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The Grave Artist

by Paula Lynn Johnson (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 84 ratings · 19 reviews

16-year-old Clare can't stop drawing the bizarre, winged skulls she calls "Sammies". Her psychiatrist assumes the compulsive drawings are just expressions of Clare's grief over her father abandoning her. But then Clare discovers that her Sammies are exact matches for the Death's Head on the grave of Samantha Forsythe, a teen who reportedly fell to her death over two centur...more

Kindle Edition, 154 pages

Published March 12th 2012

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Sep 18, 2012 Carol Kean rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Grave Artist (Kindle Edition)
What a pleasant surprise to pick up an indie novel and find it well written, with characters who seem real! Added bonus: science lessons sneaked into the prose in an exciting, mysterious way.

The plot itself disappointed me. I kept thinking of a movie I hate, "Woman in Black," and a movie/book I enjoyed, "Holes." The idea is as old as vampires: a ghost is haunting someone because her death was no accident, and the truth must come to light (and/or bones must be re...more The Grave Artist (Kindle Edition)
What a pleasant surprise to pick up an indie novel and find it well written, with characters who seem real! Added bonus: science lessons sneaked into the prose in an exciting, mysterious way.

The plot itself disappointed me. I kept thinking of a movie I hate, "Woman in Black," and a movie/book I enjoyed, "Holes." The idea is as old as vampires: a ghost is haunting someone because her death was no accident, and the truth must come to light (and/or bones must be reunited). Maybe I particularly dislike this plot because (1) dead is dead, and I can't believe the souls of the departed worry about whatever bones were left behind; (2) if ghosts exist, no fair that I never see any; and (3) my sister was murdered in 1975; no one was ever arrested so we don't know who killed her or why; if ever anyone should come back as a ghost and make sure her killers are identified, it's Julie. She was a Nancy Drew addict and loved a good murder mystery. The ghost in "The Grave Artist" waited 200 years to find a human who could or would tell her story. By then, who cares? Most of us don't even know the name of our great-grandpa, a mere hundred years before our time. How many 20th C people (like my sister) write diaries, have jewelry to bequeath, or use the geometry of universal designs to tell a story? Okay, it's obvious I'm reading outside my genre here. My sister did keep a hand-written diary, but today's young adults leave a scattered trail of text messages. Somehow I have to engage "willing suspension of disbelief" and love a story *not* for what it is (conventional ghost "whodunnit") but for the way it's told and the richness of the characters who help the story unfold.

I love the characters in this novel, even if a few of them seem to be contrived -- like an old woman who keeps 200-year-old antiques in her shed, or an old man who frequents a bookstore and just happens to know a lot about Platonic geometry (which reminds me, I never did run to my copy of Sam Kean's "The Disappearing Spoon" to see if I missed any comments he may have made on this intriguing little aspect of the Periodic Table of Elements). Clare's older sister (Laura?) seems like a throwaway character. But in YA novels, siblings ofteare.

In any case, the prose is well edited, the story is engaging, the characters are well drawn and interesting. I love Gollum (Neil). He begs for a sequel or a novel all his own. The plot itself held little interest for me (dead is dead!), but the way the characters gradually learn new things is what kept me turning pages. And of course the science. I learned things -- what a great bonus to sneak into a YA novel! (less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Cheryl M-M rated it 4 of 5 stars

My expectations when I started reading this were along the lines of 'this is going to be another typical YA read', but in fact I found myself staying up till late to finish it.
Although ultimately a book that fits into the YA genre with a paranormal ghost twist, it fits in without the usual teenage hype, be it in language structure, dialogue or storyline.
Instead the reader gets a fairly realistic look at how even older children and young adults are emotionally distraught and overburdened by the d...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, art-fashion-diy, alternative-characters, female-author, female-and-queer-issues, america, paranormal-supernatural, youth-fiction

What I really liked about this story was that it had heart. It wasn't just about a girl and a ghost, it was about a girl trying to deal with her parents breakup and her own problems. The ghost story followed a fairly typical progression, but the human drama in which it was couched had me hooked. It offered insights into the flawed nature of humanity, and loving our families, even when they let us down. I thought there were some really honest insights into the difficulty of life changes.

