Title: Friends to the End
Author: C.L. Colyer
Genre: Middle-Grade Ghost Story, Action-Adventure, Paranormal Mystery
Book Blurb:
Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he'll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach's concerned, it's his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.
When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach's not worried. He doesn't believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what's real and what's not.
My Review:
Zack’s the new kid at school and he’s not sure he believes in ghosts until he enters the haunted house that disappears. Moving was not his idea of fun but Zack doesn’t have a choice. He doesn’t know how he’ll survive it all without his best friend, Jeremy. Guilt plagues Zack but he keeps it buried inside. He’s met some new friends including a girl named Morgan. She’s the one who convinces the group to hunt down the disappearing haunted house. Zack doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he agrees to check it out. Be careful what you bury or else it may resurface when you least expect it. Seeing is believing and for Zack, he’ll need to remember a promise he made, friends to the end.
Friends to the End is a wonderful middle-grade paranormal mystery from start to finish. I connected with Zack right away. His character’s thoughts, feelings, and actions were realistic and relatable. Readers will connect with moving to a new town, new school, making friends, and harboring a dark secret. How he handles it all made for an easy, fun reading experience. The paranormal/supernatural subplot was well-executed and added a ghostly vibe to the overall story. All small towns have a spooky house people gossip about. C.L. Colyer puts her own creative spin on this premise and made it work. The plot moves at a natural pace with a few twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The characters, though, are what make Friends to the End such a fantastic book. Zack and Morgan play well off of each other. The others also make for an adventurous read. If you’re a fan of interactive middle-grade stories, you need to read Friends to the End. A perfect read for October/Halloween, Friends to the End will keep you guessing ‘til the very end. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Author Biography:
C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.
This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.
She lives in Illinois with her family.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/
Bookbub author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer
Reviewed by: Mrs. N