| Title | : | Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0385740808 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780385740807 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 387 |
| Publication | : | First published May 14, 2013 |
But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.
Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.
Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family #2) Reviews
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2.5 stars - Spoilers
Not as good as the first book, Texas Gothic… Which was charming and quirky, and filled with oddball secondary characters and a wonderfully wacky family. Whereas Spirit and Dust was very much a standard YA novel with none of the eccentricities of Texas Gothic. There was nothing that was memorable or delightful about it. It was the usual girl with power + run of the mill mystery + two hawt boys. It wasn't bad, it was just disappointing because I was expecting so much more than the usual YA tropes and cliches.
The story was the standard YA mystery. Daisy (the heroine) has super speshul ghostly powers and helps the FBI with their investigations… Naturally, she's kidnapped by the sexy-older-mysterious-love-interest and forced to help look for some evul mafia boss's missing daughter. It was all so predictable. The mystery was really cheesy and involved secret cults, egyptian mythology, and an artifact that could destroy the world blah blah blah. It was the same old typical YA storyline.
The characters were decent enough - Daisy was better than most YA heroines, she didn't whine, angst or feel sorry for herself and she actually had a sense of humour… I liked that about her. Although, I did roll my eyes at 1. Her getting all hot and bothered about the guy who kidnapped her and 2. Her believing in her kidnapper's/love interest's goodness. I'm sick of heroines having faith in their love interest's even though they do crazy shit like kidnapping or threatening or killing. It's ridiculous.
Carson, the hero, was meh — he was kind of cliched in his mysteriousness, bossiness and I'm-so-tortured-I-have-to-always-keep-my-emotions-in-check-ness. Also, the amount of times he lied and hid things from Daisy really put me off his character.
Taylor was likeable, and his FBI partner was funny in that unintentional grumpy way.
I wasn't impressed with how little Daisy's cousins, Amy and Phin, were in it… I would have enjoyed Spirit and Dust more if they had bigger supporting roles.
All in all, it was fairly entertaining… I enjoyed it more than most other YA novels, but it would have been loads better if it had been less cliched and cartoony. -
To see full review click
here.
So, a couple of years ago I went to a book signing by Texas Gothic which was by one of my favorite authors, Rosemary Clement-Moore. During the signing Rosemary talked about the book she was working on which was supposed to have an Indiana Jones meets Leverage vibe and I was like I have to have that book. And, well, now I do. So, I guess I have to review it.
There are several things I want in YA books. This book has it all. Let me list them shall I 1) kick ass heroine, 2) hot FBI agent that I imagine looking like a younger David Duchovny, 3) mysteries, 4) magic, 5) mobsters, 6) really hot mob henchman that doesn't look like Steve Burton (thank God), 7) archeology, 8) museums, 9) dinosaurs, and 10) kick ass descendants who were like pioneers in their field and make you go Indiana Jones who....
Yeah, all of this is in this book.
You can nerd out now.
And it could've been ridiculous it really could, but somehow it all worked. I honestly don't know how Rosemary does it. But it did work.
As usual, the characters were well formed. From all the books that I have read of hers, this is probably Rosemary's biggest strength. Every book I've read by her has a distinctly different protagonist. And this one is no exception. And their all well formed characters. True I like some Clement-Moore heroines better than others, and luckily for Daisy she's on the higher end of the totem pole. And so is Carson.
I like Carson because he's multilayered. He's not a good guy and he's not totally bad. Yeah, I know in an action adventure story that's the sort of love interest you want. And it is, obviously, but in YA you don't often see this type of character? Sure we have "bad boys" but usually these are undiagnosed psychopaths. There's actually story to why Carson is the way he is and there's so many twists and turns to it.
The one complaint I will make about characters is Taylor. I really liked this guy even though he was barely in the story-well, in comparison to Daisy and Carson. I guess that's a good thing because love triangles really annoy me. But I liked Taylor a lot. And I hope he will be in another Goodnight book because he was pretty cool. Though I will admit the FBI's role in all of this was a bit of a stretch.
The plot as I said before surprisingly worked though it did drag a little in the beginning. Once it did start moving though it didn't stop. I can see this being where some people might get annoyed with the book. It does get a little over the top again. I mean come on, dinosaurs coming back to life that's only in Jeff Goldblum movies and Night at the Museum too-sort of. But it really worked nicely. And I have to say, I'm glad to see Ancient Egypt finally be featured in a YA book where it actually works. The research done on the archeology concepts was interesting.
Best Feature: Nerdom. If your a Harry Potter geek, Indiana Jones/Star Wars fan, comic fan, really anything where they have a convention where you can get dressed up and celebrate your geekdom this is the book for you. Usually, pop culture references annoy me, but they are used effortlessly here. Besides, who doesn't like the occasion Harry Potter reference. And it involves archeology and Egyptology that has my little fan girl mind going woohoo. Honestly, the book almost has an Indiana Jones meets Mickey Blue Eyes meets The Mediator meets 1-800-Where R U meets Charmed feel and while that sounds so wrong it really works well.
Worst Feature: Pacing. The book starts off very slow, but it does pick up. I often find that this is the biggest complaint I have with Clement-Moore books. This did not fall to the pacing issues that The Splendor Falls had, but I did struggle occasionally with this book. But once I got into it...
