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Spirit
"It's something of a Romeo and Juliet story. There was a young couple in Salem, long ago . . . And the girl's mother, she hated the boy. When the witch-hunting began, mother, daughter, and suitor all ended up at the Blackthorne hanging." Now, ages later, in the cold, dark heart of the Victorian era—an age of black clothes and black moods—one train is bound for Blackthorne, near Salem, where a winter carnival awaits. The cars are full of the promise of fireworks, sleigh rides, and skating. But for Tess and Tobias Goodraven, this train will take them to a place much darker than they imagined. Even a seasoned pair of ghost hunters like Tess and Tobias didn't expect a witch like Old Mother Malgore—a witch who stalks the forests, silent as snowfall, hunting, hungering. When the train derails and the casualties climb, the Goodravens must bridge the gap between past and present tragedies if they have any chance of quieting the souls of the living, the dead, and the haunted. In J. P. Hightman's richly woven story of ghosts and witchcraft, the simple is sinister, the dead stalk the living, and the only real weapon is love.
224 pages, Library Binding
First published July 22, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 17, 2011
Tess and Tobias Goodraven are a wealthy, seventeen-year-old married couple living in Mass. during 1892. Both of them lost their parents in a theatre fire when they were young, which led them to become intrigued by the phantom world, and each other. Their morbid fascination with the occult helps Tobias stumble upon an old legend about the 1662 Salem Witch Trials and the "First Accused," who was a real witch and purely evil. Unable to resist, Tobias convinces Tess to take a train to Blackthorne to see if the legend is true, and what they find is spirits who refuse to let go, and a witch bent on making sure there are no survivors.
The basic premise of this book was great. In fact, another reviewer sums it up when she says, "Excellent idea, terrible execution." First of all, this book is slotted for 6th-9th grades. The fact that the protagonists were married made the story unrelatable. I know why the author did it - it ties into the ending/climax - but it creates a disconnect from the first page. In addition, there is no plot development, just action. Every time someone would die, I would think "Who was that?" and I would read on because I really didn't care to go back 50 pages to figure it out.
Overall, this book rambles in a lot of places, then has scary scene after scary scene. The legend is alluded to, but the reader never gets the real story of the murdered lovers or how Widow Malgore (the evil witch) became evil. I would have LOVED to read flashbacks of their lives so that the ending was more powerful.
Shallow writing, at best.
The basic premise of this book was great. In fact, another reviewer sums it up when she says, "Excellent idea, terrible execution." First of all, this book is slotted for 6th-9th grades. The fact that the protagonists were married made the story unrelatable. I know why the author did it - it ties into the ending/climax - but it creates a disconnect from the first page. In addition, there is no plot development, just action. Every time someone would die, I would think "Who was that?" and I would read on because I really didn't care to go back 50 pages to figure it out.
Overall, this book rambles in a lot of places, then has scary scene after scary scene. The legend is alluded to, but the reader never gets the real story of the murdered lovers or how Widow Malgore (the evil witch) became evil. I would have LOVED to read flashbacks of their lives so that the ending was more powerful.
Shallow writing, at best.
March 17, 2009
Spirit is, hands down, the most disappointing book I have read in years. I LOVE Highman's "The Saint of Dragons" books. They were well written, original, and the plots were streamlined but still delightfully twisty.
Not so for this one. I wanted it to be fabulous. It had everything I love in a book: ghost hunting duo? check. sarcastic, witty dialogue? check. Suspense? Mystery? History? Horror? check. check. check. check.
(SPOILERS)
But after about page 50, the plot made no sense. It has holes you can drive a steam engine through. I'm still not sure who really died when. And I found the Goodravens, who I LOVED in the first third of teh book, annoying and wussy in the last two thirds. The ending was a twist worthy of a Shyamalan movie, but it felt completely disconnected from everything else in the story. It's like he came up with a great beginning, a great ending, and BSed his way through the rest of it to string the two together. I enjoyed the book immensely until it became obvious in the last few chapters that everything was building up to a nonsensical resultion.
