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The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1)

by J.A. Templeton (Goodreads Author)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 1,919 ratings · 294 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother’s life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she’s somehow responsible for her mom’s death, Riley is desperate to see her mother’s elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley be...more

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Published July 5th 2011 by Julia Templeton (first published June 27th 2011)

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May 11, 2012 The Holy Terror rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, bought-01-12, ebook, ghosts, paranormal-romance, color-yellow, color-black, scotland, hated-this-book, dumb-females, terrible-writing, cover-fraud, forgot-to-drink-the-kool-aid, insta-love, wish-i-could-give-less-than-1-star, self-published-or-indie, 2012, abandoned-series

This was a buddy read with Lucy, Wendy, and SubCat, and before anyone gets the idea that we picked this to "tear it apart," we were all really excited to start this. I have to say though, that I hated this book.

This had so much potential to be good: a controversial topic, a girl who can see and talk to ghosts, Scotland and an old inn and castle for a setting ... and yet it fell ridiculously short. If you only read the synopsis you could skip the first third of the book, because not much else ha...more This was a buddy read with Lucy, Wendy, and SubCat, and before anyone gets the idea that we picked this to "tear it apart," we were all really excited to start this. I have to say though, that I hated this book.

This had so much potential to be good: a controversial topic, a girl who can see and talk to ghosts, Scotland and an old inn and castle for a setting ... and yet it fell ridiculously short. If you only read the synopsis you could skip the first third of the book, because not much else happens. After that, the story quickly shifts to be nothing more than an insta-love romance between a teenage girl and a 200-year-old ghost.

If the romance aspect isn't something that would bother you, there are a bunch of other things to be mad at. For one thing, the magic and physics of everything are never explained and only barely developed. When Riley was 15 she was in an auto accident with her mom and her mom died. After this, Riley can see and speak to ghosts. Why she suddenly has this ability is never really explained, much like a lot of what happens in this book. Riley can walk through ghosts but she can also kiss them (and smell them for some reason.) Ghosts can touch her and each other, but only some humans can feel when this happens. Ghosts absorb energy from wherever they can and also apparently have union meetings. Just kidding. (Mostly.)

Riley learns everything she needs to know about ghosts and how to fight them from a cursory Google search, a few library books, and some random knowledge from her housekeeper and her housekeeper's medium friend. Everything Riley learns ends up being fact regardless of where she finds it or if it makes sense. She reads that spirits absorb energy from any available source and so they do. She reads that ghosts can read minds and so they can. She looks up spells and finds the exact one she's looking for right away. All of this is way too convenient and it smacks of Templeton making things up as she goes along to suit her narrative. And then she isn't even consistent. At one point Riley questions how a ghost can make sounds all throughout the house, but then she never questions how another ghost can tongue-kiss her, and this just shows how sloppy the writing is.

Speaking of the writing, if the content of this novel didn't irk you, surely the writing would. This book is supposed to be creepy, what with the ghosts and all, and this effect is completely lost when the writing is so stilted. Transitions from one scene to the next are practically nonexistent. Here's an unedited bit from the book:

I looked down at the book and quickly flipped through to the pages I recalled reading earlier. "It says here that small stones and pebbles placed along the floor can ward off evil spirits." I glanced up at him. "We can always go to the river. There are plenty of stones there."
We raced to the river and I picked up as many stones and pebbles as my jean and sweatshirt pockets could. The sun was slowly slipping behind the horizon when we entered the inn again.
I unloaded the rocks the second I made it to my room, and Ian helped me place them around my bed and along the doorway and window frame.

They go from her bedroom down to the river and back again in just these three small paragraphs. This kind of thing happens throughout the book and it really lessens the impact a lot of the scenes might have had otherwise. It killed a lot of the creepier bits because the proper tension and atmosphere were never built up.

What was built up was the romance. I had no idea this book was going to focus so much on the romance between Riley and her ghost boy, Ian. Riley falls head-over-heels in love with Ian and states numerous times that she loves him, trusts him completely, and wants to be with him forever. This sort of insta-love really, really bothers me, and it's just another instance of sloppy writing where she tells us Riley loves Ian rather than shows us. Why does she love him? Why does she trust him? Ian does nothing to prove either of those things. They both lust after each other (which is kind of hilarious considering Ian is dead) and Riley decides to help Ian for no other reason than the fact that he's got "brilliant blue eyes, long dark lashes, high cheekbones, and full lips." (Trust me, you need to remember this, well, Templeton thinks you need to remember this since it's repeated ad nauseum.) Riley constantly chooses Ian over her living family and friends, and it's a bit sickening to watch. If I was her sibling and I found out she trusted a ghost more than me, well, I wouldn't be too happy with her. And I'd question her judgement, that's for sure.

