Review: PAPER VALENTINE by Brenna Yovanoff

Title: PAPER VALENTINE
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Published: January 2013
Genre: YA, mystery, paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
POV: 1st person
Pages: 306
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy, paperback
Source: Unsolicited from Publisher

"The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again."

From the first chapter, it was easy to notice: Yovanoff's writing has a lovely yet strange flow / ring to it. At times, her word choice for certain descriptions was unexpectedly odd yet fitting as the words evoked the underlying emotion and meaning. Yovanoff gives the narrator, Hannah, a voice is decidedly "Hannah," unique to her personality and utterly captivating. I was worried that Hannah's budding relationship with Finny would detract from the mystery at hand, but it instead allowed the story and Hannah's character to grow a bit stronger. Hannah's relationships – familial, friendship, and romantic – all became intriguing plot points.

PAPER VALENTINE may meander along at a languid pace, but this allows the new string of murders to become all the more chilling and unsettling. With each new discovery, the tension grows until it is like a rubber band on the verge of snapping – but it never grows into too much. It's a soft yet unsettling eeriness that lingers in the background, perfectly mixed in with the surprising amount of more lighthearted moments. Also, while this story is a murder mystery, PAPER VALENTINE is also a ghost story centering around friendship. Hannah's best friend, Lillian, died six months ago, but Lillian's still hanging around as a ghost, pushing Hannah to dig deeper into the killings. These two bring out the best and worst in each other, and it was nice to see how they both evolved throughout the story. PAPER VALENTINE has a couple flaws, but is nonetheless an unexpected pleasant surprise that delivers in more ways than one. 

Highlights: Hannah's POV was similataneously expected and unexpected. On the one hand, she's what I expected from a YA novel heroine. On the other hand, her voice is very distinct and I enjoyed her peculiar descriptions and flashbacks. I like that Yovanoff didn't settle with only telling a murder mystery, but she instead built a community and inhabited it with imperfect, realistic characters that capture the reader's attention. I enjoyed the emphasis on family and sisterhood in this story. The Valentine Killer surprised me, because I was simultaneously incorrect and correct regarding the identity of the killer. 

Lowlights: Slightly predictable. The middle suffered a bit due to the slower pacing. I'm not a fan of the (sort of a spoiler - highlight to read) villain-confesses-all-before-trying-to-murder-the-hero(ine) ending, and that's unfortunately used here. It felt like a lot was happening in this story, which isn't necessarily bad, but it seemed like the story got off track a few times.

Interview: Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

1. So what happens in Give Up the Ghost?

Well, to begin with, Cass learns a secret from her ghostly friends that she thinks will let her turn the tables on the girl who stabbed her in the back years ago. And then she gets a mysterious note in her locker from someone who wants her help. If you want to know the rest, you'll need to read the book! :)

2. What was the inspiration behind writing Give Up the Ghost?

I loved the idea of writing about a character who saw ghosts as something normal, just part of her life, instead of something scary. Figuring out why she felt that way, and how that might change, gave me the rest of the story.

3. How long did it take you to write it?

About two years, including one false start and several months where I wasn't sure what to do with the story, plus revisions after I finally figured it out.

4. Have any authors inspired you to write?

Pretty much every author I've enjoyed! When I was a kid, a couple of my favorites who helped inspire my love of stories were Roald Dahl and Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

5. What was the hardest part to write in Give Up the Ghost? The easiest?

The hardest part was finding the balance between Cass's prickly side and her vulnerabilities. She's out for revenge, sure, but she's also been deeply hurt, and hates seeing others suffer the same. It was a challenge making sure I showed enough of both sides.

The easiest were the scenes where Cass and Tim interacted. They just played off each other really naturally and their conversations were always a pleasure to write.

6. Did you have any say in the cover? What do you think of it?

I offered a few cover ideas to my publisher early on in the process, and they ended up using one of them! So I was very excited and pleased when I saw the final cover. I love the concept, and the color scheme, and the font--pretty much everything!

7. Have any favorite characters in Give up the Ghost?

Well, I love Cass, of course. I admire her sense of justice and fairness, and her courage in standing up for what she believes in, even if sometimes she goes a little overboard. I'm also very fond of Norris, one of the ghosts--you only see glimpses of who he was and what his life was like, but there's a lot to him.

8. What is your main character Cass like?

She hates the way people manipulate others to get what they want and make themselves look better, having been a victim of that herself. So she tries to expose other kids' lies and cheating and to get them to face up to the truth of their behavior. But she isn't entirely satisfied by that, and feels lonely even with her ghost friends. She's gone through a lot of hard stuff in the last few years and hasn't had anyone she can talk to about all of it.

9. Did you learn anything interesting while writing this novel?

I learned to listen to my gut. There was a subplot in the book through the first few drafts that I always suspected didn't quite fit, but I wasn't sure what to put in its place, so I convinced myself it was all right. Then my editor mentioned that she didn't think it fit, either, so I ended up taking it out anyway!

10. What's next for you?

More YA books, and probably more ghosts. I can't say any more at present!

11. Anything else you'd like to share?

If you want to get a sense of what the book's about, I recommend checking out the trailer I made for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rHOwNBQOGs

And I've often got giveaways happening over at my blog--watch it (http://www.megancrewe.com/blog ) or check out my giveaways page (http://www.megancrewe.com/contests.html ) for the latest!

Thanks Megan!

-YABQ