Name: Haunted.
ISBN: 0060751649

Meg Cabot

Haunted.

Sarah Sammis

I really had wanted to start the series at the beginning but the older style book covers don't make the series order obvious. I was at my local library and pressed for time. So I picked Haunted by Meg Cabot, the fifth of the Mediator series.

Coming so far into a well established series it can be hard for a book to stand on its own. I can't say that the book held my attention as much as I had hoped it would but I want to track down Shadowland before I make up my mind about the series.

Susannah Simon and her family have moved to Carmel Beach, California from New York. She's at a new school and in a new home but Paul Slater, a fellow mediator who she sees as an enemy (for reasons probably discussed in a previous book). Slater though has skills that Suze needs and she has to dance between learning from him and staying safe.

Meanwhile there is a dead man, Jesse, who haunts Suze's bedroom and has stolen her heart. There is also the ghost of recently drowned sailing star who wants revenge because his younger, less athletic brother lived.

So much time though is spent on Paul and his competition as a mediator and as a school bully that the interesting plot, namely the dead sailor, is pushed aside. I really wanted a more satisfactory ending. Instead, I got a ridiculously over done fight to the death during a party between Paul, Suze and Jesse. Again, I suppose if I had more invested in this series from having started at the beginning, I would have liked this action packed ending.

The Mediator Series includes:

 * Shadowland
 * Ninth Key
 * Reunion
 * Darkest Hour
 * Haunted
 * Twilight

Marissa Luzio 

Ahhhhh, If you guys liked Paul from book four, Darkest Hour, then your in luck! He has been (practically) bumped up to one of the main characters now. If you didn't like him, then sorry but you're going to have to put up with him for a little while longer. A lot of stuff between Suze and Jesse happens. I mean after what happened last book with the kiss and stuff, you would think everything would be fine right? nope. Jesse is a very complex person, so of course he's not going to make it easy and juts confess his undying love for her.. That would be too easy, which kinda makes me want to punch him in the face. Im pretty sure I'm not the only reader who wanted to hurt Jesse at one point because he's just so infuriating. Talking about infuriating, Paul Slater (like I said before) does come back, and is now attending Suze's high school. I found myself very confused at some parts because, well, she has this undying love for Jesse and always confesses it in her head but then she goes off and starts to feel SOME attraction to Paul? Now usually, I would relate and be like "oh of course! Sometimes you change the person you love blah blah blah" but see, she's getting attracted to Paul and does something pretty stupid -in my mind- and still can say she loves Jesse and no one else. I don't know.. I just didn't process that. 

Other than that, this book was pretty much like the others. AMAZING. And of course, this book ends with a cliffhanger, so I obviously had the desire to buy the next one, which by the way, is the LAST BOOK OUT RIGHT NOW :(

Kate

A Tale of the Mediator

Haunted

Helena Cristina Nogueira Pereira

3.75
Gosh i love jesse so much. And sometimes i just want to slap Suze, when she wants she can be really unbearable, but in the end i still like her.
And her other friend now knows too....uhuh curious to see what will happenn next...