Thursday, July 28, 2011

Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen

Source: Netgalley (Thank you)


My Summary:

Charlotte Silver’s life hasn’t been the same since she witnessed her vision the other side and the watcher still thinks she should be punished for it. Her parents were paranormal debunkers, that is until they encountered the real thing. But that life was put on hold after the watcher almost killed her mother. Charlotte was going to community college instead of leaving for school. Her Dad, lost and separate, spent all his time at the care facility with her comatose mother. Shane and Trisha were getting married. Her boyfriend was getting more and more secretive and distant. Charlotte was keeping secrets, trying to connect with paranormal energy alone. Would Charlotte’s life ever be safe again? Would the watcher ever be gone for good? Would she survive the wedding preparations? Who knows!

My Thoughts:



3 stars – a good read

I was excited to read this conclusion to the Past Midnight series. I really enjoyed One Hundred Candles and thought the books had turned it up a notch. The first line of the story really got me jumping into the book.

“I never should have sent my boyfriend to the electric chair.” Pg 1

And I did enjoy the beginning of the book, as Charlotte was trying to cope with the results of facing the watcher. It wasn’t easy for her to finish high school and graduate without her mom there to witness it. She was staying local for college and that takes an unselfish person. I had hoped so much that Charlotte had done some maturing. In book one and two, her biggest flaw was keeping secrets from those that loved her and could help her. But this book went down the same path. Every time she chooses to not tell someone an important development, I would moan and yell at her. You’re doing it again. Didn’t you learn anything? So the middle of the book lagged for me. It felt like we had to get through a few events without everyone knowing what was going on before the story could progress. By the end, the story fell together well and I was pleased with the conclusion. I guess I was tired of the keep secrets to build the plot ploy by book three. I was just frustrated with Charlotte.

I did enjoy the book, though, and was happy to see the resolution for these characters. I love Noah and had a hard time watching him go through some of the things he did. Trisha was the perfect self-consumed bride and was mostly a distraction in the book. I totally understood what Charlotte's Dad was going through. I felt his pain and understood his absence from the story. I loved the addition of Michael and the bigger role for Bliss. Bliss’s part may have been a little convenient but I still liked it.

Overall, if you have been reading the Past Midnight series, you should certainly pick this one up for your conclusion. I can see another book after this but the main issues have been resolved.


Mara Purnhagen | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depositiory


I have declared for the Net Galley July challenge and this book is part of that.  Thanks to Net Galley for the early look at this book. Check out the challenge here.


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