Water Ghosts

By: Linda Collison

Narrated by: Aaron Landon

"I see things other people don't see; I hear things other people don't hear." Fifteen-year-old James McCafferty is an unwilling sailor aboard a traditional Chinese junk operated as adventure therapy for troubled teens. Once at sea, James believes the ship is being taken over by the spirits of courtiers who fled the imperial palace during the Ming Dynasty more than 600 years earlier and sailing to its doom. A psychological nautical adventure with strong historical and paranormal elements.

©2015 Linda Collison (P)2015 Linda Collison

Good story

This was not at all what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. It pulled me in from the beginning and had me hanging on every word ALMOST until the very end. The last few chapters really threw me, they seemed tacked on in a rush to finish the book. Other than that, it's a great story and the narration is good, too.

Almost decent

What did you like best about Water Ghosts? What did you like least?

The book starts out good. The premise of ghosts on a ship is kinda intriguing. It could've gone two ways - sorta amusing like Pirates of the Caribbean or creepy haunting. Water Ghosts is somewhere in between. It doesn't really induce fear while listening to it, and yet creates an aura of suspense. That's mostly true for first half of the book.

During the second half though, the book pivots towards a flashback/background story that totally kills the vibe of the book. From a suspense thriller, it turned into a raunchy young adult story with pretty graphic details. I wasn't expecting that in this book.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narration was alright and there was no issue with the audio quality.

Did Water Ghosts inspire you to do anything?

I'm now searching for any other horror book based on a ship.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Adventure on the high seas.

I really enjoyed this Young Adult adventure, which takes place in a refurbished Chinese Junk, with its crew of troubled teens. Already the scene is set for a assortment of misfits and interesting interactions. What made this book different, was the main character, fifteen-year-old James McCafferty, who can see auras and hear the voices of the dead.

The youngsters who made up the crew of the Good Fortune were all sent on the vacation "trip of a lifetime" by parents who couldn't cope with them; or just wanted an easy summer. As soon as James set foot on the boat he felt the presence of spirits from the past and started to feel uneasy. However, there was a girl on the boat who he liked the look of, so he climbed on board with the rest.
The adult crew consisted of captain, second mate and a social worker to manage the teenagers. They are determined to get the youngsters actively involved and set up all sorts of training and rotas. The crew must all take part in turns on watch, including through the night. A lot of the traditional methods are followed; the night watches are timed by the burning down of incense sticks. However, when trouble strikes and the emergency systems fail, the old methods are all that's left.

This was well written and the audiobook was well read by Aaron Landon. It was well on the way to being a 5* read until we hit the part where the spirit of the eunuch from the Ming Dynasty, more than 600 years earlier, speaks. I'm afraid I found this part drawn out and overdramatised, I would have skimmed it if I'd been reading but that's not so easy with an audiobook.
That part aside, however, this was tastefully handled and full of atmosphere.
Recommended for teens and adults alike.

Water Ghost

I enjoyed this audiobook. The author has a way of putting you right there with her characters.

Pretty good story here!

When I came across an offer to listen to this book for an honest review, I wasn't sure if I was interested or not. Thankfully, I went with it and was surprised what an interesting story it was. This was such a unique story and the author provided the perfect amount of detail to easily envision a picture in my head of what was taking place as well as to hold my attention throughout. The only issue (if you want to call it that?) was the ending. I wish the kids would have arrived back where they started with their parents waiting for them. Perhaps, have the police arrive and question them as well. I could definitely see a book 2 for this story.

While this was the first time I've heard this narrator, he did a great job doing the variety of characters/voices. He provided a nice speaking voice/flow for this story especially when the ghost was telling his life story. I'd listen to him again.

I liked the story and the imagery in the writing.

Water Ghosts
Collison, Linda

Water Ghosts takes us on a sea adventure with 7 teenagers as they set sail on The Good Fortune as a Behavioral Rehabilitation type sentence. Some are sent aboard by their parents, while others are court ordered. They are accompanied by the captain, second mate, and a counselor. During this trip, several things go wrong and these 7 wayward teens find themselves struggling to survive, especially with the uninvited guests.
I liked the story and the imagery in the writing. The characters are well developed. I did find the “fear factor” of this suspense lacking a bit. I think this would be a cute starter book for kids that like scary stories. Overall, I give Water Ghosts 3 Huge Stars.

nice young adult book

I liked this book very much is a cool book
with a great storyline and a great narrator the book was very cool and I enjoyed to listen to it quite much

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Wow!

I loved this story. It has the perfect blend of Young Adult with paranormal and horror mixed in. I loved how Linda incorporated Chinese history and mythology so well. The narrator's voice was perfect for this. I highly recommend this book.

Collison is a great story teller...

What did you like best about Water Ghosts? What did you like least?

Collison is a great story teller...but she needs a better editor! This book had so much promise. The story is compelling, unique, creative, and I loved, loved, loved the back story/story within a story as told by the ancient Chinese eunuch ghost. The problem w/ Water Ghosts was that the flow fell apart at points (badly) and made the story seem choppy and at times loaded with superfluous, distracting detail. For example, she repeatedly hinted at the main character's sexuality; at times he was interested in some of the female characters (one in particular) and at other times he was interested in another male character who was also his bully. That stuff wasn't fleshed out enough and it didn't contribute to plot progression in any way so it ultimately ended up just being confusing and making the book seem as if it wasn't edited. There were several instances of that sort of thing happening. I got the sense that Collison has loads of stories to tell and good story ideas and maybe she became overzealous with this novel and tried to incorporate too many side stories that weren't helpful towards the goal of telling the central story in this book; the troubled teens on the boat and how they unwittingly collided with troubled ghosts from the past.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Water Ghosts?

The story within a story as told by the ancient Chinese eunuch ghost...absolutely awesome! This was literally on the level of Amy Tan story telling about ancient Chinese culture. It was so well done!

What about Aaron Landon’s performance did you like?

Excellent - youthful, good energy. His performance kept the characters believable even when the story itself went astray.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Absolutely!!

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun!

I love the idea of this book! I felt the writing became better throughout the book. The narration was fun as well, singing to the specific parts!