Messenger

by Carol Lynch Williams

From PEN Award–winning author Carol Lynch Williams comes an eerie and atmospheric coming-of-age tale about a girl who can talk to the dead—even if she would rather not.

Evie Messenger knows that her family is different from other families. But it isn’t until her fifteenth birthday that the Messenger gift is revealed to her. Evie has the family’s gift—a special power. Soon she realizes she is able to see and talk to the dead—ghosts—often with no idea who the person was. Or as Evie says: “I see Dead People. It’s a Messenger gift.” That doesn’t mean she wants the Messenger gift. So Evie tries to ignore it but soon she finds she cannot. Can Evie find a way to live her life without letting her power take over? And what if the dead person is someone close to Evie’s family?

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy, Ghosts, Romance, Supernatural

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

Carol Lynch Williams is the author of more than 30 books for middle grade and young adult readers. Her novels include The Chosen One, Never that Far, Messenger and Never Said. Her most recent book is the novelization of the movie Once I Was a Beehive. Carol has an MFA from Vermont College in Writing for Children and Young Adults and teaches creative writing at BYU. She runs Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, a week-long writing conference for the not-faint-of-heart writer (www.wifyr.com). As well she is a mentor for those who want to write for kids and teens. Her best creative effort, however, are her five daughters.

Reviews

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mhm...
Nope.
This was just bad. It took me forever to read..

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shit... that ending was more chaotic than a redneck family reunion.

[Ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so so much!!! It's about a girl named Evie Messenger. Every female in the Messenger family has a gift. Well, Evie's gift is, she can see and speak to dead people. On her 15th birthday, she sees this girl in her room named Tommie. Well, it turns out, Tommie is dead. She has been dead for the past couple of years. But, Tommie doesn't know that she is dead. So, Evie has to explain to her how she knows that she is dead, and she has to deal with her crush/ possible boyfriend, Buddy. Buddy was Tommie's boyfriend before she died. Buddy, is head over heels in love with Evie. They are kissing all throughout the story. So, Evie doesn't know if she should tell Buddy or not, about her gift, and that she can see Tommie. This is an amazing thrilling rollercoaster of a story. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, surprises, and ghosts. This was my absolute favorite book of this year! And my favorite book in general. I couldn't ever put it down. I hope everyone else enjoys this book as much as I did!!!

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori)]

DNF at page 50

This book is very unrealistic. The voice of the main character was very immature and I just couldn't relate to this story or character.

[Ayda · Rating 1 out of 5]

interesting concept... really easy read

[KWinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoo boy, I knew I was in for it when, around the 17th chapter I was going to DNF and I thought "let me check Goodreads". Dudes, this book is getting 4 or 5 stars OR 1 star. People are either digging it or hating it. I did both, so I'm going to land smack in the middle.
Let me begin by saying this is not a good read. It has elements that reminded me of good reads. The women coming into their special powers at a certain age and then learning to deal with said power. Can we say SavvySavvy? Or how about the recently released (and amazing) Labyrinth LostLabyrinth Lost? Still, I was on board with Aunt Odie. I wanted this to work out. I kept reading.

But then....things! Things started to happen that annoyed the shit out of me. First, everyone's vernacular pops in and out willy nilly (finally, at the end of the book I discovered they only have accents on two words in this part of Florida, apparently). Second, no one talks to anyone else. Half of the book is Evie begging people to tell her things. And they will not. Not until it's too late and heavy handed! Finally, can I get an amen, is the character of Buddy not the most stalkery, future rapist 15 year old you have ever read in your entire life? EVERY interaction with him is him saying "Hi, Evie" and then trying to put his mouth on hers. He is outside her window or on her front porch in the dark. Apparently, he has been with every girl in school (they are 15) but Evie doesn't care because he only has eyes for her. Just, you know, all of the time.
Well, folks. I'm charmed, I don't know about you. If you need more convincing, how about this bit from page 189:

" 'You look so pretty breathing like that,'"Buddy said.
I tilted my head. "I always breathe like this," I said.
He nodded. "I know."'

Wow. Sexy.
I was more afraid for Evie that she found THIS to be exciting and "love" then the fact that
she was being visited by dead people.

The reality is, for an 11 year old this is a super mild supernatural story. It does not belong in YA, as Evie is 15 but acts waaaaaaay younger than that. It sort of positively shows a blended family, I liked the Paulie character, I like Aunt Odie, and I liked Evie. I just thought she was really immature.

What I didn't like is a pretty long list. I already covered my top 3. I can say I'm super sad because I have read Williams before and her other work is of much higher quality than this.

[Xin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never written a book review before so pardon me.

