Today's read... BridgeKeeper by L.S. Moore

We're taking a walk into the paranormal realm with today's read. This one heads toward the young adult audience and promises ghosts, chills, and thrills. I haven't gotten to thriller spirit tale in awhile and was looking forward to diving into graveyards, murderers, and a little mystery...with spooks included? We'll find out. Oh, and this one doesn't hit the shelves until August, so there's plenty of time to get excited about it if it's good. Which we're about to find out.

BRIDGEKEEPER

by L.S. Moore

The Big Fig

YA Paranormal

382 pages

COMING...

AUGUST 1st!!!

On a night when the veil between the living and the dead is thin as a soap bubble, sixteen-year-old Will McCurty discovers his dark destiny.

An ability passes from firstborn to firstborn in Will's family. His older brother will become a medium, a Bridge across the veil between the living and the dead.
To survive, every Bridge needs a Keeper - someone to control the invading spirits, figure out why they’ve come, and help right their wrongs.

If Will becomes a Keeper, he'll have to harbor secrets, lie to friends and break his mother’s heart. That night he has a choice, accept his destiny and become his brother’s protector. . .

Or abandon him to the desperate dead.

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MY TIDBITS

Reminding a bit of that famous series, Supernatural, this tale takes two brothers into the realm of ghosts, murderers, and action pure.

Will is sixteen, talented at martial arts, and despite some family issues due to his dad's death years before, okay with life and takes it how it comes. That is, until one night his older brother is nearly hit by a car thanks to the appearance of their grandmother's ghost. Will's nineteen-year-old brother has known about their destiny to deal with the dead, but to say that Will is totally broad-sided is an understatement. His brother is a Bridge, a very strong medium, and needs a Keeper, a person to physically protect him by every means...which Will agrees to be, since he'd never fail his own brother. As Bridge and Keeper, they are to help the dead with problems, which keep them from crossing over into the afterlife. But while other Bridges and Keepers deal with 'easy' things such as finding wedding rings, fate has something else in mind for the brothers.

I enjoyed this read so much more than I thought I would. The story is pretty straight-forward but still carries the needed twists and turns to keep those pages turning. The author does a good job at bringing across Will's situation naturally and lets his uncertainty, mistakes, and frustrations shine...without demeaning him as a character. He has a lot on his plate, especially with his brother's life as his main responsibility. This causes issues with friends, already-stressed family, and daily life. But this isn't a book about teen drama, by any means. 

There are several plot layers running at once, and these weave in and out with each other nicely. Many characters are involved, but this never grows confusing. Each one has its purpose and place, and fits right in. The beginning of a large arc, which will, obviously, run through the series, is also set, and this neatly umbrellas the main plot of this first book, which is tense and gripping all on its own. There's danger, tons of tension, mystery, spooky moments, magic, ghosts, family issues, brotherly love, a touch of romance, and so much more. All of this forms an easy read, which flows by quickly and draws in from beginning to end, while keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. There are some items, which popped in with a bit of thin backing, but with so much going on and speeding along, these didn't hurt the fun in the least. I read this one in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down.

I'm very much looking forward to see what adventures this pair of brothers will have next.