I mean, WHY, if the entire premise of the book is that Tess and Tobias are strong when they're together and weak when they're apart and the witch spent the entire book trying to keep them apart, do they just give up when the ghosts attack them?
And it's a shame, because his linguistic style is one of the most original and enjoyable that I've ever read. It is soooooooo hard to find young adult fiction -- especially in the horror/fantasy genre -- that is both well-written and assumes the reader is intelligent.
But I thought that "Twilight" made more sense than this. And I am NOT a fan of Twilight.
"The Saint of Dragons" is still one of my favorite books, but Spirit needed another dozen rewrites.
Not so for this one. I wanted it to be fabulous. It had everything I love in a book: ghost hunting duo? check. sarcastic, witty dialogue? check. Suspense? Mystery? History? Horror? check. check. check. check.
(SPOILERS)
But after about page 50, the plot made no sense. It has holes you can drive a steam engine through. I'm still not sure who really died when. And I found the Goodravens, who I LOVED in the first third of teh book, annoying and wussy in the last two thirds. The ending was a twist worthy of a Shyamalan movie, but it felt completely disconnected from everything else in the story. It's like he came up with a great beginning, a great ending, and BSed his way through the rest of it to string the two together. I enjoyed the book immensely until it became obvious in the last few chapters that everything was building up to a nonsensical resultion.
I mean, WHY, if the entire premise of the book is that Tess and Tobias are strong when they're together and weak when they're apart and the witch spent the entire book trying to keep them apart, do they just give up when the ghosts attack them?
And it's a shame, because his linguistic style is one of the most original and enjoyable that I've ever read. It is soooooooo hard to find young adult fiction -- especially in the horror/fantasy genre -- that is both well-written and assumes the reader is intelligent.
But I thought that "Twilight" made more sense than this. And I am NOT a fan of Twilight.
"The Saint of Dragons" is still one of my favorite books, but Spirit needed another dozen rewrites.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2010
This is a spooky book that 6-9th graders would enjoy. Tess and Tobias Goodraven are orphans who found eachother after a tragic fire took the lives of both their parents. They are 17 and married. They also enjoy ghost hunting in their freetime! However, this trip is nothing they planned for... In search of the witches that escaped from the Salem witch trials, Tess and Tobias are on a train to Blackthorne MA in the 1800's. On the train they encounter a mix-match of characters all out for the same adventure. When the train derails in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter, things go from bad to worse! There is a creature in thr woods hunting the surviving passengers and killing them one-by-one. Tess and Tobias are seperated as Tobias and a group of able men go on for help and leave Tess and the rest to tend to the wounded. As both struggle to survive they feel their grip with reality slipping away.....the ending is shocking!
Key Characters:
Tess and Tobias Goodraven= 17 year old man and wife and they both love to play the cello as relaxation. Also both hold a sort of 6th sense in relation to ghosts....they can sense them, communicate and interact with the dead
Key Issues: survival, love, devotion, hate, evil, retaliation, revenge, quest for peace, bonds of marriage
Key Characters:
Tess and Tobias Goodraven= 17 year old man and wife and they both love to play the cello as relaxation. Also both hold a sort of 6th sense in relation to ghosts....they can sense them, communicate and interact with the dead
Key Issues: survival, love, devotion, hate, evil, retaliation, revenge, quest for peace, bonds of marriage
Read
March 25, 2009This was a very difficult book for me to get through, in fact, I was unable to finish the book. It lost my interest about half way through and I was easily distracted from the book. It started off strangely and I wasn't really "feeling" the characters. : (
April 7, 2009
Decent plot, horrible execution.
June 25, 2020
This is such a meh book. On the plus side, Hightman is an expert of creating haunting visuals/imagery and a sense of horror at times when it's necessary. The twist at the end was suitably chilling and it bumped my enjoyment up. I was impressed with it. The myth/legend part was cool.