I also en...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Darlene rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Yvensong, S. Michele, Cheryl in CC NV

Recommended to Darlene by: BookRooster

Shelves: bookrooster-for-review, ghosts, history, kindle, kindle-books-i-own, lending-enabled, occult, paranormal, strong-fem, young-adult

20120420 Review of The Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson

I received a complimentary copy of the book from BookRooster.com to review. For those who haven’t heard of BookRooster, take a look at their site. Once you are signed up as a reviewer they will start sending book suggestions. You don’t have to review on everything they suggest, rather, you can pick and choose what books may be your ‘cup of tea.’ You can even read a sample of the book before you commit to reading the book for review. This h...more
20120420 Review of The Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson

I received a complimentary copy of the book from BookRooster.com to review. For those who haven’t heard of BookRooster, take a look at their site. Once you are signed up as a reviewer they will start sending book suggestions. You don’t have to review on everything they suggest, rather, you can pick and choose what books may be your ‘cup of tea.’ You can even read a sample of the book before you commit to reading the book for review. This helps you, the reader to find new books that are coming out. It helps the author to get honest reviews, and it is a way to introduce the book to others that may read the reviews you write.

When I read the summary of The Grave Artist, I knew it was up my alley. And it was!
I love the characters and the story. Even the subplots were interesting. As the title implies, there is art involved. Well, and there are graves. The young adult is the target audience. I’m four times that old. Even still, I found that I could relate to the story. I was very pleased that the book wasn’t all teen angst. In fact, it was an angst we all have about changes in our lives. The ghost has a bit of angst of her own, and that drives the story and the main character. Thankfully, the usual teen bullies and heart throb romance wasn’t a part of this book. Yes, there is like/love but it is secondary to the plot.

What I will remember this book for, what makes it stand out among YA books for me, is that I felt I learned something. And I felt inspired. There are places, and terms, that I felt I needed to look up. In doing so I began to want to know more. I even feel inspired to take more art classes.

The book does take a look at the kinds of pressure a student goes through. If you are gifted, do you need to be pressured into only the ‘hard’ classes? If you are talented but not educationally gifted, are you a loser? I love how the author addresses these issues, often left out of other books.

The Grave Artist was a fun read. I am sorry I am finished reading it. I think it stands alone, but I would love to follow the characters further.
(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 C.L. Bevill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Must be my week for YA. Here we have a young woman named Clare who is drawing mysterious flying skulls when she's daydreaming. Also she's had some personal trauma in her life in the form of the d-i-v-o-r-c-e of her parents and her dad has taken up with a younger paralegal. (Horrors.)

Mysterious flying skull antics escalate and it turns out there's a reason behind it.

Pros: Well-written. I didn't see too many typos. I like the cover. It's a good premise. Very gothicy. I enjoyed the hero, although h...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this YA ghost story. I was also excited by the fact that the author is local to my area, and it's always gratifying to learn of local talent. This novel focuses on a teenaged heroine who is somehow connected with a teenager from centuries before, and who is enlisted somehow by this long dead girl, to resolve the mystery of her death, and restore her to a peaceful slumber. Underlying this mystery is the present day alienation of the heroine, who is experiencing her parents' divorce...more

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Jul 03, 2012 L.J. Cohen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of YA and ghost stories

I read The Grave Artist in a single sitting yesterday and found it compelling and extremely well written. The eBook was beautifully formatted and the cover art is lovely. I liked the relationship between Claire, the protagonist, and Neil, her friend. It felt believable and honest. The mystery Claire solves with Neil's help is poignant, without being overly sentimental.