Appropriateness: There's some violence. It involves the mob (obviously). And some scary stuff you'd see out of The Mummy or something. There's also some hot kissing scenes too, though they never seem to go further than kissing. Unfortunately. As for language I don't remember any f bombs or anything like that it was for the most part pretty PG-13. -
This was just your all around fun, adventure, mystery with just the right amount of romance book. Where the female character is fun and sarcastic. I LOVE IT!
Daisy is not your typical girl in this book. No, she is a gothic. But not your Emo gothic, she is a snarky, loving life, loves her craziness kind of gothic, and it was so much fun to read.
I love the flirtatous relationship between Daisy and her FBI agent. I like how he calls her Jailbait and she calls him Agent Tasty. They have a great relationship that doesn't go anywhere because he feels she is too young and he is an agent and they are just colleagues. I like how they speak to each other in code and it just somply fun to read.
Carson is part of the family that kidnaps Daisy while Daisy is trying to help the FBI with a murder/kidnapping mystery and I enjoyed their easy going relationship. Even though they had the same goal and even though they went about it in different ways, there was still an attraction that was just low key enough to enjoy with out having it heavly coat the rest of the story.
The murder/kidnapping story itself was simply entertaining. I liked reading the different ghosts that Daisy comes accross and their different personalities. I enjoyed the twist in the end that I wasn't fully expecting but wasn't too surprised by it either.
Overall it was just an easy, fun read.
Language: moderate (PG-13)
Sexual Content: moderate (PG)
Violence: moderate (PG-13)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild
Here is my video review on it! Check it out!
http://t.co/A44clEWvhj -
Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.
I was pretty disappointed in Spirit and Dust. It's a companion novel to Texas Gothic but it was nothing like Texas Gothic. All of the things that made me adore Texas Gothic were missing in this book. This book lacked the charm that was present in that one. There were no quirky, eccentric characters, unless you count Daisy herself and the rest of the Goodnight family was absent for the most part. Where Texas Gothic was light-hearted and funny, Spirit and Dust was more tense and serious.
Honestly though, this wasn't a bad book. It was a pretty good mystery that contained a few good twists and had it been a separate novel with nothing to do with Texas Gothic I probably would have liked it better. Even though this one disappointed me I would still love for Rosemary Clement-Moore to write more books about the Goodnight family.
One thing worth mentioning is a certain scene in a museum in Chicago that contains a dinosaur named Sue. Anyone that has read The Dresden Files will feel a certain deja vu.
Review also posted at
Writings of a Reader -
4.5 Snuck this one in in-between review books because I remembered how much fun Texas Gothic was; do not regret.
And yes, I know snuck is not a word. You can pry it from my cold dead lips. -
WOW!!
Review to come!
I think I've come out with the perfect title for this review, on my BL page. I believe I will call it: Jackals and Jackasses...
And yes, there is a perfectly good reason for it! ;)
It has been quite some time now _ a few weeks at least...which in the bookish world, translates to AGES! _ since I've loved a story this much!
Although the last part of Texas Gothic (the first in this series ) was amazing in showing the author's talent, _for me _ Spirit and Dust is so far, the real gem in the Goodnight Family series...
Of course I am partial to snark... and this book has it in spades! ;)
Daisy Goodnight which first appears in Texas Gothic, as the "Gothic" rebel teenage psychic that arrives to provide some paranormal insight during her cousins Phinn's and Amy's adventure; has in this story a most deserved spotlight.
And, boy, does she shine!
The girl is a natural in the position of leading character. She's one of the most realistic almost eighteen year old', that I've read about in the fantasy world.
Daisy may talk to the dead, but just like the rest of her extended number of relatives...(you may be dead, but you're still a Goodnight! ), the girl takes her obligations in a extremely serious way.
In this story, during another assignment in which she's helping the FBI, she founds herself in the middle of a terrifying situation: She's forced to help a notorious criminal element under the threat that something bad will happen to her family if she doesn't do...as asked.
One of the things in which I find that the author excels, is in her capacity of almost downsizing the magical part of the tale to something that just feels realistic. In here you won't find no hocus pocus or jarring mixes of the fantastical element with the contemporary.
People talk about ghosts, geas, witches, but it's as if that's the normal thing in the world.
I loved it. I loved it by it's simplicity, fluidity, and basic denial of anything cliché!
This was such an engaging read. Part adventure, part fantasy, but all of it, a pleasure to read!
There's so may things to gush over, but one of the main things, has to be the fact that for the second time in a row, the author made sure to give us, intelligent, capable teenagers, who are so much more than an amount of brainless, bubbling hormones!
YES!!
From this day forward, Carson will join my short and exclusive (lol) list of favourite bookish male teenage characters. In there he will join characters such as Derek from Kelley Armstrong Darkest Powers series, Jupiter (Jupe) from Jenn Bennett series "Arcadia Bell", and Sarah Rees Brennan "Jared" from the Lynburn Legacy...although Jared is a little insane o_O for his own sake.
Carson starts out in a somewhat disadvantageous position, but soon enough _due to the "amazingness" of the character development! _ he was winning cookie points! ;)
Daisy on the other hand, the way her character was build, is the reason why I keep reading YA books:
"Sweet Saint Gertrude, what was I doing? I couldn’t flirt with him. I didn’t even know if Carson was his first or last name. It didn’t matter, because he was an employee of a criminal enterprise and I was an FBI consultant and, oh yeah, technically kidnapped and probably in the throes of some kind of Stockholm syndrome."
There's danger aplenty, an intriguing mystery that will probably leave you clueless until the very end, (it involves the jackal part) and a simmering romance in the background...(there the jackasses references ;) just to keep things a little more interesting.
IT WAS GREAT!!
So, bottom line, if you love adventure stories with amazing well developed characters, nosy ghosts, some electricity floating around from all the romantic tension going around, mummies on the lose, and a bad guy determined to arrange minions to achieve world domination (don't they all?), this is just the right book for you!
Oh, and honestly I really hope that one of the reasons the Goodnights are such a numerous family, is that we are going to see more from them....hopefully in a near future?
Yes? -
A lot of people didn't like this book! And the same happens with Texas Gothic ! And I seriously don't understand why! I did a buddy read for Texas Gothic and I was the only one who enjoyed it. So weird.
I really like Rosemary Clement-Moore's writing. When I start a book of hers I can't put it down!
Characters:
The Goodnight family is fabulous. And I really want there to me more books about them, so I can meet more of their family! They're always such kickass heroines!
Daisy can see dead people. Or has she likes to call them remnants. I only ever heard that term in Silent Hill actually (the game, not the movie) and they're not very friendly... But here we have a great variety of them. What I really like about Daisy, a part from being a badass, is that she's also smart, funny and can seriously do great nerdy references.
Carson, Carson, Carson...
He's just a great character, and throughout the entire book we see layer after layer of his great personality, it's really swoon worthy! He's not the stereotypical bad boy that gets a kick of abusing and mistreating the female heroine, in a matter of fact he always kept Daisy safe.
Having a sexy FBI agent is always a bonus, and in this case, Rosemary Clement-Moore earned herself at least 100 points, because he was a very nice bonus and he doesn't show up that much in the book! I can only imagine a book where he might be a main character (won't you write one Mrs. Clement-Moore? Pretty please for your fans? Preferably with another Goodnight witch? You know because Daisy is already taken.)
All the other characters (I'm not feeling like listing them) they added to the story really well.
Story:
Honestly, it looks like a bunch of things tossed into a mixer. And it couldn't have worked better. I like books with variety and twists and turns and this book add them plenty.
Writing:
Rosemary Clement-Moore I like you style. I really liked how she transforms the "common ghost" into much more, it's quite interesting:
“This is the bit that’s hard to explain.” We were almost to the truck stop, and I wanted to get this out while darkness softened cynicism and lowered barriers. “A remnant is just a piece—but it’s a piece of a soul. And a soul can’t be sliced and diced, so the whole is present in the part.”
He stopped, looking bewildered, and his gaze dropped to Saint Gertrude’s medal around my neck. “Is this a Catholic thing?”
“No.” This was a thing I’d sensed in my gut long before I donned my first plaid skirt and oxford shirt. It annoyed me when people slapped a label on something that literally transcended time and space.
“Think of it like DNA. If I cut myself and leave a blood trail, my whole DNA is in each drop, even though it’s only one part of me.”
About the end. It was so perfect and cute! Wish you'd write a short story
5 stars! -
“I was not supposed to end up freezing my ass off in a remake of Harry Potter meets The Italian Job by way of Fargo.”
Texas Gothic was so interesting that I decided to read more about a different member of the Goodnight family, Daisy Goodnight. I really liked the idea of a family peppered with psychics, mediums, kitchen witches and other paranormal oddities. It started out pretty strong but at the end turned a little bit too much into a Night at the Museum meets The Mummy for my taste.
Daisy is a teenage, 17 almost 18 year old, physic who helps the FBI with murder cases since she can interact with dead people or remnants of spirits. After the kidnapping of a girl and the murder her bodyguard Daisy heads off to help with the investigation only to be kidnapped herself. Now she is in a time crunch to find an ancient object in order to save the kidnapped girl. I really liked Daisy as a character and this is a fun book, had I not been expecting it to go a different way I might have enjoyed it more.
I liked the sweet romance between Daisy and Carson, our dark and mysterious magical boy, it was very low key and didn’t take up too much space in the story. I liked the treasure hunt aspect of the story trying to figure out what the artifact was and how to get to it first. As characters Daisy and Carson have a fun flirty banter going on that adds levity to the story. They are definitely the part of the book I liked the most.
But…..then it gets whacky, there was almost too much paranormal happening all at once. The last 20% of the book was a little over the top. Sometimes I don’t care when that happens because I like the ridiculous ride so much but I never fully bought into it. It was hard for me to envision everything that was supposed to be happening because in my head all I saw was Night at the Museum.
Texas Gothic was a lot more of a paranormal mystery with believable magic, Spirit and Dust has more action but way less believability. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. I do hope that Rosemary Clement might revisit the Goodnight family in the future I would love to read a story where Phin was the main character.
The writing is still fun and the story progresses at a good pace. If extreme paranormal is your thing than this will probably still be a great read for you but, if you like a modicum believability in your magic maybe not so much. -
I liked the start of this book, but then 10 pages in it went from 4 stars to 2 then quickly 1.
Most disappointing read this year...
Next... -
Rosemary Clement-Moore is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. While I have not loved all her books, I have liked them all and found in them a joie de vivre that works so well for me. Her protagonists are always so spunky and even when they have their share of insecurities and flaws, they are always easy to relate to and likeable. I remember Daisy from the Texas Gothic and I remember thinking that she had a colourful character about whom I wouldn’t mind reading more about. I got my wish in this book as Daisy sets off on an adventure that could rival Katniss’s trials and tribulations in the games arena.
Being a Goodnight, Daisy has seen more than her share of things that other, more mundane, people would write off as crazy. She is a consultant for the FBI, using her considerable supernatural powers to help them find murderers and other elements from the criminal world. The novel is fast paced and thrilling as things go from bad to worse when Daisy is kidnapped by what seems like a mob boss and then partnered with his son to find his missing daughter. What follows is a whirlwind race from one state to another, stealing cars and avoiding capture by not just the bad guys but the FBI.
Carson, the love interest, is so delicious. He is smart and witty and absolutely fun to read. But it’s Daisy who won my heart. She is practical and not given to moaning and whining. Even when things are not going her way which is most of the time. She doesn’t make any stupid decisions that make me want to pound my head against a wall and despite her attraction to Carson, she doesn’t let all the feels consume her and distract her from the primary purpose of her mission – to find the mob boss’s daughter so he can remove the geas from her.
I would have liked to see more Goodnights but the two we have are more than enough. And the plot is rather more complicated than one would have thought it to be with secret agendas and motivations holding sway. We get a glimpse of the lengths a person can go to for power and how a person’s desire to do good can be twisted and utilized to commit actions that would have the opposite effect.
I loved this book a whole lot and if you are looking for something thrilling and wondrous, this is for you. If you dislike the cover on the hardback, the paperback has the beautiful original cover. Get it, read it and enjoy it. -
(Source: I own a copy of this book.)
17-year-old Daisy can talk to ghosts, or ‘remnants’ as she calls them. For this reason the FBI like to use her for certain tough cases, even if she’s not overjoyed about it!
Now an 18-year-old rich girl – Alexis, has been kidnapped, and the only witness is her body guard who was shot and killed during the kidnapping.
Who kidnapped Alexis? And can Daisy find out before it’s too late?
When I first started this book I thought it was much better than the first one in the series, but unfortunately I lost interest around the 30% mark.
I did like Daisy. She had much more of a personality compared to her cousin Amy, and I liked how she tried to get the job done, even under difficult conditions.
The storyline in this started out okay, but then I lost interest. When this was a missing person’s case, and Daisy was using her skills to try and find Alexis this was good, but when we started getting missing Egyptian artefacts being thrown into the mix, and random trips to university research departments etc. I just got bored.
There was a bit of an obvious romance thrown in, but I didn’t really enjoy it. And why Daisy felt the need to kiss someone who wouldn’t kiss her back (and think that that was awesome) I’m not really sure.
The ending was okay I suppose, but I had really lost interest by that point and was just glad that it was over.
Overall; I lost interest,
4.5 out of 10. -
I thought this was a good book. Daisy was a character that you meet in Texas Gothic and I thought she was pretty awesome in her own story. Daisy was really spunky and I loved her sense of humor dealing with all of the craziness that she and Carson encountered along the way. Carson was the guy that Daisy was made to work with when she was kidnapped by a crime boss to find his missing daughter. Carson was a really mysterious character and it wasn't always clear what his motives were but he was a good guy at the heart of it and always came through for her.
He and Daisy had some really good banter going on and they were almost always together so there was plenty of it to keep you engaged. The plot itself had a lot of moving parts and it also had a bit of a Night at the Museum feel to it so it sometimes got a little slow because it required a lot of world building to set the scene but it wasn't that hard to get into.3.5 stars -
I love Rosemary Clement-Moore. Do you hear me RCM? I love you. You are one of my top five teen authors ever. Everything I ever want in a book you provide. Mystery, adventure, suspense, magic and crazy awesome chemistry with a fierce heroine and a hot, flawed hero :) Every one of your books makes me so very happy. And I love the Goodnight family dearly! I wish I was a Goodnight! Daisy was spectacular! Aunt Ivy was my favorite though :) perfect follow-up to Texas Gothic.
-
Read this review and more like it on my blog:
Natflix&Books
I really liked Rosemary Clement-Moore's Texas Gothic. I really hadn't known what to expect going into the book when I picked it up a couple of years ago. At the time I was having some serious paranormal overload and wasn't expecting too much, and so was pleasantly surprised when I ended up really enjoying the book that followed a young witch, Amy (and her sister, Phin) who's part a long-line of kitchen witches, the Goodnights. Amy can see ghosts and the book had a delicious will-they-or-won't-they flirtation between her and a cowboy (the Goodnights are from Texas). So when I heard about Spirit and Dust, I was super excited and it quickly became one of my most anticipated summer reads. While I did enjoy Spirit and Dust, I have to admit that I didn't like it as much as I wanted to and it ended up taking me over a month to get all the way through because I just kept getting distracted (see my discussion post from three days ago for more on that here), which is partly me....but part of it is that the book was a bit long-winded.
Spirit and Dust follows another member of the Goodnight family: Daisy. Daisy is a 17 year-old college freshman who can see and speak to remnants (pieces of ghost that cling to certain objects, such as a necklace or something special). She occasionally works for the FBI when they get stuck on a case. She is studying for a class at the beginning of our story when the two FBI agents she often works with show up and whisk her up north to Minnesota to check out a crime scene. A major mob-bosses' daughter has gone missing and her driver has been shot in the head. Daisy is able to speak to the driver who still seems terrified--even though he's dead--but is unable to find any remnant trace of the girl, which is a good thing because it means she isn't dead only missing. As Daisy is resting at the police station after speaking to the driver (talking to ghosts gives her wicked migraines and makes her weak), she is kidnapped by the mob-bosses henchman and taking to the McGuire's (the boss's) house. From there she is forced to bind herself to finding his daughter or die trying. She is partnered up with one of the henchmen, Carson, and the two take off to find out what is going on.
There were several things I did enjoy about this book. The baddies who took the girl are tied to something called the Black Jackal which (at least in the book--I didn't do any research) is part of Egyptian mythology which is unusual and very cool. The first two-thirds of the book was quickly paced and filled with action as Daisy and Carson travel the US, trying to track down clues about the group behind the kidnapping while discovering more and more about the mythology behind the Jackal. I really liked Daisy's character and found her witty and quick and fun to read about.
What I wasn't so crazy about was the fact that there were two love interests, which was clunky and unnecessary. Daisy has had a long flirtation with one of the FBI agents: Agent Taylor. She calls him Agent Tasty and he calls her Jailbait...which, I'm sorry, but ew. He is described as young for an agent, but c'mon, you have to be at least in your late twenties to be an agent, right? I mean, seriously, I know at least a BA is required and then don't they have to go to FBI training? Regardless, Daisy is 17! That's too young for an FBI agent--period. So that aspect was a pretty big turn-off for me. I mean to each his own, but I have just never had a thing for, like, way older guys. And I've never understood why an older guy would want to date a teenage girl. Have you ever talked to a teenager? Whatever. People can date whomever they chose. I just don't get it. The other guy is Carson, obviously, and once the two are on the road, Agent Taylor fades into the background a bit. Like with Texas Gothic Ms. Clement-Moore really nailed down the chemistry between the two. I loved their banter and the chemistry between them is smoking.
I found the last third of the book to be rambling and stretched out. The climax had a lot of action, like the first two acts, but it just went on and on. I would have liked this book a lot more if the author would have shaved off, say 50 pages, just to tighten the book up. Overall, I did enjoy this book and kept picking it up to read a few pages here or there over the past few weeks, but if it would have been a bit slimmer, it definitely would have held my attention more.
I do think Spirit and Dust is worth reading. It isn't a sequel to Texas Gothic, per se, but I would recommend picking that one up first. Again, I do find Texas Gothic to be the superior book so if you are curious about the author I would definitely start there. If you've already read and enjoyed Texas Gothic, than I'm sure you'd enjoy this one as well. -
Take a wise-cracking, goofy-nickname giving, almost-18 girl with the power to talk to dead people and throw her into a mafia don's hunt for his daughter kidnapped by a brotherhood obsessed with a Eyptian cult and what do you get?
You get a fun, romantic, snort-through-your-nose funny romp through museums, car-jackings, and nerd references galore.
Daisy Goodnight gets pulled into an FBI case, but it quickly turns whacko when a mafia mobster coopts her to find his missing daughter with his gorgeous but possibly-criminal lackey, Carson.
Carson and Daisy love to trade banter, make references to Lord of the Rings, and get themselves in and out of the Field Museum, the Oriental Institute, and various other places to search for the mobster's daughter as well as the mysterious "Oosterhouse Jackal" which the kidnappers have demanded as ransom.
There's so much fun going on here I'm surprised that it hasn't been snapped up for a movie yet. I mean gosh, you've got Indiana Jones like archeological fun, Night at the Museum craziness, a YA romance with a bad boy, and all kinds of psychic icing on this cupcake of adventure.
Let me give you a taste of Daisy's Texas-irreverant zaniness:
"Don't give me that 'magical artifacts don't kill people, people kill people' business, I said. You can pry my Goodnight Farms magical bath products out of my cold dead fingers, but I'm one hundred percent in favor of Nazi-face-melting artifacts control."
And then there's all the scenes where Daisy kisses Carson in order to pick his pockets...very lovely and totally sixth-grader safe.
Rosemary Clement-Moore has just made my insta-buy list. Now to go read her other books on the Goodnight Family.....
This Books Snack Rating: Garlic Parmesan chips for the solid archeological-action crunch of the plot flavored with cheesy-good romance and the flavorful garlic bite of psychic shenanigans -
It didn't take me long to remember why I loved Texas Gothic so much, and the crazy wackadoos that are the Goodnight Family once I picked up this book.
Daisy is so the kind of heroine I love. Smart, sarcastic, fierce, brave, and just plain and simply, good.
Throw in magic, ghosts, gods, and a whole lot of danger and mystery and this read was just so much fun. Throw in a little sexual tension in the way of Carson and this read was almost perfect.
Can I talk about the sarcasm? I love sarcasm, there is just something to be said about it. I love it almost as much as I love witty one liners and this had that too. I loved the way that Carson and Daisy worked together and I actually loved not always knowing if Carson could be trusted.
There were some twists and turns I saw coming and a whole lot that I didn't.
In short, this was just a really fun, action packed read that kept me turning the pages right up to the end.
I am so keeping my fingers crossed that there will be more books in this series because I will buy every single one of them. -
*4.5*
I loved this book! It was a lot better than I thought it would be. The characters were amazing especially the main character Daisy. She was so sarcastic and funny that I caught myself laughing out loud at times. Carson was also great. I loved the fact that he and Daisy acted so cold to each other but you could totally tell they had feelings for each other ;) Another character that was awesome was Agent Taylor, Daisy's partner. I loved their relationship and how she didn't hide the fact that she had a crush on him haha
The one down-side to this book and the reason why I deducted half a star was because I find myself getting a bit confused at times when Daisy was talking to ghosts and doing other cool stuff. I had to read some sentences multiple times to actually understand it. However the book and all its aspects were explained very well, it just took me some time to understand some parts, but I managed it!
Anyway, this book had tons of action and Harry Potter references as well as Lord of the Rings references, I just couldn't stop reading. I would recommend it to anyway :) -
Rosemary Clement-Moore has done it again. I have read all her books and irrevocably love them all. I handsell copies of The Splendour Falls to all and sundry in bookshops and Texas Gothic is my go-to book for a feelgood read.
Her characters are so well developed, the stories are wild and over the top and she never loses control of them, ever.
There's always a supernatural element involved but it never ever feels onerous or dull. I never skip paragraphs because her world building is so well written. Basically, I'm just a silly fan-girl. If you've liked any of her other books Spirit & Dust will not disappoint. Daisy is a great main character - selfassured enough to make you believe in her yet vulnerable when it matters. Also: she kicks ass.
I've waited a long time for Spirit and Dust to come out...but you know: some books are just worth the wait. -
I am officially a fan of Rosemary Clement-Moore. The day before I read this book, I worked a 14 hour day. I went back to work the next day, did another eight hour stint, and then cracked open this book, intending to read for a few hours and crash hard. Instead, I ended up staying up until midnight to finish the novel.
I quite like Clement-Moore's use of the Goodnight family for this series, yet each book is a standalone, too. In this case, we're talking about Daisy Goodnight, one of the family psychics. Yes, I guessed almost from the get-go that , but as a testament to the entertainment value of the novel, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. -
Love Rosemary! Can't go wrong here, I laughed out loud repeatedly at descriptions, and couldn't put it down. My one complaint, I want MORE Daisy and Taylor stories, more cases and more relationship with Carson! This needs to be its own series....and I want more Amy from Texas Gothic too, this is just ripe for a long, wonderful set of mysteries and snarky heroins!
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Boooo! There's no way I'm reading this! Why? Bc I've read it before, this is Darynda Jones' series! I understand that ideas can be redone but I loved the Davidson series soooooo much that I'd only be comparing it, constantly, and Ms.Jones set the bar pretty high
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was so looking forward to this and therefore the two stars, though if there a few more chapters i think i would have settled for one! that said i would definitely read another of goodnight books and hope that it's going to be better, way better than this. lovely family, awful story!
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I’d give my lung for more books from this world/ book series. Seriously it was that delightful.
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Texas Gothic was one of my favorite books a few summers ago, and once I realized that it was going to be a series, I got really excited. Even the small glimpse that we got in the first book of the extended Goodnight clan was awesome. And then I read that book 2 was going to focus on Goodnight cousin Daisy, teen psychic who pops up to help solve the mystery of the McCulloch Ranch. Yes good. (Also good? You don’t need to read Texas Gothic to set up the plot of Spirit & Dust. Sure, the first book introduces you to the wild and wacky Goodnight clan, but Spirit & Dust does just as good of a job establishing this fact with Daisy as well. I don’t know which one I’d recommend to start with since they’re both equally good on that level, but I would say go for whichever you think is more interesting to start with.)
The one thing Clement-Moore does extremely well with her characters is that even though they share a lot of traits across the board (mainly the ability to snark), there’s still enough to differentiate from each character so that they don’t become carbon copies of each other. (Methinks that Daisy and Lisa from the Maggie Quinn series would get along fabulously.) This does feel a lot different from the other books of hers that I’ve read, not because of the tone, but because I did feel something different with all of the characters, plus a much grander plot to work with in here.
So, our Heroine! For the few chapters she popped up in Texas Gothic, I did actually like Daisy—she was a nice foil to the overly tense Amy and Phin being…Phin. To have her take the stage definitely sets up the kind of book here—Daisy is a way more dynamic and outspoken person than her cousins and I like that we get that upfront. I also like her morality and how she’s willing to do the right thing. (I loved that Daisy gets pissed off when she’s forced to make a triple vow for a job she’s already willing to do.) It’s not just the finding lost coed daughters of mob bosses, but her willingness to help stranded souls move on. Sure, Daisy’s going to milk a remnant for all the information they have on a current crime scene…but she’s also going to see if they’re happy where they are at the moment.
Much like the intricacies of the Goodnights’ supernatural products and brand of witchery (and whatever the hell Phin does—please let the next book be about her), I liked that we get a clear explanation of what Daisy actually does and how it effects her physically and mentally. While there’s some points that feel like she’s just using her powers wily-nily, such as when she’s in the St. Louis museum, there’s at least consequences to when she’s finished and then MIGRAINE FROM HELL. I really liked that there’s even a clear explanation for not only how Daisy talks to the dead, but also that she makes it clear that it’s not just a person’s soul she’s talking to, but a piece of it. Hence the use of “remnant” over spirit; it’s what memories and experiences have tied a soul to a specific object/place, and that’s what Daisy utilizes. And I like that we get to see this used in several different fashions: the remnants who haunt places because they have objects tied to them there, the ones who’ve just died and even calling up other people’s memories to utilize a remnant. Plus, I really liked how the remnants’ ability to observe from certain objects plays a major role in the plot—it feels like a throwaway detail at first, until the one big reveal. It’s small enough that it doesn’t need a lot of repeating, and we do get to see the use of the device in action before it becomes hugely plot important.
The plot here is much more action-packed and grandiose than Clement-Moore’s other books, which is another detail that I really liked. There’s mob bosses, mummies, and an end-of-the-world cult that has the potential to demolish Chicago and then the world. (As an end-of-the-world cult does.) There a few twists that seem fairly obvious from the beginning. But it’s still a lot of fun to read and try to figure out the plot points as Daisy tries to unravel the mystery.
I really liked Daisy’s rapport with both Agent Taylor and Carson. With Taylor, I liked that Daisy acknowledges that she really just has a puppy crush on him that’s never going to go anywhere, but that the two of them are able to tease each other on it. And do I think that Agent Taylor does care about Daisy—more like siblings, in a way. (If there’s more books about Daisy, I really want to see this relationship expanded on.) I did also really like Carson—I like his chemistry with Daisy, I think that they work well together, even when they’re both trying to outsmart each other (the scene where Carson admits he realized that Daisy stole a cell phone off him, that was adorable). My main problem with Carson—and this is an issue I’ve had crop up with all of Clement-Moore’s romantic heroes—is that I get what his motivations are…but I never get all of the reasons and backstory behind it. There’s enough here to explain why Carson does the things he does, but there’s a lot that’s not covered as well. I don’t want a complete info-dump on Carson’s entire life and background, but I do want more exploration into his past, especially since there feels like there’s another story between him and some of the other lackeys.
As I said above, Spirit & Dust is bigger and more involved than its predecessor or some of Rosemary Clement-Moore’s other books. The story, though, is solid (and actually wraps up pretty neatly, only leaving romantic entanglements to expand in future installments), the characters are completely engaging, and there’s just enough world-building to expand on what we got in book 1 and leaves enough wiggle room for future installments. As I said, it’s really hard for me to say which book you ought to read first in the Texas Gothic series, but if you want to start with Spirit & Dust, I would say that it’s a great book to kick off with. In the meantime, I will be awaiting the next adventure of the Goodnight clan. -
This review was originally posted at:
http://francesandlynne.wordpress.com/...
“It didn't matter, because he was an employee of a criminal enterprise and I was an FBI consultant and, oh yeah, technically kidnapped and probably in the throes of some kind of Stockholm syndrome.”
Daisy Goodnight, Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Cement-Moore
I entered a free giveaway on GoodReads and was lucky enough to win a copy of Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore. When I entered the competition, I didn’t realize that Spirit and Dust was the second book in the Goodnight Family Series. Texas Gothic is the first book. However, it doesn’t actually matter which order the books are read in because they feature different members of the Goodnight family and the storylines are not connected. In Spirit and Dust, the story focuses on Daisy Goodnight. Daisy is a seventeen year old college student who moonlights as an FBI liaison. How can Daisy help the FBI? Well, she can speak to the dead. Daisy is whisked away from a Chemistry class to consult on a homicide in Minnesota. Daisy inspects the scene of the crime and speaks to the murder victim. Daisy finds out that the murder victim was a young girl’s body guard and that she’s been kidnapped. She also realizes that something is seriously wrong with the spirit world. Before Daisy can uncover what’s wrong with the spirit world, she is kidnapped by none other than the young girl’s father named Maguire. Maguire is a crime boss and he’s familiar with the supernatural world, so much so that the forces Daisy into a binding oath that means she’s bound by magic to find Alexis or die trying. Will Daisy find Alexis and find out what’s happened to the spirit world in the process, or will she die trying?
After reading the description on the jacket for this book, I knew I would like the plot because it involved a main character with the ability to communicate with ghosts. I enjoyed reading The Harper Connelly Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, and I was sad when the series ended. In The Harper Connelly Mysteries, although Harper doesn’t communicate with ghosts directly, she does get a flash of a person’s last few moments before death. As Daisy can communicate with ghosts directly, I knew this book would be different, but I hoped it would be as good. I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt that there was just the right mix of supernatural, end-of-the-world-type events, and lighter humorous moments to make for a great read. The spirit world that Clement-Moore created was what really captured my attention. I liked all the little details. For example, the fact that souls leave a remnant (a piece of the soul) behind, perhaps even more than one remnant, each with a different personality and knowledge depending on the part of life the remnant represents. I was worried initially that the remnants might all blend into each other, but each remnant had a really strong and individual character. They were entertaining to read about. I also liked how the reader finds out different aspects of what Daisy is actually capable of right up until the end of the book. It’s the level of detail that kept me curious about Daisy and the world she lives in.
I have to say that aside from the spirit world that Clement-Moore created, Daisy is the main reason that the book works. She has a really strong character voice in that you don’t really need the “said Daisy” labels to know that she’s speaking. She is very sarcastic and snarky which is where a lot of the humor comes from. She also makes some one line references to other popular fiction (e.g., Harry Potter, Star Wars) that are well done in that they don’t feel forced, they just fit in with Daisy’s quirky personality. Clement-Moore also uses a lot of italics in Daisy (and other character’s) speech, which I thought I’d find annoying. I actually found that the italics helped me picture how Daisy would say something and that really brought her character alive. Daisy is also rather kick-ass in that she fights when people are after her and when she’s backed into the corner she finds some clever way to get out of it.
As for the other characters, I thought Carson was well written. There was lots of shade to his character, so I enjoyed trying to figure out whether he was good or bad and how he was connected to a crime boss. He also had a quick wit, so many of the exchanges between Carson and Daisy made me laugh out loud. The relationship between Carson and Daisy brought a good degree of chemistry to the book too. I thought that the physical attraction between Carson and Daisy was well done, and I liked that it wasn’t clear whether they were using that attraction as a means of distraction, or as a means of distraction coupled with the real thing. However, I did think that Daisy made a few to many comments about Carson’s appearance or about something sexy that he’d done, often distracting her from some train of thought, but that was mostly in the beginning and it did fit in with Daisy’s character. She also had an unshakeable belief that Carson was good inside. It would have been nice if Daisy had been a little more doubtful considering how many times he concealed things from her. That uncertainty would have been more believable.
There are two aspects to the mystery in this book. First, finding out who kidnapped Alexis and getting her home safely. Second, finding out what is wrong with the spirit world and fixing it. In the first half of the book, the mystery is well done. Daisy and Carson follow clues that Alexis has left behind which might reveal her kidnapper, and that whoever has kidnapped Alexis is somehow responsible for what is wrong with the spirit world. In the second half of the book, things get a little complicated and less interesting. There’s a lot of Egyptian mythology, a secret brotherhood (aka a cult), and an artifact that could destroy both the spirit world and the world of the living. There’s a clear Indiana Jones vibe as Daisy and Carson break down the riddles/clues that will lead them to the artifact, all the while trying to do it faster than the brotherhood. Things became really strange and over-the-top in the last third of the book. Night at the Museum starring Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones)…ahem…I mean Ben Stiller comes to mind. So much happened in the ending of the book, and most of it unrealistic, that it was difficult to process and left me disappointed after such a great start.
Final Verdict: Overall, an enjoyable paranormal mystery. The paranormal world and characters are interesting and are what make this book enjoyable. The mystery, however, may leave you disappointed in the end.
Frances -
My favorite thing about this book is that it's already part of a fully realized and fleshed out world. Daisy already works with the FBI, she already has a relationship with her point person, and she's fully comfortable in and with her powers. So often these types of books are about a teen getting or discovering she has powers and the adjustment that comes with that. Instead, Daisy KNOWS her power, she KNOWS her worth, and it's really all about navigating this new situation. And I think, ultimately, that's why I liked this one a little bit more than
Texas Gothic. In that one, Amy had to accept what she could do but, in this one, Daisy is just like, "Let's get 'er done."
I also appreciate that, in this book, magic is an accepted part of the world, and Daisy doesn't have to overcome skeptics (except for her FBI guy's new partner) or prove what she does. While I'm doing comparisons, though, let me say thatI did, however, appreciate the smaller stakes of the previous book.
Given that, I do think the romance is believable even if I don't know that I ship it. I liked the unfolding mystery, and Daisy is a really fun narrator. All in all, this was a fun ride and great escapism.
I am really bummed that it looks like we won't be getting a Phin book because I am really interested in how different her voice would be from Amy and Daisy's--not to mention that it would be fun to see her brand of magic. Sigh. -
Spirit and Dust is action packed with a little romance thrown in. Daisy Goodnight is a medium, she can see and speak to the dead. Like other Goodnights before her she helps the FBI solve cold cases and new murder cases. It is on one of these cases with Agent Taylor, that Daisy is kidnapped by the Maguire Crime Family. The crime boss needs Daisy to find his kidnapped daughter, Alexis and a rare Egyptian artifact the kidnappers are looking for. The person assigned to “help” Daisy is Maguire’s right hand man, Carson. Carson is a young handsome guy, who seems to be decent, lulling Daisy into falling for him. Unfortunately nothing about this case is what it seems and even with Daisy’s talent things don’t always go as planned . This book has been on my tbr for a long time and now I realize it did not age well. There are so many references to Harry Potter. I’m sure 10 years ago most of us were unaware of our own implicit bias that blinded us from seeing JKR’s racism and antisemitism, but hopefully a good, empathetic, sensitive author would not hold JKR up to this kind of fan worship today. It made it difficult to enjoy the book.
