On the Fringe by Courtney King Walker
Published by Lands Atlantic Publishing
Publish Date: October 19, 2011
272 Pages
Source: Finished copy from Author. Thank you!
Claire is struggling to overcome the murder of her childhood friend and secret crush, Daniel. Everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives, but she’s still trying to cope. The fact that she finds herself alone and drowning on her 16th birthday isn’t helping.
Neither is thinking she sees Daniel’s face in murky water as she mysteriously resurfaces. But something happened during those four and a half minutes that will make her realize it was not just her imagination.
As Claire and Daniel try to grasp a possible reconnection, other grudge-holding beings have plans of their own. Now, the two of them have to decide if their fleeting relationship is worth the possibility of Claire being trapped on the fringe forever. –(summary excerpt from Goodreads)
Claire and Daniel are friends.
Then they get THE FEELINGS.
Neither Claire nor Daniel really realized exactly when their feelings of friendship changed to those feelings, but neither could deny them and neither wanted to. A few glances at one another, a few gazes held a second longer than normal – and both Claire and Daniel suspected that they each felt the same way. Unfortunately, neither would get the opportunity to tell the other how they feel. Neither would get the opportunity to start a real romantic relationship…because Daniel is murdered.
This story is part GHOST STORY.
This story is also part ROMANCE.
Claire barely believes she can see Daniel there. After all, he’s been gone now for awhile. But suddenly she wakes up after being pulled out of the lake, and Daniel is there. Right there. She can hear him and touch him. It only lasts a few minutes and then he fades away. But it was just enough – where Claire had no hope for happiness before, she suddenly has hope – because she realizes that Daniel may still be somewhere out there.
Claire becomes consumed with finding ways to see him again because she still loves him and she doesn’t want to let him go. Of course, Daniel is always around but Claire doesn’t know it. Eventually, they find a way that enables them both to see each other, talk to each other, and feel each other’s touch for a few minutes each night. It isn’t enough, but it is all they have. Now that their relationship has finally started to grow, they’re so happy! And then crazy stuff starts happening.
There is some heartbreak but there’s also hope.
There is also a lot of suspense.
There are a few heartbreaking moments as Claire and her friends struggle to cope without Daniel and as he struggles with his loneliness and isolation on the fringe, but there are times of happiness and hope as well. Scattered among all of this are the scenes with the other ghost, the one I’m calling the bad guy, and these scenes are creepy and crazy. Claire and Daniel have a hard time figuring out exactly what it is the ghost wants with them – when they do, it takes a lot of work to get rid of him. The scenes when they are fighting him had my heart-racing.
I liked this book a lot. It was something different for me. I loved the easy style of the author and how it read so easily. The pacing was great and I was never bored with the characters or the story. I loved Claire and Daniel and all of the emotions they felt. I think people who enjoy YA romance stories would enjoy it as well as people who enjoy ghost stories. It is not overly romantic nor overly creepy and I think it is appropriate for all-ages YA readers and YA-loving adult readers.
YA Romance: no love triangle
Suspense
Multiple/Alternating POV
is currently available for purchase.
Thanks for sharing Asheley. I probably would have given this a pass, but now I want it.
It's a great story! I thought it was really sweet AND suspenseful. Fun.
This sounds pretty darn interesting. I love the whole idea of Daniel as a ghost with another ghost trying to get his "revenge". And I think the romance sounds sweet.
It was really interesting. The romance was sweet. And the revenge part had me biting my nails…especially the WHY of it all. I loved it.
Okay, I've also been thinking I'd pass on this one, but now I want it too! Great review. You've made a 'sale' here!
Oh great Ems! I really liked it.
oohh…the "FEELINGS!" Yes, love that:)
So this one sounds a bit sad. I LOVE ghost stories, but when there is romance involved between a ghost and a lining person, it makes me feel all weepy like I do EVERYTIME I watch "Ghost" with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. But if it ultimately has a hopeful message, that can sometimes balance out the weepies. Sometimes 🙂
oops, that would be LIVING person:)
This one had some sad parts, of course, but I never had the weepies. I think it's pretty early on when Claire and Daniel realize they can communicate a little…there are tons more happy moments than in Ghost. I really enjoyed it. Just a really well-paced book, a breath of fresh air from some of the other books I'd read before it. I recommend it for some lighter reading. 🙂
Hi Asheley,
I can't remember if I ever told you thank you for taking the time to read On the Fringe and for reviewing it here on your site. Good luck in 2013 with your 150 book challenge—your 2012 list was amazingly long! So impressed. Three I read that I don't think were on your list that I loved last year are: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork, Variant by Robison Wells, and The Syndicate by Shelena Shorts. Happy Reading! -Courtney King Walker