The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts

Tansley has created a fast paced story with a little bit of everything to suit a large audience. The hint of the paranormal mixed with fantasy, and science fiction will engage teens.

Read from May 20 to 22, 2015

I would like to thank Netgalley and Beckett Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I liked the book, I thought it was a good ghost story. It's not really creepy or anything, some of the ideas are creepy, like ghosts taking over your body for good, but that's about it.

Every since Kat was a child she could see ghosts, they rocked her in her cradle, sang her to sleep, became friends with her. Until... one day she finds a very creepy ghost around her all of the time and she starts missing chunks out of her day. Another ghost named Toria comes to her and says this ghost is trying to take over her body. Well as you can imagine, this freaks Kat out, but Toria says she will help her get rid of her. I won't go on about all of that, I will just say it worked.

Years later.. she is on a project with her class to go to Castle Creighton in CT to try to find out what happened many years ago. There seems to be a curse on the family and all of the children die at some point. There is one heir left, Joshua Radcliffe and they are going to see if they can find the curse and help him out. The group includes, Morgan, Kat's best friend, Seth and their TA, Evan.

It turns out Kat can't seem to fight all of the ghosts in this castle and they find her again. She finds Toria again, whom she loved and wanted to see again anyway. It turns out Toria and the evil ghost, Leanna is involved in the castle business.

Kat and Evan get pulled into a mirror that takes them back to the time frame of the first murders and they have to solve the crime. This they succeed in doing after coming back through the portal with the help of Toria, their friends, and the Radcliffe's.

I thought it to over all to be a very good little ghost story with some good characters and background.

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Thank you to NetGallery & Beckett Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC to read.

Normally I stay away from ghost stories and murder mysteries because I get scared pretty easily but the synopsis was too intriguing and once I had already started the book I was hooked. The storyline is intricately weaved throughout past and present, the living and the dead, love and loss, family and friends, containing everything without having too much of anything. I was totally spun around in circles as I tried to decipher the mystery alongside Kat and Evan. I also loved how everything was tied back together, there were no coincidences.

Kat herself is a great narrator, I liked her the instant I met her. And all the friends she met along the way. Tansley created a great cast of interesting characters. The dialogue and writing in general was compelling and I found myself reading through the entire thing in one sitting. At one point I got a Withering Heights vibe from the story which was very cool.

Overall, this book gives a fresh take on what it means to see ghosts and I think it caters to a wide array of readers, even those who are more easily frightened than others. It had the perfect amount of mystery, romance, history, intrigue and ghostly friends. So glad I got the opportunity to read this.

I loved this book. I'm not a person who reads a lot of ghost stories but I really enjoyed this book.This book drew me right into world of mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance, betrayal, curses, spells and the paranormal along with its many twists and turns that can't be foreseen in a place where nothing is as it first appears. I love a book like this.
This book is about a young girl named Kat who could see ghost since a young age, she become friends with them. That is until one ghost started following her around, and she started missing chunks of her day. Another ghost lets her know that the one taking chunks of her day wants to take over her body for good. Obviously Kat would freak out about that; I mean I would to. The ghost named Toria said she will help her stop this ghost from taking over Kat's body and the plan they had worked.

Years later she went on a project with her best friends to a castle called Castle Creighton in CT. They want to find out what happened there, it seems that there is a curse on the family at that castle and all of the children die at some point. There is one heir left, Joshua Radcliffe and Kat and her friends want to see if they can break the curse and help him out. Back in the castle she finds the ghost Toria, who she loves dearly, but she found out that Toria and the evil ghost has something to do with the curse. This is a very good book and would recommend it to everyone.

The moment I got accepted to read this I dived right in! I was hooked immediately by Ms. Tansley's world and I loved her term for ghosts, the Unbelievables! Her details make you feel like you've fallen into the world, definitely brought a chill to my spine!

Kat has been blocking out ghost for most of her life, ever since one tried to possess her when she was a kid. By the way, that ghost reminded me of the ghost from the first two Insidious *shudder*. This ghost and her, we find out they're connected. The mystery was spun with many twist and turns, I was quite shocked. From the beginning I was wondering how this ghost found her when their not close in distance wise, so the depth in this story really pulled me in! And the emotion of Kat trying to find a way out of this project really pulled at my heart strings. Like I said she's been blocking out the ghost after she got some advice from a ghost most of her life, so to watch all the hard work crumbling down around her was heart breaking. However, we find out that this is her destiny.

