Playing Through Every Choices Book In Order (Part 116: The Ghost Of Us)

Hey! Today we use our ESP and otherworldy communication skills to try and solve the murder of our ghost friend.

Next time, we star in the film adaptation of "Guarded", only for a stalker and a romance with our bodyguard to shake things up a bit.

Link to previous reviews: https://www.reddit.com/user/stresseatingdog/comments/sj3s3m/all_choices_reviews_megapost/

The Ghost Of Us

M/C: Maggie Valentine

Love Interest(s): Gray

Favorite Characters: ...

Least Favorite Characters: Curtis

Rating: 4/10

Review:

This book had a strong start, I think, and some real potential with the concept. However, things really don't pan out in all that interesting or innovative of a way, and none of the characters really stand out positively.

The plot itself is a neat idea. Being a medium and speaking to ghosts, and solving the murder of one of those ghosts, is something really novel and cool for Choices. Obviously, romancing said ghost is also a pretty neat idea. However, it just isn't executed that well. The mystery feels really slow and boring. We suspect Peter for a few chapters, then Vivian, then the book kinda gives up and just tells you that it's Curtis at the end of chapter 14. Speaking of Curtis, his motive is completely stupid and not fleshed out enough. There's one diamond scene that sort of hints at why he is so delusional about being a part of the family and why he hates Gray so much, but that's about it. Also, the silhouette of the killer you see earlier on is so obviously Curtis. They don't even try to hide it. Basically, the mystery really just stops being interesting or engaging after the first few chapters.

Similarly, I thought M/C and Gray's dynamic was at least fun for the first few chapters. I like that you don't have to flirt with them, that M/C and Gray can have time to build up a banter and rapport before leaping into the romance. Then, it all comes tumbling down with this idiotic plot about M/C giving her lifeforce so Gray can be physical. It's all an excuse so they can include smut scenes, at least, that's what I think. After that chapter, their dynamic gets so compeltely boring. It's just M/C fawning over Gray and Gray fawning over her, and any trace of their previous banter is removed entirely. I will say that the choice to let Gray move on or not is a good touch...but they already did that in Haunting of Braidwood Manor, so I don't know how many kudos I can really give.

M/C herself, I feel, kind of loses her character throughout the book. She starts off this very headstrong, indie hippy sort of ethereal, which I really liked. She loses all these traits and slowly becomes more and more bland throughout the book, and by the end, I almost forgot she was supposed to be this very earthy spirit medium personality.

Can I also comment on the art? M/C and Gray look awful, to me. They are this weird blend of skinny and smooth and just...so uncanny. God, how did we go from the previous artsyle to...this? Why not re-use some of the old M/C models, or LI body models with new faces?

The side characters are just fine. The other ghosts are neat, but none of the three really get enough focus for me to care much about them. The ghost dog is cute, but isn't nearly present enough for me to care either. Alexandra is boring, and Peter disappears from the book after you clear him as a suspect. VIvian at least has some interesting nuance to her not being the completely heartless ex that we're led to believe she is, but nothing is really done with that angle.

Of course, this book is also genderlocked for no reason at all. They put this line in the book where M/C says that her mother and grandmother were mediums too, or had powers. I don't get this obsession with matriarchal inheritance...they do it in Bloodbound as well. It feels like a cheap excuse, and there really is no reason why this book should be genderlocked at all.

Overall, this book has some promise in its first few chapters, but falls off pretty quickly afterwards, with no real redeeming factors. The mystery is lame, the LI romance is whatever, there's a needless genderlock, and there's a distinct lack of memorable characters. Still, the concept is cool and I did enjoy the first bit of the book, so there's that.