8/9/14: A week later and I'm still thinking about this book. Now that Annette and I are doing some reviews, I've decided that I want to review it... So now I'm waiting on it to come back to the library cos I stupidly returned it before I decided on that. 

 

15/9/14: My review, originally posted here www.thetometravellers.wordpress.com

 

I love YA books with a male MC. I don’t exactly know when I came to that conclusion but naturally, I’ve decided I want to read more of them. I’ve got a small list I’m trying to get through and Ordinary Ghosts seemed like a good place to start.

 

While I did find it hard to read at times, (this is only because the book and font were weirdly small) I was intrigued from the start. I really liked Emil. He made me laugh. He’s clearly lonely and definitely struggling, missing both his mother (who passed away only a few months before) and his brother (who mysteriously left town not long after). While never super close to begin with, his dad is now a bit of an absent parent in the way that he’s not dealing well with his own grief and has emotionally withdrawn from Emil. Instead, he is constantly getting on his case about school work and getting high grades. So it’s no surprise when Emil grasps the distraction of the key to Caramoor Academy with both hands and takes advantage of his dad’s 4 day business trip to go exploring at night. There, he meets Jade, daughter of the school art teacher and a relationship starts to blossom.

 

What I liked:

 

- Emil’s voice: it was honest and refreshing. Eireann Corrigan didn’t shy away from typical teenage boy drug use and swearing (can I just say, I love swearing. In books, in movies, in real life – ALL THE TIME) and I really liked that it was true to how teenagers are.

 

- The relationship between Jade and Emil: Though it developed quite quickly for the time frame of the book, it was really well done. They had a bit of a false start, and there was, of course, the usual awkwardness, but they helped each other through some tough moments. And hands up for a well-written, first-time sex scene!

 

- Eireann Corrigan’s ability to make Ethan’s presence so palpable, even though he is barely in the book: Emil’s brother is clearly someone who he looks up to and admires so Ethan is talked about a lot throughout the story. I was impressed that we really got a sense of who Ethan was even though Emil doesn’t actually catch up with him until towards the end of the book.

 

Ordinary Ghosts is one I’ll be book pushing a bit from now on, I think. I’m sad/annoyed it’s not more well known. It’s one of those books that slowly creeps up on you and you don’t realise at the time how much you’re enjoying it, but I really felt it when I had finished. I want to read more of her books.

 

Definitely give this book a go if you, like me, are into male protagonists. You won't regret it.

The Believing Game takes place in a rehab facility for youth. Within these walls, we are introduced to a group of characters who stand apart from each other. All have been given life with their own personalities and quirks. And all of them are equally unforgettable in this story. We are driven deep in to the mind of these youngsters, and are given a glimpse of the actions it took for them to get to where they are now.Enter the vulture…Joshua. With the help of a fellow resident, Addison, he starts to build up his own little cult following, convincing these kids that the words he preaches speak the truth and that only he will be their salvation. What a load of crap! But to some of these kids, it’s Joshua’s words and gestures that give them something to hope for.After a weekend “retreat”, Joshua unveils his evil master plan to his little band of followers, and the beginnings of doubt start to leak through in this group. It’ll take more than just a few words to convince Addison that the person that he holds so high up on a pedestal is not whom he thinks he is. And inorder to save him and their other friends, Greer and Sophia have taken it upon themselves to find the truth about Joshua before someone gets really hurt, or takes the road from which there is no return.I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started reading The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan. And to be perfectly honest, 100 pages into it, I still didn’t know how I felt about it! There was so much preaching and biblical references in it that it was making my head spin, and quite frankly, was annoying me terribly.But then…beyond all of that…I watched this story unfold. This story that I didn’t think that I would even be able to finish. For me, reading The Believing Game was like driving past a car accident…you just can’t help but look. After all the moments that had me shaking my head, and wanting to pull out my hair with the actions that these characters were taking I became engrossed in the story. I needed to find out how the heck this group of teens were going to dig themselves out of this hole that they’ve dug themselves into.It had me really questioning how Greer, Addison, Sophia, Jared, and Wes were going to untangle themselves from this wicked web that has been weaved by the extremely convincing but very disturbed Joshua. And then it had me step back and look at all the real life cults that exist and have existed in the reality, and how these madmen preyed on the weak and vulnerable. And it also showed me how impressionable young minds can be. Not only young minds, but minds of those who are at a vulnerable time in their life, and are easily swayed.Strewn with sexual topics and other addictions, I wouldn’t recommend The Believing Game to younger readers. As more of an older YA read, the topics discussed in the book are dark and very real. With an ending that came out of nowhere, readers who are very much into psychological reads will come to enjoy The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan, or for those who are curious to see how the beginnings of a cult could manifest.

