I’ve left a number of comments about this book in other threads, so I won’t do a whole lot of repeating myself here, other than to say… the book disappointed me. I thought the concept was good: a young girl’s parents die, and then she realizes that she can see ghosts… but one day, the ghosts start disappearing, and the girl needs to find out what’s going on before her parents are gone forever!

A promising premise. An interesting new author. An unfortunately very dull, very plodding book… and it’s long. Not only long for a children’s book, but it feels long because nothing really happens for a long time. I’d be surprised if it managed to hold any child’s interest for any period of time…

Admittedly, it begins to pick up near the end, but the action feels forced, awkward, and unresolved. I suspect she may write a sequel in the future, but I can’t say I’d have any interest in it. Ultimately, this one was a disappointment, and I can only recommend it for the idea alone. ( )

This was a cute book that I read in a few hours, as I didn't want to set it down. Belladonna makes a good heroine, and I enjoyed her growing friendship with Steve and how they learned to work together. They were joined in their adventure by Elsie, one of the few remaining ghosts left.

One minor thing that annoyed me is how almost every child in YA fiction would rather jump into the deep end rather than ask adults for help. Granted, Belladonna's grandmother and aunt kept blowing her off when she tried to talk to them, but I'm sure they would have listened had she told them the important information!

I did like that Belladonna, Steve, and Elsie did not have all the answers and seemed like believable 12 year olds, getting cranky when things didn't work out and bickering at each other when they were frustrated and tired. Even though Elsie was a ghost, she was still a girl and I enjoyed the trio's growing friendship.

Gave this one a 4/5 rating as I enjoyed the story, liked the characters, and thought that overall it was well done. There were a few references I'm not sure the 9-12 age group would understand (Paladin, the Wild Hunt, oracles, etc.) but they can always check online. I'm looking forward to a sequel, as Ms. Stringer left the ending open enough for another adventure! If you enjoy YA books at all, I recommend this one! ( )

Belladonna sees ghosts...she sees her parents, who died in an accident 2 years ago, but who still live at home with her and take care of her, although officially, she lives with her grandma who is still alive and who also sees ghosts.

Things are going just fine, until her parents disappear to the Land of the Dead (THE OTHER SIDE) and she sets out to find them, and to prevent other dire and drastic occurences from happening. She is accompanied in this adventure by another ghost Elsie, who 'died' tripping over a tennis net 100 years ago when she won her match, and by Steve--the school's bad boy who turns out to be very handy at breaking and entering and slaying hounds, and all those other things a spare manchild can be useful for.

This is a delightful book. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but this one had me turning the pages as fast as I could gallop along to find out what happened next. There are beasties, and baddies, and wicked Queens, and spells, and elixirs, and magic rulers. Everything one needs for a good old fashioned ghostie fantasy. It it due to be published this month, and I suspect it will become a runaway big seller. This is billed for 9-12 yr olds, YA LIT, but this is going to be enjoyed by all ages from about 9 up (I'd be more inclined to say 10 or 11 but....)

Finally, I noticed,happily, that the ending left plenty of room for further adventures. I hope so. Belladonna is a real winner. ( )

I am loving this book! The plot is fantastic, the British-ness of the characters and their dialog is what makes the book for me, I think. Belladonna sees dead people. Her parents are prime examples. Killed in a car wreck, Belladonna doesn't see much change in her daily existence until one evening they are gone. Not gone as in died twice but GONE. Poof!

Enlisting the help on one of the few kids at her school who doesn't make fun of her, Belladonna and Stephen go off in search of a red door with the number "73" on it. It may be the only door to the Other Side. Or it maybe something entirely different and entirely worse!

Any teen will love this book as did I and I haven't been a teen in 'way too long! ( )

I think I found another new series. And it's not even about vampires or werewolves! It does have ghosts, but it is an unique take on the purpose behind ghosts that kept me turning the pages. In fact, I love the purpose behind needing ghosts in our world. Given my fascination with the supernatural, Ms. Stringer's take on them has more than a hint of plausibility that makes it oh-so-appealing.



Spellbinder is heavy with British slang. Normally, that sort of thing does not bother me, and I can almost always figure out what is meant by the phrase just by the context. I struggled with this book and found that because I was unfamiliar with certain words and phrases that were supposed to be quite commonplace I was taken right out of the story. Considering this is a children's series, I question the heavy use of slang because I am not certain how many 10-year-olds are going to understand what Ms. Stringer means.

Another caveat - this is a kid's series, which means that the character development, plot development, syntax and phrasing is not as adult as I would prefer. At times, it was downright clunky. However, this did not prevent me from finishing the book in one day. In fact, I couldn't wait to finish it and give it to my son to read. (If I can bribe him, I would really like him to write a review of it, so that everyone can see what a member of the target audience thinks about it.)

Even though it is meant to be followed by additional books, I found Spellbinder quite fascinating as a stand-alone book. I do plan on continuing the series as the books are published, but I was very impressed with the detailed other world Ms. Stringer created. Equal parts eerie, scary, and intriguing, I really could not stop myself from reading. I highly recommend this to any fantasy lovers out there looking for a quick and easy read. ( )