Haunt Me Still

Haunt Me Still

Author: Jennifer Lee Carrell
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

After reviewing Interred with their Bones, which was a positive experience, Jennifer Lee Carrell's second book falls into the dreaded category of many follow-up works: it fails to meet the expectations one would expect from such a popular first book. However, this time Carrell's writing style fails to feel fresh or innovative, and her book is replete with clichés and an overall lack of imagination and scope.

Carrell's second book picks up where Interred with their Bones left off, following Shakespearean scholar Dr. Kate Stanley as she is summoned to a castle in the Scottish countryside. What ensues is another literary mystery, but unlike her first book, this story features too little Shakespeare and too many clichés.

The book begins to grow tiresome within a few chapters, and features too many plot points. Haunt Me Still contains everything: creepy castles, mysterious murders, pagan practices, ancient witches, Shakespeare's play Macbeth, theatre productions, magical powers, ancient rites, and a slew of other gothic literature standbys. While all of these are interesting on their own, I read this book to learn more about Shakespeare.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading about another of Dr. Kate Stanley’s literary mysteries. We are reintroduced to Kate’s former lover and partner-in-crime, and the ending of Haunt Me Still leaves their tumultuous relationship open to interpretation and possibly another installment in the series. If you like interesting mysteries and learning a thing or two about literature and art along the way, definitely read Jennifer Lee Carrell’s books; however, if you’re pressed for time, only read the first book in the Kate Stanley series.