There are a plethora of YA clichés thrown into the mix on top of everything else. Riley and her family are uprooted to a new town after a tragic accident. Riley's younger brother is angry and hates her because it's her fault they moved. Her mother is dead and her father is always working so the parents are conveniently absent for 90% of the story. All of the teens in this new town are good-looking, except for the lone mean nerd villain with bad teeth. The hot guy is interested in Riley (of course he is) and so his last girlfriend is a jealous mean girl and acts bitchy towards Riley as soon as they meet. The teens all meet in a mysterious spot that no authorities know about so they can drink and smoke and haze Riley. I kind of lost count after this, but I think it's pretty obvious how unoriginal this story is.

And finally, Riley is a cutter. I believe this was tacked onto the story to set it apart from the bulk of YA paranormal romance, and I also think it's a bit insulting to people who actually cut. You know what cures the need to hurt yourself? Sexytimes with a ghost boy. Yeah. That's all I'm going to say about that.

I wanted to like this story, I really did. I had been looking forward to reading it alongside my friends and I originally thought this book would be different from the rest. I'm sad that it wasn't, and hopefully the next book we pick is better.(less)

54 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Giselle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, arc, paranormal, mystery-thriller

If you thought Anna Dressed in Blood was scary - It has Nothing on this one! Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed Anna and thought it was creepy and a lot of fun. But seriously scary? Not really. The Deepest Cut gives us an actual spine-chilling ghost story that will make your hair stand on end. Kind of like the equivalent of this: http://www.fotokristall.narod.ru/mov0...

Riley has been able to see ghosts since her mom died a few months ago. To start over, her family moves to Scotland in a great b...more If you thought Anna Dressed in Blood was scary - It has Nothing on this one! Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed Anna and thought it was creepy and a lot of fun. But seriously scary? Not really. The Deepest Cut gives us an actual spine-chilling ghost story that will make your hair stand on end. Kind of like the equivalent of this: http://www.fotokristall.narod.ru/mov0...

Riley has been able to see ghosts since her mom died a few months ago. To start over, her family moves to Scotland in a great big house that used to be an inn. She soon meets this ghost, Ian, who lived in the castle across the street and was murdered by a jealous servant who has cursed him to roam the earth for eternity. This servant - Laria - is determined to stop Riley from trying to help Ian. Let me tell you, this Laria is terrifying! And if you think ghosts can't hurt the living, you're wrong. Laria is evil and goes to extremes to try to get Riley to stay away. I'm a real sucker for ghost stories. Even though they scare me to death, I absolutely enjoy reading about them. The Deepest Cut is one of the best ghost stories I've read. Although, there were a few elements that I found unnecessary to the story. Like how Riley would cut herself. I felt as if that storyline often got put on the backburner and forgotten for a while. It did help with the character development a little, yet while I didn't mind it was there, it did feel expendable. I'm also wondering why Tom was so adamant on having Riley spend time at the mausoleum. He seems like a strange character that I hope we get to find out more about later on.

Along with the hair-raising, there is also romance in this story: a convincing and passionate romance. Riley is falling fast for Ian who is clearly gorgeous, but a relationship with a ghost can't really be real, can it? I loved how the relationship was intertwined with the ghost plot as well as how much chemistry there was between the two. Ian is a wonderfully mysterious character that pulls on your heartstrings. It's certainly a really unique relationship that you know can't have a happy ending. However, JA Templeton leaves us with a killer cliffhanger that will make you rethink it all. I was extremely happy to find out the next installment is due to release at the end of the month because it's definitely one of those fun-but-I-may-die-waiting type of ending.

A real page turner full of fear, love, sadness, along with bittersweet ending, The Deepest Cut will be greatly enjoyed by readers who love ghost stories that leave you undoubtedly spooked and full of mixed emotions. (less)

28 likes · like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Lady Raven RAVE! rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-romance, ya-paranormal, favorites

If you’re a fan of the tv shows Ghost Whisper, Medium and Vampire Diaries then you will love this book. It has a feel of Ghost Whisper and Medium because the heroine of the story is able to see and talk to ghosts. In addition, it has a feel of Vampire Diaries without the vampires, no vampires in this book. I say it's more a feel of that show in the aspect of the teenagers, witches, diaries, a crush on a guy whose old, and history coming full circle in the future/present.

