Seeing Things was my second-to-last selection for the Ladies of Horror Fiction 2 year anniversary readathon. It is also Bonus Read #1, since I’ve already fulfilled all prompts 1+ times. Woo!
This hits the prompts:
- Something Short
- Indie Author/Publisher
Edition:
Paperback
Synopsis:
Abby Gillman has discovered that with growing up, there comes a lot of blood. But nothing prepares her for the trail of blood she sees in the hallway after class – or the ghost she finds crammed inside an abandoned locker.
No one believes Abby, of course. She’s only seeing things. As much as Abby wants to be believed, what she wants more is to know why she can suddenly see the dead. Unfortunately, they won’t tell her. In fact, none of them will speak to her. At all.
Abby leaves for her annual summer visit to her uncle’s house with tons of questions. The visit will give her answers the ghosts won’t – but she may not like what she finds out.
My Thoughts:
I loved Abby straight off. Although every once in a great while throughout the story I’d find myself wondering why she was so worried about people pushing her out of important conversations and things, I just had to step back for a fraction of a second and remember one thing – she’s 13. We all felt that way at that age. I mean, you’re a child just on the edge of being something less than an adult, but more than just a kid, and you’re kind of always on the verge of feeling slighted by the adults you interact with. And overall, Abby is a super-balanced young woman. She knows what she thinks and what she feels, and she sticks up for herself when she needs to.
I liked the overall story arc (which I’m trying to avoid going into specifics on because this is a pretty short book and I’m afraid of giving too much away, but suffice to say that the conclusion was a surprise to me, at least), and I also just really liked the way it was written. Taylor’s ghosts are pretty freakin’ creepy, and sometimes also fairly gross. And sometimes they’re just jerks.
About the Author:
Sonora Taylor is a sweet lamb of a human being (by which I mean that she’s just absolutely lovely and friendly) whom I genuinely enjoy interacting with from time to time on Twitter. She posts many cute things, but also many important things, and she tirelessly champions for other writers – particularly marginalized ones.
Alongside the equally lovely V. Castro she is part of what was formerly known as Fright Girl Summer, but is currently Fright Girl Autumn, and will hopefully soon become Fright Girl All the Time Every Day – there they both continue their work of amplifying the voices of marginalized authors. You can find more information on FGS/FGA/FGAtTED (ok, I see now why that one maybe wouldn’t work) here.
My Rating:
I love any kind of lady-centric coming of age stories, and Seeing Things is no exception.
Seeing Things By: Sonora Taylor Self Published ISBN: 9798647176585 Published: June 23, 2020 Paperback, E-book 184 Pages Author's Website
Awesome review! I need to dive into this one soon!