Razorhurst

Two strong female characters, much of the story told through flashbacks, and ghosts as characters. On the downside, feels long for a tale of one day - the reader could spend more hours reading than actually experienced by the protagonists.

This was set in a bloody era of history, and pulls no punches - the second scene has a LOT of blood. The characters feel very fleshed out, with motivations and interests - even some ghosts. Walking tours of this neighborhood tie in nicely with the novel.

In addition to the story seeming too long, the ending is abrupt and not exactly satisfying. I liked the ghosts (and their rules), and the author used them to tell some of the story and give reason for a "feral" kid to have learned her letters. I wouldn't consider this a "ghost story" though - the supernatural act as more of a chorus than characters. This book is marketed as "young adult", but the themes are probably more to the older side. It's also not really fantasy. Won a horror award, but it's not really horror either.

Liked it, but didn't love it.