Review: Ruined by Paula Morris

Ruined by Paula Morris

Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy

Point (August 1, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0545012154

304 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend - and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey-she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

I love a good ghost story so maybe my expectations going into this book were too high since I've never read anything by this author before. Needless to say, Ruined was a bit of a let down.

The ingredients are all there. A great setting to facilitate a spooky atmosphere, good historical details, and an unique and well-set up plot with an outcome that wasn't obvious. Despite all of this, there was something missing from the overall story.

Perhaps it was that I didn't find the heroine, Rebecca, sympathetic enough. I understand that teenagers are often stubborn and in the process of discovering who they are but Rebecca took these to an extreme. She was just too flaky and, at times, acted like a know-it-all. From jump she spurned all things elite and exclusive and often ridiculed the members of the New Orleans upper-class. However, as soon as she was granted and "in", she seemed to forget all of her lofty ideals. On top of all of that, some of her decisions and actions were just plain stupid. Sure, characters can't be made infallible - there needs to be a discernible growth process. It seemed to me though that, until the end, Rebecca didn't learn from any of her mistakes.

The other characters weren't so lovable either. Rebecca's father, aunt, and love interest Anton all played a role in the overall scheme of things, each making there own mistakes. Their personalities and actions toward the end of the novel, however, weren't enough to redeem them or even make you care about them in the first place.

Too bad that I pretty much hated the characters because, otherwise, Ruined would have made a great story.

Grade: C