That said, there were issues I had. I found the language could be overly flowery and the pacing was weird. The info dump of the entire backstory in like three paragraphs was a bit much and clumsily done. The way these characters are presented feels like they should have already been introduced- I had to check that this wasn't a sequel, because it felt like it. As for the characters, they kind of sucked. They both came across as condescending to others (and Tobias to Tess) and unhealthily co-dependent. Nothing about them actually felt healthy and it made it hard for me to care about them.
That said, there were issues I had. I found the language could be overly flowery and the pacing was weird. The info dump of the entire backstory in like three paragraphs was a bit much and clumsily done. The way these characters are presented feels like they should have already been introduced- I had to check that this wasn't a sequel, because it felt like it. As for the characters, they kind of sucked. They both came across as condescending to others (and Tobias to Tess) and unhealthily co-dependent. Nothing about them actually felt healthy and it made it hard for me to care about them.
July 17, 2020
A horrifying foray into the daunting terror that lies just outside the realms of death. An ancient evil born of human depravity is lying in wait for those foolish enough to find it. A griping, fast moving horror story, set in Victorian times, Hightman proves again what a deft storyteller he truly is. Although I felt slightly cheated by the ending, I was more than pleased to have found another gem in this writers collection. I believe the author deserves to be acknowledged and brought to more readers attention.
October 31, 2018
I did not like this book and that makes me sad because it sounded promising.
I very much disliked Tobias. He was a bully who only seemed to care about himself and manipulated his wife's insecurities to get what he wanted. Which was also weird because these are two seventeen year old kids. With money. Married. Living on their own.
The plot execution felt clumsy though the writing itself was good. The ending also wasn't my favorite.
I very much disliked Tobias. He was a bully who only seemed to care about himself and manipulated his wife's insecurities to get what he wanted. Which was also weird because these are two seventeen year old kids. With money. Married. Living on their own.
The plot execution felt clumsy though the writing itself was good. The ending also wasn't my favorite.
January 12, 2025
I liked some aspects of this one but the ending was very rushed.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Rebecca Wells for TeensReadToo.com
Blackthorne has always been haunted. A tiny town in Massachusetts, it has been abandoned since the Salem witch trials, when a group of unfortunates fled there only to be hanged as witches.
Now, in the heart of the Victorian era, one train is bound for Blackthorne, where a winter carnival awaits in an attempt to breathe life into the old town. The cars are full of the promise of fireworks, sleigh rides, and skating, but Tess and Tobias Goodraven, two seasoned ghost hunters, expect something much darker.
Though they came in search of ghosts, even the Goodravens didn't expect a witch like Old Mother Malgore - a ghost full of malevolence, who stalks the forests, snuffing out any spark of life. When the train derails and casualties soar, the Goodravens must move between past and present tragedies to have any chance of killing the witch, quieting the souls of the living, and setting to rest the ghosts.
SPIRIT uses the historical Salem witch trials as a jumping point, and leaps off into an eerie ghost story. The prose is lyrical and haunting, and the narration, led by Tess and Tobias, oscillates between richly romantic, unexpectedly terrifying, and acerbically humorous, all with a touch of darkness. As the story progresses, readers' expectations will be completely derailed as new revelations move the plot in altogether uncharted directions.
With an ending so unexpectedly chilling that I was actually frightened, SPIRIT is a masterfully done book that will haunt the reader long after its cover has been closed.
Blackthorne has always been haunted. A tiny town in Massachusetts, it has been abandoned since the Salem witch trials, when a group of unfortunates fled there only to be hanged as witches.
Now, in the heart of the Victorian era, one train is bound for Blackthorne, where a winter carnival awaits in an attempt to breathe life into the old town. The cars are full of the promise of fireworks, sleigh rides, and skating, but Tess and Tobias Goodraven, two seasoned ghost hunters, expect something much darker.