Riley
Riley is the heroin...more

8 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2013 J. Sterling added it · review of another edition

I really, REALLY liked & enjoyed this story! :)

I've read some of the other reviews where people didn't like how the love between Ian & Riley happened so quickly. I guess I just find it ironic that people choose to buy into a love story happening WITH a ghost, but it just can't happen fast? LOL Haven't we all met someone who sparked our interest, or made us feel things immediately, without any rhyme or reason? Or been drawn/pulled toward someone we just met? Things like that can and do ha...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Deepest Cut is the story of Riley, a teenage girl who sees ghosts. In an effort to make a fresh start after her mother's death, Riley's father moves her, and her brother, Shane to live in a centuries old inn in Scotland. As it happens, the inn Riley's family occupies and the castle next door are haunted, one of the ghosts is a nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon, breathtakingly handsome,who was murdered over two hundred years prior.

Hello? The Deepest Cut had me at girl who sees ghosts, castles,...more The Deepest Cut is the story of Riley, a teenage girl who sees ghosts. In an effort to make a fresh start after her mother's death, Riley's father moves her, and her brother, Shane to live in a centuries old inn in Scotland. As it happens, the inn Riley's family occupies and the castle next door are haunted, one of the ghosts is a nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon, breathtakingly handsome,who was murdered over two hundred years prior.

Hello? The Deepest Cut had me at girl who sees ghosts, castles, Scotland, and mostly... hot ghostly guy! Seriously, what's not to love.

Riley was almost the perfect character. I really just want to give the girl a hug. She's a little broken, due to the death of her mother. She's a genuinely good person who cares about her family. She is not whiny or irritating. But... she is a cutter, using a tiny razor blade to release the pain she struggles to keep inside. Riley fights a constant battle to stop the self-abuse, but when she is overwhelmed, it's always there as a temptation. She compares herself to an alcoholic, wondering if the urge to hurt cut herself will ever completely go away.

Upon arrival in her new home, Riley sees Ian, a ghost. A gorgeous ghost. She struggles to ignore him, but once Ian realized she can see him, he won't be avoided. Ian, with his old-fashioned manners and kind nature, is instantly lovable. Murdered and cursed to an Earthbound afterlife by a jealous servant, Ian has been alone for over two hundred years.

The relationship between Ian and Riley is nicely paced. They don't instantly fall impossibly in love. They form a trusting friendship that steadily builds into something more. Riley, in a refreshingly unselfish decision, is determined to see Ian find peace, willing to help him break his curse even if it means losing him forever.

The Deepest Cut does have some scary, hair-raising bits involving ghost Laria, the girl who murdered Ian. Laria, a truly frightening character, is determined to keep Ian from a peaceful afterlife and will do anything to keep him from moving on, including murdering again.

The Deepest Cut is a book that I found myself truly enjoying. But oh, what an ending. I was left completely hanging on, wondering what the heck was going on. Count me in for book two!

Favorite Quote ~

"All those things scared me, but what frightened me more than anything was the thought that ghosts
could tap into our thoughts and yes, they could also see us naked.
Oh. My. God.
Ian could see me naked.
And he could read my mind, too."

*I received a copy of The Deepest Cut from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 05, 2011 Amanda T added it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, ebooks, kindle-lendable

I stumbled upon the Labor Day Indie Book Blowout and this was the first book to catch my eye, admittedly because I think the cover is beautiful. I was instantly hooked by the Kindle sample and quickly purchased it. Can I just say this book is a total steal at $0.99?!
As for the story--I really enjoyed it. A fairly quick read that was creative and interesting and I guess you could say delightfully creepy. I really like Riley, and even liked her foul-mouthed little brother :P This leads me to some...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Wow! I LOVED this book! I’ve got to say, it’s one of the better books I’ve read in a while (I tried and failed to read three books before I found this one). The ending was soooo sad! The characters are believable, and the sort that you want to get invested in. I’m a slow reader, but I found it hard to put this one down, and read it pretty fast – for me. I can’t wait to make a start on the second in the trilogy. My only wish was that the book was longer! Read it! Very much recommended!

