Review: Lure by Deborah Kerbel

Title: Lure

Author: Deborah Kerbel

Published: 2010

Source: For Review

Rating: 

A Victorian garden, a fishing lure, and a ghost named John .

Absolutely nothing is going right for Max Green. His parents have just uprooted their family from Vancouver to the bleak suburbs of Toronto, he has no friends, and everybody at his new high school is ignoring him. To make matters worse, he's in love with an older girl who's completely out of his league.

When Max discovers a local library rumored to be haunted by ghosts, he's immediately drawn to it. With the help of some cryptic messages, he begins to piece together the identity of the teenage ghost and the mysterious chain of events that have connected its spirit to the building for over a century. But just who was John, anyway? Why has he chosen to contact Max? And what does an old fishing lure have to do with solving the mystery? (taken from goodreads.com)

  

Lure is a bit creepier than I expected it to be. While I knew it would be another ghost story, I didn't think it would be quite so haunting. Let's just say this isn't a great book to read late at night after watching horror movies with your friends... I'm speaking from experience here. 

The story is told from the alternating views of Max, a teenager in the 21st century, and John, a boy who lived hundreds of year ago. Max's chapters were usually less interesting. He didn't really have his own story. He mostly just discovered John's secret messages and the mystery of the old house. John lived a sad, short life full of abuse and unhappiness. I couldn't help feeling bad for him. 

The book really felt like a short story more than a novel. Things started quickly and ended quickly. I was able to read the book in one night. The ending took me by surprise. It was a little reminiscent of The Sixth Sense. It was one of those "How did I not see it coming?" types. While I liked how John's tale ended, I would have enjoyed some more closure in Max's story.

Overall, I don't have tons to say about Lure. It's a quick, interesting read about a restless soul and the boy he reaches out to. I'd recommend it to anyone that likes an intriguing, creepy mystery. 

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review