Though they came in search of ghosts, even the Goodravens didn't expect a witch like Old Mother Malgore - a ghost full of malevolence, who stalks the forests, snuffing out any spark of life. When the train derails and casualties soar, the Goodravens must move between past and present tragedies to have any chance of killing the witch, quieting the souls of the living, and setting to rest the ghosts.
SPIRIT uses the historical Salem witch trials as a jumping point, and leaps off into an eerie ghost story. The prose is lyrical and haunting, and the narration, led by Tess and Tobias, oscillates between richly romantic, unexpectedly terrifying, and acerbically humorous, all with a touch of darkness. As the story progresses, readers' expectations will be completely derailed as new revelations move the plot in altogether uncharted directions.
With an ending so unexpectedly chilling that I was actually frightened, SPIRIT is a masterfully done book that will haunt the reader long after its cover has been closed.
July 17, 2015
Tess and Tobias Goodraven haven’t been normal since being orphaned in a fire as children. Since then, they have sought to contact the ‘Other Side.’ When they heard that a notoriously haunted ghost town close to Salem was being re-opened to the public for a winter festival, they couldn’t resist exploring the power of the three witches who never truly died. But what they find is far more dangerous than any hauntings they’ve encountered before.
The dust jacket of my edition says that Hightman is a screenwriter – and it shows. The novel is completely visual, as though no other sense mattered. There is little consideration for style and the timing of scares, which would work just fine in Hollywood but falls flat in print. Characters are one-dimensional. What little personality exists is told to the reader – their actions and speech rarely matching the image the narrator tries to impose. In the end, the twist was utterly predictable, made all the worse for Hightman’s lack of trust in his readers as he repeats it, over and over again, in every conceivable way lest we should fail to catch his cleverness.
To say one positive thing about Spirit, the mechanics of the writing are all correct – making the book bearable if not enjoyable.
The dust jacket of my edition says that Hightman is a screenwriter – and it shows. The novel is completely visual, as though no other sense mattered. There is little consideration for style and the timing of scares, which would work just fine in Hollywood but falls flat in print. Characters are one-dimensional. What little personality exists is told to the reader – their actions and speech rarely matching the image the narrator tries to impose. In the end, the twist was utterly predictable, made all the worse for Hightman’s lack of trust in his readers as he repeats it, over and over again, in every conceivable way lest we should fail to catch his cleverness.
To say one positive thing about Spirit, the mechanics of the writing are all correct – making the book bearable if not enjoyable.
February 8, 2013
I guess the only thing that I can say about this book is how horribly disappointed I was with the ending. Everybody's dead(which comes as some surprise to me, since everyone was alive up until they realized they were dead all of a sudden). That was half-baked and bad enough, but at the very end, to have Tobias and Tess have their bodies stolen by the two ghosts at the end, what a groaner! I understand that the author wanted to have some resolution to the story, and couldn't think of anything else that would have been plausible as an ending. Having the two main characters roll over and just hand their bodies over left a bad taste in my mouth and made me throw the book down in disgust. Not like at any part it was a masterpiece to start with, but just saying.
Complete and utter confusion the whole way through, with the abstract descriptions. Especially everyone that's left being alive one minute, only to find out they're dead and gone the next.
I wouldn't have minded so much if Mother Malgore had got them after all, at least that would have been better than the cruddy real ending. Sigh, two days wasted.
Complete and utter confusion the whole way through, with the abstract descriptions. Especially everyone that's left being alive one minute, only to find out they're dead and gone the next.
I wouldn't have minded so much if Mother Malgore had got them after all, at least that would have been better than the cruddy real ending. Sigh, two days wasted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2015
I thought that the premise of this book sounded interesting and I still do but poor execution spoiled the overall arc and dragged the story down.
I thought this plot to be better suited for older characters and it was hard to think of this married couple as mere kids, which I assume the author knew since he felt the need to remind us every few chapters that Tess & Tobias were young and different. I found the characters to be annoying and unlikable. Tess was weak as well as spineless with Tobias being an overbearing brute. They were ill-suited as a couple and didn't seem to be in love or even like each other.