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Sony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A pleasant surprise, this book restored my faith in the YA genre. I had all but given up hope.

A girl named Riley loses her mom, and her family moves to Scotland, where she encounters a few ghosts. One of them is named Ian, and she falls in love with him. There's a problem though. Another girl likes Ian too, and she just so happens to be dead and very dangerous.

This could have been a cheesy 'Twilight-like' story about a loner being romanced and stalked by a supernatural being, and sometimes it d...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-or-paranormal, romance, paranormal

This review contains some mild spoilers.

3.5 stars

At times, definitely worthy of 4 stars.

The Deepest Cut is a heart-felt book about a broken young girl, Riley, and her ability to see ghosts. After mourning the death of her mother, Riley and her family make a new start in Braemar, Scotland. Unfortunately for Riley, her irksome 'gift' doesn't become any more appealing to her on the other side of the ocean. Riley soon finds herself tangled up in a spot of ghostly bother, with a spiteful girl named L...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-authors, ya-fantasy-favorites

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! I LOVED this book!!! There are so many things that came together perfectly to make this such an awesome, addicting story. This is the first book by Templeton that I've read, and I'm fast becoming a huge fan of her writing.

This story throws you into a setting that is bone-chillingly creepy and intriguing at the same time, and I found myself immediately drawn to it. And where the characters could have fallen short of my expectations due to the exciting plot, they actually left m...more OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! I LOVED this book!!! There are so many things that came together perfectly to make this such an awesome, addicting story. This is the first book by Templeton that I've read, and I'm fast becoming a huge fan of her writing.

This story throws you into a setting that is bone-chillingly creepy and intriguing at the same time, and I found myself immediately drawn to it. And where the characters could have fallen short of my expectations due to the exciting plot, they actually left me pleasantly surprised. The main characters as well as the secondaries were so well-written that I ended up not being able to put the book down because I couldn't wait to see what happened to them next. I laughed, I cried, and I melted all because these characters were so enjoyable!

I loved Riley from the start; she's strong-willed, tough, and has a lot of depth that really captivates you. Facing the guilt over her mother's death in the car crash and the resulting ability to see the dead, she is constantly battling her own demons. When she and her family move to and old Scottish inn for a chance to start over, she soon meets the sweet, sexy, and protective ghost of Ian MacKinnon. It doesn't take her long to realize she's growing feelings for Ian, but her ability puts her in the path of an evil spirit named Laria that is determined to keep her away from him. The "cutting" was really hard to read about, but I suppose it was to show Riley's growth as she came to accept her gift. As Riley settles into her new life and starts to make friends despite the dangers she faces from Laria, she comes to rely on Ian for more than just comfort and protection. I loved Ian and Riley together, they had such a beautiful bond that I just melted over. It felt like they were meant to be, soulmates that were surpassing the hurdles of life and death.

Ian, with his Scottish accent, smoldering blue eyes, and rock-hard body...ohhhhh, did I melt over him!! He was so tender with Riley, so when his sexy side came across my heart was just racing! I wish we had learned a little more about him along the way, but I ate up all of the glimpses into the past to when he was alive. My heart ached for him to be able to be with Riley, though I wondered throughout the whole story how it would ever be possible. The ending had me crying, both happy and sad tears, because these characters truly have a place in my heart!

There was a little bit of everything when it comes to the personalities of the secondary characters, which seems to be setting the stage for what will happen in the rest of the series. Tom, the rude boy that seems to have it out for Riley for no reason, will be an interesting development, I'm sure. I finished this book in less than a day, and I'm left dying to get my hands on the sequel tonight. I absolutely loved getting lost in this creepy world with Riley, and I can't wait to see where Templeton takes the story!(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: depressed people who are madly in love with ghosts.

Shelves: was-amazing

Should you read this book???
YES!
Well I thought this book was great!!!

Pros
Well Riley is one of the few female characters that is not a huge whiny bitch. Even though she is madly in love with a ghost she still is willing to help him. She cut and it was sad to read about how she blamed herself for her moms death, but really? How wouldn't? Ian is a funny and strange. Also he seems really hot! I couldn't help but wonder if he could make Riley pregnant.... well i guess that was not alot of Pros but st...more

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Jan 08, 2012 My Book Friend rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Riley's life changed more in one moment than in her entire life. Her mom is gone, and she suddenly has the ability to see dead people. Riley knows it is her fault her family has changed completely, and life really doesn't have meaning anymore becaue of it.