The mystery was intriguing, it kept me on my toes. And when they got sucked into the past, that was seriously an interesting experience. This element in the book definitely makes it stand out! It's unique and refreshing with taking us there to when the murders happened! I don't want to say too much but I am going to say I was quite surprised that there was witchcraft (I just reread the summary and I shouldn't have been surprised haha). I don't think any of them are witches but there's lots of spells and curses going on so it was another element that had me hooked. Actually, I can't remember if we find out what Kat is so I'm hoping we'll be learning a lot more about her in the next one. Even Kat doesn't know what she is, all she knows is that she's a believer.

Overall this was a fun ghost mystery! I really enjoyed that it was all about the mystery and not surrounded by romance. There's a small hint of it, especially at the end so I'm excited to see how it'll go in the next one but I'm glad this one was all about Kat finding herself, even though she didn't know she needed to be found.

This book has lots of good points about it!. I love to read ghosts stories but this book also has some time travel and some mystery. I loved every bit of this book and could not put it down until the end. I can't wait to read book 2! * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I love stories about ghosts!! I felt this book had a steady flow and lots of mystery. I really liked Kat as a character. And Creighton Castle was both creepy and fascinating. This was a really fun read!

I received a copy from Netgalley, to read and review.

I enjoyed this book and the mystery that it contained. It wasn't just a ghost story, it was solving an ages old mystery. It felt like there should be more to the story to delve into why Sebastian needed a guardian and why all the families were connected.

over all a great read!

This novel was not quite what I was expecting. I didn't expect for their to be as many paranormal elements involved. I knew there were ghosts, but I thought it would be a time travel novel where the ghosts helped them solve an ancient murder. What I got was a novel filled with curses, magic, and twisted love triangles.

Although it wasn't what I was expecting, I did enjoy the novel. The characters were likable and fairly well developed. The murder mystery was fascinating (as they usually are). I found the curse on the Radcliffe family intriguing and it kept me guessing throughout the book.

Kat is a likable character, but I found her connection with the unbelievables to be somewhat confusing. She was a believer who was pretending not to believe and forgetting about them, but then was suddenly a believer again. I don't know, it was all very circular thinking that I couldn't keep clear in my head.

When Kat and Evan are transported back in time (into the bodies of two of the wedding guests for the couple they are researching), things became very twisted. I enjoyed seeing events from Toria and Kat, but the swap between the two thoughts was a bit abrupt at times. All of the characters from the 1800s were quite fascinating and had some very mixed up love lives. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of who exactly was in love with whom.

The novel was an enjoyable read, but at times it was tackling too much. There were a lot of connections between the characters from the past and those from the present. The connections were interesting, but very paranormal based. An enjoyable read with lots of potential.

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts by K.C. Tansley is a new young adult paranormal novel. Kat Preston has been able to see ghosts since she is a baby. When she was nine years old, though, a ghost tried to take over her body. With the help of Toria, Kat kept the ghost from taking over, but she has had to repel ghosts (pretend they do not exist) ever since. Kat is now seventeen and, despite her best efforts, the ghosts are getting closer. On her seventeenth birthday Kat received a beautiful sapphire ring from her father. It is the same ring Toria wore when Kat saw her when she was nine (you know it is not a coincidence). Kat has never seen her father. Who is he and why has he stayed away?

Professor Astor is teaching The Lore and Lure of Historical Places this semester. He is focusing on Castle Creighton and the curse on the family (and its descendants). Professor Astor is sending a four person team to the town nearest the castle (Wright, Connecticut) and to Castle Creighton. Kat is a part of the team. She knows it will look good on her college applications. Kat is good with research and has experience with archaeology. Her mother is the renowned archaeologist, Dr. Valerie Preston. The other members of the team are Evan Kingsley. Evan is in college and Professor Astor’s teaching assistant. Evan believes in science and facts. Seth Fitzgerald is the expert (for someone in high school) on architecture and Morgan Sanchez, Kat’s best friend. Morgan is from Wright so she knows the people, castle, and lore.

