Hi everyone! I figure most of you know by now that I really like to read…so…this week, I’m a book tour host for The Lady In Blue, hosted by Meraki Book Tours!

I was provided with a free digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, but as always, all thoughts + opinions are mine and mine alone!

The Lady in Blue by Kimberly G. Giarratano

Publish Date: April 30, 2015

Pages: 161

Genre: YA, Mystery

Synopsis

“The Lady in Blue stole a car and fled Ash.
Out on Devlin Road she emerged from a crash.
She wandered the woods with her head dripping blood.
Then drowned in the river in water and mud.”

All her life criminology student Liz Bloom has heard this rhyme, meant to scare young campers. When she’s about to take on her first cold case, Liz learns the eerie song is about her great aunt Lana. Liz isn’t big on studying, but she does have one advantage most criminologists don’t — she can speak to the dead.

In 1955, Lana Bloom was an eighteen-year-old beauty with Hollywood dreams who fell in love with a stranger. When Lana died in a bloody car crash, all signs pointed to the mysterious man who was never seen again.
As Lana unravels the details surrounding her last week of life, the tale she weaves for Liz is one of desire, betrayal, and murder. But if Lana can’t identify her killer, not only will a murderer escape punishment, but her ghostly form will cease to exist. And Liz will have failed the most important assignment of all – family.

My Thoughts

Something to confess: I read this entire book in one sitting…on my phone, which is saying a lot, because I’m usually not a fan of reading anything on tiny screens. But, I was away from my computer and couldn’t get my tablet to work, and this is an incredible page-turner, so there we have it!

As a closet sap who loves the supernatural (but please don’t ever mistake me for a Twilight fan), I could not put this down. It starts off with Liz talking to her [deceased] great-aunt, Lana, who’s trying to piece together her fading bits of memories as a ghost so that they can find out who her killer is. I was drawn into the story almost immediately–so much so that for a while, I actually forgot that they were even trying to solve her murder–I just wanted to know what would happen next, and was rooting for Lana the entire way.

…no one can live your life for you. The pain of regret is worse than the disappointment of a few people. You have choices. …You can choose to live your life the way you want to. The way you are meant to.”

Lana is easy to like–I was happy to find that she was a strong (especially during a time where that was basically frowned upon) female character, and I loved that she was so passionate about her dreams, fiercely caring, but like the rest of us, not perfect. I was angry and appalled on her behalf on many occasions, and so happy for her (or devastated, depending on the situation) when certain events took place.

The story flits back and forth between the 1950’s and the 1990’s (mostly the former, and it wasn’t confusing or hard to follow). I enjoyed the song titles found at the beginning of each chapter, and have listed them here if you want a playlist while you read! :] Go take a listen on YouTube (+ yay for 90’s music nostalgia!)!

This was a very quick read (only 161 pages!), and very beautifully written. I tend to judge books more for their titles than their covers, but my goodness, the cover of this book is gorgeous. <3 I need to go read her other book, Grunge Gods & Graveyards!

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About the Author

Kimberly G. Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards (affiliate link), a YA paranormal mystery set in the mid-90s. She lives in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and small children. A former teacher and YA librarian, Kimberly adores Etsy, Jon Stewart, The Afghan Whigs, ’90s nostalgia, and (of course) everything YA. She also speaks Spanish, but is woefully out of practice.

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This Tour is Hosted by Meraki Book Tours.  

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• Do you like ghost stories?

Linking up with Mary over at Literary Musing Mondays! :]

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