Review: Get in the spirit to read about spirits
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
This is the third book in the Cape Code Witch series, and I would recommend starting with the first because of the large cast. I had a hard time keeping track of them all even with the authors establishing each character and giving reminders of their distinct traits thereafter. I really liked the multi-cultural cast, but all their interaction slowed the pace at first. My interest picked up when otherworldly plans pushed them into danger – an unexpected journey. The cat scenes provided some nice comic relief, but I wished some of the friends had stayed home. They might have provided a more useful role, maybe by trying to track the voyagers and help from afar.Once across the ocean, the castle in the highlands and its residents, living and dead, made a nice puzzle. Elsbeth knew she was there for a reason, but it wasn’t easy to determine the problem, let alone solve it. In most cases, I figured out why things happened and how events related–eventually. That’s a good thing. But I’m still not sure why Elsbeth met a selkie who played a minor role. Maybe the effects were meant to show Elsbeth’s mental powers, but they kept her from being physically present in key scenes and contributing to important discussions, some concerning the mystery problem.Although there were some minor head-hopping and editing problems, those didn’t much affect my enjoyment. The biggest problem for me was that the characters acted older than nine. Most kids that age would have cried about being away from home overnight. Their mindsets and conversations were too mature as well. It feels like they should have aged more between books to develop the mental and physical capacity to do most of the things they did.Otherwise, I liked the unpredictable plot. Most of all, I liked how the spirits of the past acted in the spirit of future foreshadowing. That might sound contradictory, but foreshadowing doesn’t mean you know exactly what’s going to happen or even when, just that something bad will happen. That “ah-oh” feeling makes me turn pages and stay up late to read. There’s no content inappropriate for children old enough to deal with the idea of malevolent ghosts though, and I think most will love the highland atmosphere as much as I did.Eventually, Elsbeth realizes her purpose has to do with environmental pollution. I care about nature like the authors do, but the anti-oil drilling message might not settle well with people who don’t believe it causes pollution. I know better after scooping up black tar from our gulf coast’s formerly white sandy beaches following an oil spill. If your children want a mock-vacation with wild weather, mystery, and danger mixed in, give Elsbeth and the Call of the Castle Ghosties a try. The environmental issues would make a good family discussion afterward.The pluses and minuses were different for kids and adults, but they balanced out to a 3 out of 5 stars for me because I liked it and about a 4 for kids, who I think will really like it. I use the Goodreads scale and rate for the target age group. I was provided a copy in exchange for an honest review.