When she meets Ian, his interest in her was really not called for. He's a ghost, and probably has not talked to anyone in 200 years. While there might be a chance that Ian is just enjoying the company, it becomes so much more to Riley. For the...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Krazybooklady rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Riley is having a hard time getting over her mother's death. She was in the car with her mother at the time of the accident and feels that the accident was her fault. Now she sees and hears ghosts, even though she usually ignores them. The one ghost that she wants to see is her mother, and she can't figure out why she doesn't. After her father moves the family to Scotland, a ghost discovers the secret she has been hiding from everyone else. She becomes friends with this ghost, Ian, and soon star...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 27, 2013 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance-fiction, owned, young-adult, e-books, two-stars, horror-fiction-romance

Fast read; the main characters were icky. Nothing really special. Amateur writing. The romance was disgustingly fast. Like, vomit-worthy.

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Free today @ Kobo & Amazon US. B&N is offering for 99 cents.

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Jana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this book! My Friends and I loved the plot, out of the box thinking makes for a great read and good for you on subjects most people do not have the guts to take on.

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Feb 12, 2012 Kelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads, first-in-series-good-series, read-in-2012, my-favorites, books-i-own

*I received this book through Goodreads First Reads*

I really really liked this book. I didn't want to put it down. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished it.

Riley and Ian seemed like real people to me. It was like I knew them. Everything that Riley was feeling/thinking made sense to me. I kind of felt like it was happening to me. I loved how she actually sounded like a teen. A lot of authors have books about teens but they act like adults. Ian is just amazing.

I can't wait until the...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teens

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 02, 2013 Tiana411 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I give this 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Perhaps I needed a change so bad I'm being more generous with my review.
Ok, the story is a bit far fetched and crazy but I still enjoyed it.
I'm not quite sure that I loved Riley but she was an ok protagonist. She wasn't extremely annoying but the cutting thing was a tad annoying. Guess I can't understand it, even though I've heard about it.
I've read a few ghost stories but I've never heard bout ones that can be touched. That pa...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Cloud rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Downloaded this book for free, and for free it wasn't that bad. Overall I enjoyed the book and the characters, but I didn't have high expectations to start with. I am glad to see Riley's character develop and grow stronger throughout the book, but she still did some things that annoyed me.

The biggest thing that bugged me was some of the world's "rules". I understand this is a YA paranormal romance, but I still thought you can't touch ghosts. It was only convenient at times to allow physical con...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-series-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 26, 2013 Michala Tyann rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1)
by J.A. Templeton
Reviewed by Michala T.

This book…well, I must admit, I just took a deep sigh as I wrote that. I wasn’t certain on what to expect. The story started off pretty neat. After her mother was killed and she was nearly killed, Riley found she had the ability to see spirits. Riley struggles with feelings of guilt and begins self-cutting. Due to all the stress of the death and a new career opportunity for her dad, Riley and her family move to Scotland....more The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1)
by J.A. Templeton
Reviewed by Michala T.

This book…well, I must admit, I just took a deep sigh as I wrote that. I wasn’t certain on what to expect. The story started off pretty neat. After her mother was killed and she was nearly killed, Riley found she had the ability to see spirits. Riley struggles with feelings of guilt and begins self-cutting. Due to all the stress of the death and a new career opportunity for her dad, Riley and her family move to Scotland. Of course with such an ability, it was expected that moving in to an old Inn she would see spirits. She sees and meets Ian, a ghost who was poisoned by a servant in his castle who was in love with him. Riley, after initially not wanting to become acquainted with him decides she is going to help him by breaking the curse and setting him free. After this, the storyline plummeted. I’m of the mind that this novel wouldn’t have been so bad had I been a twelve or thirteen year old reading it.

I had the most difficult time with this novel because the facts of magic and the limits of them is never set in place. Because of this…everytime Riley touched Ian, held hands with Ian, and kissed Ian…my mind was telling me SHE CAN’T TOUCH GHOSTS! If Riley hadn’t initially walked right through the ghost as she had in the beginning I might have believed it could happen. There are rules an author makes when writing a book…and then they must keep to those rules. This author did not.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Riley is thrust into quite emotional scenes and comes out as if she had just walked through the mall, her day wasn’t too bad, and she could sleep comfortably that night. Um..no. If I was locked in a mausoleum for an hour and a scorned lover ghost was choking me, I wouldn’t come out at the end of the hour and say, “oh…you all are still here?”

