Theresa Braun

Mark is uprooted from his home and high school in the Twin Cities and forced to move with his family into a Victorian in Nowhere-ville. Busy with the relocation and fitting in, Mark's parents don't see what's unfolding around them-the way rooms and left behind objects seem alive with a haunted past. Of course, Mark keeps his ghostly encounters to himself, all the while sinking deeper into the house's dark, alluring, and ultimately terrifying history. As romantic entanglements intensify, the paranormal activity escalates. Past and present come together. Everything is connected-from the bricks in the walls to the hearts beating in their chests, all the secrets of Fountain Dead are finally unearthed.

Fountain Dead

Jessica Nottingham

f you've been following me for any length of time, you know that horror is one of my preferred genres. You also probably know that I'm well aware of how rough it is to fit this genre into the YA spectrum. Authors who write YA horror have to walk a very fine line, and that's not an easy feat. So, I have to start this review with kudos to Theresa Braun for mastering that. This book may be on the upper spectrum of the YA group, but it's still firmly there.

This is a dual timeline book, with Mark settled in the 1980's and and Emma in the 1860's. I'll admit, it took me a little time to get comfortable with this situation. The story takes off without a lot of fanfare, and I had to rush to catch up with what was actually happening to both of these characters in their respective times. On top of that, the first 3/4 of the book is a little slow because of the need for the two timelines to merge. Although there was a decent amount of tension as Mark uncovered the mysteries of his new home, it still felt slower than I would have liked. I can say, however, that the horror aspect of this book is actually really intriguing. There's an element of history there, that really drew me into all of the madness that Mark's family was experiencing.

Honestly, this is a rough book to rate. Overall, I thought it was a solid read. There was just enough tension and scares to make things interesting, without the story ever becoming too much. However this book could use a little polishing. Some portions needed a little more excitement, some needed a little more clarity, and the whole plot could probably use a little tweaking. Still, the concept of Mark and Emma finding one another across time and space, and the addition of ghostly happenings, made this a book I did enjoy reading.

Fountain Dead

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