A review by thetamari
The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Ghost stories are to me the trickiest genre - so many common beats need to be covered, but there still has to be a sense of unpredictability. Maclean achieves this balance by making our lead character and his twin sister connoisseurs of the paranormal. The injection of something unpredictable is the presence of grief, which propels the protagonist’s story forwards. If you grew up with the Usborne Supernatural Guides, there’s a lot of nostalgic shout-outs to be enjoyed here. The greatest success of this book is how it captures people’s emotional responses with honesty, making it a bit more special than a standard spooky story.