"The 5 Best Ghost-Related YA for College-Aged, Teen Girls," by Nadia Jones
Vampires
are so passé. It’s not all about ghosts now. If you’re looking for a good read
to spook you just in time for Halloween this season, you might want to check
out some of these great YA titles below. Some are funny, some are spooky, and
some are just down right interesting. Either way, none of the titles will make
you say “boo”—they’re just that good.
The Summoning is the first instalment of a
three-part book series called the Darkest Power, written by newbie author Kelly
Armstrong. This coming of age story follows 15-year-old Chloe Sanders who
initially starts off as a normal teenager with “normal” insecurities but then
realizes she has something else to worry about —she can see the undead. When
family and friends don’t believe her, she is sent to a boarding house for
mentally disabled and disturbed teens. Soon Chloe learns that many of her new
roommates share her same special gifts—but can they be trusted? The
Summoning is definitely a page turner and creepy in its own respect.
Anya’s Ghost is actually a beautifully illustrated
and written graphic novel by Vera Brosgol, an author who I praise for her witty
and dark-humor style of writing. In a nutshell, Anya is a young Russian teen
that feels like an outcast trying to get acclimated to her new America
Bad Girls Don’t Die is the first installment of
a three-part series under the same name by author Katie Alender. The book’s
teen protagonist Alexis becomes severely concerned for her younger sister after
she becomes obsessed with one of her new antique dolls. Alexis not only notices
that her young is changing inside and out, but a bunch of paranormal activities
start to occur within the house as well. Alexis soon becomes determined to find
out why.
The
title is a bit gruesome but foreshadows the intense ghosts and monsters author
Kendare Blake attempts to introduce in Anna
Dressed in Blood. Its male teen protagonist Cas Lowood comes from a lineage
of ghost killers. With the help of his witch mother and special-skilled cat, he
battles evil forces on a regular basis. One eerily evening, however, he is sent
to vanquish a vicious murdering ghost named Anna Dressed in Blood, a name
bestowed to her after she was murdered in a now blood-stained white gown in
1958. She kills all who crosses her path, but for some strange reason she
chooses to spare Cas’ life.
Lastly
but certainly not least is Monstrous
Beauty by Elizabeth Fama. This book combines mermaids, ghosts, and a good
mystery all-in-one. Similar to Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid a beautiful mermaid falls in love with a male
human and trades in her fins for a pair of legs. But there’s one huge
difference: a curse is placed upon future generations in her family. Women who
fall in love have an untimely death. Will Hester, a great, great granddaughter
of the mermaid, see the same fate when she falls for a boy named Ezra?
Nadia Jones is a freelance education writer
for www.onlinecollege.org, a
website that specializes in online education. Nadia also enjoys covering an
array of education-related topics that help college-bound teens expand their
minds such as offering book listings. She welcomes your comments.
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