If I Have To Be Haunted: The most haunting romantic debut fantasy of 2023
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Description
The most haunting, heartwarming debut of 2023. Perfect for fans of strong female leads and supernatural stakes in Buffy, with all the sweetness and romance of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Cara’s just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, and prepare for college – which means not speaking to the dead, an ability she inherited from her grandmother. Ghosts are trouble, and Cara doesn’t need to add their problems to her own.
But then she stumbles upon the body of Zach – the super popular but very newly dead high school golden boy – in the woods, and guess what? He wants her to resurrect him.
Cue trouble.
Miranda Sun’s debut touches on the power and conflicts in a mother-daughter love, first romance – and finding your place in the world while honouring your culture. Full of heart, humour and thrills, If I Have to be Haunted will put a spell on you.
Book Information
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Perfect Fall Read! 🎃🧡
Cara has a secret she is not allowed to tell anyone. She is a ghost speaker, meaning she is able to communicate with the dead. When her sworn enemy and declared golden boy of the local high school Zack Coleson unexpectedly dies, Cara inadvertently finds herself on a mission to resurrect him. Following Cara and Zack on their journey trying to get him back to life was such a fun and heart wrenching adventure. Their witty banter and growing respect and affection for each other was absolutely lovely. I loved the suspense of the many different trials they have to go through in order to save Zacks life. Like escaping from a ghost eating cannibal or defeating an enormous hill beast. All while slowly realizing they have more in common than they had ever imagined and that they actually make a pretty good team. I absolutely fell in love with both of the protagonists. This was such a fun a read. Perfect for the days leading up to Halloween. The only thing I personally wasn‘t a fan of was the epilogue hinting for the story to be continued as I feel like this would be a fantastic stand-alone. Long story short - I love this book! ❤️
This book is really YA and really cute. If I have to be Haunted is definitely aimed at a younger audience, but also enjoyable as an adult. I loved the writing style which just lets you fly through the book. There's a huge cute factor, but it also touches on more serious themes.
Cara is a ghost speaker but has to hide her powers to meet her mother's expectations, who is trapped in cultural demands as a Chinese American immigrant. But she is also in High School with her nemesis Zach who annoyed her since childhood. When her two worlds collide due to a tragic accident (or is it an accident?), she has to take off to a literal and figurative journey. I love Cara and her hate/love chemistry with Zach, and I very much loved Cara's grandmother and the ghost hunter we meet later. The characters are really great and you feel with them. The magic system is intriguing with the ghosts/ghostspeakers aspects and the Ouroboros duality of Creation/Destruction. However, it would have been better to dive more into these myths and legends than adding the concept of the liminial worlds that convolutes the system and is just plainly confusing. Cara and Zach getting thrown from world to world seems more like a montage of flashy things than a real journey. Once they're done with this though, the story picks up again and you can't help but root for these kids. The last part is really great though, giving us much closer, and once again picking up the theme of duality. I loved it. It could have well ended before the epilogue and I'd have closed the book satisfied. I'm also not mad though that there will obviously more to be read from this world in the futurefuture. 4/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the eARC!
Schönes Abenteuerbuch, aber zu langatmig
Das Buch hatte ein cooles Setting und auch eine recht spannende Handlung, sodass ich große Stücke drauf gesetzt habe. Leider war es im Endeffekt zu viel für mich, von einer gefährlichen Situation in die nächste. Und dazwischen gab es zu wenig "Rätsel" oder Probleme, die gelöst wurden. Auch hat es bei mir mit dem Englisch etwas schwierig. Die Sprache ist doch sehr beschreibend und geschmückt, sodass man sich etwas schwer tut. Die Konversationen sind dagegen gut verständlich. Auf Deutsch würde ich das Buch eventuell nochmal lesen.
