Through Her Eyes [Paperback]

Tansy Piper has been uprooted and moved from city to city, from home to home. With no roots to plant of her own, she has called Boston, Seattle, and even sunny California home. But the newest place her novelist mother has brought them will never be Tansy's home. Cedar Canyon, a small Podunk town located in Texas' panhandle holds tight to it's outdated traditions and even tighter to the local gossip and ghost stories. Tansy will never consider this place "home." But when Tansy finds out the house her mother claims is the perfect setting for her next horror novel - The Screaming Meemies - Tansy finds herself stuck in her own horror story.

Not only is she stuck in the middle of nowhere, but she also has to face being the new girl once again. You'd think she'd be used to it, but being the lonely outsider is something no one, not even Tansy could get used to. What Tansy doesn't realize is that those are the least of her teenage horrors. It seems that Henry Peterson, the disturbed teen who once lived in the house and who committed suicide by plummeting off a bridge, is trying to send a message to Tansy. A message that doesn't necessarily involve her, but her Alzheimer ailing grandfather Papa Dan. How is Henry trying to contact Tansy?

Not through apparitions or random haunted house noises. No, it seems that when Tansy looks through her viewfinder she sees a world that once was, a world where Henry was alive and as well as well could be. Startling though, it's when Tansy looks at the photographs she's taken though the found crystal pendant she's suddenly transported to another time - a time when Papa Dan was simply Daniel, a time where Henry Peterson lived and breathed, a time when she's able to witness everything that happened so long ago through another person's eyes. For Tansy this is all so intriguing, not scary at all. What really scares her is the idea of staying there ... forever.

Debut young adult author Jennifer Archer has firmly planted her feet in the world of young adult fiction with her gripping first novel. Through Her Eyes is an eerily haunting ghost story that readers will not be able to tear themselves away from. Archer has managed to fill her upcoming book with elements most ghost stories seem to lack: fear, anticipation, and building suspense. Full of rich descriptions and depictions of the past and present worlds Tansy straddles, Archer excels at painting a vivid mental image. Like Tansy, readers will lose themselves in a world long past.

What's appreciable about Through Her Eyes is that it isn't the typical ghost story, nor does it rely on age-old scare tactics. There's no ghostly haunting or possessions, but rather uncanny symbols Archer used for personify the ghosts. Through Her Eyes will leave readers with an unsettling fear because it is so realistic, forcing readers to think about what they would believe and/or do if they were in Tansy's shoes. It's the reality of losing one's self and mind to something so unexplainable that will send chills up and down readers spines.

Well crafted and well written Through Her Eyes is evenly paced with chapters that flow smoothly from one to the next. Archer seamlessly breaths life into her characters, giving them defined depth and meaning - even the ghostly characters that fill the pages. Especially Tansy who is portrayed as being realistically honest and believable, a character that exudes an array of emotions. Readers will instantly connect with her and the cast of both living and dead characters that surround her.

Orginally published at: [...]

Title Thoughts: Love the title because it really goes with the book.

Cover Thoughts: I really like this title because of the eyes. That's the main focal point of the cover and has a lot to do with the book.

WARNINGS: An obsessive read.

This book hooks you from the very beginning with Tansy's character. She moves from place to place with her writer mother and her grandfather who is suffering from dementia. Archer crafts this story to near perfection. (There's not ...moreTitle Thoughts: Love the title because it really goes with the book.

Cover Thoughts: I really like this title because of the eyes. That's the main focal point of the cover and has a lot to do with the book.

WARNINGS: An obsessive read.

This book hooks you from the very beginning with Tansy's character. She moves from place to place with her writer mother and her grandfather who is suffering from dementia. Archer crafts this story to near perfection. (There's not one negative thing I can say about this book.) Tansy sticks to being herself in Cedar Canyon. She's not going to change just to fit in. We see Tansy mature as the story progresses and it's a book that leaves you completely satisfied.

My favorite character was Bethyl Ann. She's a thirteen year old girl who skipped two grades and is a genius sophomore. Not only is she academically smart, but she's life smart too. She's very mature for her age and is a great friend who loves Shakespeare. She's funny too!

As I read, I could feel the tone of the book change with the characters and the story. It was unbelievable. It's like you are watching a movie and you have the background music to help set the tone. The words flowed smoothly and the feelings just jumped out. You can really feel the tone towards the end of the book. It's amazing.

Even though this has ghosts in it, it's eerily realistic. There is a logical explanation side and a unexplainable side. You are left to choose which side you believe.

Addict's Last Words: This is definitely a book you want to read. It's like you have a really bad craving for something and you don't know exactly what it is, then you finally satisfy that craving. Then you feel pure satisfaction and relieved you figured out what you were craving. This book is just like that

To Buy or To Borrow: Buy! No doubt about it.

Disclosure: I participate in tours with The Teen Book Scene and a copy was temporarily provided to me by the author, publisher, or another third party source. It was a traveling ARC type tour. Therefore, I did not receive a copy for keeps. No payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was not any obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely mine and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist, or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

On the outside, Through Her Eyes had everything that I was looking for: paranormal, mystery, different medium for said paranormal. But on the inside, it really did not live up to what I had hoped it would be.

Through Her Eyes starts off on the right foot. Girl uplifted, again, from normalcy to follow her mother around country has she writes horror novels. When the family moves into an older mansion-type home, Tansy, our main character, discovers some trinkets left behind. These trinkets lead her to discover the mystery surrounding the home and teen that once lived there.

While the novel did start off in a good direction, it seems that nothing really happens after that.. until the almost very end of the novel. I am not one who usually gives up on a book due to slow pacing.. but Through Her Eyes definitely tried my patience.

As for the paranormal aspect, I was really surprised by how well done it was. Many cultures have interesting ideas about cameras, and the often funny notion that by getting your picture taken, your soul will be taken as well. I have not seen the camera used too often in the way that Archer incorporated it, so I was pretty refreshing to see her take on this.

Despite some major pacing hang-ups, Through Her Eyes was well done. The characters were easy to relate to. The plot was pretty original. And for some reason, I have become a sucker for novels with ghosts in them. For that alone, I would recommend Through Her Eyes. But with everyone taken into consideration, it was a good novel, but not exactly as great as I would have liked.