Ghost Written by Finbar Hawkins. Reviewed by Arthur, Age 15

Ghost, by Finbar Hawkins, is a mystical, gripping and exciting book that I enjoyed reading.

The intriguingly simple title immediately captures your attention, and as it suggests, the book is about the supernatural. Throughout, the story smoothly flows between the many different plots, all intertwined and equally engaging, while also offering insights into the connections between people suffering from grief, and how people from different backgrounds, or in this case eras, can be drawn together to fight against evil.

The story follows three girls from across time: Aine, a Celtic slave to the Romans; Sarah, a healer from the 1780s; and Marie, a girl from the present day. An ancient evil power in the area draws the three of them together from across the centuries, and they must unite in order to stand a chance of defeating the malevolent spirit in the haunted woods. Not only this, but each of them must overcome their own personal and emotional struggles, for instance Aine has been captured by the invading Romans, Sarah has been outcast from the local community, Marie struggled with burnout, and they have all recently lost a close loved one. The three girls must learn to harness their inner spiritual powers and connect across time to overcome evil. I would say that Marie emerges as the main character, both because of her role in the fight against evil, but also as she is the most relatable to the reader, as she is from the present day.

Throughout the book, Hawkins uses many flashbacks to enhance the storytelling and create a mysterious atmosphere, and each chapter switches between the storylines of each of the characters, offering their perspective and giving the reader a chance to engage with multiple plots all at the same time. Although this format could potentially have led to fragmented storylines, it does not, as all of them seem completely smooth and natural, because Hawkins impressively manages to seamlessly switch between narratives while always maintaining the reader’s attention.

As I mentioned before, the book is written from each of the three girls’ points of view, which allows the reader to see the story from their perspective, and take in each of their thoughts and feelings in their unique situations but also determine how each of them differently felt about the same scenario.

Furthermore, some gothic and supernatural symbols are used, for instance the haunted stretch of woods, known as ‘Sally in the Wood’, the blackbird, and the wolf, which all emphasise the eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Ghost, as it was not only captivating and well-written, but thoughtful and mysterious throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fantasy, gothic, or supernatural stories, and probably say only to anyone who is above 11 or 12, as the book does tackle some death and grief. Nonetheless, Ghost is a mystical, exciting, and powerful story.