The writing was ok, word usage decent yet the plot was hollow and hard to follow at times due to the story jumping and bad pacing, as well as details that were confusing and unclear.
I have no problem with that "twist" at the end but there needed to be a better setup for it. I thought I was reading a book about witchcraft not a book about a train wreck.
No wonder my niece was getting rid of this book.
I thought this plot to be better suited for older characters and it was hard to think of this married couple as mere kids, which I assume the author knew since he felt the need to remind us every few chapters that Tess & Tobias were young and different. I found the characters to be annoying and unlikable. Tess was weak as well as spineless with Tobias being an overbearing brute. They were ill-suited as a couple and didn't seem to be in love or even like each other.
The writing was ok, word usage decent yet the plot was hollow and hard to follow at times due to the story jumping and bad pacing, as well as details that were confusing and unclear.
I have no problem with that "twist" at the end but there needed to be a better setup for it. I thought I was reading a book about witchcraft not a book about a train wreck.
No wonder my niece was getting rid of this book.
May 8, 2016
The story was interesting, but I found Tess and Tobias really annoying. They acted like bratty 17 year olds, even though I think the book wanted them to seem mature.
Overall, I thought the story was confusing at times, and I didn't care for the main characters. I also didn't like the ending. However, the book was still interesting.
Overall, I thought the story was confusing at times, and I didn't care for the main characters. I also didn't like the ending. However, the book was still interesting.
September 9, 2008
The writing was of the quality of "it was a dark and stormy night." I admit it had a creepiness to it, and it is certainly gothic, but way over the top, like a slasher movie. Two teen orphans, Tess and Tobias, are husband and wife in Victorian America, and they are addicted to searching out the occult, because they are sensitive to the spirit world. Their latest mission is to go to Blackthorne, the town the real witch of Salem fled to to escape hanging and to feed on the ancient evil that even the Native Americans feared. The town has recently been rebuilt and the railroad is running through it, so a Winter Carnival has been planned to create enthusiam for the project. Witch Malgore has other plans though, as she causes a train wreck and begins hunting down people one by one, with Tess and Tobias in the thick of things.
March 17, 2009
This book is not for people that get scared easily. A couple of parts even freaked me out. This book is about a curse that was put on a town close to Salem, MA during the Salem Witch Trials. I have no idea if this is based on something that really happened or not. Parts of this book were confusing and I felt like there were chunks left out of the story or not explained but the story line was likable. This is a must read for those who like scary stories or are interested in the Salem Witch Trials.
August 7, 2009
ok, i'm going to dork out for just a moment here and say that this was a really, really, really FREAKING AWESOME gothic ghost/witch story. i mean it was fantastically written and not hokey AT ALL for its genre, and trust me, paranormal fiction can get undeniably cheesy. the characters were likable, the story was scary as hell and the ending was SO! GOOD!! and unpredictable. well, i kind of predicted it but still... i was sad when i finished it. trust me, get this book and read it on a rainy, dark night. booOOoooOOOoo!!
December 10, 2012
ugh.. When this book ended I was so sad! It was so good and addicting. When the book ended I was wanting more and I denied the truth. I didn't want the end to be real. After all they went through they completely failed because they weren't strong enough. I would advise anyone who loves a ghost story, a twist, and an unhappy ending. Hightman made you fall in love in with the charsters just to rip them away in the end. But it wasn't disappointing. it deserves a five but the ending made me sad so I gave it a four.
April 26, 2016
This was a roller coaster all the way through. I enjoyed it for the most part, but there were some parts that got a bit muddled for me. One of the things that I really liked about this book was the visual detail. There was so much detail visually such as explaining the spirits and of course the wretch. There was little character development, and we only really see it in the two main characters and not much in any of the other side characters. Overall, three stars because I thought it was okay. The concept was great, but I don't think it was executed the best it could've been.