She gains information on ghosts, spells, and the likes by just a few clicks of the computer a book or two from the library? It isn’t working for me. The author just didn’t make this story believable enough for me. With scene jumping and very little real character build-up I am surprised I read this book to the very end.

The worst thing was the cutting. This element was added in and I think it could have been so much more stronger. But it wasn’t. And it seemed the writer thought the cure to all Riley’s aches would be a boy. And not just any boy…a ghost boy. No wait, the worst thing was the ending. I’m sorry…she should have left it with the first ending. But no, she had to drag it on and make it a second go around and the ending made no sense.

I have faith in writers however. This writer is giving it a second go and you know what…the first book is a chance to make mistakes. The second book is a chance to learn from your mistakes. I hope she does this. I hope she has acclimated herself to the world of being a published author and a writer. Here’s to hoping and wishing.

My verdict: 2/10

For other book reviews and nonstop entertaining social media perks, check out my website. www.bitemybook.com (less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

My thoughts are kind of all over the place on this book. I'm going to try to sort through them, but it may just be one very long and ramble filled mess.

I enjoyed the base plot and storyline. There is a very good story within this book. There are some flaws with it (and one glaringly obvious problem to me), but in this book is a very decent story if you can get past the other stuff.

So, you have a love story between a girl and a ghost. Since this is paranormal, I can totally get behind that kind o...more My thoughts are kind of all over the place on this book. I'm going to try to sort through them, but it may just be one very long and ramble filled mess.

I enjoyed the base plot and storyline. There is a very good story within this book. There are some flaws with it (and one glaringly obvious problem to me), but in this book is a very decent story if you can get past the other stuff.

So, you have a love story between a girl and a ghost. Since this is paranormal, I can totally get behind that kind of storyline. However, the girl falls in love with the boy, the boy falls in love with the girl and there is no development to this relationship. You get some scenes with them talking, mostly about the threat to Riley and the curse. Then they are kissing and what not. Which leads me to issue number two. Ian is a ghost. The author wrote Ian like he is a real tangible boy, but not. If Riley touches him, she can fill him. If he touches Riley, she can feel him. This just didn't play at all with my knowledge of "ghost" and there was no world development to change my definition of what a ghost should be. Which leads to issue 3.

There are spoilers ahead. I repeat - there are spoilers coming your way.

(view spoiler)

I did enjoy the characters. I liked Riley, Shane, Ian, and I'm thinking Kade is going to be a pretty cool character. I'm intrigued enough to pick up the next book (which is why this book gets 3 stars even with the issues I have with it). Riley's new friends were a bit strange and there wasn't a lot of development around them. Actually, there wasn't a great amount of development around any of the characters except for maybe Riley and Shane.

Anyway, those are my thoughts and hopefully that is relatively coherent.(less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Sylvia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Honestly? This book was not good. The plot was was predictable, the characters were shallow, the main heroine was stupid. Despite that, when I first saw this book it was kinda interesting.

It talks about a girl who had a life-changing accident that killed her mom. After that she can see ghosts but she tries to ignore them because they give her the creeps. she moves ito a -REALLY- ancient inn in the middle of nowhere.Okay that shounds nice. a scary romantic ghost story is so my thing.BUT here ch...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Pim Tovanabutra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the synopsis on the Amazon page and decided to pick up this book for two reasons. First, the main character can see ghost!! I have read many teen paranormal books before. The story line always goes in the same direction. The main character has some sort of power and suddenly fall in love with the hot guy, who either has the same power or is a paranormal creatures. However, this book has a twist. The hot guy (or hot ghost), Ian, was cursed to roam the land forever. He was cursed by a lunat...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Krisi Keley rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, sci-fi-fantasy