In "If I Have To Be Haunted" we follow Cara Tang, a seemingly normal chinese-american highschool girl. Well, except for her ability to see and interact with ghosts. Cara is a ghost speaker, just like her late grandmother Laolao. She not only has the ability to see ghosts and talk to them, she can also help them pass over to the afterlife. So when her arch-nemesis Zack dies from a venomous snakebite, Cara and Zack's ghost have to work together to save his life. Together they go on a quest to find the snake with the anti-venom, before Zack vanishes completely. I loved the premise, which reminded me a lot of "Cemetery Boys" and "A Boy Worth Knowing" which are two of my all time favorite books. Cara was a great main character. She was strong, determined and sometimes stubborn. But she never backed down. Her constant banter with charmingly annoying Zack was refreshing and everyone who likes a good enemies-to-lovers story, will adore this! I really enjoyed Cara's and Zack's journey, even though I found the world building and magic system a little convoluted. The author wanted to fit a lot in there and by the end it was just too much. But I quite liked the ideas. Along the way we meet deadly fog, horrifying mosters and a cannibalistic grandpa. It was a wild ride, that's for sure. Halway through the book, Cara and Zack are joined by Britanny, a ghost hunter. She was a perfect addition to the group and I loved the three characters together. Miranda Sun's writing style is beautiful. There are flowery moments, without being too poetic. The characters behave like the teenagers they are, which can be frustrating at times, but it feels very realistic and organic. The ending was beautiful and I would totally read a sequel! Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with an early review copy in exchange for an honest review!
4,5 This book was so cute! Also, I haven’t enjoyed a YA romantasy as much as I enjoyed this one in quite a long time, so here are my thoughts: The beautiful writing style made it very easy for me to get into the story and connect to the characters. I also liked how the author included the protagonist’s heritage and her family trauma in the story line. It felt very authentic, and I couldn’t help but sympathise with Cara. Additionally, Cara’s story and her character development was super enjoyable. She can be stubborn at times and doesn’t always make the right decisions, but that was what made her character so loveable. Also, it was heart-warming to read about Cara’s self-discovery and her journey to acceptance. But what I enjoyed the most was definitely her relationship to Zach. These two were so cute and even though the slow burn was frustrating at times, it just kept me reading on and on and on. Their banter was everything, but I also liked how the author wrote the shift from haters to lovers since it felt very natural and not forced or rushed at all. The fantasy part of the story was also well written. If you want to read this book, I really recommend you reading it in the fall because the atmosphere is magical and captivating. Moreover, I liked that the fantasy elements were not too overwhelming but still thoroughly developed. However, even though I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, there were times, where I wished the story would slow down and provide me with a few more explanations. Still, this is just a minor thing and nothing that really bothered me. Conclusion: If I Have To Be Haunted was a very wholesome and cute YA fantasy story with lots of great banter and a adorable haters-to-lovers romance. This is the perfect fall book if you are looking for a light-hearted but still emotional story with ghosts, magic and a slow burn romance. I rate this book 4,5 stars!
Description
The most haunting, heartwarming debut of 2023. Perfect for fans of strong female leads and supernatural stakes in Buffy, with all the sweetness and romance of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Cara’s just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, and prepare for college – which means not speaking to the dead, an ability she inherited from her grandmother. Ghosts are trouble, and Cara doesn’t need to add their problems to her own.
But then she stumbles upon the body of Zach – the super popular but very newly dead high school golden boy – in the woods, and guess what? He wants her to resurrect him.
Cue trouble.
Miranda Sun’s debut touches on the power and conflicts in a mother-daughter love, first romance – and finding your place in the world while honouring your culture. Full of heart, humour and thrills, If I Have to be Haunted will put a spell on you.
Book Information
Posts
Perfect Fall Read! 🎃🧡
Cara has a secret she is not allowed to tell anyone. She is a ghost speaker, meaning she is able to communicate with the dead. When her sworn enemy and declared golden boy of the local high school Zack Coleson unexpectedly dies, Cara inadvertently finds herself on a mission to resurrect him. Following Cara and Zack on their journey trying to get him back to life was such a fun and heart wrenching adventure. Their witty banter and growing respect and affection for each other was absolutely lovely. I loved the suspense of the many different trials they have to go through in order to save Zacks life. Like escaping from a ghost eating cannibal or defeating an enormous hill beast. All while slowly realizing they have more in common than they had ever imagined and that they actually make a pretty good team. I absolutely fell in love with both of the protagonists. This was such a fun a read. Perfect for the days leading up to Halloween. The only thing I personally wasn‘t a fan of was the epilogue hinting for the story to be continued as I feel like this would be a fantastic stand-alone. Long story short - I love this book! ❤️
This book is really YA and really cute. If I have to be Haunted is definitely aimed at a younger audience, but also enjoyable as an adult. I loved the writing style which just lets you fly through the book. There's a huge cute factor, but it also touches on more serious themes.
