pages: 216

Buy: Amazon / Book Depository 

Rating: 3/5

Source: NetGalley


Synopsis: Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive… (Goodreads)


Review: I picked up this book when the sequel, One Hundred Candles, came up on NetGalley. It's a short little book, easily read in a day. It was fast, light, and Slumber Party creepy. What I mean is that it had a ghost that creeped me out a bit, but I was never actually scared. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the whole Daughter of Paranormal Investigators angle. There is a lot of potential there. A pair of skeptics have a daughter who can actually see ghosts? Love it. However, the characters never really grabbed me. I enjoyed reading Past Midnight and I'll keep reading the series, but it's not anything that I'll have vivid memories of in 10 years. Short, fun, and mildly spooky- this is a great book for the beach or a younger sibling.