Ginger High
BY: Melissa Burmester
PUBLISHED BY: Infinity Publishing.com
PUBLISHED IN: May 2009
ISBN: 0-7414-5363-0
Ages: teen & up
Reviewed by Billy Burgess
Growing up in the 90’s, I was a big fan of teen horror novels – Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine and Lois Duncan were some of my favorite authors. The teen horror/thriller trend has died down, except for the ones where vampires sparkle. I found Ginger High a breath of fresh air. Teen girls will easily connect with the main character, Daisy – a smart, strong young woman.
The novel begins in 1901 where a series of murders take place. All of the victims have bite marks on their necks. Could it be vampires? The story jumps forward to modern days and focuses on teen Daisy Fisher. After her school is burnt down, Daisy is sent to a new school in New York.. Ginger High is a private school for students with extraordinary powers and abilities. She befriends some of the students who can teleport, heal others, and create fire. She soon finds out that people came to Earth from a parallel world called the Kingdom of Animists.
A murder occurs at Ginger High, bringing the supernatural beings Amanta, Matthias, and Taeru from the parallel world. While they investigate the death, Daisy struggles with her supernatural powers, and with her mysterious new friend, Fredrick. Amanta must deal with a long time, buried family secret.
Fourteen year old, Melissa Burmester has written a fast paced debut novel; combining horror, mystery and fantasy. I love the cover of the book – it reminds me of the horror movie posters of the middle 80’s. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. The author has a bright future in the world of writing.
