Jennifer Archer

*Spoilers ahead*
Tansy Piper's mother is like the female Stephen King, so for inspiration for her books they end up moving a lot. The latest move is from San Francisco to Cedar Canyon Texas where she mopes about hating the small town life. It's the kind of town where all the teens her age grew up with each other since kindergarten so she feels left out. Fighting loneliness she also struggles with the grief of her grandfather's dementia. Not to mention her new house is said to be haunted, it show more even has a turret and everything, but things change for her when she finds a pocket watch, a journal and a small crystal pendant in the cellar. They seem to have a life all their own. Not only that, but when Tansy an aspiring photographer looks through her camera's viewfinder it's as if she time travels to past memories of her grandfather and Henry the young man who haunts her house. While in these past memories she inhabits the body of Isabel (hence the title of this book.) It becomes hard for her to differentiate her feelings from Isabel's. It's interesting because as she spends more time in the past her present starts to fade literally. Her present becomes grey while the past is vibrant with color. It's as if Henry is enticing her to stay with him. If she gives in she has a feeling she can never come back.

Gothic Elements
Well at first glance this book just seems like a contemporary tale. It is, but definitely Gothic. It's not set in a castle, but it's a once abandoned castle-like house complete with creepy cellar. This whole book is full of mystery and suspense. No one seems to know who the real Henry was and the mystery behind his death. It's all just a spooky legend that unfortunately unravels for Tansy. He is a ghost but we as the reader never really see him in the present world. In the present he comes as a nightingale. Constantly Tansy feels threatened by Henry. His love is obsessive and tyrannical at times. He makes a lot of demands on Isabel that seems to transcend to her. Tansy experiences a lot of disturbing dreams and things she can't explain she starts to think she has schizophrenia. The narration is sentimental because it has a lot to do with the memories of her grandfather who she dearly loves. There was a lot of anger, sorrow and terror that is present in Gothic novels. Often times Tansy feels panic that she will not come back to the present world. Our heroine is lonely, and pensive, and she suffers more because she feels afraid to ask for help.

Unique and unusual
I like that since Tansy is a photographer we get a lot of photography lingo and vocabulary. I also love the fact that all the characters seem equally fleshed out. Her closest friend in town Beth, is a thirteen-year-old genius who constantly quotes Shakespeare. Even though the story is about the Tansy-Isabel-Henry dynamic, it still manages to be about everyone else in that small town. Don't worry Henry isn't the only one vying for her attention. After all, there has to be someone in the present world fighting for her to stay. This book just had that almost tangible feeling to it. As if you could actually feel the suspense and taste the mystery. A lot had to do with the poems in the journal she found and in a way this book reminded me of Chime by Franny Billingsley. And while I seem to be the only person who actually dislikes that book I feel that Through Her Eyes did the whole poetic-Gothic-suspense-mystery thing much better than Chime. I mean time-travel can be annoying because it has the propensity to get confusing and aggravating, but it wasn't in this book. The reading flow wasn't hindered by any of the poems or other worldly experiences. It just flowed and the closure we feel in the end is pretty awesome. Check out some other reviews and then read it, because it's scary cool. show less

Tansy and her mother have lived all over the place because her mother, a horror writer, likes to get a feel for a place when she's writing about it in her novels. Tansy, on the other hand, wants to be in San Francisco, the last place they lived and where her friends (and potential boyfriend) live. But they moved to Cedar Canyon in Texas, where her grandfather, Papa Dan, grew up. And, of course, they move into a creepy, haunted house. Tansy's mom is ecstatic. Tansy...not so much.

The family show more dynamic in this novel is excellent. Papa Dan, Mom, and Tansy are a great family unit. Granted, they have their issues but they love each other deeply. After years of taking care of them, Papa Dan has dementia and it's up to Tansy and her mother to take care of him. Moving to this new place, with unfamiliar people, Tansy's lost and needs her Papa Dan more than ever. Though he's there physically, he isn't there mentally or verbally and, with her mother in her writing cave, Tansy gets lost in her own thoughts. And this girl does think too much. She's a bit emo, a bit dark (perhaps she gets that from her horror-writer mom, hum?), and only semi-willing to give the people of Cedar Canyon a chance.

