Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

“Tucking my nose into a book makes me completely oblivious to my surroundings. I would have made a terrible spy in the army--the first person to hand me a novel would have been able to shoot my head clean off without me noticing.”  - Haunting Violet

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey is the story of Violet and her new abilities to see the dead in the midst of 19th century society. Her mother was a fake spiritualist with a great desire and ambition to join the rich and live in luxury. Violet must obey her mother and follow her schemes however everything changes when Violet finds that an assassinated young girl wants her to solve a real ghost mystery. 

I quite enjoyed reading the book and I found myself pondering if real life spiritualists really do exist. I'm sure many are like Violet's mother, lying and deceiving just for fame and money. However, the world has such a numerous population, I really do think that maybe at least one person actually has this ability to see and talk to the dead. 

While reading this book I realise I would have really liked to be able to go to the past an spend some time in that era; in the richer side of the population, of course. All the dresses, no matter how uncomfortable thy are described as, hold some appeal to me. I realise how girls were treated as having to be all polite and obedient and that the thoughts there were very much sexist but I would like to spend just a week in that time so I can wear those clothes and live in such grandeur and splendour, with so many people to take care of you. 

Spoilers Below!!!

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

“ You cannot doubt me,” he said, his mouth hovering above hers, “ when it is you who may not be real.”

Wake unto Me by Lisa Cach. The plot of this story is so complicated and has so many layers that it would be hard to give the right idea of this plot without spoiling the ending. Basically the book follows the story of Caitlyn. Caytlin doesn’t fit in; she feels that she doesn’t belong. She has horrible nightmares that she calls ‘Screechers’ who visit her every night. Things change when she gets a scholarship to a private school in France. There is also another thing; she started having very realistic dreams set in Medieval time where she finds her true love. Is he even real? Her new school has a big mystery, she has a big mystery. Caytlin must make sense of her life and how all these mysteries, from her dreams to the school join together if she wants to understand her own life.