Haunt You Just Right

If the cover alone doesn't make you want to buy this book, maybe my hearty recommendation will sway you.

I have been so anxious to read Dispirited.  I bought my copy right away.  Luisa is one of my dearest and truest friends in all the world.  But it had to sit on the shelf, only because I have a self-imposed rule that I cannot read books other than textbooks (and scriptures, etc. on Sundays) during the semester.  Books are very much like cookies in my life: I cannot devour only one.  Nibbling on either does not exist for me.  On Monday, I took my final exam and sat for my final clinical evaluation, feeling really under the weather and tired.  When I got home around dinnertime, all I really wanted to do was cozy up in my jammies with a good book (that had nothing to do with nursing!), and so that's what I did.  I don't remember if I cooked dinner, or if I left the masses to fend for themselves.  I remember going straight to the shelf that held my pile of summer reading books, picking up Dispirited (which was right on top) and heading up to bed.

Luisa wastes no time pulling you in.  From Chapter 1, you know you've never read a story like this one, and you must go on.  So I did.  About two-thirds of the way through the book, I could not keep my eyes open due to the effects of the cold and allergy meds I had taken, so I turned off the light and fell into a coma-like sleep within seconds.  But the story didn't leave my mind, and I was dreaming of  the realm outside of this physical one, and leaving bodies, and dark forces at work in the world, and little ghost boys, when all of a sudden I felt a presence, maybe I heard a voice--I don't recall--but I opened my eyes and there stood Conor next to my bed.  Weird.  He never does that.  He was pretty much sleep-walking, so I tucked him back into bed, and with my second wind, I turned the light on and finished the book.  It's that good.

This is a book with something for everyone: fantasy, romance, suspense.  The writing is beautiful and the story compelling and engaging.  It's written for young adults, and though there are some mature themes, they are presented in a modest, yet sobering way.  Depending on your spiritual beliefs, there's a lot of food for thought woven throughout the story as well.  It will keep you turning pages and just a little on-guard.  And the ending?  Well, I didn't see it coming.  That's always a nice surprise.  My older kids want a turn at it ASAP.  It's a gripping read.  Creepy in all the right ways.

Luisa, Darling, you nailed it.  Hurry and write something else.