Grade: D
The Raising is a novel with such potential to be a dark and chilling ghost story. A year ago there was a tragic car accident that left college freshman Nicole Werner dead. Her boyfriend Craig, the car's driver, escaped unscathed. The only witness to the accident was Shelly, a faculty member at Nicole's college. Shelly called 911 and soon discovered that the accident she witnessed was not what was printed in the papers. Craig's roommate Perry thinks that something fishy is going on with the sorority and the school and together with Mira, a professor of death folklore, set out to find the truth about what really happened to Nicole Werner.
I really wanted to love this book as the description hooked me and it is from Harper, one of my favorite publishers, not to mention there is a character named after yours truly minus an extra e. My problem with the book was that it felt like a rough draft in need of some editing. Shelly should have been introduced as a lesbian either from the get go or not at all. The fact that we learn quite a bit about her and then boom she's a lesbian felt like an afterthought. The continuity of the book felt choppy to me, like it was written without using an outline. The transitions between all the characters seemed a bit abrupt and at times added unneeded confusion to the plot. The story took some time to develop, something like 250 pages before the plot really got rolling. That being said, there were two fantastic parts of the book. The impeccably researched bits of info about all kinds of death folklore were so much fun to google. The ending was also near perfection and made me wish the rest of the book was written that well.
Would I recommend this book...possibly to those who want the creepy ghost/zombie/vampire details and don't mind that the story is just okay.
Thanks NetGalley and Harper for my copy.
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