Because she's pretty much isolated herself from all but a few people, Henry, the tormented ghost who haunts Tansy's new house, is able to contact her. As the story progresses, Tansy loses herself in Henry's world and, as his world gains color, her world loses it and she doesn't really want to return to reality. The point of view in this paranormal is unusual in that, while it's told through Tansy's eyes, it also includes flashbacks, which she sees when she looks through the lens of her camera.
This story drew me in and made me want to stay a while, to try and figure out the mystery that haunted Cedar Canyon and to see what happened to Tansy (and to maybe shake her mother so she'd pay a little more attention to what was going on with her daughter). A tantalizing mystery, a blossoming romance, and an eerie ghost story, THROUGH HER EYES is well worth curling up with. show less

To say Tansy isn’t happy to be leaving her home, friends, and school would be a serious understatement, but the choice isn’t really hers to make. Her mom writes horror novels, and hopes to find her muse in an old house in Texas. Tansy feels like she doesn’t fit in from day one, and quickly loses herself in her photography. It is through the lens of her camera that she discovers the ghost story taking place around her.

I absolutely LOVE a good ghost story, and Through Her Eyes delivered! show more Tansy is transported through time to witness the tumultuous story of a man named Henry unfold. I don’t think the author could have picked a better vessel to give Tansy a front row seat to the past. As the story progresses and secrets unfold, I was turning each page with bated breath. I loved when the plot began to intertwine with Tansy’s family tree.

This book features some top-notch main and secondary characters. I admired Tansy’s individuality and lack of desire to conform. She handles her relocation better than could be expected, and I liked that her relationship with her mother and grandfather (Papa Dan) was so very normal and healthy. I identified with the heartache she was experiencing watching her grandfather fall victim to dementia having experienced the same thing with my grandmother a few years ago. This plot detail and Tansy’s bond with her grandfather really touched on one of the most difficult periods of my life, and memories that I tend to keep buried deep. This earned Through Her Eyes a special place in my heart, and allowed me to connect on a level other readers might not be able to experience. It isn’t often that I can say this about a book.

Mysterious Henry is charming in an uber-creepy way. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to love him or fear him. Unlikely friend, Bethyl Anne AKA Stinky, was a delight. I dare you to not love this girl who speaks in Shakespeare quotes! Love interest, Tate, gives you the small town jock first impression, but there is so much more to this boy than meets the eye. As Tansy was losing her reality to the ghost of Henry, I was losing mine to this book. Fantastic premise, ideal pacing, and great characters!

I’d recommend Through Her Eyes to readers who enjoy ghost stories or stories of the paranormal, especially those partial to a small town setting (like me!). Standalone novels are becoming a rare find, so if that is your cup of tea give this one a try. I consider myself a “series kind of girl”, but I absolutely loved this one and was left feeling sated at the end of the final page.

I also have to add that Jennifer Archer wrote Women’s Fiction prior to her jump into the YA writing pool. I haven’t read her other titles, but I was thoroughly impressed with her YA debut! show less

Through Her Eyes has now become one of my absolute favorite YA books. A stunning mix of contemporary realism and ghost story, this book is hauntingly beautiful. Truly a unique storyline, I was drawn-in from the very beginning and it refused to let me go until I had read the entire thing straight through. Suffice it say, Through Her Eyes is not only unique, but beautifully written.

Tansy was an intriguing main character. Towed constantly from state to state by her mother, Tansy is often left show more feeling like an outsider. All she longs for is a place to put down some roots, and actually find something meaningful. What I loved most about Tansy was her devout loyalty to her grandfather, and the way that she was so real. I mean that Tansy isn't perfect. She whines, she complains, she has thoughts of feeling outcast and lost. However it is all those thing that really made me fall in love with her. Tansy feels like a real person, almost like a friend that you're meeting for the first time.

That being said, Jennifer Archer definitely has a knack for writing descriptive and interesting characters. Each character who comes in contact with Tansy is utterly engrossing. Bethyl Anne, for instance, is quite different than most characters I've ever met. Two years younger than her fellow classmates, and obsessed with quoting Shakespeare, Bethyl Anne is also an outcast. However she handles her status much differently than Tansy. There is an air about her that shows her strength and a deep understanding of her life. It is through her that Tansy begins to see that feeling sorry for herself won't get her anywhere. Truthfully Bethyl Anne is one of my new favorite characters. There are others, like the smoldering Tate, but I won't delve too far. I'll let you discover that for yourself!

In terms of plot, some may find it a bit slow at the beginning. This is because Tansy is so deeply set into her isolation that the beginning of the story is mainly inner monologue. However as the story progresses, and Tansy breaks out of her shell, it also definitely picks up in speed. The ghost story aspect provides a unique twist, and the two time periods are woven together so seamlessly that sometimes I forgot where I was at the moment. Through Her Eyes is absolutely the most stunning book that I have read in a long time.

Ultimately, I fell so in love with this book that I can't give it any less than my highest recommendation. Expertly written characters, seamless plot writing and a gorgeously isolated setting make this book something special. I can only hope that you'll love it as much as I did. show less