To celebrate, what is more appropriate than a ghost story?!
Famous Last Words is a YA contemporary murder mystery –slash- ghost story by Katie Alender.
Still haunted by the circumstances surrounding her dad’s death two years ago, Willa is struggling to adapt to a new life – after all, she’s still trying to return to the person she once was before her dad’s death.
With a successful Hollywood director as her new stepdad, Willa and her mom have moved into a mansion that used to be the abode of 30s starlet Diana Del Mar.
Overall things are going okay – if a bit awkward and strained – but the fact that there is a serial killer targeting young, burgeoning actresses on the loose makes the move hard to swallow.
When Willa begins to have strange visions – and begins to get the sense that either she’s crazy or this house is haunted – she has no one to turn to.
Until she meets Reed – a guy at her school that is obsessed with the Hollywood Killer.
But – is that the best sort of friend to have when you’re already questioning your sanity?
Early into Famous Last Words I found it to be not bad but not particularly original. A ghost story combined with a murder mystery isn’t new, after all.
Once a few more pages in, though, Famous Last Words did become more intriguing. The book morphed into a quick, entertaining read that actually became surprisingly creepy at times.
Willa wasn’t a character I loved – but I did appreciate her matter-of-fact way of handling herself in the midst of otherworldly encounters. Can’t help but root for the girl that doesn’t go the ordinary, horror movie bimbo route!
In the end, Famous Last Words was rather predictable for me – I was able to pick out the serial killer pretty early on – but it was also fun to read and relatively well done.
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