The Creighton Curse is that the first born son of each generation will die on his honeymoon or on his twenty-third birthday (whichever comes first). They die bizarre and horrible deaths (as well as the wife). There is one last Creighton left. Joran Creighton is just weeks away from his twenty-third birthday. Can they solve the curse before his birthday? Will Kat be able to handle her gifts? Will Evan be made a believer in the unbelievable (Kat’s name for ghosts).

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts was a great book. I thoroughly loved reading it. It has ghosts and magic! I have just told you a little bit about what happens in the book. There is so much more. I give The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts 5 out of 5 stars (which means I loved it). I was glad that the book did not have the usual teenage angst or a lot of romance (it had just a little bit which was just right). The writer did a superb job drawing the reader (me) into the story and keeping the reader’s attention (I stayed up late reading it). I eagerly look forward to the next book in this series. There is a lot of names to keep track of along with the related family history. I like how the author tied everything together in the end.

I received a complimentary copy of The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun read. The characters were quirky and made you feel like part of the story. The explanation for ghosts was very good and believable. Definitely would read the next one.

Kat was in Professor McTernan's class of the lore and lure of historical places. Kat had to do a paper on a double murder that happened in 1886. Ghosts were things that Kat had actively avoided for the last 8 years. Ghosts were a constant presence since childhood, but Kat had some things to help her.
Kat was a young woman who had powers and she connected with her ancestors to do what had to be done. She was a great character, as were all the others.
The plot and overall story were very entertaining. I highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book It did start slow for me but what I got into the story I could not put it down. Great writing and great story. I loved it!

I enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more by this author. This is a ghostly mystery, set on a beautiful island. The main character is a teenage girl, who can see ghost, but learned as a child to not believe in them. What do you do when they don't want to be ignored anymore?
Interesting ideas, wonderful characters you enjoy getting to know, and a beautiful setting with secrets abound.

I would recommend to YA readers or anyone who likes a good ghost story!

Review: THE GIRL WHO IGNORED GHOSTS [THE UNBELIEVABLES, #1) by K. C. Tansley

Thank goodness this is a series--I can't wait! Kat is a 17-year-old prep school junior on scholarship in D. C., taking some university-level courses from Georgetown professors. She's called "the girl who ignored ghosts" not because she's a skeptic--far from it. Ghosts--one particular ghost--nearly destroyed her at age 9. Another, kind-hearted ghost, explained how to avoid them: think like an unbeliever, and ghosts can't penetrate that reality (and surround oneself with people, plants, animals, and stones). That works great, until her professor assigns his T. A., Kat, her roommate, and one other student to investigate Castle Creighton, on an island in Connecticut, with a history of family curse and wealth. Turns out both the kind-hearted ghost, and the life-destroying ghost, were present when the curse commenced 129 years earlier. No way is intrepid Kat going to be safe avoiding the multiple ghosts of mysterious and brooding Castle Creighton, Connecticut.

Kat is a great character - a requirement I insist on if I am going to finish reading a book. This wasn't a chore, although I did get a bit confused with the time travel/other story line aspect. I was rewarded for finishing and can't wait to see what happens next (yay Evan my new crush).

This book included a lot of unexpected elements I hadn’t expected from the synopsis provided.. such as time travel & light possession. I didn’t find the book terrifying but it did have a lot of creepy elements. I found the plot and the story entertaining and would recommend to those interested in time travel & ghost stories.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you believe in "The Unbelievables?" I definitely think that is a more fitting title. I even prefer just the series name, "The Unbelievables" better then I do "The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts." It just doesn't seem catchy enough to me, but hey that's just my opinion and really the only thing I didn't care for about this book. It was a fantastic debut!! The story was very entertaining and well-written. I don't want to call it an actual "ghost story" because it doesn't have the creepy, scary, suspense of a true ghost story but it is about ghosts, a 129-year-old murder and a family curse. I thought it was more of a fun, adventure/mystery story. There is also a little bit of time-travel in it too. I normally don't read time-travel stories because in my experience, more often then not, they aren't written very well, but that's not the case here. The author, K.C. Tansley, does an exceptional job articulating her ideas and putting pen to paper. She kept the dynamics simple and it worked. Well done!! I can't wait to see where "The Unbelievables" lead us next!

**I received this ARC from NetGalley & Beckett Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book was an enjoyable read aimed at the YA audience. Part ghost story, part time travel (and an interesting way of doing so) part teenage agnst the story romped along at a good pace.