First off, I was so eager to read this book due to the captivating blurb, thinking it would be a thriller/mystery. However, the starting was a bit bland and the plot progressed very slowly. We weren't given much information on what being a " Messenger" meant and how did people/friends view about this so uh okay.

And secondly, the protagonist Evie didn't appeal to me much. There wasn't really much of a character development and oh god the relationship between her and Buddy. There wasn't really much information on why Buddy liked Evie and all he wanted to do was kiss Evie. Both characters were rather bland in my opinion.

Aunt Odie was fine. To be honest I expected their gifts to be much more hmm interesting and complex in a sense maybe like some superpower/special ability(?) She has a sassy and savage character that appears to have more emotion/colour compared to the rest of the characters . (including momma).

Ending was messy, couldn't really stand the short chapters and didn't feel the effect the formatting was supposed to have in me bleh.

thank you for taking the time to read my review haha

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow this book was both humorous and incredibly sad. I really enjoyed Evie, the main character. I thought she was interesting and well-rounded, and I liked that she's portrayed as both very different from a lot of 15-year-olds (even outside of her "gift"), but also very similar. I liked the mystery of finding out what her gift is (though I wish the jacket text hadn't spoiled it...). There were a couple times I had a hard time figuring out exactly what was happening, and how it fit into the story, but I'd rather have that than have it made too obvious.

For me, the best parts of the story were the relationships between all of the different characters. Aunt Odie and Evie....Evie and her mom...Evie's mom & JimDaddy...Evie & Tommie. They added conflict, tension, humor, and all kinds of things that made this story really interesting and really come alive for me.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aunt Odie shook her head. "I didn't know you were going to get the dead-people card. Few are trusted with that."
"Cards or not," I said, "this shouldn't be happening."

For me, Messenger was one of those books that you pick up on a whim. Like, they don't exactly sound like the most interesting novel, but it might be worth a chance. And, well, I was at the library so it was totally free. Unfortunately, free did not equal good in this case. I was unimpressed with the book and stuck with it just because it was short.

When Evie Messenger turns fifteen, she, like the rest of her family before her, goes to find out if she has a Gift. She's not sure what to expect. Maybe she'll be good with hair, like her Aunt Carol, or have a special touch with cooking, like her Aunt Odie. What she wasn't expecting was to find that her Gift lies in her ability to see and talk to ghosts. One ghost in particular becomes attached to Evie, a girl named Tommie. It's one thing to be followed by a ghost, but it's another when the ghost has a special connection to you, your friends, and your family. Evie struggles to understand her Gift and understand Tommie.

I was not a fan of the writing style. For me, this was a very big problem. I felt like the sentences were awkward and clunky. I wasn't a fan of the overdone Southern-stereotypical speech patterns. It was as if everyone was a redneck, and that needed to be displayed time and time again with incorrect speech and grammar.

I also thought that the book had metaphors or sentences that didn't make any sense whatsoever. There were moments where I stopped and wondered what in the world does that mean? I admit that it was so weird-sounding and ridiculous that I read the below quote out loud for a friend, to get her thoughts on its awkwardness.

"Anyway, reading's good for you. Especially if you're a guy." He hesitated. "But don't tell anyone I said that."

??? What? Did I miss the lesson that said that reading boosted a guy's lifespan or something? Why only guys? What does that sentence even mean?

Despite being completely without personalities, the characters also seemed immature. I mean, by YA standards Evie is a bit younger than the average heroine - freshly fifteen. But the way she talks and acts and describes things is suggestive of someone much younger than herself.

I almost didn't have the chance to go to the potty, that's how quick Aunt Odie ran me out of my sleeping house, all quiet.
I'm surprised she let me change out of my jammies.

"Jammies?" "Potty?" What are you, four?

Outside of that, I had no other thoughts on Evie. She's a bit whiny and clueless and annoying. But there are no other qualities to her that come to mind. Unfortunately, the entire cast is like this. They are boring characters with no real personality to them.

The plot is completely aimless. The synopsis says that Evie finds out that her gift is to talk to the dead, and that Tommie is closely related to her friends and family. Well, synopsis, thank you for telling me everything about the book. Nothing is left up to your imagination.

Evie doesn't find out what her Gift is until over 100 pages - almost halfway - into the novel. So the entire time she's wondering what her ability is, you're sitting there like, yeah, you see the dead. Evie wonders about who Tommie is, where she lives, and why she's hanging around. And we're like, yeah, Tommie's a ghost. My local library categorized this novel as a mystery, with the magnifying glass sticker and everything, but there is absolutely no mystery to this novel.

