Monday, January 30, 2012

Review: On The Fringe

ON THE FRINGE
Courtney King Walker
Paranormal Young Adult
272 Pages
Lands Atlantic Publishing
Available Now
Received through Teen Book Scene for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Claire is struggling to overcome the murder of her childhood friend and secret crush, Daniel. Everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives, but she's still trying to cope. The fact that she finds herself alone and drowning on her 16th birthday isn't helping.

Neither is thinking she sees Daniel's face in murky water as she mysteriously resurfaces. But something happened during those four and a half minutes that will make her realize it was not just her imagination.

As Claire and Daniel try to grasp a possible reconnection, other grudge-holding beings have plans of their own. Now, the two of them have to decide if their fleeting relationship is worth the possibility of Claire being trapped on the fringe forever.

MY THOUGHTS
On the Fringe wastes little time tying us up in emotional knots, dropping us immediately into the palpable tension that exists between Daniel and Claire as each starts to realize their feelings for the other extend beyond their roles as best friend and baby sister respectively. We find ourselves a little giddy instantaneously, though with that addictive buoyancy comes the weighty understanding that this sweet hesitancy is only going to be fleeting and temporary, soon to be replaced with darkness, pain, and loss. We almost wish this tale could be an adorable short story, taking us quickly through the developing romance and then leaving us breathless and content at the happy conclusion, but instead Ms. Walker plunges us under the light-infused surface and into depths that have us fully invested in Claire and Daniel’s lives (or deaths as the case may be), ultimately extremely thankful for the gift of extra page time.

Claire is a young woman who’s easy to like right off the bat, all twisted up with nerves as a result of her crush on someone who’s been in her life for as long as she can remember, struggling to find a way to escape the classification of Matthew’s Little Sister in the hope their relationship to one another can be redefined with more romantic–and less familial–feelings. When Daniel returns to her in less-than corporeal form, we don’t get pages and pages of denial or repeated hows and whys from her, instead she accepts his new presence in her life with relative ease, crossing us over into the world of the supernatural in a seamless way that makes everything she’s experiencing that much more believable.

Splitting the point of view equally between Claire and Daniel gives an interesting dual exposure to a ghostly world, Claire’s limited understanding of it making us feel more comfortable as her reactions mirror our own, but at the same time, we also get a deeper look at spectral happenings as Daniel explores his afterlife and his unusual connection to Claire. As a result, we feel fully surrounded by the events taking place as opposed to simply viewing them as an outsider from a single fixed direction. In addition to learning the ins and outs of Daniel’s non-life, we additionally get the return of a little of the giddiness we felt at the beginning, death having freed Claire and Daniel’s mouths from the nerves that kept them closed until it was almost too late, and we finally get to see them communicate all the things that went unsaid previously.

Ms. Walker has written an enthralling ghost story, one with equal parts light and dark where we find ourselves both on the edge of our seats, while also blissfully warm and content as we watch two people robbed of their time together get a chance to reconnect. We are left with a bittersweet ending, one that feels right and wrong at the same time, leaving us with the wish that Ms. Walker would write an alternate ending just to satisfy the part of us that would see the supernatural element kicked up a notch to perhaps stretch the limits of believability for the sake of what our hearts want most. Then we could have both the practical and impractical at our fingertips–able to choose an ending based on our mood—but ultimately we can concede that events wrap up as they should, with Ms. Walker playing our emotions with a consummate skill we can’t wait to experience again.

Rating: 4/5

34 comments:

  1. that's a good enough rating for me. loving the cover btw! plus, i'm into my ghost stories.

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  2. Oh, this cover has me sold! This one sounds really good. Great review!

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  3. Ohhh!! I'm so glad you liked this one. o: I think I've been unhealthily curious about this one, yet for some reason I haven't read many reviews at all in my curiosity. I need to get my hands on a copy! *moves up in to-read pile* I love your review, as always!

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  4. I actually really love ghost stories and while this one probably isn't for me...I am glad to see that there are more ghost stories coming out :)

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  5. Wow. Your words are so much more eloquent and interesting than the synopsis. Where I wasn't sure if I was all that interested in this one before, I am definitely interested now. You ALWAYS do that to me, Jenny.

    I'm SO curious now. So very curious! Excellently written and you've moved me from 'on the fence' to wanting to read it.

    Thanks gal!

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  6. Aly - I really enjoyed it! I liked that there was no "GHOSTS AREN'T REAL" back and forth for 100 pages. It just was what it was and we got to move forward with the story:)

    Jennifer - It was really good:) It was a quick read that left me wanting more.

    Rebecca - Yay! Hope you give it a try soon:)

    Felicia - I really love ghost stories too, this is the only other one I've read besides Anna Dressed in Blood and the Shift/Shade series. Loved both of those:)

    Asheley - I'll consider us even then, as your reviews have the same effect on me:)

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  7. Freaky! Yes I am a curious, but at the same time I just do not like ghost stories. They make no sense to me

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  8. Sounds really good & I'm super glad you really loved this one. I can't wait to read this book. Loving ghost stories too. )

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  9. Sounds like a really good ghost/mystery/romance read. I was hoping to review this one from the tour, but didn't get it in time. I'll have to track it down. The characters sound great and I''m curious to find out what the attraction for Daniel is. And I can't believe this is a standalone paranormal! That's really rare!

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  10. You know that saying never judge a book by its cover....?? Well this is the first time Ive read a review on this one (which I thought was prob about mermaids...LOL) and I love ghost story's. Off to add it to my GR TBR...:D

    Lovely review!

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  11. GAH! Now I'm so curious about that ending, Jenny. I know I'd want the impossible, the HEA. But I admire authors who dare to give us something a bit different, and that seems to have been the case with this book.