Kat - our 'girl who ignores ghosts' is a likeable and capable main character and her supporting cast are well written too.

A few bits towards the end of the book felt a little too easy, a little contrived but this didn't detract from my enjoymnet. A good take on the paranormal, I will be looking out for book 2.

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts has a very unique take on the paranormal theme, which was a very thrilling read and difficult to put down!
Kat has been trying to "unbelieve" the "unbelievables", namely ghosts, since a very young age. She has largely succeeded up until now, when a research project investigating two murders from 129 years ago puts her right into the heart of everything she's tried to avoid! Murder, mystery, magic, intrigue, and time travel all make up this suspenseful tale. Kat and her friends quickly became very real for me, drawing me into the story with them and onto the edge of my seat for the dramatic solution and denouement of the murders.
I am very much looking forward to the next instalment of The Unbelievables to see where it leads Kat and her gang next!

Basically, this is a book similar to the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins and the Ruby Red series by Kerstin Gier, only not as good as either of them. I have no idea if this will turn into a trilogy like the other series I mentioned, though it definitely left room for a follow up. And, even though I insinuated its inferiority just now, I will definitely be reading the sequel to this book!

When I first came across this book, I was instantly interested! Mystery? Awesome! Historical paranormal events? WooHoo! Haunted castles and ghosts? YASSSS!! It had murder and magic and I was so there. I didn’t have high expectations as to the quality of the writing but I knew it was going to be a fun read! Plus, I really liked the cover. (Who here isn’t a sucker for a good cover design?!)

In a lot of ways, my initial estimation was accurate. The storytelling was lacking and there were some issues with the progression of character relationships, but I still had a lot of fun reading it. What was unexpected was the transition from an investigative story of a historical mystery in the first half of the novel into the second half, which is mostly a flashback perspective of the historical event they are investigating. It’s just a little out of nowhere when you’re expecting ghosts and get time-travel.

The story starts out promising. We get some ghostly exposition, spooky flickering lights, and a trip to a heavily haunted island castle…on a marsh. Woman in Black, anyone? We get a good collection of characters to color the rest of the story with. They each have something intriguing to make us wonder how the character dynamics are going to unfold. The protagonist is killer smart. The best friend suffers from a very typical best friend personality: extroverted and bubbly, encourages the protag to dress up at parties, eternally supportive. We are introduced to two equally probable romantic interests almost simultaneously. We have the infuriatingly intelligent and slightly hostile British man sending off some Darcy vibes of annoyance that could blossom into romantic tension. And then there’s the cocky, good-looking bad boy who doesn’t care about school and flirts non-stop. Get them in the same room interacting with our main character, Kat, plot stuff is happening and all I’m thinking is, “So, which one is it gonna be?!” Then we get introduced to a few other characters, including a handsome heir that Kat is inexplicably drawn to.

About half way through, however, the ghostly murder mystery with this interesting cast gets turned into a time jump story where only two of these original characters get pulled into the past, leaving the rest of the characters behind. Additionally, the motivations and relationships of characters could change all of a sudden without allowing enough natural progression. Though, you could understand where the change was coming from, it felt like the writer was rushing through to explain the plot rather than making it feel like a natural change the characters were working through. I liked the plot of the story, but the storytelling itself was jarring because of the swift explanations of altering situations, problems, and dynamics between characters.

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts by K.C. Tansley Beckett Publishing Group, 2015 Crime Fiction (Paranormal); 256 pgs

First Sentence: The two weeks leading up to finals were the perfect time to do research at Gilman Library--if you needed to be surrounded by people.

Ghosts do not exist. At least that is what Kat Preston keeps telling herself. After an incident in her childhood when a ghost she tried to help attempted to take possession of her body, Kat has tried to block out that part of her life ever since. A junior at the McTernan Academy, Kat and her best friend are chosen to take part in a research project investigating an 129 year old murder, which took place on a private island off the coast of Connecticut.