Cara is a ghost speaker but has to hide her powers to meet her mother's expectations, who is trapped in cultural demands as a Chinese American immigrant. But she is also in High School with her nemesis Zach who annoyed her since childhood. When her two worlds collide due to a tragic accident (or is it an accident?), she has to take off to a literal and figurative journey. I love Cara and her hate/love chemistry with Zach, and I very much loved Cara's grandmother and the ghost hunter we meet later. The characters are really great and you feel with them. The magic system is intriguing with the ghosts/ghostspeakers aspects and the Ouroboros duality of Creation/Destruction. However, it would have been better to dive more into these myths and legends than adding the concept of the liminial worlds that convolutes the system and is just plainly confusing. Cara and Zach getting thrown from world to world seems more like a montage of flashy things than a real journey. Once they're done with this though, the story picks up again and you can't help but root for these kids. The last part is really great though, giving us much closer, and once again picking up the theme of duality. I loved it. It could have well ended before the epilogue and I'd have closed the book satisfied. I'm also not mad though that there will obviously more to be read from this world in the futurefuture. 4/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the eARC!
Schönes Abenteuerbuch, aber zu langatmig
Das Buch hatte ein cooles Setting und auch eine recht spannende Handlung, sodass ich große Stücke drauf gesetzt habe. Leider war es im Endeffekt zu viel für mich, von einer gefährlichen Situation in die nächste. Und dazwischen gab es zu wenig "Rätsel" oder Probleme, die gelöst wurden. Auch hat es bei mir mit dem Englisch etwas schwierig. Die Sprache ist doch sehr beschreibend und geschmückt, sodass man sich etwas schwer tut. Die Konversationen sind dagegen gut verständlich. Auf Deutsch würde ich das Buch eventuell nochmal lesen.
In "If I Have To Be Haunted" we follow Cara Tang, a seemingly normal chinese-american highschool girl. Well, except for her ability to see and interact with ghosts. Cara is a ghost speaker, just like her late grandmother Laolao. She not only has the ability to see ghosts and talk to them, she can also help them pass over to the afterlife. So when her arch-nemesis Zack dies from a venomous snakebite, Cara and Zack's ghost have to work together to save his life. Together they go on a quest to find the snake with the anti-venom, before Zack vanishes completely. I loved the premise, which reminded me a lot of "Cemetery Boys" and "A Boy Worth Knowing" which are two of my all time favorite books. Cara was a great main character. She was strong, determined and sometimes stubborn. But she never backed down. Her constant banter with charmingly annoying Zack was refreshing and everyone who likes a good enemies-to-lovers story, will adore this! I really enjoyed Cara's and Zack's journey, even though I found the world building and magic system a little convoluted. The author wanted to fit a lot in there and by the end it was just too much. But I quite liked the ideas. Along the way we meet deadly fog, horrifying mosters and a cannibalistic grandpa. It was a wild ride, that's for sure. Halway through the book, Cara and Zack are joined by Britanny, a ghost hunter. She was a perfect addition to the group and I loved the three characters together. Miranda Sun's writing style is beautiful. There are flowery moments, without being too poetic. The characters behave like the teenagers they are, which can be frustrating at times, but it feels very realistic and organic. The ending was beautiful and I would totally read a sequel! Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with an early review copy in exchange for an honest review!
4,5 This book was so cute! Also, I haven’t enjoyed a YA romantasy as much as I enjoyed this one in quite a long time, so here are my thoughts: The beautiful writing style made it very easy for me to get into the story and connect to the characters. I also liked how the author included the protagonist’s heritage and her family trauma in the story line. It felt very authentic, and I couldn’t help but sympathise with Cara. Additionally, Cara’s story and her character development was super enjoyable. She can be stubborn at times and doesn’t always make the right decisions, but that was what made her character so loveable. Also, it was heart-warming to read about Cara’s self-discovery and her journey to acceptance. But what I enjoyed the most was definitely her relationship to Zach. These two were so cute and even though the slow burn was frustrating at times, it just kept me reading on and on and on. Their banter was everything, but I also liked how the author wrote the shift from haters to lovers since it felt very natural and not forced or rushed at all. The fantasy part of the story was also well written. If you want to read this book, I really recommend you reading it in the fall because the atmosphere is magical and captivating. Moreover, I liked that the fantasy elements were not too overwhelming but still thoroughly developed. However, even though I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, there were times, where I wished the story would slow down and provide me with a few more explanations. Still, this is just a minor thing and nothing that really bothered me. Conclusion: If I Have To Be Haunted was a very wholesome and cute YA fantasy story with lots of great banter and a adorable haters-to-lovers romance. This is the perfect fall book if you are looking for a light-hearted but still emotional story with ghosts, magic and a slow burn romance. I rate this book 4,5 stars!