Part romance, part ghost story, part Gothic, part mystery and part magic, Forevermore is an appealing new title in YA lit.
Ivy Calhoun finds herself on her way to the wild moors of Scotland where her new stepfather Naill is the Laird of Glenmorrag, a huge Scottish castle that seems to come out of Edgar Allan Poe's menacing prose or a horror movie set.
Ivy's father died some years before and Ivy never thought her mother would remarry, but she seems truly happy and in love, so Ivy's trying to make the best of the move from Charleston.
The castle is creepy, cold, dark, menacing and drafty. Ivy's step-grandmother is almost as spooky as Glenmorrag. Meals are expected to be served on time and Ivy is expected to dress accordingly. Four servants stand by to serve them at mealtimes, and the air is thick with Grandmother's disdain.
Maybe it's her imagination, but Ivy senses a presence. When her violin and bow hang in the air all by themselves a voice keeps warning her to leave the castle, Ivy has no doubt that there's an evil ghost haunting her.
Imagine her surprise when she comes face to ghost with Logan Munro, and 18 year old ghost who's been trapped wandering the moors for two hundred years. He doesn't know why he's tied to Glemnorrag or how he died, but Ivy promises to help him find answers. Logan tells Ivy it's not just him haunting the castle--there is something else--a dark presence, and Logan fears for Ivy's safety.
Logan is a tragic hero stuck between two worlds and wandering the Scottish countryside searching for answers. It isn't until he meets Ivy that he realizes the answers he seeks have been within his reach all along.
The author uses Scottish brogue when her locals speak, but I found it quite distracting. Logan says "gell" for girl and "aye" for yes. I realize she was trying to capture the local dialect of her characters but I feel the story could have been stronger without it. The Scottish coutnryside comes alive for the reader--its menacing storms, battering winds, lonely moors, steep cliff, and sea air are the perfect setting for a ghost story.
ISBN: 9780545426220 288 pages. Recommended grade 7-up.
Recommended by Pamela Thompson, Library Media Specialist, Texas, USA
Visit her YA novels blog at https://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/
FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