If I have any criticism of the story, it's that the adults in Claire's life are either absent or overly helpful, conveniently han...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE GRAVE ARTIST (YA) by Paula Lynn Johnson

THE GRAVE ARTIST is the March 2012 release by author Paula Lynn Johnson. A detour from the ordinary YA paranormal storylines, The Grave Artist tells the tale of junior high student Clare Davis and her obsession with drawing Death Skull images. But she soon realizes that her compulsion to draw the skulls is out of her control.

Clare Davis is the child of divorce and is unhappy that she and her mother are no longer able to live like they once lived. Follow...more THE GRAVE ARTIST (YA) by Paula Lynn Johnson

THE GRAVE ARTIST is the March 2012 release by author Paula Lynn Johnson. A detour from the ordinary YA paranormal storylines, The Grave Artist tells the tale of junior high student Clare Davis and her obsession with drawing Death Skull images. But she soon realizes that her compulsion to draw the skulls is out of her control.

Clare Davis is the child of divorce and is unhappy that she and her mother are no longer able to live like they once lived. Following the split of her parents and a near death experience at a party, Clare is forced into counseling when the Death Skull images that she continues to draw (she has named Sammies) become too macabre for her mother to understand-even Clare does not know from where the compulsion originates. But a visit to an old cemetery will reveal more to Clare than her own hand-drawn images.

Neil aka Gollum is Clare’s BFF. A fellow art student, Neil’s interest in Clare extends beyond their similar interests. When Clare’s images begin to interfere with her sleep and her daily routine, the local historical society may hold some answers to the names and faces that begin to haunt. Soon Neil becomes her support and her rock, and guides Clare through her daily excursions hunting for the truth. But once things become dangerous, Neil wants Clare to pull back from her search. Clare knows that the only way to stop the compulsions is to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The local historian reveals that the founding family, the Forsythe’s, had a wide and rather colorful history. But as Neil and Clare begin to search the local archives, they learn that many of Clare’s images are quite possibly a communication from beyond the grave. Dates, names, faces and facts begin to coincide and match many of Clare’s drawings and dreams. But it will take another near death experience to set Neil and Clare on a path to discovering the truth about what happened over 200 years ago.

THE GRAVE ARTIST is a fantastic new novel from author Paula Lynn Johnson. The storyline line is fast paced and interesting with some historical references to religious artifacts and symbols. The heroine is a typical teenager dealing with some of the same issues as many of today’s teens, including divorce and denial. But the author has intertwined the anxieties of a young teen growing up with the paranormal anomalies of what can only be called a haunting. The Grave Artist is a wonderful novel.

see all of my reviews at :thereadingcafe.com(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Whitebeard Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

Almost normal paranormal is the best description I can offer for this title. While the basic story is about mostly normal life, family splits, divorces, mixed race kids, you know, normal, what is going on just below the surface is totally paranormal. I was at one point sure that I'd find the main character was experiencing prior lives, but alas, this is an even stranger story than that. Great storytelling and totally believable ... well, you know, if you're a believer. I'd give this one another...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Aimee rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would give this book more like 3 1/2 stars. I liked this book. The characters were likeable and story interesting. I didn't want to put it down at times. I found it a little predictable but there was a twist at the end that surprised me. I always like a good surprise. I got a little lost when she introduces a particular "sacred" concept. I didn't quite understand the concept and why it tied into the story but maybe I missed something. Overall, it was an easy read and a good solid ghost story.
I...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, reviewed

I picked this e-book for free a little while ago, and I've been reading it on my phone whenever I had down time, like waiting rooms or such. It was really a pretty great read and I'm quite surprised that it was free!

It's also a fairly quick, light, and easy read. There really isn't too many characters to follow, the plot flows quite nicely with fantastic helpings of mystery and healthy splashes of the dark and unknown. I would agree that it could be placed in the horror genre, but it's not a sc...more I picked this e-book for free a little while ago, and I've been reading it on my phone whenever I had down time, like waiting rooms or such. It was really a pretty great read and I'm quite surprised that it was free!

