Lisa Brown

Adele Griffin

After Jennie Lovell's fiancâe, Will, is killed during the Civil War, she forms an alliance with a spirit photographer and uses her ability to talk to the dead to investigate the secrets Will was hiding and how he really died.

Picture the Dead

Courtney Gendreau

Originally review posted at: www.literarychaos.com 

Honestly, I did not expect to like Picture the Dead as much as I did. This, for me, was one of those books that sits on your shelf for years and you just keep telling yourself that you will get to it someday. In my normal reading style, I probably would never have ended up reading it, but recently I have been in a major reading slump and have had to rethink the way I choose what to read. To try and break myself out of said slump, I have been reading books with little commitment on my part. Ie. books that are standalone or duologies, books that are short, and books that seem like easier reads. Because if this I decided to give Picture the Dead a try, and I am very glad I did. 

One of the most unusual parts of the book were the illustrations that accompany the text. They are presented in the format of the protagonist's scrapbook. I have seen mixed reviews of the illustration style, but I personally enjoyed it; they were unique and quirky though I will admit they do not really fit the time frame the book was set in. For me, the illustrations not only helped to break up the book but added some suspense. I was often excited to see what the illustration for each chapter and how it would tie into the story. The only real drawback I found to the illustrations was that some of the handwriting in the letters were hard to read, but that being said it is not completely necessary to read the letters to understand what is going on in the book they are more companion pieces. 

I will say that this book is perfect for a quick read. I generally do not think of mysteries as light reads, but there is something about the flow and style of the writing that made to book feel intriguing and suspenseful while still feeling like a quick/easy read. The plot was quick and engaging, and the pictures really help move the story along and add a lot of dimension to the story. The plot itself is not completely revolutionary by any means. I was able to guess some of the plot twists, but for me, this did not take away from the story. 

The book itself is written in a style that both younger and older readers can enjoy. Because of this, I think that this book would be a good introduction to reading for younger individuals. I can see younger readers really enjoying this story not only for the plot but for the quirky illustrations that accompany the book. In total, the presentation of this book was very unique and intriguing and could be suitable for a wide variety of individual

Jessica Nottingham

We meet Jennie Lovell, a 16 year old girl who has suffered more than her fair share of tragedy in her short life. No parents, a brother who has passed on, and an Aunt and Uncle who ignore her very existence. Life for Jennie isn't easy and now, with her fiancé dead, she's a burden that might be put out into the street. What's a girl to do?

Jennie is a completely fabulous female protagonist. As my readers, you all know by now how I feel about female protagonist. Love them, or hate them, there's not really an in between for me. Strong in spirit, intelligent, and unwilling to take no as an answer, Jennie makes the story. Although she is in a Civil War era setting, there is a fire in her that would make "today's woman" proud! Following her through this haunting story was pure magic.

I can honestly say that being thrown straight into Jennie's tumultuous family relationship was a little hard to deal with at first. It seems at first as if there isn't much time to get to know her at all. However, reading on I realized that we do get to know Jennie quite well, just in bits and pieces throughout the book. I do believe this is the first book I've read where there is such a slow progression of character building, but in the long run I loved it! My absolute favorite part about this slow uncovering of her character were the scrapbook pages. Jennie keeps a scrapbook of mementos, and each chapter begins with a page. Lisa Brown did such a wonderful job on these, they will completely draw you in!

Reading through this book was a bit of heaven for me, because I am extremely interested in the Civil War era. A time where men provided, and women were dainty. Will and Quinn were brothers in blood, but war tainted them into two entirely different men. That fascinates me to no end. The setting is what drew me to this book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The era is written about perfectly, showing readers clearly the precarious position that women of the times were often in. Women were well taken care of, as long as their men were alive.

The twists and turns in this book are amazing. It is the type of book that will leave you audibly gasping and resisting the temptation to turn ahead to see what happens. Picture the Dead stands out in my mind as one of the most interesting and unique books I've read this year! I can honestly say that I'll be purchasing a copy of this book for my very own quite soon. Its haunting storyline is still with me almost a week after reading it, and I feel the need to dive back in to this unique world.

Picture the Dead

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