Everyone knows the Goodnights are eccentric. Kooky. Crazy. They just don't know how different they are.
Amy Goodnight knows, though. She knows the Goodnights are witches. She grew up with witches, even if she doesn't practice herself.
So yes. The Goodnights are odd and different.
But Amy, she knows how everyone sees her is important and so she carefully blocks off her home life from her public one, smoothing problems over and keeping the whole witch thing very much secret.
But then Amy and her sister Phin agree to look after their Aunt's ranch over the summer. Big, big mistake. And we're not talking about the presence of the ghost of Uncle Burt. Or the fact Amy runs around in her underwear to scare off a cow and then gets into a fight about ghosts with a hot cowboy (still in her underwear). Oh no. It is just... so much worse.
It's bad. Catastrophic-paranormal-happenings bad. A dead-body-found and ghostly-attacks bad. So the Goodnight sisters are dragged into an investigation – one that could reveal the very secret Amy has been fighting to hide for so, so many years – and draw up a whole rush of old memories...
I've never read anything by Rosemary Clement-Moore before, although I've been eying Texas Gothic for what feels like forever. I am so glad that I was able to read it, because I loved it. It was amazing; I just gobbled it all up! I am now going to buy every single book by Clement-Moore, because even if they're only a quarter as good as this it'll be more than worth it. And I was so pleased to see she has written a Goodnight sequel!
I loved all the characters – especially Amy, who was brilliant. She was funny, sarcastic and just a really great character you could fall in love with from the very beginning. She had me laughing my head off, hunting ghosts and wincing – because man did this girl get herself into some awkward scrapes!
Her sister Phin was just as amazing: she was an evil scientific genius. I love that in a girl. Plus, she was just so darn quirky and bizarre. Oddly enough, this made me relate to her more. I wonder why…
As for Ben, well he is gorgeous. I mean, yes, he's grumpy and bitingly sarcastic and moody. But he's also sweet and funny and gruffly caring – the perfect mix of annoying and sweet!
It helped that I loved the relationship between him and Amy. I loved that it wasn't love-at-first-sight. It was an insta-hate – a very understandable one, given the circumstances! It was also just hilarious. Their banter was one of the highpoints of the books. And I loved watching how their relationship changed and grew. It was really sweet and also really real.
The rest of the characters were brilliant too – especially, Ben's Mom, Mark, Aunt Hyacinth and Uncle Ben. I also just loved all the Goodnights – especially Cousin Daisy; her bickering with Phin was hilarious! The Goodnight kookiness kinda reminded me of my own very crazy family. If only we had magic though...
I will admit, for quite a while I was completely confused about the whole magic thing. However, this didn't really bother me, because I loved the characters, writing, plot and humour and I wasn't confused for long, but it was a little niggle. It was sorted out and by the end I knew everything there was to know about the magic in this world – and I loved it!
Speaking of: I loved the writing. It was just so Amy: if I met her or someone like her, this is exactly how I'd expect them to talk and act. Her writing was descriptive, beautiful, funny and very witty. It had me laughing a lot, but also totally hooked and on the edge of my seat as I raced for the end and for all the answers. Because this plot was amazing. It was so twisty and exciting and unexpected. I never knew what to expect next, which was obviously very fun!
Plus, it's just so different from your typical YA paranormal stuff. I read a lot of witch books, but I found everything in Texas Gothic totally original. Maybe it was the Texas setting, or the unusual twist on magic – it's all really... I don't know. Realistic seems like the wrong word. And yet it's true. Somehow the magic in this world feels real. Even the ghosts. Speaking of, there's also suspense and borderline-horror:
it was totally hooking and mildly terrifying. And, of course, it was all absolutely hilarious as well! Or maybe it's the Goodnight family, who I love to pieces. They're all bizarre, funny and all so different. I so want to read much, much more about them! Many sequels' worth, Miss Clement-Moore!
With bundle of magic, suspense and ghosts, with added laugh-your-pants-off-powder and one sexy cowboy, Texas Gothic is every paranormal lover's dream book. It's funny, it's fun, it's the perfect summer read. But maybe read in daylight. Those ghosts? Creepy!
Star Rating: 4¼ Out of 5
Read this book if you liked:
The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood
Blood Journals by Tessa Gratton
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Wicca Series by Cate Tiernan
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