slow and moving, but at times you feel seperated from the topics of discussion a bit more than I feel would have been better. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Among Ghost was a great dive into Charl's struggles with being powerless and overcoming supernatural obstacles along the way. He is truly among ghost and needs to find a way back home. I loved seeing the intricate world of the ghost and how they impacted the living.

The beginning was a slower pace and introspective, but I found the ending picked up in a satisfying way. I also appreciated that Charl's identity as a boy was an important factor in the storyline, when he wasn't always seen as a boy.

Spooky, intense, and interesting. If you're looking for a YA with heart, consider this one! There is another series in this world but set later and with no overlap. You can easily read this as a standalone or continue onto the series!

I enjoyed this adventure back into the unique world of Seraphina and Tess! I've enjoyed every book of Rachel Hartman's I've read and this was no exception. She does themes very well, and the ones I appreciated most in this book had to do with choice and agency (and complicity) and memory. Charl builds relationships with people of many ages and backgrounds, which I always enjoy and which middle grade seems to do the best. Rachel Hartman's writing style is also lovely, and I enjoyed the expansion in this familiar world.

I love the concept of the Wise Child, and the stories of the ghosts, and the collection of characters who ended up being Wise Children themselves. My favorite branch of the plot was with the Battle Bishop and how he does not change and he is always a threat; but in the end he is an ally because Charl has the benefit of knowing the part of him that has reason through their mutual connection to the ghosts of the girls, and - and this is the part that intrigued me the most - Charl has *need* of his bloodthirsty qualities that he can never overcome.

St. Muckle may be out of the way, but anyone can earn their freedom by living there for a year and a day. Charl and his mom have been there for seven years when Charl sees a ghost. That event is only the beginning when there is a murder, a plague, and a dragon! Charl gets away from the dragon but ends up at an abandoned abbey with terrors of its own. What truths will Charl learn from his experience? Will he make it out of these events with his life?

Among Ghosts is a stand-alone fantasy novel that is set in the world of Seraphina. Readers do not need to have read the original story to understand the events of this book, yet those that do will find correlations. This story had fantasy and adventure with a young man discovering who he is and who he wants to be. I wanted to love this book because I loved the original series, but this story just couldn’t keep my attention. Among Ghosts will please some, but not all readers.

I fell in love with Rachel Hartman's debut novel Seraphina when I was in middle school, and Among Ghosts is a wonderful revival of the world. While I was sad not to see any familiar characters or overlap with previous installments, I also understood Hartman's desire to explore a fresh perspective of this story. This was just the kind of book I loved when I was 12-14: fiction the perfectly bridged the gap between middle grade and young adult, written with children as protagonist's but engaging frankly with concepts of death, abuse, and heartbreak. I was reminded most vividly of Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass: Pullman, like Hartman, is another talented writer of children on the cusp of transition between worlds, facing down adult challenges while still indulging in silly crushes and daydreams.

4/5 ⭐️
The perfect book to bridge from middle grade to YA.

Now I haven’t read this authors other books, but I heard great things about her Seraphina and decided to give her newest book a chance. This was amazing! It’s a fun story that simultaneously tackles tough issues in a manner that is digestible for a slightly younger audience while still being engaging for an older one. Just to list some of the topics tackled here: the idea of second chances, ghosts (literal and the past that haunts you), bullying, conformity, domestic abuse, being trans, kindness, and found family.

This is a story I, with my whole heart, recommend this to any lover of fantasy and stories like Ella Enchanted for example. It has a very similar tone to that while also weaving in great messages. I recommend this to anyone who reads middle grades and ya books. This was absolutely adorable and thought provoking. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children's for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I will say this book was not what I was expecting and having read Seraphina by this author in the past I was a little disappointed. My rating is probably closer to a 3.5, but I think I may have enjoyed it more if I had been more aware of the premise. It is not a book about seeing ghosts and then having wild adventures that includes dragons, though both dragons and ghosts are in the book. It is much more about character development and learning about the truths of the past no matter how they harm us. Overall it was an interesting book and the mystery and world building came together in a good way. I would probably recommend this book by starting with the fact that it's not for everyone, but for those who would resonate with it I think it would hit hard.
This is more a personal gripe of mine, but I do not enjoy reading about the fading pagan religion especially in a world where they are absolutely correct about what is out in the world and the christian force is killing them off in spades. I know this was framed as evil and bad in the books, but I still did not really enjoy it being a pagan myself.
Overall the characters were very interesting and the way the book came together in the end was really lovely. At times it felt as though the writing was for a younger audience, but then it would deal with very dark subjects so I would not give it to younger readers.