Evie's romance is yet another YA instalove. She has a crush on her neighbor, Buddy whose name is apparently Justin, though no one tells her this and no one explains why he goes by Buddy instead of Justin. She thinks he's cute upon their first meeting, when he flat out tells her that he's going to kiss her one day.

Across the street I eyed Buddy McKay's house. He is the cutest thing in all a New Smyrna Beach.
And nasty, too. In a really cute sorta way.
Tried to kiss me the day I moved in this here place just over a year ago.

Well, gee. If that isn't a shining bit of a character than I don't know what is, am I right? I have no idea what Evie sees in Buddy (nor what Buddy sees in Evie, for that matter.) They barely know each other. They only spend their time kissing and avoiding talking to one another. And Evie has the gall to call it love.

"You look so pretty breathing like that," Buddy said.
I tilted my head. "I always breathe like this," I said.
He nodded. "I know."

That was yet another quote I pulled to read out loud to a friend. That, apparently, is their way of flirting with each other. And it's downright creepy, if I do say so myself. It's basically the equivalent of their relationship - awkward, mismatched, insert-negative-adjective-here.

Plus, there's the whole bit where Tommie and Buddy used to date when they were twelve/thirteen. He's still hung up with her (which, I guess you can't really blame him. I mean, his girlfriend did die.) But Tommie was like, weirdly attached to him. She was already planning their wedding, had bookmarked a dress online, and was pissed that she wasn't going to be having his babies. So, yeah. Creepy.

I just didn't like Messenger. I don't feel like it has any great redeemable qualities. The plot line is not unique, the characters are boring, the romance was a total flop. I have nothing that I like about this book. So I, obviously, would not suggest reading it.

[Kelly Hager]

First, if it's not too late, don't read the synopsis for this. It contains a major spoiler. (Publishers, if we don't learn something for literally over a hundred pages, don't tell us ahead of time!)

The women in the Messenger family get a Gift on their fifteenth birthdays. For example, Evie's aunt has a way with cooking that's made her rich. Evie doesn't know what hers will be but she's excited...

This is a really hard book to review without discussing the gift and the other things relating to it. But suffice to say that this is a smart, fun-and-heartbreaking novel. It's perfect for cool fall nights.

[Kami · Rating 4 out of 5]

- This was a lighter book for this author, and I liked it. It isn't my favorite of hers, but it's good.

- Carol Lynch Williams has a very distinct writing style and voice. I love it. There is something soothing and eerie about it.

- I love how so much can be said and felt in a few words.

- I wish the story had a little more substance. I would love to know more about Evie's family and how the "gifts" came to be. I would have liked to see Evie help more ghosts move on.

- This was a fun little ghost story.

[Noelle Neri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, I read the book Messenger by Carol Lynch Williams. The main character, Evie Messenger, is just a normal southern teen. That is, until her fifteenth birthday. All Messengers receive a special talent, or "Gift", on their fifteenth birthday. Evie's Aunt Odie's Gift is cooking and her mother's Gift is healing. However, when Evie turns fifteen, her Gift is hiding, and at her birthday party, Evie comes across a girl named Tommie standing in her room. Evie is very confused as Tommie continues to appear every day. Evie soon finds out, after going to see her Aunt Odie's friend, Paulie, who is also a medium, that Tommie is a ghost. Who is Tommie and how did she die? Why is she appearing in Evie's bedroom every day?

I liked this book. I liked how it was suspenseful with a little bit of a chick-lit element to it. However, it did not really match up to the cover because the cover portrayed it as a sort of Steven King spin-off. In reality, the story was not very eerie or creepy at all. I would give it a 4.5 out of 5.

I think that if you are of the ages 12-16 you will like this book. Since Evie is 15 in the story, a lot of people that age could relate to her.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read and I don't really understand why it wasn't shorter? So many "chapters" consisted of only a few sentences and so were literally a continued thought from the last chapter.

First, where the heck in Florida are these people!? Why do they speak like they are from the deep south? Grant you, I get Evie has moved around some but come on! I am a Florida native and even in the southern most part, people don't really talk like that. But somehow... this entire town does.

How creepy is Bobby/Justin? And how creepy is JimmyDaddy? And what kind of name is JimmyDaddy? Also, why was "you want I should.." such a common phrase. The only time I have ever even heard that grammar problem, is from people who not fully speak English.