    I don't usually read 'ghost' stories, but I think I'd enjoy Daniels POV. Also, I like how the characters seem to lose their inhibitions and express their feelings openly.

    Beautiful review. I almost shed a tear there just imagining.

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  12. Linda - Ghost stories aren't for everyone:) I really like them, and I thought this one was really well done.

    Nina - Hope you get to it soon, I thought it was great:)

    Rummanah - It was! I didn't get this one in time for the tour either, but it eventually made it's way to me. And I could hardly believe it was a standalone either, I haven't read one of those in FOREVER.

    Tina - Haha, not about mermaids:) I think you'll like this one, I thought it was well done and I loved the bittersweet nature of the Daniel and Claire relationship.

    Missie - I always want the HEA too, I can't help it. And it's not that this ended unhappily, it just ended realistically which was both good and bad for an HEA lover like me:)

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  13. Fabulous Jenny! I love all your water and light and dark comparisons. I definitely want to check this one out. I havr been into gnost stories lately. Thanks for the heads up!

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  14. I like that she doesn't hem and haw about Daniel being a ghost. Sometimes, that goes on way too long and I just want to tell the character to accept it and move on. I really like this cover--it's as if she's plunged into a different world and nearly drowning. I think I'll have to read this one! Great review, as always.

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  15. I had nothing more than a passing interest in this book. And now it's made it onto my wishlist. That is exactly the kind of romance I like to read about. The creepy ghost factor is an added plus :) Lovely review, Jenny! I especially loved: We are left with a bittersweet ending, one that feels right and wrong at the same time, leaving us with the wish that Ms. Walker would write an alternate ending just to satisfy the part of us that would see the supernatural element kicked up a notch to perhaps stretch the limits of believability for the sake of what our hearts want most. So true!

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  16. This one sounds interesting! I haven't heard much about it, but if you liked it, I'm definitely going to give it a shot. I love ghost stories, especially ones that jump right into the action. Thanks for the review, Jenny! :)

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  17. You really have me kind of scared for that ending. That cover is kind of intense. I feel a bit like I'm drowning. The book sounds quite amazing. I didn't realize that was exactly the premise. I really enjoy books where the little sister turns into something else for the "best friend". I hope I can handle that ending because I really want to read this one. *sigh*

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  18. Dagnabbit! You seem determined to get me to read outside of my comfort zone. Next thing you know you'll have convinced me to read something with zombies in it. Such is your power, Jenny!

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  19. Thanks for the review! This books sounds awesome!!

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  20. Heidi - Thanks! I've been into ghost stories lately too, and I thought this one was fantastic:)

    Mary - Yes! It was a short book, so if she had wasted a bunch of time trying to decide whether she wanted to believe in him or not it would have been frustrating.

    Asher - Yay! Glad my review swayed you a little bit:) I loved the romance aspect, I thought it was really well done.

    Lauren - I love it when we don't have a build up to the action either, just toss me in there, I'll figure it out!

    Jen - It's not unhappy I promise. I just wanted that big, sweeping HEA because I'm a sucker for things like that:)

    Ruby - You're welcome ;-) And if I manage to convince you to read something about zombies that would be a miracle because they scare the snot out of me.

    Savy - Glad you enjoyed it:)

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  21. BAM! Straight onto my TBR pile it goes! Hadn't heard of this yet, and it sounds so good! I love a good ghost story, and this one sounds poignant - my fav kind :)

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  22. I have a hard time with ghost love stories dude... and this cover FREAKS me out! Did I ever mention my TINY (okay... HUGE) fear of water??? lol

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  23. I love stories with a paranormal element but you've just made me realise I've not read a single one with a ghost in. I guess that's about to change now though, this sounds really interesting your wrap up of the ending has me thoroughly intrigued.

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  24. Sounds good. And I love the cover. What makes this book for me is the fact that the point of view is split. It's so rare to read that in a paranormal book. Love it.

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  25. Hmmm... I don't think I really heard much (if anything) about this one but now I'm REALLY wanting to read it. Sounds good!

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  26. Jenny, you have definitely got me interested in this one. I love books that are emotion driven and will have readers feelings all kinds of different things. And yay for dual point of views. =) I am reading a book right now that has it and I LOVE that I get to understand exactly what both main characters are feeling. Another lovely review, Jenny. Wanna snuggle with my feet? ;)

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  27. I liked the synopsis but you've sold me, Jenny. I'm not too big on ghost stories because they're either creepy or involve a living and dead person - you know there's never going to be a HEA and I find it unbelievable - so I like that this one involves two ghosts. The alternative POVs seem well done and the romance sounds really sweet.

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  28. Oh this sounds like a great ghost story. I think those all should be emotional rides. Oh and I'm so curious about the ending. I know it's going to kill me. Therefore I gotta have it! ;D

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  29. I've been wondering about this book. It's great to hear your thoughts on it, Jenny. I'm definitely more intrigued to pick this up now. :)

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  30. Ghosts are often hit or miss in books for me. Sometimes it's weird and tragic in a bad way and other times it's touching and tragic in a good way (that's possible, right?). I guess it depends on how well the book in question is written - and this one sounds good!

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  31. This one slipped under my radar and I'm sad it did. I would have liked to have read it, but, it will have to wait. I love your review of it and I'm loving these dual points of view in the narration! It will be one I'll want to read!

    Heather

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  32. I have this on my hope-to-read-soon list! Claire sounds like a really great main character. I'm really looking forward to checking this out!

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  33. Love, love, love ghost stories! Just by reading your review I want to read this one pronto! Adding it to my must-buy list! Great review :)

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  34. I must admit that I don't read much in the way of ghost books, but I am hoping to rectify that! I love the last sentence of your review Jenny! I am such a rereader so the prospect of not only being able to, but wanting to, reread this book is super appealing to me!

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