Can be read on The Social Potato.

Just in case anyone is curious, Santa didn't give this to me (before you call on me saying such a tidbit was unnecessary, keep in mind that I did put it in my wishlist-ish list). I ranted sometime ago that the kindle edition was far too expensive (even more expensive than the frickin' paperback! The nerve!), but in the end, my yearning to read and devour this book triumphed over my disgust. Sigh. We bookworms are too soft, I tell you. Them companies just know we'll never be able to hold out.

But no matter. I shall try to convince myself and manipulate my mind to think that the book was expensive because Eireann Corrigan is a damn good writer. With all my heart and soul, I declare her one of the best out there. She doesn't just know how to write, she also knows how to deliver a story. A writer AND a storyteller. I kid you not when I say such writers are far and few between. With that said, I now proclaim the big, fat, sinful price of $11.89 (which was $12+ a few days before) forgiven. Well, kinda.

I'm still unsure how to talk about my feelings and thoughts of this book. I confess that it took me 2 days to read all of it, which is actually long given how fast I read, but this was the kind of book that you just don't read mindlessly. It will make you think about a lot of things, and maybe even provoke you to take a break because it can be quite overwhelming. It was a rather roller coaster ride, that I will admit. So what we have here are a bunch of teenagers who've had somewhat dysfunctional lives and a middle-aged, charismatic (read: creepy) guy who tries to take advantage of them using spiritual development and character growth as a pretext. If that doesn't sound like a juicy premise to you, then I don't know what does.

Where to begin? The writing. I've already stated that Eireann Corrigan is an awesome writer, and I still stand by that. I liked how she portrayed the characters, the escalation of events (a.k.a. brainwashing?) and the twists, turns, and tensions that were scattered all throughout the book. Sure, there were some predictable stuff here and there, but the author has written them in such a way that the revelation of such were still "shocking" and maybe a li'l bit "enjoyable". Prose was delightful to read as well. They were crafted and put together so well that sometimes I'd try to slow down so I can savor them a little while longer. The dialogues didn't seem forced and they actually felt natural. Okay, some were kinda creepy, but hey, the character saying those stuff was creepy in the first place, so that's forgiven.

Now that that's out of the way, let's focus on the characters. I had a love-hate relationship with the main Greer. I loved that she was observant, reflective and had common sense, but damn, her dependency on Addison, to the point of stupidity, was just mindblowingly annoying. She knew things were wrong, she knew the situations didn't feel right, but she was still willing to act all innocent and naïve and play along with all of it just because she loved her boyfriend and didn't want to lose him. Girl, get your shit together. I didn't like how she acted like she had no self-respect because of a brainwashed boy. Geezus, her dependency on him was all over the place 75% of the time and it almost drove me crazy. But then again, that was her character, and she was a troubled teen who was yearning for love and affection and Addison gave her that. I recognized her longing for a sense of security, so I brushed off this pet peeve of mine and tried not to let it cloud my judgement on a good and well-written book. I still like her, and I felt proud in the times she did try to make a stand. I just wish she wasn't so head-over-heels for a guy.

Joshua... man. He definitely has a way with people - charismatic, charming, seemingly knows what to say even in the most awkward of situations... but he's creepy. He's definitely the kind of guy I wouldn't ever want to hang out with because he just reeks of superficiality and ill intentions. He reminds me of Matthew from The Enemy series by Charlie Higson. His speeches sound so real and so sincere that it's obvious they're fake, but at the same time, you end up falling for the traps nonetheless. Imagine The Governor from The Walking Dead TV Show (yeah, 'cause the comic book Governor is way different, haha). He's exactly like that, except Joshua uses speeches that contain "inspirational thoughts" about "growing", "becoming a family", "getting past our problems" and all that in order to take advantage of the poor teenagers. I'm not going to say what he did, because that's what you (yes, you, who's reading this review of mine) are going to find out (so get this book now if you're curious! Mehehe...). He's the kind of guy who'll do anything to know you - your weaknesses, most especially - and then exploit them for his own personal gains. Scary, huh? These kind of guys, if you think about it, are scarier than zombies and vampires.

