Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris

Rating: 3.5/5
Age R: 13+--because of dead people and a bit of violence
Release Date: August 1, 2009
Synopsis:
Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was okay. I didn't love it because it was slow a lot of times. The story was interesting but at times there were details that I just did not care about. I wanted to know more about the ghost story and such not all these boring pages about how Rebecca misses New York and yata yata. I get it, she misses it and she's having a hard time in New Orleans but I don't need this repeated too often. There were other details that kind of irked me. I can't remember exactly what. I just remember thinking "get back to the ghost story!" Maybe that's just me being a dork though. I did really like the ghost story and the ghost Lisette who's name is my name! :) It's spelled just like my name too hehe Anywho, I also liked the whole voo doo deal which I won't say more about for fear of spoiling it.
There's a little sprinkle of a love story in there which is nice. The story has more to do with Lisette and Rebecca. The story will surprise you with its twists and turns which I have to say, I LOVED!
Another thing about this story I adored was the bit where Lisette and Rebecca are taking a walk together and they see all these ghosts. It's soo cool! It's very detailed so you can pictured it pretty clearly which is just awesome! They talk about certain ghosts and how they ended up that way. I wish there was more talk of other ghosts though :(
I liked reading about New Orleans and some customs they have there. It was really cool. I also liked reading a bit about Katrina. It is true what it says in the book about how a lot of folks from New Orleans came here to Houston. I remember some people being really pissed off about it. Gosh that annoyed me, why get mad over stuff?
The slow parts of the book were pretty much in the first half of the book. The other half is much, much better, more exciting, and fast paced.
If it sounds like your kind of story then by all means, pick it up. If you're iffy about it just check it out at your library and test it out. If you like it then buy it! :)


Quote/s:

"..and that nun pacing the neutral ground wasn't waiting for a bus or a streetcar: It was a man dressed as a nun, and he'd been strangled late at night one Halloween sometime in the 1980s."

"Claire and Aurelia had been sworn to secrecy on the lives of the entire cast of Gossip Girl"

YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-having patience
-bit of humor
-ghosts
-Lisette hehe
-New Orleans (they mention Houston!! I live there! hehe)
-cute guys
-the in crowd
-New York
-deaths
-curses