Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren for this eARC of Cursed Cruise.

The Ghost Gang is back in this YA paranormal adventure aboard the Queen Anne: a fictive cruise liner modeled after the real-world Queen Mary. While on the inaugural cruise following a decade-long face lift, Kiki, Emma, Chase, and Chrissy must unravel the haunting that have led to more deaths aboard this ship than any other cruise liner in history, break a century old curse, and set hundreds of restless spirits free from the cyclic hell of reliving their deaths ad eternum - all while battling demons of their own.

Using the classic convention of rotating POVs, the authors have put together a fun, spooky romp that tackles teenaged relationships, parental trauma, and the real-world implications of refusing to let those that love us most see us as we really are. The story skips around a bit with a handful of presumptions required by the reader, but it’s a quick and fun read.

Have you even wondered what would happen if the Scooby Doo gang grew up in today’s era? Well, here it is! This one takes place on a cruise ship, which is cursed. It’s fun, and moves quickly. One thing the author got right is the teenagers. Some people can’t write teen voices without it feeling artificial. This author can. I really liked our friends, especially Chase, who I initially thought would have no personality. The premise of the book, a ghost hunting show that’s trying to get going, and runs into some serious paranormal stuff is clever and likely to appeal to a lot of theater and journalism type students.