Linda Joy Singleton

In this book, we get to see a little bit of where Sabine came from; while for the most part, this series has focused on her being basically exiled from home and adjusting living with her grandmother, things take a turn when her mother decides it’s time for her to come back home.

It was really nice meeting old hometown friends of Sabine and getting a bit more backstory as to what exactly happened to make Sabine leave her family and live with her grandmother. I like that we got to see more of show more her sisters; they are fun characters and I hope they get to be fleshed out a little bit more. However, I do think that this book suffers from middle book syndrome. It’s just setting things up and plodding along until we can get to the end of the series. While the main conflict of this book is dramatic and intriguing, it’s conveniently wrapped up so that there’s little payoff for such a long stretch of suspense as to what’s actually happening.

The most suspenseful thing for me is the romance between Sabine and her boyfriend. While Josh seems like a nice guy, I’m not convinced he actually is, and I love that Dominic keeps coming back at exactly the right moment to help her out. I hope this tension is continued in the next book, or that we get some answers about Josh.

Overall, though, I’m excited to see how this series ends. Just two more books before the finish!

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

Thorn (nee Beth Ann) is a recent transplant to Nevada Bluff. She comes from a family of six kids where her Mom is a minister and her Dad is looking for work. Thorn is a goth (which her Dad just hates), and she is a “finder”. She is drawn to objects and when she touches them she gets psychic visions from them. Which is what happens at school one day.

Thorn finds a gold locket on a shoelace and it transports her to a remote area. With the help of another psychic friend she finds the remote show more area and what appears to be the skeleton of a baby. So who’s locket is it? Whose baby is it? How did the baby die? All these mysteries and many more, like the “grin reaper” are addressed in “Buried”.

This was my first Linda Joy Singleton book. I’ve had my eye on her Seer series for a while, but just haven’t had a chance to read it yet. After “Buried”, it’s moved up on my “to-read” list. This was a fun, fast read, one whose ending I didn’t totally see coming which was nice. So many mysteries out there you can predict the outcome in the first few chapters, and while I was on the right path, Singleton was able to slip in another option that hadn’t occurred to me. Singleton’s writing is the right amount of description and dialog and her dialog is sharp and witty. Just what I enjoy most!

I liked Thorn a lot. She was smart and snarky! For all her Goth looks, she isn’t Goth inside. She’s just a normal girl from a big family trying to find her way. I loved that her minister mother was so accepting of her, even when they did miscommunicate. And I was frustrated with her Dad for seeing her at only face value. I would have loved to know more about KC, Rune and Amerie. I’m hoping there will be more Goth Girl Mysteries and I can get to know them better…but mostly I want to see if something will develop between Thorn and Jay. I definitely loved Jay and want to see more of him. show less

Amber Borden has one of the worst sense of directions ever. This is shown when she gets lost on her way to a party held by one of the most popular girls from her school. But on her way home she is run over by a mail truck and goes on a little trip to see her grandmother (who died a year before). When she is sent back to her body she takes a wrong turn and ends up in the body of the most popular girl in her school. It all should go happily ever after, right? The nerd turns popular, but people show more aren't always as happy as they seem. And living another person's life can be harder than you'd think.

I really liked this book. It was fun and original, and seemed like it could be real. The characters were very well written and easy to relate to. Some of the situations did seem a little far fetched, though, but it is a young adult fantasy book, so it should be expected. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, and i do thin this is definitely a book worth reading. show less

I might never have found this book if not for my friend, who convinced me to read it.

While the writing style is fairly light and straightforward, I loved the story. Sabine lives with her grandmother, both of them gifted with unusual psychic powers. Sabine is still learning to control and use her abilities, with the help of her sometimes snide spirit companion Opal. But with her gift kept a secret, she manages to live a fairly normal high school life.

But then something happens. Sabine begins show more to be tormented with visions of a girl with a dragonfly tattoo...a girl who is in mortal danger. And Sabine has to find her and warn her, before it's too late.

With the help of her grandmother's handyman Dominic, a blunt young guy with a mysterious skill of his own, Sabine begins to realize that she is coming into her full powers...and she's going to need them.

As with many books, the characters make this novel, but the plotline is still suspenseful. And the other books introduce plenty more problems to be solved. show less