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A review by beytwice
The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean
3.0
Part psychological ghost story, part coming-of-age whodunnit - this debut novel is certainly something! The Apparition Phase explores the concept of giving a ghost ‘shape’; when the haunting-obsessed twins fake their own supernatural photograph, eerie things start happening. The book deviates quite largely from this blurb, which I didn’t necessarily mind, but it’s worth noting! The tone takes a definite shift halfway through and while still paranormal in nature, the reader is placed into a whole new setting from there on out.
I really enjoyed the psychological elements to this story; the ghostly events are chilling and left me guessing as to the nature of the encounters until the very end. Pacing wise this is definitely more of a slow burn and I think if the last fifty page climax had taken up a third of the book instead, I would have been on a reading high for longer. The language was pretty if not a bit overdone given the YA tone of the book. Other than that, a fun guessing game and an exploration into loss, growing up, and what makes a ghost.
I really enjoyed the psychological elements to this story; the ghostly events are chilling and left me guessing as to the nature of the encounters until the very end. Pacing wise this is definitely more of a slow burn and I think if the last fifty page climax had taken up a third of the book instead, I would have been on a reading high for longer. The language was pretty if not a bit overdone given the YA tone of the book. Other than that, a fun guessing game and an exploration into loss, growing up, and what makes a ghost.