Mundie Moms

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Book Review- Through Her Eyes


Published by HarperTeen
Released on April 5th, 2011
Source- ARC received from publisher for review
4 stars- I enjoyed it

Every ghost has a story to tell.

The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But it's the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar—a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal—that have the most chilling impact on her.

Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality—before she loses touch with her own life forever (quoted from Goodreads).


Jennifer Archer's writing is refreshing, poetic and realistic. It's one of those stories that makes you wonder if this town is real and if the ghost stories really happened. I think Jennifer's portrayal of a small TX town was spot on. I felt like I was apart of the story and the world in which Jennifer created.

I was really captivated with the way Jennifer wove together history with modern day and added that perfect paranormal twist to her story. I was so caught up in how Tansy, her grandfather Papa Dan, Tate and Henry were all connected, I couldn't put the book down. I needed answers. Tansy was a character I sympathized with. Though I personally don't know what it's like having a mother who's a well known writer and having to move from town each time she starts a new book, I felt I got to know what it's like getting to know Tansy. Tansy and her mother had a relationship that was a bit broken, but it wasn't one that lacked love. Mixed with Tansy's feeling of isolation and feeling friendless is Henry, the ghost who haunts the home Tansy, her mother and Papa Dan move into.

Jennifer's writing really allowed me to feel the emotions that Tansy and Henry felt and were feeling. It was no surprise they were drawn to each other, even though my motherly instincts wanted to grab Tansy and get her the heck out of there, I also found myself drawn to Henry and I wanted to find out what the historical connection he had with Tansy's Grandfather, Papa Dan. The setting also played a huge role with the emotions. Cedar Canyon is a tiny little town in the middle of now where and the old home Tansy moves into it is very haunted. I understood the emotions Tansy went through. Having moved from San Francisco the tiny town USA where everyone grew up knowing each other, Tansy has to worry about fitting in.

Tansy has a great cast of supporting characters around her. Each character had a roll to play and they did so well. I should say, each character was written true to life. Papa Dan was my favorite character, and surprisingly he doesn't have a lot of speaking roles, but it's his presence and his role in Henry's history that I found most fascinating. I loved the relationship he and Tansy had. It was unique, strong and one full of genuine love and concern. It really made me miss having my grandfather around. There's a great love interest with Tate. Through out the whole story I was back and forth with him. I liked it, but then I wanted to know what his ulterior motive was, then I wanted Tansy to fall for him, then I questioned his true feelings, much like Tansy was doing. I couldn't help but love his character, and my only compliant with the book was not having more scenes with Tate.

Through Eyes is a beautifully haunting, rich story. Jennifer's writing is so captivating. She brings her story to life in such a unique way. It's a ghost story with a rich history that takes place in modern day and will also transport you back in time, so you're not only getting to meet people in Tansy's life now, but those that were in her Papa Dan's life. There's a lot of elements to this story, mystery, romance, friendship, teenage life, small town life, and family relationships all wrapped up around a haunting ghost story. Let me just say, Jennifer Archer's setting makes me want to take a road trip up to the TX Panhandle. I recommend picking up Through Her Eyes. I'm looking forward to reading more YA books from Jennifer.

Don't miss Jennifer's Guest Post HERE where she shared her inspiration for her setting with us.

4 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to Jennifer's next release!

    Great review :)

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  2. Thanks for a great review! You've just helped this one move up my TBR list by A LOT!

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  3. Looks like a great book. I'll have to add it to my read list.

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  4. I just recently bought this, looks like I'm going to have to read it sooner then planed! Great Review.

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