I had such an amazing experience reading this book. The way this author writes is so descriptive and beautiful that it was so easy imagining what she was trying to express without being overly wordy. It was a wild ride that had me hooked from the beginning.

I have never met a Rachel Hartman book I didn't like... and she continues that trend with her newest book Among Ghosts. Hartman tells a poignant story about grief, loss, change, and growth. She had me quietly contemplating at points and crying at others. This book offered a sort of catharsis when thinking about those we've lost. I was blown away by the way she explores choices and the weight of those choices.

We meet Charl right before all hell breaks loose in the town he resides in with his mother, a dutiful nun, a dragon doctor, and a knight who no longer slays dragons. Charl is dared to meet his nemesis at the old monastery, but while there destruction occurs leaving neither boy the same as they went up. Shortly after this mishap plague settles on Charl's town and the past he and his mother have run from is catching up. A dragon, a nun, and a spymaster are all pursuing Charl and his mother and they have to figure out how to respond. What's left is a story that will linger with you.

I will say that even though she's not a main character, I loved the role Charl's mother played in this story, she is a parent who saw her child's safety and happiness, and ability to be himself threatened and does everything she can to protect him and support him. It was a display of parenthood that resonated and that I wish all children received. Hands down her character is so well written.

I could probably go on for hours about all the pieces of this story that resonated with me or kept me turning pages but I would love you as the reader to find out all those things for yourself. Hands down if you like fantasy you should check this book out. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy via Netgalley in Exchange for an honest review.

This book slayed so hard. Not only was the cover gorgeous, but so was the plot.

I was invested the entire time and wish I had more.

Rachel Hartman is seriously one of my favorite authors. I love her prose and style and was very excited to see her with a new addition to this world. Something about her evokes classic fantasy. It makes me feel like I'm in my childhood again full of wonder.

This book is a beautiful haunting and introspective novella that blends historical fiction with supernatural elements. Everything was painted in a vivid picture of both the horrors of war and the quiet, poignant moments of human connection. The novella explores themes of grief, duty, and the weight of the past with a delicate touch, making it a compelling and emotional read.

I'm going to start off with saying that that cover is absolutely gorgeous. This was my first Rachel Hartman story and I am very happy that it was a breeze to enter the world of Seraphina without an ounce of previous knowledge. This story was not what I expected from the summary though. I expected a bit more of an adventure type story, but despite having less excitement than I expected it was still very good. That opening chapter is memorable and a perfect example of what you will be getting through the book. The title brings to mind the ghosts both physical and mental of our main character and his character development throughout the narrative.

A middle grade novel that has some really deep themes that I adored. At times I got quite emotional reading it. The narrative is very powerful. Will check out from this author.

This book was truly wonderful and I could not stop reading. The characters were well developed an the world was amazingly done. There was something in each character that one could love.

Among Ghosts is set in the same world as Serphina, but earlier in time. Dragons are part of this delicious story of a very muddy town called St. Muckle’s, a runaway mother and son, a nun, and dragon fighter and a hosts of ghosts bound to an abandoned abbey. Life has only been looking up, when a plague descends upon their quiet turnip eating town.
The characters are so alive with such complexity and love. Their inner thoughts and actions were captivating. Everyone had a little bit that you could love.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
#AmongGhosts #NetGalley

This middle grade, with its rich imagery and world-building fills a niche in children's fantasy that is reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander or Brain Jacques with the unfortunately evergreen topics of bullying and misinformation. This novel would work very well in a classroom to teach about perspective taking, groupthink, as one of the antagonists uses subterfuge to spread lies and discord among a previously harmonious community. The addition of the ghosts and the evolution of their rather tragic backstories allow for discussion about how tradition can become warped over time and how important it is to ask questions. Identity and the trauma of living in an abusive household are also delicately touched on.

Hartman is a phenomenal world builder. This book is really anchored in its vivid imagery and that can almost make up for what the story lacks in depth, Charl is easy to bond with and feel sympathy for but solving problems that arise in the book often feels too easy for him. It seem that he relies very heavily on the ghosts to do it for him, This makes the back half of the book feel very rushed as all the major conflict is solved very quickly within the last threeish chapters. It is still however a very good book about identity and our ties to those around us both living and dead.