In my review for The Hollow I was a little irritated by Abbey's constant dramatics and I hoped that after some time she'd level out in The Haunted. Thankfully I can report she has! This isn't to say she's put it all behind her, far from it, but she's learned to focus on what is important and what she can do to be proactive. I appreciated that character growth and acknowledgment that Abbey was acting all shades of melodrama last book.

We open to Abbey returning and forcing herself to put Caspian--and what happened in the last book--behind her to look towards her dream of opening a perfume shop. She definitely comes off as stronger and more decisive this book and I can't really fault her for trying to force Caspian to the backburner. Their relationship isn't bound for healthiness after all.

We learn about the revenants (which seems to be a favorite word for what essentially is a zombie--that's right return from the dead? Its a zombie) and let me just say I think Abbey would have preferred never to meet Vincent. The guy is...malevolent. Truthfully he is. He's also astoundingly good at hitting weak points with all the force of a ten ton hammer. He makes several revelations to Abbey in the last few pages that kind of made me go 'oh no...' and feel so badly for Abbey. And made me start to worry she'd slip into bad habits of guilt again. Even after he corrects her (understandably) mistaken assumption about his motives he still smiles. He does confirm some suspicions I had concerning the events leading up to Kristen's death, as well as the foundation for Caspian and Abbey's relationship.

The only problem with The Haunted is that its a middle book of a trilogy, so it does have plot lag. Verday has to keep the balance between giving us information and not giving us it all, which straggles throughout much of the book. Details come in fit and spurts, with the bulk of it being tossed into the ending. This book is moreso a build up of the relationship Abbey and Caspian have and of Abbey finding her path once more. ( )

I have read these books before now, so there are some thins I knew about these books before going to into them. like, Caspian’s a ghost.
But it’s been a while since I’ve read them, so I find myself delightfully surprised by things I didn’t remember. i.e., Kristen’s secret diary, Cacey and Uri, etc.
The Ultimate Question: what happened to Kristen?
Well, we now know who did it. And (kind of) why. But I won’t be satisfied until I know the how as well. And the why behind the why because it doesn’t make sense for Vincent to not want Caspian ad Abbey to be completed unless he has some personal vendetta against Caspian.
Ah, Ben. How cute.
Also, there was a little character development to thew bitchy popular girl, Aubra. Although I think that was added just to hammer home the message Vincent is a psychopath.
Not that I would know.
So, I promised you a longer playlist tailored specifically for this series. I’m still working out some kinks, but here it is:
Broken- Seether feat. Amy Lee
I Am Only One; Sleep Well, My Angel- We Are the Fallen
Arise- Flyleaf
All I Need; Shot in the Dark; The Last Dance- Within Temptation
Decode; Let the Flames Begin- Paramore
Broken Pieces- Apocalyptica feat. Lacey Sturm
The Call- Regina Spektor
Bring Me to Life; Lithium- Evanescence
Skyscraper- Demi Lovato
A New Hope- Broken Iris
This is Home- Switchfoot
Dear Agony- Breaking Benjamin
Hard to See; Walk Away- Five Finger Death Punch
Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day
In the End; Valentines Day- Linkin Park
Safe and Sound- Taylor Swift
Whatever Will Be- Vanessa Hudgens
Whispers in the Dark- Skillet
Through the Iris; So Long, Good-bye- 10 Years
That’s twenty eight songs. And I’m not saying you have to listen to these songs while reading or anything, just that I listened to these songs while reading and I think the lyrics and tunes really fit the mood and theme of the book.
And, as I said, I’m still working on some kinks. I’m hoping to get some new music soon, and that will affect this playlist as well, so, if you’re interested, stay tuned.
Eh… that’s all I have to say.
( )

Much more action that the first book, where I waited and waited and waited for something to happen. The story goes fast and leaves you with a cliffhanger ! It is sweet, sometimes dark and adventurous.
Abby, faces danger, there are things after her, dangerous things. Casper, his new nick-name,opens up to her about his past and his feelings. Her communication with Nick and Katie, give her and Casper some answers they need. We also get more of the headless horseman tale. They take a trip together, sweet moments and revelations happen between them. Does it pull the heart strings much, yes. Ben is still adorable and just a wonderful character. I have hopes for him in the next book. ( )

I found reading 'The Haunted' by Jessica Verday very similar to reading 'The Hollow'. I still stand by the concept of 'The Hollow' series. I love the overall plot of this series. It's fun, inventive, and not commonly seen in YA fiction! And this is all coming from a person who hasn't read the books inspiration, "The Headless Horseman".

'The Haunted' brings us a few months into the future. It's summer and main character Abbey has been 'recovering' from her delusions of seeing and faling in love with a ghost. She's almost convinced herself that Caspian is a figment of her imagination until she returns home. We watch as she tries to keep her life 'normal' and not delve back into the happenings of the year prior, but slowly she is drawn back into the shadow world-- Caspian's world. Once there, she can't let go and can't keep lying to herself about the boy she loves.

I'm a huge fan of Caspian. I like him. Thankfully, much of this book revolves around learning what he truly is and what his limitations are. His interaction with Abbey is always entertaining and quite surprisingly, the sexual tension is written superbly! I say it's surprising, because, well, as a ghost, he can't exactly touch her or she him. A few scenes, even without them touching, made me blush a bit!

Abbey is back narrating this tale and we get a lot of what we got in the original tale-- normal life. We see family dinners, part time jobs, and get a few science lessons. All in all, though, I didn't mind it. I love the parts that involved her mixing scents for her perfumes and discussing her future shop. As far as YA characters come, Abbey's a pretty good role model for teens.

Without going into spoiler territory, I love the new big bad introduced in this novel. I'm looking forward to learning more about him and how he's connected to Abbey. Also, the new creepy khaki kids-- love them! (At least I think! I need to read book three to know for sure!)

If you read 'The Hollow' you know it ended with many questions and little in terms of answers. 'The Haunted' answers some of those questions-- mainly about Caspian. It also brings a whole new slew of questions to the forefront. I really wish the novel had ended at a different point.

Like the original, 'The Haunted' is l-o-n-g. Almost too long. It would have been nice if the book were 75 (or so) pages shorter, but that's just my opinion. I'm a clear believer that page count doesn't necessarily mean better. The main plot takes a while to get into and the real action doesn't start until the last third of the novel. I would have loved for the main plot to start earlier and the action to come more towards the middle.

Overall, this gets 3 stars out of 5. I love the characters, cute romance, and overall plot, but just wish the main plot points would have come into play earlier than the very end. Definitely a novel you want to check out!

More reviews on my blog: http://brookesboxofbooks.blogspot.com ( )

Holy crap!!! I just finished this book and it was even more awesome than the first book, "The Hollow"! I am completely blown away and excited by every bit of new twists and information I learned while reading "The Haunted". I am so in love with this series and super taken aback by Jessica Verday and her ability to come up with such a unique story. In this book you learn more about Caspian, Nikolas, Katy, and even Ben. As well as some new, interesting characters. This book had me laughing and yelling out loud. I can't freakin' wait for the next book in the series! Squeeeeee!!!!! ( )