ARC Book Review: The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

The Unquiet

Jeannine Garsee

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with).  

Publication Date: July 17th 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 388

Genre:  Horror, Thriller, Paranormal, Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

One thing that I'm constantly craving for is more Young Adult Horror novels, especially ghost related. There has always been something about ghosts that have completely transfixed me. The Unquiet is a amazing piece of Young Adult Horror, and had me reading non-stop from beginning to end. The mystery intrigued me. At first I wanted to know about Rinn, then I wanted to learn about Annaleise, and finally I was obsessed with figuring out why everything was happening.

The voice of Rinn is very well done. I felt myself going crazy right along with her, pulling my hair out because no one believed her and giving into her paranoia when she was off of her pills. I felt myself dragged into the whole horror of her losing her friends one-by-one.

The ghost story was so classic, yet at the same time very fresh for the Young Adult scene. It's fast paced and keeps you guessing even at the end. The descriptions were fresh. I could see everything playing out in my head as it played out, the scene with Tasha being especially bone-chilling.

There are a few confusing parts, such as when Rinn starts seeing two of her mother and at the end when everything hits the fan, but other than that I did not have much trouble following the storyline.

So, uh... about the spoiler portion of this review. It has actually somehow been lost in the time as I wrote this review a month or so ago and it has somehow disappeared. I tried to salvage as much as I could from what I sent to the publisher, but it was pre-sending-the-spoiler-part so I have everything except for this section, which I apologize. From what I do remember though I was properly freaked out and gushing about the things found out.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves horror or mystery novels. I'd also recommend this for people who want a breath of fresh air from Paranormal Romances or Dystopias. This book was just what I needed and I'll be pleased to purchase a hardcopy as soon as it's available.

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