Review: Poltergeeks

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Synopsis (From Goodreads):   15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. 

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life

Julie Richardson is just like a normal girl, well except for the fact that she's a witch. Actually a witch-in-training. Her mother is teaching her how to harness her magic and help exorcise spirits/poltergeists from the mortal realm. When Julie and her best friend, Marcus encounters a poltergeist attacking an elderly neighbour,  and a large-scale paranormal attack on her high school, Julie knows that something malice is out to get her and her mother. After her mother falls victim to a spell called Endless Nights, Julie must learn the truth about who she is and learn to harness her full powers if she hopes to stand a chance against  defeating this evil and saving her mother's life.

Ever since the cover and blurb was revealed I knew I wanted to read Poltergeeks and I wasn't disappointed. Sean Cummings has created an interesting and original world of witches and ghosts and together with the snarky and humorous attitude of Julie, Poltergeeks is a page-turning read that will capture and hook the reader's attention from the first page.

Julie is just like an average teenager. She fights with her mother, she struggles with determining her feelings towards her best friend, and she makes mistakes (a lot of them). She is eager to prove to her mother, and herself, that she can handle things without anyone's helps. This doesn't always lead to the best result, and often gets Marcus into trouble with her. Julie isn't the only well-rounded character. This novel is full of a cast that reader's can root for and sometimes despise.

The story starts at a sprinting pace and doesn't slow down as Julie is attacked over and over again by supernatural forces, which will have the reader wanting to continue turning the page to find out what's going to happen next (trust me, lost sleep just to see how it ended). It is a fun and quick read with a few twists and turns thrown in to keep Julie on her feet. I would definitely recommend Poltergeeks to anyone who loves YA paranormal, but also anyone who loves sassy characters and strong, butt-kicking females. I can't wait to read the sequel and see where Julie's adventures lead her next.

Source: ebook
2012 Debut Author Challenge: #8 of 12

2012 YA Reading Challenge: #21 of 50