It's also a fairly quick, light, and easy read. There really isn't too many characters to follow, the plot flows quite nicely with fantastic helpings of mystery and healthy splashes of the dark and unknown. I would agree that it could be placed in the horror genre, but it's not a scare the pants off you kind of read. It treads the line between eerie and terrifying quite nicely without keeping us awake at night.

Clare's life has just made some drastic changes. She used to be a spoiled, wealthy girl, getting whatever she wanted and without a care in the world. But when Daddy, the bread winner, finds someone younger and newer than her mother all of that goes away pretty quickly. It would be an understatement to say that Clare didn't handle the changes well. On top of her trying to cope with her new less privileged life, things start getting pretty creepy when she starts drawing these skeleton heads compulsively. She literally has no control over it. When she tries to explore what is going on with her, she finds that the rabbit hole is much deeper than she anticipated. She soon finds herself within a love torn murder mystery with no way out.

I was quite surprised with the ending, it took a twist I did not for see in the slightest and I just love it when a book is capable of shocking me like that. It was overall quite intriguing, but not to the point where I would think about it even when I wasn't reading it and couldn't wait to pick it back up. But at the same time, I was enjoying myself, and the story while I was reading it. I was a little hot and cold with Clare. Her reactions and behavior towards what was happening in her real life and her family were at times childish and blown out of proportions. As well, I found she could be really spiteful and mean towards her mom and sister who were going through the exact same things she was. But outside of the family issues I really liked her. I liked the her that came out when she was searching for answers and facing her fears. In those moments she had a determination and compassion that was admirable.

Overall, it was quite a decent read. Quick and easy, and I would most likely recommend it. Especially to those who like a little history with dashes of mystery and ghosts.(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Wanderlust rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal.

Cover - I love it, hauntingly beautiful.
Favorite line - "yeah well" i say. "if my boss was screwing my co-worker, i guess i wouldn't be happy about it either."
Favorite Character - Clare

This is a really interesting take on YA fantasy. The story has mystery & depth. There is a slight romance in it also. I thought the story was brilliant, so many layers. I was really happy the way the book played out.

Fantastic.

I would recommend this story & I will read more by this author.

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Jul 22, 2012 ABCme rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, favorites

Art comes in exciting forms, here's a fresh look on surrealism. Clare and Neil are art students and great characters in this fast paced story. Samantha is a ghost who needs closure and she jumps onto Clare's drawing board to get the message across. There's a good twist at the end. Highly recommended read.

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Jul 24, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love a good ghost story and THE GRAVE ARTIST really delivers. The 16-year-old MC was likable and her angst over her family's break-up rang true. I enjoyed the bits of history and references to Sacred Geometry. The writing is excellent and the ending will give you chills.

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Sep 21, 2012 Kerri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-books-of-2012

AMAZING! even tho I got this for free on kindle, i may just buy a paper copy to support this amazing author! fantastic standalone, more than 5 stars rightfully deserved! :)

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Oct 13, 2012 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gail-s-goodreads-2012

A YA paranormal story about a girl who keeps drawing skulls with wings. I think my students will love this book. Interesting characters.

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Nov 12, 2012 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well written with only a few typos. Good character development. A nice mystery that kept me interested until the end. Good young adult book.

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Mar 26, 2013 Rosie Mazariegos rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-freebies

I really enjoyed this book. The characters had depth & felt as if I was right there with them! Great story!

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Sep 30, 2012 A.B. Shepherd rated it 4 of 5 stars

You can read my review here:

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May 18, 2013 Michelle Hofacker rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Shelves: books-that-i-m-not-sure-about

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Shelves: kindle

May 08, 2013 Implacablefigurine rated it 3 of 5 stars

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About Paula Lynn Johnson

Paula Lynn Johnson loves a good ghost story. She's a former English major and attorney living in central New Jersey with her husband, kids, cat, dog, and killer rabbit. She adores them all, even the killer rabbit.

Paula also loves a good laugh! You can read her short, humorous pieces on sites like The Big Jewel and Errant Parent, or on her blog, Twaddle Like a Duck.

When she's not writing, Paula sel...more

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