Kat is nervous about the project with good reason, especially when told she will be accompanying a team to the island to view the murder site in person. Being that close to such an old place will mean facing her old fears--and possibly facing the ghosts she's tried to keep at bay. Teaming up with Evan, a very scientific minded person, Kat feels a bit more confidant--even if she isn't too fond of the guy. Ghosts tend to avoid people who don't believe. And Evan is a non-believer. Things don't go exactly as planned while on the island. Suddenly Kat and Evan find themselves 129 years in the past, trapped in the bodies of a couple of the wedding guests. The only way to get back is to solve the murder, and hopefully break the curse tied to it.

K.C. Tansley has crammed quite a bit into The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts; murder, curses, betrayals, and family secrets abound. The novel got off to a slow start initially as the author set up the characters and the background for the story. Once Kat and the group were on their way to the island, I felt the novel really got under way and had a hard time putting it down after that. Kat and Evan, despite their initial animosity toward each other, make a good team as they work together to try and find out a way to solve the old murder.

I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story, the mystery of it all, but I do wish the characters had been more fully fleshed out. They seemed a bit two-dimensional. Still, all in all, it was a fun read, good for an escape.

I received this book from net galley in exchange for An honest review. All opinions are that of my own!

From the beginning of this book I found it interesting. I would have read it a lot faster if I didn't have kids, a dog, a husband etc. anyway like I said from the beginning I was interested. I really like the idea of other people talking to ghosts. Maybe not talking to me but reading about other people talking to them always grabs my attention. I really like how this girl is trying to have normal Life and pretend she doesn't believe in ghosts etc. anyway there are ghosts, mystery, time travel! It's a fun story for sure! I really enjoyed it and would read book two.

​The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is considered a Young Adult novel and I am far from that stage of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters in this novel bring you into their world and make a believer of the reader. The way the story ended I'm hoping there will be more from Ms Tansley and Kat's world. I was given a copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kat has forced herself to no longer believe in the ghosts she used to see as a child. But when she is asked to investigate Castle Creighton, she has to start believing again in order to save someone's life. Can't wait to read the next installment.

I hope there are many more in this series. I love how it spans multiple generations yet connects you to all of them! I hope to get to know more of Kat Preston!

An intriguing start to a magical, paranormal mystery series. If you are a fan of the supernatural, you’ll need to add this book to your list of must-reads! Kat Preston used to be able to see and help ghosts until one day a ghost went a little too far, now Kat has to do her best to ignore them in order to protect herself. She has been successful until she is sent to Castle Creighton to research a double murder mystery. The characters come alive as you read! You will not want to put this down!

Kat Preston has seen ghosts from the time she was a child. Well, she did, until she was taught by one of how to refuse to believe in them. This kept the ghosts away until she gets invited to Castle Creighton to investigate a curse on the family.

On their wedding night Cassie Mallory and Sebastian Radcliffe disappear without a trace. Cassie's room was covered in blood, leaving most people to suspect that she was killed by Sebastian. But why, and where did he go after that tragic night?

Kat, and the team from her school, including her research partner Evan Kingsley start investigating before they leave for the remote Isle of Acacia. They begin to uncover the story of the grisly murder, the curse that befalls the first born son of each generation, and the hauntings in the castle.

Kat is repeatedly drawn to a mirror, and one night she, accompanied by Evan, is pulled into the mirror. Waking up 129 years in the past, just before the wedding, possessing the bodies of Toria and Alastair, two of the guests at the castle. Knowing they have a short time to solve the mystery of the disappearance, the curse, and try to get back to their bodies, the game is afoot!

There are a number of enjoyable plot twists, and the mystery was a complete surprise to me, I wasn't able to figure it out beforehand due to layers upon layers of obfuscation and intrigue. This was a well played novel from K.C. Tansley. It is the first in a new series, and I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. This book was filled with mystery, time travel, curses, witchcraft, and a dash of romance.

Totally recommended for YA readers, about 8th grade and up. Adult readers will enjoy it as well though, but some of the teen drama may be unfamiliar. Those who like time travel, the paranormal, mystery, witchcraft, and light romance will enjoy this book. Four stars for the style, the characters, the story, and the execution of the plot. This is a great book.

The first half of the book dragged. The second half, I couldn't put it down! I loved the ghostly aspect of it. The history of the family part was a little stretched out and confusing. I hope to find out more about the title character. She seems to be the interesting one!

Very interesting story that left me hoping for more books in the series. If the next book is half as good as this one, it will be one heck of a book! Looking forward to reading more. Definitely recommend!