I don't really like to give one star reviews, but this book kind of made me feel like I was tricked into reading what's little more than someone's fantasy of having sex with a two hundred year old "hot" Scottish guy by calling the novel a ghost story. In fact, as other reviewers here on GR mentioned (I noticed too late), the ghost in question isn't very ghostly, as he's seemingly completely corporeal - that is, he can touch and be touched back, and experiences lust for the teen girl lusting afte...more I don't really like to give one star reviews, but this book kind of made me feel like I was tricked into reading what's little more than someone's fantasy of having sex with a two hundred year old "hot" Scottish guy by calling the novel a ghost story. In fact, as other reviewers here on GR mentioned (I noticed too late), the ghost in question isn't very ghostly, as he's seemingly completely corporeal - that is, he can touch and be touched back, and experiences lust for the teen girl lusting after him, despite that he can also materialize and flicker out of existence at will. This anomaly of why a ghost (usually synonymous with spirit), who is also described as needing to absorb the energy in his surroundings to appear at all, can be physically identical to and act on the desires of a living man is never explained, nor is much else of the paranormal in the story, including why a cross can protect against an evil, jealous spirit witch, even though God (who would seemingly be the power behind that protection) doesn't mind that a two hundred year old Scottish man-ghost is seriously contemplating having sex with and is definitely touching in a sexual way a sixteen year old girl - and one he knows he shouldn't be having a relationship with to boot, as his whole reason for being in contact with her is that she is supposed to help him cross over. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to enjoy the story as the simple teen romance it obviously is in reality, because said romance consisted of the teen girl claiming love for and trust in her Scottish ghost after "knowing" him about two days, having minimal conversation, and based predominantly on his hottie status - his gorgeous dark hair and blue eyes and the way she can feel his smile down to her toes mentioned almost every few pages, while anything that would actually inspire real love and trust is notably missing. In addition, the cutting aspect of the story, from which the title presumably comes, seems added only to show the main character is traumatized and suffering, whereas all of her other behavior, too much of which comes across as a bit selfish and shallow, portrays a rather immature, but otherwise normal, teenager. I guess the story might be appealing to readers looking for a "love" at first sight teen romance, but I doubt it would be for someone who is, like I was, looking for a ghost story, as there isn't much explanation of or logic to what little supernatural element it contains.(less)

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Oct 18, 2012 Piseog rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the premise of this book so much I skipped it to the top of my to-read list, so I could read it straight away. I knew the story was very similar to Meg Cabot's Mediator series, which I really enjoyed. But I liked that this was a bit darker (Protagonist is a cutter & just lost her mother) and has a spooky feel, with backdrop of Scotland. So I was liking it at the beginning, and couldn't wait to meet the ghost. I imagined him as a very ordinary Scottish boy, who happened to be dead. Th...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-romance, ghost, series

Many readers were saying this was much more scarier than Anna Dressed In Blood, in which I have yet to read and heard had quite tons of good stuff in it. I'm not sure what to expect in Anna anymore because this was anything but scary! I'm not even going to agree whether this was a horror story or an instantaneous romantic build-up between a 16 year old girl and a 200 year old ghost boy, which I thought was ~~skin crawling~~ creepy in this case. I'll get to the creepy part later.

I liked how the story...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nook-book, ghosts, young-adult

The Deepest Cut is a cute little ghost story, but unfortunately it seems to be an age appropriate YA book, rather than the sort of YA which an adult can appreciate. Ever since Riley barely survived the car crash which killed her mother, she has been able to see and communicate with ghosts. Naturally, this freaks her a little bit, and she ignores them to the best of her ability.

Looking to start over after the crash, Riley's dad decides to move to a big, old inn in Scotland. Conveniently, dad's j...more

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May 18, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, ya

Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by April
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

If you enjoy romance and alien’s you will enjoy this short story about a one night stand that turns into so much more. This cute story gives you the reader hope in love that transcends differences.

Frey an alien working on earth finds that he wants more than what his planet of Ginnun can give him. After making the decision to leave and make a home on earth after he is betrayed by his fiancé who has slept with...more

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Never Too Old For...: April Book of the Month (Lost Souls): THE DEEPEST CUT	28	64	Apr 26, 2013 03:03pm
BookSpark: The Deepest Cut by J.A. Templeton Giveaway	1	8	Nov 20, 2011 12:31am

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Romance

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Fantasy

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About J.A. Templeton

J.A. Templeton is the YA pen name for adult romance author Julia Templeton. She loves history, travel, and reading in every subgenre of romance, especially young and new adult.

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Books by J.A. Templeton

The MacKinnon Curse: The Beginning (MacKinnon Curse, #0.5)

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Quotes from The Deepest Cut

“If only he knew how little I cared about living.” — 4 people liked it

“The urge to cut still pulled at me. Would I always have this urge? I wondered. Would I be like an alcoholic constantly fighting the desire to drink?” — 4 people liked it

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The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1)

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