Walk of the Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick

From Goodreads: When Miranda Barnes first sees the sleepy town of St. Yvette, Louisiana, with its moss-draped trees, above-ground cemeteries, and her grandfather's creepy historic home, she realizes that life as she knew it is officially over. Almost immediately, there seems to be something cloying at her. Something lonely and sad and . . . very pressing. Even at school and in the group project she's been thrown into, she can't escape it. Whispers when she's alone, shadows when no one is there to make them, and a distant pleading voice that wakes her from sleep. The other members in Miranda's group project, especially handsome Etienne, can see that Miranda is in distress. She is beginning to understand that, like her grandfather before her, she has a special gift of communicating with spirits who still walk the town of St. Yvette. And no matter where she turns, Miranda feels bound by their whispered pleas for help . . . unless she can somehow find a way to bring them peace.

I was a massive fan of Richie Tankersley Cusick when I was younger so I was really excited to see she had written this series. It didn't quite meet all my expectations but I did enjoy it.

I really loved the characters – especially Etienne and Roo. It did take a while for me to warm to Miranda but by the end I really liked her. What I really loved was the playful banter and continuous teasing between all of the characters. It was really fun to read and my favourite aspect of the book. I also enjoyed the mystery and watching them put the pieces together. Once Miranda embraced her ‘gift’ it became really interesting and I loved how it all played out in the end.

Unfortunately, I felt the story lacked a bit of momentum to begin with. It does make up for it at the end – the last third is really exciting and I found myself completely gripped. It also really sets up the next instalment and I’m looking forward to spending more time with the characters. I hope this time Roo gets a bit more ‘screen’ time as I really loved her sarcastic comments. I’m also looking forward to more of the mysterious Etienne – there were a few loose ends surrounding his character I hope are addressed in the next book ‘Shadow Mirror’

Overall this was good. It’s a shame it’s a bit slow to begin with but if you stick with it you are rewarded in the end and I think it has the potential to be a great series.