The plot in general was OK. It was incredibly slow for such a short book. It took WAY too long for Evie to figure out that Tommy was a ghost and everything else that followed. I was not crazy about this story or the plot. Evie should have been MUCH younger, because she acted like she was 10.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think of myself as a fan of paranormal fiction, but Carol Lynch Williams succeeds brilliantly here in making Evie Messenger's new Gift of being able to interact with the dead as she would with the living feel utterly real and believable. This is not the Gift Evie wanted. It's a Gift that enormously complicates her relationship with her caring stepfather and her growing love for an (eminently kissable!) neighbor boy. It's a Gift she decides to renounce if she can. But Gifts make their own claim upon the recipient, and Evie's Gift can be her way of giving to others, allowing them to find a way to move forward from paralyzing grief. This page-turning story, building to a riveting - and satisfying - climax and conclusion, gives readers a Gift of its own.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still not quite sure how I feel about this book. I need to discuss it with my Book Club Ladies. I always feel different after a discussion. Anyway, I thought it would be a great book to read in the fall before Halloween. Although there is a ghost in the book, it really is not a scary book. More sad. This kind of was Ghostwhisper meets Grnadma Dowdel from Richard Peck's: A Long Way from Chicago.
Aunt Odie is so crazy and funny. I think I liked her the best. Anytime there is a death in the family, especially a sudden death, there is pain and hurt and needs to be resolved. This book tries to do that in a good way.

[Susan Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been sick the last several days. 20 hours in bed seriously slows a person's progress. BUT I did finish a book. And this one was for the pure fun of it!

I'm a writer. Therefore I'm a reader. I've read more books this year than I have the last three combined. I thoroughly enjoyed this one from page one to the very end.

The book was obviously written by a seasoned author who has mastered the art of storytelling, and when it was over, I wanted MORE!

If you like vivid characters, incredible voice, and unbelievable imagery, check this story out. You'll love it. Oh, and the ghosts keep it interesting too! ;)

[Allison Mierop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story was okay but it was very predictable from the beginning and took a long time for something to actually happen, very slow moving the first 100-200 pages. The characters were a bit bland with not much personality except aunt Odie had some character. Idk, the characters kinda got on my nerves some. I kept wanting something more like maybe some kind of plot twist since it was paranormal, something that made me think “wow, that’s crazy”. It wasn’t the worst book ever but it’s definitely not one of my favorites either. I would rate this book a 2.5 stars out of 5 but since I’m a nice person I’ll bump it to a 3.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a huge fan of this book. It was a quick, easy read, but I craved more substance from it. It felt like it ambled along until I hit the end, which felt like running into a brick wall at full speed - which is to say, the ending was way too abrupt. None of the story arcs were fully developed. It could have been a really good book, but in the end, it fell short for me.

[Stephi K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I love this author and think she usually nails coming-of-age stories, this book felt almost amateur. The verse writing style made the character feel extra young. I love when there's an element of seeing things one does not want to see in books, but I felt that the book didn't lean into the horror of that enough.

[Alice Fleury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evie, like all the women Messengers received her gift when she turned 15. She didn't recognize it though. Her gift was seeing and talking to ghosts. Too bad its her stepfather's dead daughter and she doesn't know she's dead.

Great teen angst in this story. Wish it hadn't ended so fast.

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, this book was in the wrong section of the book store. After doing some research, it's meant for middle schoolers. That being said, the concept is good although a tad too fluffy. Not a ton of depth and writing style was weak.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way the author writes about the South and its people. You'd think she'd actually grew up there....oh wait, she did!

[Susan Phelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set just the right mood - a little bit spooky, but still real. Strong sense of place. I really enjoyed it.

[Kergy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite genre so I am probably a little harsh with this rating. It was okay. Middle and high school students who enjoy this genre will probably like this story more than I did.

[Lea Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the fast pace and easy read of the book. Didn’t have to think much and was quite enjoyable. The end however felt a bit too rushed though and would have like it to be more detailed.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. I literally couldn’t put it down and that turned into reading the book in like 4 hours. At first I didn’t really like it but then I grew to love the book.

[Spring · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than I thought it'd be.

[Marina Wall]

Read for ENGL 320R Writing for Adolescents and Children

[Azorianfireflyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Great humor and emotion, beautiful characters that live and breathe on the page. I laughed and cried in turn.

I loved watching Evie grow throughout the story and come to accept herself and her Gift.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Messenger women all receive a supernatural gift when the grow into womanhood. For example, Evie's aunt uses her ability to make and sell recipes. When Evie first gets her gift, no one will tell her what it is, but it is bad. Soon weird things start happening, especially this weird girl who keeps showing up in her room and not leaving. Evie is drawn into a family drama involving a death of a young teen and must help the spirit and family come to terms with what has happened.

This book was a decent supernatural book. Other books have done it better, but it is a quick fluffy read. I thought the parental/adult reactions to teen acts seemed over-the-top and unrealistic.