Why I didn't give this a perfect 5 out of 5 stars was because of the ending. WTF was that ending? Not that it was bad, but it was something that I absolutely didn't expect, and it left me feeling quite empty. Of course, don't let this discourage you, because while the end was definitely something that I wouldn't ever have imagined, it was realistic, and maybe the most feasible and probably situation if such a premise happened in real life.

All in all, it was a good read - fast-paced, thrilling, exciting and maybe even refreshing. It's not like your ordinary dystopian, post-apocalyptic young adult reads, making them even more real. It's definitely creepy especially with the fact that there are people like this in real life. Makes you wonder what wretched things are out there in the world. I recommend it to everyone. Well, maybe not for the faint of heart, but don't be a chicken now. :)

I really liked The Believing Game, it was an intense story that left me with chills. I personally have not read a story quite like this one before. I liked that I never really knew where Corrigan was going to take this story next.

The Believing Game is filled with interesting and realistic characters. I really enjoyed getting to know this group of kids at McCracken and found that they were each developed quite strongly. Greer is sent to to McCracken Hill after getting in a lot of trouble. While at the school, Greer meets other troubled kids that have been sent away as well. She wasn't the most likable character, but at the same time she never really annoyed me. She just doesn't always make the best decisions and has a lot of issues going on. Then there is Addison who introduces Greer to Joshua. Joshua, Addison's sponsor, terrified me.

The plot took some time for me to get invested in, so this book took me a few days to read. I really enjoyed the last half of this book the most though because everything just got crazy. I even admit to gasping out loud. However, I'm happy in a way that I took my time with this book because it was a story that definitely messed with my mind. It's heavy on the creepiness factor. There were even several unexpected twists that made my heart race.

Overall, The Believing Game was an enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone looking for a creepy and thrilling story

thereadinggeek.blogspot.com

To teens like Greer and Addison and their group of friends, all with extreme addictions, Joshua's self-love talk and enforcement of positive thinking is a highly attractive alternative to the more mundane and elaborate rituals of McCracken Hill. However, Greer soon discovers that all is not as it seems within Joshua's inner circle and must decide what she wants to do and what she is able to do with this knowledge. In The Believing Game, Eireann Corrigan explores what it is like to become drawn into a cult and the lengths to which cult leaders will go to maintain their followers. What follows is a chilling journey of love and loss, betrayal and friendship among a group of teens most in need of help.Even though Greer talks tough and appears to have no real sense of shame, there are hints of vulnerability that prevent a reader from lumping her in with every other rebelling teenager with parental issues. Her love for Addison highlights her softer side and shows a girl who is craving to be normal and to achieve the love and affection afforded to others. Yet, she is refreshingly self-aware, something which prevents her from being a total cliche. Her recognition of the fact that McCracken is truly the last hope for her, as well as her forced willingness to follow the rules and play the game as set out by the school, is honest and insightful and contains none of the self-righteousness that she could have so easily had. Greer is just what she appears to be - a teen with a troubled past who wants to have a good time but knows that if she is going to succeed as an adult, she needs to get her act together.Joshua is the creepiest type of bad guy. He looks innocuous, and taken at face value, his words provide much-needed hope and inspiration to a group of teens with very few chances left in life. Like Greer, a reader will immediately know that something is not quite right with Joshua and his influence over Addison. Yet, also like Greer, one will continue to hope that it is just one's imagination and that there is no insidious plot to be found. However, those niggling feelings of doubt never fade but grow stronger as Joshua begins to slip and show his true motivations. What follows is an intense journey as Greer slowly begins to understand the truth and rushes to save her friends and, most importantly, Addison from Joshua's grip.While Joshua's true beliefs are ultimately laughable, the feelings of frustration and fear that surround those caught up in his net are strikingly real. Even though his ultimate goal may cause laughter, the steps he is willing to take to defend his vision are terrifying in their extremity. A reader is quickly caught up in Greer's inability to extract herself or her friends from his clutches. Ms. Corrigan's stark but effective writing makes it all too easy to understand how people can be drawn into a cult and how truly difficult it is to step away from it.The Believing Game is the best type of psychological thriller and a very refreshing change of pace within the young adult genre. Greer and Addison are two regular kids struggling with very real demons, and not of the paranormal variety. There is no love triangle. The world is not post-apocalyptic and does not require superhuman intelligence or other mutations in order to survive. Joshua is subtly menacing and deliciously creepy, while the unraveling of the mystery surrounding Joshua's motives makes for an intense and thrilling read. The Believing Game is a fantastically creepy and quick read to help while away those gloomy winter afternoons.Acknowledgments: Thank you to Netgalley and to Scholastic for my review copy!