Review: Hate to see The Departed go...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2012
The last and final book in the MacKinnon series was almost as enjoyable as the first two. I say "almost" (and only gave 4 stars instead of 5 this time) because I thought there should have been a bit more emphasis on other aspects of the hauntings and how Riley and her crew were dealing with them. *SPOILER ALERT ~ plot details follow!* By this point, Riley's friends understood she could see the dead and most of her friends had been personally affected by the spirits as well. While those scenes were exciting to read and extremely creepy, there were sooo many of them and so little time spent on the "ghost busters" who finally helped Riley break free. I thought more attention should have been given to those folks and they should have interacted with Riley and her family/friends a bit more.  Also, I didn't like that Riley's father wasn't present during the final "showdown."  If my daughter was undergoing a vicious spiritual attack, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from her! All that said, however, I enjoyed these characters and this series immensely. There was enough mystery, spookiness and romance to satisfy anyone, and I just love a happy ending. I also appreciated how the book explored the themes of eternal life and enduring love as well. Love DOES live forever, and I'm sure Riley and her peeps will carry that comforting knowledge with them the rest of their lives. :) It would be lovely if the author continued to follow Riley as she grows into a young woman and perhaps even a wife and mother. After all, I'm sure there are plenty of other spirits for her to meet. Regardless, many thanks to J.A. Templeton for these wonderful books. I loved all three of them and highly recommend this series!