March 22, 2011
It didn't start out really good, but later in the book it got so good I got peeved at my mom for making me stop reading for dinner!!! I nearly cried at some of it, and I thought that the only problem there was that Malgore killed everyone that the Spirit tried to communicate through, including Annette, who was growing on me. Also, the way he described some of those deaths was really elaborate and well written, but also gives you a picture in your head that you really don't want to see.
September 30, 2013
"Spirit" was an amazing book! It was historically accurate and put a horrifying yet interesting twist on the Salem Witch Trials. I was unhappy with the ending, but just with the way it had turned out. The book was written very well, and the author definitely knew what he was talking about. I especially loved the characters, Tess and Tobias. They were easy to love, and even though they had a tragic ending, I still loved them both to death.
November 2, 2014
I was sucked in by the Prologue but then the first few chapters were a little weaker for me, had me thinking this would be a solid 3 star read. There was enough to keep me interested to keep reading and by the end I was all into this story! Just the right amount of black humor and creep factor to make this a really fun Halloween read, my favorite of this month! Full review here:
http://epicfehlreader.booklikes.com/p...
http://epicfehlreader.booklikes.com/p...
December 27, 2015
This reads like a short story even though it's a novel...parallels Salem witch stories in a different time period. If you like ghosts stories, you'll most likely enjoy reading this. The author uses a backdrop of a vast, snowy landscape as the domain of an evil Salem witch whose magic knocks a train off the tracks. Then she terrorizes and kills, well....you'll have to read and see. And, there's a lovely surprise ending that brings the beginning back into the story's loop.
December 10, 2009
reminiscent of Chris Wooding's The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. good.
fast read. could be historical horror, takes place mostly over the course of a day. didn't quite understand all of the story, but assume it has a backstory steeped in esoteric folklore. If it doesn't, don't tell me. I'd rather labor under the delusion that i'm reading a grimm fairy tale that is darker than i used to think.
fast read. could be historical horror, takes place mostly over the course of a day. didn't quite understand all of the story, but assume it has a backstory steeped in esoteric folklore. If it doesn't, don't tell me. I'd rather labor under the delusion that i'm reading a grimm fairy tale that is darker than i used to think.
March 7, 2011
I loved the book though at times found it grosome. I would read it again as the attention to detail was phenominal and the story solid. It kept my attention all the way though and even finished it from start to end in a couple of days. At the end I was stunned to read what happened though it left haunting lingering thoughts that could only come from a good horror story.
December 16, 2013
Normally the topic of Salem bores me to tears, but finally an author finds something fresh to say on the topic. Tess and Tobias are a likable, wealthy young couple... who happen to be clairvoyants. They take a train ride to a cursed town and that is only the beginning. This novel is crisp, amazingly descriptive for being so short and will leave a lasting impression.
November 21, 2016
I enjoyed this book very well. My only recommendation to anyone whom is concerned about reading this, is that it has some more gory details (not to intense, obviously) in the book. Also, I may not read the book again, so think if you want to purchase it. It is like a one time read, more of a, experience.
May 9, 2011
very good book
crazy ending! after all that, tess and tobias helping the ghosts kill the witch, just to have their lives stolen.
i wouldn't have let that slide, man. forget playing the cello, i would been knocking over tables and getting even!
:-)
crazy ending! after all that, tess and tobias helping the ghosts kill the witch, just to have their lives stolen.
i wouldn't have let that slide, man. forget playing the cello, i would been knocking over tables and getting even!
:-)
July 21, 2011
yuck the writing is horrible, couldn't make it past ten pages, but had a good laugh over several of the overly wordy sentences that made no sense. I read a few out loud to my husband and he asked me if I was reading a parody.
December 30, 2011
I'm afraid I just didn't like this one. I got bogged down in it and I just didn't care about these characters. I see that several others thought it was a great read, but I simply struggled to get through it.
--Leisa
--Leisa
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews