| Title | : | Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0385736932 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780385736930 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 |
| Publication | : | First published July 7, 2011 |
Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.
It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.
This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.
Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family, #1) Reviews
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Five Reasons To Read "Texas Gothic"
1.) A good heroine! Amy is 17 or so, and she acts it. She has plenty of appealing traits (grounded, sensible, caring, brave in a pinch, smart in the mouth) and her negatives - shooting off said mouth, occasionally doing stupid things for stupid or emotional reasons - are framed by a good deal of self-awareness. It's so refreshing to spend 400 pages with a likable person who recognizes her own flaws without drowning in them. Amy is one of the best.
2.) Excellent supporting cast. They are well-drawn, unique without being hamfistedly "quirky", and introduced efficiently (easy to remember and tell them apart, and without sucking up pages in description or back-story.) I'm not one for romance, but it's easy to see what there is to like in the cowboy next door.
3.) It is powerfully short on stereotypes. Usually "small-town Texas" is shorthand for "good old-fashioned god-fearing yokels" (who are inevitably torn asunder by Tremors worms or Chain-Saw Massacres or what-have-you) or else "intolerant Bible-beating hillbillies." But while Barnett is fictional, it reads real: people speak in sensible ordinary English and behave in relatable, realistic ways... they just happen to love their Dr. Pepper too.
4.) Truly sophisticated writing. By that I don't mean it's a hard read - not at all. But it's sprinkled with arcane references: you don't need to have ever heard of the Mysteries of Udolpho or the Luftwaffe to enjoy the story (they are passing mentions only), but I am so glad to see a book that drops them in so craftily and to such good effect that it might actually inspire someone to go and look these things up, and deepen their enjoyment of the story just that much more. Secondly, Ms. Clement is clearly a fan of deliberate under-writing. It would be cleverness enough to name the women of the Goodnight family as she has: Amaryllis, Delphinium, Hyacinth, and so on. But never once does she mention that they are all named after flowers. It's a rare author that is confident enough in her skill that she doesn't feel the need to draw attention to it - so if you don't notice, you lose nothing, but if you do, you are that much more profoundly impressed.
5.) A very well-crafted mystery! Jaded and cynical as I am, it is so nice to get through a whole book without rolling my eyes and thinking "gee, I wonder where THIS is going." And to be fair, there is a little of that - you know as soon as Young Mr. Cowboy turns up that he and Amy surely will have considerably more screen-time together. But I was just so pleased to see how the author broke the mystery up into a hundred little pieces, and doled out one or two to every scene. She has a real knack for weaving important things into completely natural and ordinary conversation, and it makes each page pay off so well.
(Bonus Reason: It made the
2012 ALA List of Best Fiction for Young Adults.)
And at the end of it, there is really no better praise to give this book than that: it is 405 pages, and every one of them is put to exceptionally good purpose. -
I gave this book 100 pages to get interesting but, for me, it just wasn't. I kept waiting and waiting for the story to kick off but unfortunately all I got out of those first 100 pages was some flirtations with a cowboy and a ghostly occurence that was just boring.
There is a chance that this story becomes absolutely fabulous later on in the novel but I'm afraid I don't have the patience to wait for it. -
Information to the author of this book: I know that people in the US sometimes confuse Sweden with Switzerland. After all, they are two countries in Europe, who both begin with SW... Bit like Missouri and Michigan, you could say.. same-same really, or not?
I'd just like to let you know that Alfred Nobel was a Swede and every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
If you didn't know that, your editor should have known. (It is easy to google).
This -in my opinion- fatal factual error jarred me out of your story, which I sampled free from Amazon. Not sure I want to buy the book now. Going off to sulk for a while. Maybe I'll change my mind. The cover is beautiful, after all. -
I picked this up on a whim quite awhile ago because the title intrigued me. I'm glad I did so because I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I'm always a big fan of anything that has ghosts or witches and when you pair both together, it's a definite recipe for success! Not only was the story great but I really enjoyed the characters as well. I kept forgetting that many of them were in their teens because they definitely didn't act like teenagers. And then the ending was absolutely not what I was expecting! I kept wondering how it would all wrap up and was worried I would be disappointed but I absolutely wasn't. It was the perfect ending to a great story!
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Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds...
This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.
When I read the opening line of this book "The goat was in the tree again" I knew this one was going to be fun. I just loved Texas Gothic. It wasn't anything spectacular, it wasn't super creepy like I thought it would be, and it wasn't anything new, but I enjoyed the characters, the mystery, and the setting. Plus it was just so darn funny at times. Mostly I think I loved that this book paid tribute to Nancy Drew and a little bit to Scooby-doo as well, two favorites from my childhood.
I had previously read Rosemary Clement-Moore's The Splendor Falls and really liked it. It was what led me to add this book to my to-read list. At this point I'm a huge fan of hers. I really enjoy her writing style and the fact that she writes teens and Young adults as self-aware and not just immature. The kooky Goodnight family was just plain fun to read about. I enjoyed the relationship Amy and Phin had as sisters. The romance was light and didn't take over the book, and I really liked Ben a lot. This could be a stand-alone read, but it does have a companion book that centers on Amy's cousin Daisy. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
Review also posted at
Writings of a Reader -
DNF at page 116.
I like the book but I hate the whole love story angle. Ben is such an asshole.
To continue or not to continue.
Romance in YA is really overdone. Also tends to be really problematic, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't portrayed as omg assholes are so hot~~ way.
Like this whole vendetta against her aunt by him extending to them is really grating on my nerves.
Yeah, I'm DNFing. I hear this book is heavy on the romance and less emphasis on the ghost plotline. *YAWN*
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Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers:
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/07/j...
REVIEW
First Impressions:
Thea: There are a number of things that Texas Gothic has going for it. First, there's the cool Nancy Drew homage/vibe (right down to the red-headed gumshoe sleuth heroine). Then, there's the awesome setting of the novel on dusty ranches during a Texas summer. Add an old fashioned haunting and ghost mystery to the mix, and you've got the makings of a fantastic young adult novel. And you know what? I truly enjoyed Texas Gothic, and although there were a few facets of the characters that annoyed me (an at times frustrating heroine, a level of repetition to the plot), I zipped through the book and was thoroughly entertained.
Ana: I think that for a change, Thea and I are basically on the same wave length on this one. I too enjoyed Texas Gothic and had great fun with its characters especially with the Goodnight family. Despite some reservations (mostly when it came to the romantic storyline), it delivered what I was hoping for: a good few hours of good entertainment, afternoon-movie style.
On the Plot:
Ana: Amy Goodnight and her sister Phin are spending the summer tending to their Aunt's ranch in Texas. Amy hopes that her summer will be non-eventful (with the odd Goat-rescuing mission) but eventful things do tend to happen to the members of the Goodnight family. You see, the Goodnights are all paranormally inclined and even though Amy strives to be simply the normal in the family, the truth is she is just as paranormally inclined as the rest of them, which is what she comes to realise when a ghost comes to her for help.
Texas Gothic is great fun - it actually has one of the funniest chapters I read in a long, long time. But it is not a funny book per se, although the characters are all very witty. At its core, this novel combines mystery with coming of age in a well-done balancing act.I will get back to the coming of age bit below but the mystery concerns a ghostly appearance that threatens not only the Goodnight family but also the neighboring ranch when bones are recovered on their land. The mystery-solving involves other members of Amy's family (each possessing different skills) but also a team of university students and they all work together to discover the truth behind not only the supposed ghost but also of the unearthed bones. This combination of Magic (or paranormality) and Science was quite possibly one of my favourite things about the novel - and I loved how a lot of it had to do with local Texas history.
Thea mentioned Nancy Drew but this book reminded me a lot more of Scooby Doo. Do you know how it is always easy to guess who the culprit but it doesn't matter because that is not the point? There is a certain level of predictability and contriving plot twists in Texas Gothic but because everything else was so much fun, I actually accepted that as being part of the deal and it didn't bother me as much as it usually would.
Thea: Ms. Clement-Moore is a phenomenal storyteller, and Texas Gothic instantly draws you in and traps you quick, like flies to honey. This novel is an homage to the Texas ranch and to old school mystery a la Carolyn Keene, but it also expertly folds in genuine paranormal events. It's kinda like one part modern western, one part Nancy Drew, and one part ghost hunters, with a little Practical Magic sprinkled on top for good measure. In short, Texas Gothic is an irresistible concoction of fun. Like Ana, I loved the setting of the book and the general backstory - Amy (short for Amyrillis) and her slightly older sister Phin (short for Delphinium) are spending the summer on their aunt's ranch. In exchange for watching the livestock and taking care of the usual chores (Amy's responsibility), they get their college summer break all to themselves so Phin can continue performing her madcap experiments (she's something of a scientific genius, even if her interests mostly involve creating strange, unpronouncable devices that measure the spectra of paranormal activity).
Of course, everyone knows how the Goodnights are witches, and when a "ghost" starts terrorizing their neighbors, the McCullough ranch, people start pointing fingers. Amy has to contend with being responsible for the ghost (which she inherited with responsibility of the ranch), and figure out exactly what is going on with all the injuries on McCullough land, or if the so called "Mad Monk" is really responsible for these events. In true Nancy Drew (or, ok, Scooby Doo if you prefer) fashion, of course you know that there is probably some other very human culprit behind the rumors and attacks - and as Ana says, the mystery really isn't very hard to figure out. But then again, it's not supposed to be. It's a throwback, right down to the greedy, scheming villains and Amy getting banged on the head and kidnapped (hey, at least it's not chloroform, right?). Anyone that's spent a childhood devouring those lovely yellow hardbound books or has sat in front of a Saturday morning cartoon gleefully awaiting the villain unmasking and the "I would have got away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!" will surely take delight in Texas Gothic.
It's fun. 'Nuff said.
On the Characters:
Ana: I loved the majority of the characters in Texas Gothic. Actually, scrap that, I adored the Goodnight family. They were fun, entertaining, had great dynamics between them. Phin, the older sister who loves to explain their powers scientifically was an absolute hoot and I would totally love to read more books about this family. And I really like Amy as well and her narrative voice was engaging and interesting to read - as interesting was the role she played in the family. Because she tried so much to be normal and not to dwell a lot on what the family does with their gifts, she's been acting as the responsible one, as a buffer between her family and the rest of the world. I mentioned before that this was a coming-of-age story and it is: because here, finally Amy accepts how much of a Goodnight she truly is. However, this happens very slowly over the course of the book and although I truly appreciate when change doesn't happen over night, there was a degree of repetitiveness in the story that made me really frustrated. Amy had a really annoying tendency to go over the same excuses for not wanting to be another-Goodnight-with-a-gift over and over again that was tiresome and well, expendable.
My biggest gripe though came with the romantic developments between Amy and the next door neighbor, Ben. It is the sort of story between two people that don't get along well to start with, then they bicker and then they fight their attraction until eventually they get together and I usually love that but only when it's well done. And this one started off really well as the two bickered and clashed and the dialogue was snappy and witty. But then, as the story progressed every single one of their interactions, for the majority of the novel, consisted of Ben being an absolute jerk, Amy trying to get smart comebacks to his snide comments and failing miserably. And what made me more angry was that she lost all of their verbal sparring because she couldn't focus because he was...hot. I mean, I get that it could happen but did it have to be every single one of them? It bothers me that instead of just enjoying their interactions, I kept keeping tabs of how many times would Amy lose it and not be able to get back to him with a cool reply. It bothered me because that was a clear winner on what should not be about winning at all. I could never get over how much of a jerk Ben could be (regardless of the reasoning/explanation behind it) and was not a fan of the romance at all. It is probably the only real downer on an otherwise fun read. Your mileage may vary though.
Thea: I completely agree with the utter adoration of the Goodnight family clan and their awesome badassness and simultaneous chaos-inducing kookiness. Phin is freaking hilarious, and I love her complete frankness when it comes to her beliefs, studies, mad experiments, and inventions. I loved that these girls have grown up their lives in a loving family that lives with the paranormal and their own unique gifts - Phin with her affinity for gadgetry, cousin Daisy with her psychic powers, Aunt Hyacinth and her magical toiletries and farm products, and so on and so forth. Of course, then there's Amy with her own very special abilities, much as she tries to deny them. Amy, you see, has an ability to communicate with ghosts. I really liked Amy, and can understand the battle and tension within as she tries to reconcile her family's kookiness with reality. She's the one that thinks it's on her shoulders to make sure that people don't see the Goodnights as loony new age hippies, and she denies any magical abilities (and tries to preempt and prevent Phin from talking about this sort of thing), tooth and nail. My main problem with Amy, like Ana, was the LEVEL of denial and for how freaking long it took her to just suck it up and realize who she is, what her abilities are, and get her head out of her ass long enough to solve the freaking mystery.
The same applies for the romantic relationship between Ben and Amy. I actually loved the pair of them, like oil and water, completely different and unable to agree on anything. The attraction is obvious from the outset of the book, and I loved the way it played out - even by the end, they're still going at it, fighting each other on everything, but in a good way. You know what I mean? I disagree with Ana regarding the arguments and Amy always losing, because that's not true - once Amy comes to terms with who she is and accepts her crazy awesome Goodnight status, she's able to turn the arguments around and shut Ben up. Instead of letting him walk all over her or berate her family (which she never does, I should point out), she tells him he's an ass for not believing in her and walks away. And that's cool. I actually loved that Ben isn't some insta-trustful super sensitive perfect boyfriend hunk type. He's very flawed, stubborn as hell, and won't take anyone's word at face value - even Amy. He has reasons for his distrust, and I liked that he's not a dreamy typical YA hero. He's not meant to be every girl's dream boy - but he's the perfect fit for a girl like Amy (who needs someone infuriating around, I think). The romance worked for me.
On one last note, I loved that the characters in this book are in college. How often do you see that in YA fiction (or really...any fiction)? I sense a change coming, and hopefully we'll see some YA or "New Adult" titles that focus on this under-represented part of the population.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Ana: Despite my misgivings, I truly enjoyed Texas Gothic in a non-life changing kind of reading. It was fun. And sometimes that is more than enough.
Thea: I concur. Texas Gothic is the perfect summer poolside read. It's fast, it's entertaining and it's fun. Totally recommended.
Rating:
Ana: 6/10 - Good solid fun
Thea: 7/10 - Ditto -
Last time when I read a ghost story, I was a child, and I'll be honest with you, ghosts were only fantastic creatures I was afraid of. I used to have awful nightmares and I was scared to go to any place which looked abandoned and haunted. Even later, when I figured out that ghosts don't exist, I had my share of scared-to-the-death moments. So you can easily imagine how I felt when I realized that Texas Gothic is a ghost story. It wasn't that pleasant to read it at night after everyone went to sleep in my grandparents big, old house which makes all kind of strange noises. Yeah, i'm scaredy cat!
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Early review! Release date: 7th July 2011 (Book received from publisher)
When sisters Amy (short for Amaryllis) and Phin (short for Delphinium) Goodnight show up to ranch-sit for their Aunt Hyacinth, they don't realise quite how much the experience will change their lives. Phin is so wrapped up in her scientific studies (with a paranormal twist) that she rarely notices anything that doesn't fall directly into her sphere of interest, and Amy? Well, Amy wants nothing to do with the para side of normal - in fact, she has made it her life's work to act as a buffer between her family, who are ... eccentric at best, and the rest of civilisation.
Texas Gothic uses an ingenious recipe of part archaelogical dig, part Scooby-Doo-esque mystery, and part love story with the added spices of romance, magic, and cowboys. Well, actually, it's mainly subtle hints of cowboys, but there is a hunky Texan guy who first appears on horseback - so I'm definitely counting him in the cowboy column.
I'm always almost unhealthily glad when bones appear in books (don't judge me, I'm about to start a degree in Medieval History and I've always had a fascination with the Black Death), so their appearance teamed with the added aspects of magical heritage and teenage soul-searching really kept the pages turning for me. The first line of the book is "The goat was in the tree again." - which gives you some idea of the intriguing information that you may learn in amongst the plot (do goats climb trees? Please don't disillusion me unless you know for sure!), as well as the tone of the novel. I loved Amy's voice, she's definitely going down as one of my favourite unlikely heroines!
Recommendation: If you like your normal with added para, your natural with more than a hint of super, then take a walk with Amy and see if anything will make her agree with you. Did I mention there was magic and a (sort of) cowboy? Come on!
Fair warning: I'm all for appropriate swearing in the YA genre, and so are the characters in Texas Gothic. -
Something wicked this way comes in the rolling hills of Texas — and it certainly isn’t the ever-looming threat of Rick Perry attempting another presidential run. In her first book following the intriguing Goodnight family, Rosemary Clement-Moore explores the divide between magical and mundane in a seemingly normal community. While there were definitely some times in which I felt that Texas Gothic was a modern, witchy version of Nancy Drew, I ultimately found myself swept up in the ghostly mystery of the Goodnight and McCulloch Farms.
Taking place over the first weeks of blazing Texas summer, Texas Gothic follows sisters Amaryllis and Delphinium Goodnight as they take care of their aunt’s farm while she’s away on vacation. Despite her upbringing, Amy’s not as keen to cling to her family’s gifts like her sister Phin. However, creepy comes with the Goodnight territory — literally. One night, a spectral visitor ravages Amy’s room, coinciding with a series of mysterious attacks on farm hands at the neighboring McCullouch ranch. Suddenly, Amy’s world turns upside down as she’s thrust into the mystery of the Mad Monk and finding out that maybe the supernatural is more normal than she once thought.
I’m going to admit that I had something else entirely in mind when I was starting Texas Gothic, expecting more of your standard witchy tale of casting spells and keeping magic on the down-low. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the originality of the plot. Granted, there were times in which it felt like a new and improved version of Nancy Drew, but that’s something I can touch on in a second. It was interesting to see how the mundane and magical worlds mashed up together in some place as so rigidly “normal” as rural Texas. I really enjoy what she’s trying to do to almost reinvent the usual teenage witch format by making them a natural part of society within the town.
Furthermore, Clement-Moore’s writing is just so utterly captivating. Her turns of phrase in some instances are clever, often coming out of left field. One particular sentence that stood out to me was the book’s second sentence: “I hadn’t even known goats could climb trees.” Similar witticisms are sprinkled throughout, making the reading experience that much better. Furthermore, the story is packed with intense, suspenseful moments, especially as Amy and company get more entwined within the Mad Monk mystery. Clement-Moore makes it easy to feel the chill down Amy’s spine whenever her ghost comes to visit, to sense the dread sinking in as certain spoiler plot-points are revealed, to smell the stale weed off of certain residents of the town. It truly becomes a multi-sensory experience at some points.
However, going back to the Nancy Drew criticism is interesting because there were points in which the book almost felt self-aware: as Amy and Phin become more involved in getting to the bottom of these attacks, some characters start calling them Nancy Drews. There’s even internal monologue from Amy calling out the improbability of Nancy’s experiences…then the same exact things end up happening to her. In a few points, Amy’s bashed over the head by blunt objects and knocked out while she’s “meddling,” and then later kidnapped by said people that knocked her out. I don’t know if Clement-Moore was deliberately being ironic, but, if so, the irony should have been made more clear.
Additionally, I had some issues with the relationship between Amy and Ben McCullough. I absolutely abhor insta-love, but if there’s one thing I hate more than that is insta-hate that obviously has no way to go but to become insta-love. From almost the very moment they met, Amy and Ben hate each other and can’t even really stand the other’s presence. I think the dynamic between them throughout the book could have been far more interesting if they continued to hate each other; Amy certainly had her own reasons to discover the truth behind the Mad Monk beyond helping the hunky cowboy next door. However, after being irritated by the other person’s mere existence for a few days, the two are suddenly making out in his truck while out one night on a ghost watch. It was such a strange turn of the corner that I’m still kind of reeling from it.
Overall, the originality and refreshing approach to the paranormal genre makes Texas Gothic an fun, suspenseful romp through the Texas hills. It’s a great, well-written blend between a ghost story and witchcraft that is bound to please steadfast fans of both types of characters. However, one has to be willing to stomach some heavy-handed parallels with Nancy Drew and incorporation of insta-love if they’re going to read this book. -
I so wanted to like this story more than I did. It sounded like a good, creepy ghost story, complete with a family of (nice) witches. Amy, the first-person narrator, seems amiable and interesting, even though she's anxious about toning down her family's magical, ghost-friendly reputation in her own life. Fresh from high school, Amy spends her summer housesitting her aunt's homestead with her college-age sister, Phin. The gist of the story is simple: Amy discovers that a hostile ghostly presence has invaded the locale and made it past her aunt's paranormal "fences," while at the same time Amy is attracted to and repelled by a cranky but handsome cowboy at the ranch next door.
The story might sound a little thin; it is. And yet the book hovers around 400 pages, quite a bit of it coming from Amy's unwilling attraction to and interactions with the guy next door. Cut out that business, and the ghost story is left on its own. The ghost makes some impressive appearances and leaves no doubt that something weird is going on; this wayward spirit might be tied to the human remains discovered at the nearby university's archeological dig site. Phin gets involved with the dig site and the handful of university students/supporting characters running it; Amy, by extension, gets involved though she doesn't want to be. What started as a potentially creepy tale comes off light and non-threatening, more fun than scary, like a very basic Scooby-Doo plot.
I really could've done without most of the push-pull romance subplot, which at times overtook the ghost story. Romance doesn't always make a story better; sometimes it only gets in the way. Had the romance been downplayed to highlight focus on the ghost, I probably would've enjoyed the novel more. -
(Source: I own a copy of this book.)
Amaryllis (Amy) is looking after he aunt’s herb farm with her sister while her auntie takes a holiday, what she didn’t plan on though was some buried bones, and several ghosts.
What is going on with these ghosts? And who do the dead bones belong to?
I was hoping that I was in for a good ghost story with this one, but quickly realised that this was going to be long and boring.
I can’t say I really liked any of the characters in this. They were all fairly self-involved, and single minded in their plans to do exactly what they wanted and screw everyone else. I did find Amy quite funny at the beginning when she was running about in her underwear and wellies, but it quickly became obvious that she wasn’t really funny, just slightly kooky.
The storyline in this was just slow and dull. It took forever for anything to happen, and when it did happen the book was still dull! I thought that things would at least be creepy, this being a ghost story and all, but never fear, there was no creepiness, and nothing scarier than a few buried bones.
There was a hint of romance, but I didn’t really appreciate that either, and it really couldn’t save this story.
The ending was likewise fairly dull, and I was basically just happy to have gotten there.
Overall; slow and dull,
4 out of 10. -
Amy and Phin are spending their summer watching over their aunts farm, away from their family Goodnight magic. Or this is what they think. After a skeleton is found where a bridge is supposed to be build, the mystery of a town ghost is thrust upon them waiting to be solved. Amy, who has spend her whole life trying to balance her family world and the real one, will find herself in the middle of everything and will have to accept her onw magic if she wants to make it out alive.
The story is really nice. I loved the mystery and how it got resolved. Also I loved Phin, Amy's older sister, she is a mad scientist type that you have to adore. The romance element was settle and really nice at times.
This book got 3 stars out of five, because it was really slow at the first half of it. Only after the middle everything started to move faster and exciting things happened. -
I had this whole review planned for this title. You know, talking about why I like it and why I think you should read it.
But I just wrote a paper and my Brain (always capitalized) told me, in no uncertain terms, that if I try torturing it again (also known as writing) it will walk out and leave me Brainless.
And all my mutterings about the impossibility of it accomplishing such a feat? Details.
So. Just take my word for it. It's a fun book. It's entertaining and while it has its flaws, it also has a pretty awesome main character and nice crispy writing. You'll like it if you like the books I like.
Cheers. -
"I wasn't worried about myself. I didn't consider the possibility that either of the men could catch me. I was all-star varsity soccer. I was Braveheart in Urban Outfitters. I was Supergirl. I was seriously delusional." (p 374)
Amy Goodnight knows exactly what to expect of her summer. She is taking care of her aunt's ranch with her "mad scientist" sister, Phin. Her days should consist of feeding the goats and making sure the little escape artists stay in their pen. Amy has it all planned out, but a ghost apparently has made other plans entirely. Strange things have been happening on the neighboring ranch. The stories of the "Mad Monk" are circulating the small Texas town, and Amy isn't sure what to believe. The discovery of century-old human remains turn the calm country side into an archeological dig. All Amy wants to do is discover the truth, but it isn't easy with a ghost pestering her and her neighbor being annoyingly irresistible. Rumor says that the Mad Monk has been knocking out ranch hands, and as more people are hurt by some elusive being, Amy gets her Nancy Drew on to investigate this chilling ghost story. As she and her friends uncover clues from the earth as well as get the dirt in town, Amy and Phin can't help but recognize the supernatural red flags. So much for a quiet summer on the ranch.
Already being a fan of Rosemary Clement-Moore, I eagerly anticipated this book. She always sets up good stories and great characters. Her protagonists are snarky, clever, and easily relatable. Texas Gothic, I'm pleased to report, did not disappoint on any front.
The story does have similarities of a Nancy Drew mystery, and Ms. Drew is referenced a few times. I always enjoy a good who-dun-it, so it was great to piece together the puzzle along with Amy.
Amy and Phin are adorably likable sisters. While Phin is older, she is so engrossed in her own world of chemistry and physics, that Amy is the more protective and assertive sibling. This sister relationship is strong and very enjoyable to follow as the story continues. Even though this will probably remain a stand alone novel, I would love to see more of the Goodnight girls.
Clement-Moore always writes in a manner that is easy to get lost in. The dialogue between characters is witty and perfect, in my opinion. The research done by the author is apparent in the book, and a good dose of history is tucked away in its pages; a welcome element since I always like to learn something from every book I read.
Texas Gothic was funny, suspenseful, and romantic which just about sums up a good read for this Texas girl. ; )
p.s. Am I the only one who kinda liked the name Amaryllis (Amy's given name)? -
3.5 Stars
The Goodnight family is quirky to say the least. Amy has always known that her family isn’t exactly ‘normal’ her aunt is a kitchen witch, her sister is always making potions and instruments to measure the paranormal and her cousin is a psychic. Amy just wants to live a normal life but that is almost impossible when you are a Goodnight.
“I was the designated grown up in a family that operated in different reality than the rest of the world.”
Sisters Amy and Phin agreed to watch their aunt’s farm while she took a vacation. Between the goats Taco and Gordita running amuck, the dogs underfoot and the cowboy next door with a grudge against the Goodnight family Amy is having a very interesting time. Amy wants to be the epitome of normal, but there is a ghost afoot that keeps drawing her into the family line of work. Amy will be haunted until she can figure out how to help the ghost. A body was found during the building of a bridge on the neighboring ranch and now a college team is there to investigate. Phin and Amy volunteer to help and that is when things get really interesting.
Amy’s character is great; she is such a reluctant hero and tries so hard to be the responsible one of the family. I love her interactions with her sister Phin who is so quirky it is cute. Phin is so caught up in science and the correlation to the paranormal inventing gadgets occasionally blowing up a chemistry lab (completely accidental) that she is head in the cloud clueless when it comes to anything else. Phin’s character is fantastically funny.
“Just FYI," I told Phin, "he was flirting with you."
She looked at me, then at Mark's departing form. "Oh. That explains a lot. I'm good at a lot of things, but flirting isn't one of them. Especially with someone I find extremely attractive."
"Here's a tip... Don't overthink it. It's more of an instinct than an intellect thing."
"Right," she said. "Pheromones."
With a sage nod, she followed Mark.”
There is a cute interaction between Amy and Ben, the next door cowboy that is convinced the Goodnight family is crazy.
All and all this is a fun Nancy Drew meets the Scooby-doo gang sort of murder mystery. It is fun with a quickly churning story and interesting character interactions. I don’t think the paranormal part of the story was overdone or completely unbelievable. I enjoyed the Mad Monk mystery and will be interested in reading more about the extremely talented Goodnight family. -
4.5 Stars Loved it!
This story has you laughing so hard you're crying one minute (well, maybe ten) and creeped out the next.
Amaryllis and Delphinium Goodnight (Amy and Phin) are sisters, farm-sitting for their Aunt Hyacinth on her Texas Farm while she is on summer vacation. Amy and Phin come from a family of witches who have various talents. Amy, for the most part, tries to keep this on the down-low and lead a normal life. This becomes difficult when a dead body is discovered on neighbor, Ben McCulloch's, ranch. Irritating, arrogant, amazingly handsome, Ben McCulloch. Strange accidents begin to happen and rumors of a legendary ghost being responsible begin to circulate. This is bad, very bad, for Amy because she has a frightening history with ghosts and wants nothing to do with them.
Rosemary Clement-Moore really knows how to write the hilarious! Like I said before, the first chapter had me laughing to the point of tears (and yes, apparently, goats can climb trees!) I loved the witty banter between Amy and Ben! Ben gets so irritated with Amy one minute and overly protective of her the next. I love Amy's plucky spirit, she reminds me of a modern Nancy Drew with sass and sarcasm. "Oh, hell!" is my new favorite curse! Amy's sister, Phin, is a great character too. She's a clueless, genius, who embraces her magical family heritage.
As a side note, the author posted this link to show proof goats can climb trees:
http://inside-digital.blog.lonelyplanet.... Who'd have guessed? -
I like this book, it's funny. What can you expect of the book that starts with "The goat was in the tree again." :D
This book remains me of two series Bones and Ghost Whisper, i like both series so i also like this book. -
This started out fabulous but slowly turned in a direction I wasn't expecting. Overall, it was unique and enjoyable.
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3.5
It's cute which I do not mean in a negative way. Texas Gothic is a surprising mix of witches and cowboys, magic and science, romantic-comedy and ghost mystery. It's not deep but damned entertaining. It starts with a girl in her undies flapping her arms at a cow whilst a young cowboy watches over then moves to a mystery of a long dead body, ghosts and sink holes. Can you blame me for finishing it? And it's funny! I love me a good laugh. While there's slapstick, with them bumping into each other, falling into holes and whatnot, there were also laughs that stemmed from the sweet/annoying moments between Amy and Ben.
It's different, I will give it that. They're different. From Amy to Phin Goodnight to Mark and Ben McCulloch, all of them were unique. Consider Amy's sister Phin, who mixed science and witchcraft, who at times was dense but when it counted could be sensitive. She's the forgetful scientist minus terrible hair plus magic. Or Amy! Gosh, this girl didn't make sense. At first I thought she would be like those other girls from magic families. You know, the different one? The one without magic in a mostly magical family ala- girl from Once A Witch. Things were not that simple though as she's more like the family's guard. She's hellbent on keeping her magic and nonmagic worlds separate to keep them if not secret, then at least, unnoticed. But with her aunt's reputation, I wondered if her insistence to keep those things apart really was necessary. And how did she keep those worlds apart? Snark. It is this that endeared her to me. Because IMO, it is this that endeared her to Ben as well.
Speak of attraction, the one between her and Ben was absolutely hilarious. Like watching a romantic comedy, at first they rubbed each other the wrong way, with each encounter their mutual annoyance increased. And when things finally did come to head, well... sparks! It smacked of Ten Things I Hate About You. Consider:Her saying,"You have a funny way of showing how much you don't like me."
And him replying, "I don't like gophers either, but I wouldn't leave one to suffer. I'd shoot it to put it out of its misery."
Last, it doesn't take itself seriously. It's actually quite light in mood despite there being ghosts and danger. If anything there's a comic feel from beginning to end.
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Amy Goodnight has her hands full taking care of the goats and dogs at her aunt's farm, along with her sister Phin. The two girls come from an unusual family of witches and psychics, although Amy has tried to distinguish herself as the most normal of the group, saving her family from utter embarrassment. She can't prevent embarrassment, though, when she's caught chasing cows and goats in her undergarments and galoshes by the hot neighbor cowboy. The summer takes on a more sinister turn when old skeletons are discovered nearby, and Amy begins being visited by a ghost. Stories of a violent ghost spread through the town, and Amy needs to find out if it is her ghost attacking people, or if there is something much more dangerous at work.
Texas Gothic was a breath of fresh air--a paranormal mystery that doesn't follow the usual formula. Instead, the paranormal aspects are out in the open from the get-go, and there is a very solid, very real story that doesn't rely on the paranormal goings on. In fact, you could take the ghost and the witches out of this book and would still have a compelling read. The otherworldly features are merely icing on the cake for those of us who enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.
The mystery isn't too much of a, well, mystery, but the subplot of the ghost added another dimension to the discoveries the protagonist makes. The book frequently references Nancy Drew, but I never read those books, so instead I was reminded of Scooby Doo.
Amy and hot cowboy Ben have a fun back and forth going on. As I was reading, I kept thinking of the lyrics to the swing tune "Something's Gotta Give." Other songs that would go well on a Texas Gothic playlist:
"Witchcraft"
Marty Robbins' "Stampede," "Cottonwood Tree," and "Feleena"
Gene Autry's "Yellow Rose of Texas" and "Dear Old Western Skies"
Roy Rogers' "Bury Me Out on the Lone Prairie"
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Clement-Moore's writing really evokes being out on a Texas ranch, and was a ton of fun to read. It's a welcome change from carbon-copy YA paranormal fiction. Also recommended for those who have a love of archaeology, as much of the book involves working on a dig! -
2.5 Stars
I really wanted to like this book. I can't tell you how much I wanted to like this book! It started out sooo soo good!! With goats that were climbing up a tree and escaping their pen and a girl chasing them in her underroos while a hot cowboy rides up and helps her herd them back into their pen and thinks she's nuts because goats don't climb trees.
I mean... THAT was most awesome!!!
But what got me was the way this was written. IT was NOT the funny book I thought it was going to be. I mean, I was grinning from ear to ear for like the forst 30 pages and then... It got too smart for me. The kids talk like the have doctrines and stuff and I just don't dig it when kids in books do that.
Now, granted the Sister PHIN is like a girl SHELDON from THE BIG BANG THEORY and she's actually in college so I'll let that one slide... but not every kid in America talks like that! It just drove me insane.
So, this book is all about Amy (who just graduated) and her sister Phin (who is a genius) housesitting their aunt's farm. OH! And the kicker is they come from a family of witches. Da da da.... PARANORMAL PLOT THICKENS.
Phin is into the scientific part of magic and Amy just wants to be left out of the bibbidy bobbidy boos. That is until one day she's moseying over to the cowboy's ranch and finds a skull that just so maybe might belong to a real live ghost.
SCOOBY DOO!! WHere are you?!! Oh yeah... and her dog found it ;)
Sigh... its not a bad book... I'm sure extremely smart people would love this book... but for me and my small brain I just wanted to gripe, moan, and groan and go all zombie on it. I just didn't dig all the BRAINZ!
Plus... Dialogue would go on and Amy would have a 2 paragraph inner monologue about what was just asked and then she would just BLURT out the answer. This totally confused me and irritated me that I found myself having to re-read several parts just to get to the point. AHHS! Stuff like that makes me want to kill brain cells ;) -
Amy Goodnight is the straightwoman in a family of psychics and witches -- she just wants to major in pre-med and live a nice, practical life. But when she and her older sister agree to take care of their Aunt Hyacinth's farm while she takes a vacation, Amy's life gets a little more complicated. Not only do the goats keep escaping from their pen by climbing trees -- but she seems to have attracted a ghost, and finds herself tangled up with a mystery involving the farm next door and the handsome young cowboy who runs it.
The Good: Overall, I enjoyed this story. The beginning, especially, was lighthearted and funny, as Amy tries to keep the animals under control and her sister from potentially blowing the house up with her paranormal experiments. The development of the story, from Amy's attempts to distance herself from her family's general kookiness to her acceptance of her own magical talents, wasn't particularly deep, but was decently well-told and believable. Most of the surrounding characters were well-developed, and Amy's relationship with her sister was funny and true to life. I can wholeheartedly recommend this part of the book.
The Bad: The romance! This part of the story nearly ruined the book for me. It started off on the wrong foot -- Amy meets Ben when she's dashed out of the house in her underwear -- and just got worse. They both insult each other constantly, argue all the time, and aside from physical attraction (Ben is really, really, really hot) have absolutely nothing in common and don't even seem to like each other. And aside from kissing, none of this really changed over the course of the book. Amy excuses Ben's jerkiness because he's hot, has a Sad Backstory, and plays bass guitar -- but I don't. I kept wanting to step into the book and pick anyone else -- anyone! -- to be the replacement love object. But your mileage may vary, as they say.
I'm definitely on board to look for more of this author's books. I'm just not sure I want to read any more about this particular couple, much as I loved Amy. -
I'm drawn to a pretty cover like a frat boy to a keg. With this rash of supernatural YA lit, the covers are almost always delicious, while the text is, more often than not, dull, trite and borderline unreadable. Not so with Texas Gothic, the story of two witchy sisters ranch-sitting for a month in Texas for their Aunt. The story follows Amy Goodnight, the straight arrow (by choice) in a family of Lutheran kitchen witches and her connection to a ghost, the Mad Monk, that terrorizes the land surrounding her aunt's land. Amy and her sister, Phin, a genius witch who embraces her gifts, end up helping a group of college kids and a professor on a dig when human bones are found nearby.
The romance, because of course there is one, is of the will-they-or-won't-they variety between Amy and the cowboy next door, Ben, who has some resentment built up against the 'crazy' Goodnight family. The sparring between Amy and Ben is fun and sexy. The problem with so many of these new supernatural type YA books is that the male lead is almost always this brooding jerk without any real redeeming qualities. Ben is sexy, perhaps slightly brooding, but not in that 'nobody understands me' way, but in a manly, hard-working cowboy way.
All in all, I enjoyed this novel. The ghost is spooky, I liked both Amy and Phin, and I loved the anticipation of Amy and Ben. If you like YA, the paranormal and romance, you will like Texas Gothic. -
Light-hearted, fun tale of witches, spells and ghost hunting on a Texas ranch.
Main character Amy is interesting and well developed, but it's her absent minded genius sister Phin that is the best thing about this book. Phin is studying Chemistry and Physics at University and is developing technology so that she can track paranormal activity. She reminds me of Hotlzmann from ghostbusters.
So nothing new or groundbreaking here but the characters are warm and likeable, there's a bit of a mystery, and there's a nice bit of a tension and attraction between Amy and her grumpy neighbour.
Good for turning off your brain and enjoying a few hours of escapism. -
Read from November 1-2, 2013
2nd read - June 24-25
I really loved this book. The story and the characters are really interesting, I love that Amy and Phin come from a family of witches with paranormal abilities, and I would've loved to have read more about them. I see that there's a second book, but apparently it's about their cousin Daisy, who puts in an appearance in this book too. I'm glad about that, but disappointed that the focus won't be on Amy. This particular story has ghosts, cowboys, buried treasure, archaeology, and paranormal science, how great is that! I loved it the first time I read it and it delivers again the second time. =) -
Well for one, the cover is rather gorgeous. I love the vibrant red of the girl's lips and the scarlet of her hair and the pale pink color tones and the wisps of white that wreathe the title and the splash of green for her eyes. I think it's a beautiful color palette.
And then there is the story, which promises to be beautiful as well. I loved Clement-Moore's The Splendor Falls and I hope that in these pages I'll find more of the same magic and suspense and wonderful characters and delectably drool-worthy descriptions of food. -
Amy Goodnight tries very hard to maintain an appearance of normalcy- despite the fact that her family possesses magical powers. Her summer job includes watching goats on her aunt's ranch while she is away, and trying to keep her paranormal-obsessed sister Phin from generating gossip. It doesn't help that her neighbor, Ben, is always catching her at the most awkward moments. When a ghost appears in Amy's room, she finds herself being drawn into a web of mystery. The ghost's warning is all too clear: "Find me, or die."
--Tiffany J. -
4.5 stars
I really LOVED Rosemary Clement-Moore's debut book, The Splendour Falls, and read it over and over again as a teenager. I was always curious about her other works and so finally decided to read Texas Gothic. After I got over how very YA this book is, it took me back to my love for this author. Everything I loved about The Splendour Falls was in this book. It is a perfect read for October! It has witches, ghosts, people being possessed, an awesome setting on dusty ranches during a Texas summer and a really cute love interest. What else do you need?
I really loved the MC Amy, not just because of her name, but I also loved her sister's role in this book. as well. I always love it when a book focuses on two sisters because really being a part of a sister pair is great! It also focuses on family and what it means to be apart of one. This book definitely gave me the creeps at times but also made me laugh. All the side characters where full and rounded people that really added to the story.
I liked how the ending was realistic. We didn't see two teens riding off into the sunset but two teens living their lives and making things work. I found the excavation scenes interesting and really added to the story. It is a shame that Moore hasn't published anything since 2014 because I really enjoy her books.
Amy x -
Hmm. I have mixed feelings about this one. I really enjoyed the first chunk, and thought I was really going to like Amy's voice throughout the story. Which I did. But I guess I didn't really like the story that much? The first time the ghost showed up in Amy's room was really spooky and exciting, and I loved all the banter between her and Ben, but then it just turned to a story about people digging up bones. It was almost like reading a book version of Time Team, and I thought it was pretty underwhelming. But then fun and silly things would happen to Amy, and cute things would happen with Ben, and then the ending was exciting, so I don't know. I didn't like that the majority of it was just people digging and trying to find information on a ghost I didn't care about. But I liked a lot of the character stuff.
