Review: Saint Juniper's Folly

 

It sometimes takes me a little while to figure out exactly how I feel about a book. Not so with this one. By halfway in, I knew I absolutely loved it and the second half did not disappoint. The one thing I will say is that calling it horror isn’t quite right; it’s a ghost story but that’s really secondary, and there’s nothing I found more than mildly spooky. But it was still a phenomenal ghost story. I loved the way Taylor’s story tied in and I loved Jaime and Theo’s relationship as well as the friendship between all three characters. Basically the book opens with Theo finding Jaime mysteriously trapped in a house in the woods, and Taylor is off doing her own thing. But soon they get brought together to solve not just Jaime’s imprisonment, but the story behind the house.

Like I said, the friendship between the three of them was so fun to read. The book also did a great job of addressing racism and homophobia and how they impact the characters’ lives without feeling heavy-handed or traumatic to read about. It came up in ways that felt honest and natural. The one thing I wish had been explored more fully was the characters’ relationships with their family (or in Taylor’s case, her friend Anna). There was a lot of conflict and tension set up throughout the book with Theo’s parents, Jaime’s foster parent, and Anna that I don’t really feel like was ever resolved or addressed in a satisfactory way. But other than that, I feel like the book did an excellent job of balancing several different stories and elements; if anything, I would just love to see more of the characters. And, lest it not be clear enough, let me say again: I adored Theo and Jaime’s relationship. It felt natural and sweet and honest and just made me really happy. Overall, just an excellent, low-level-spooky ghost story.