Friday, October 18, 2024

The Ghostkeeper

The Ghostkeeper
By Johanna Taylor
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. 272 pages. Young Adult Comic.

Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It's a gift that's made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he's partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it's all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he's been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves. Then one day, the key to Death's Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he's only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can't move on, they'll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them. As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own...

I'm not normally one for stories about the supernatural, but I found Ghostkeeper very engaging!  The idea of a ghost therapist was intriguing and the world-building behind why ghosts would need a therapist was done very well.  With full color illustration, and a blue and pale green color palate for the ghosts with warmer browns and greens reserved for the living world, this book is a very lovely read.  Themes of found family, setting boundaries, and letting go are creatively explored.
 
If you liked The Ghostkeeper, you may also like:
 
Confetti Realms
By Nadia Shammas
Mad Cave Studios, Inc., 2023. 196 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends five teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships-and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet-in order to make their way home. But the allure of staying in a fantasy world is a hard one to beat, and going home to their normal lives is starting to sound less and less appealing for some. Will these friends return home?

The Glass Scientists
By S. H. Cotugno
Razorbill, 2023. 240 pages. Young Adult Comic.
 
Dr. Henry Jekyll believes mad scientists would do well to fix their public image, so he starts the Society for Arcane Sciences, but when a mysterious stranger aims to take the Society in a radical new direction, Jekyll's life starts to spiral out of control, threatening to expose his darkest secret.

ERB

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