How did I get the book? Netgalley, thank you Capstone Young Readers

Genre: Mystery / Paranormal

Synopsis: Make him pay, Bayley. Make him pay.

It’s as if the wooden chest is luring me, urging me to open it – daring me almost. Open me up. Look inside. Come on, just for a second; it won’t hurt.

Celina O’Malley was sixteen years old when she disappeared. Now, almost forty years later, Bayley is sleeping in Celina’s room, wearing her clothes, hearing her voice. What does Celina want? And who will suffer because of it? A ghost story. A love story. A story of revenge.

200words (or less) review: Bayley’s family has moved into an old family home, the house left abandoned for nearly forty years after Celina went missing. The family tragedy isn’t talked about so Bayley doesn’t know a lot about her relative. The wooden chest with Celina’s clothes proves too hard to resist and as Bayley wears them she begins to know things about Celina she couldn’t possibly.

Portraits of Celina wasn’t as haunting a story as I anticipated, the mystery behind Celina’s death is straight forward. The story is more about Celina’s quest for vengeance. Slowly Bayley begins to loose herself in Celina while her own family continues to crumble around her.

I imagined Celina’s hold on Bayley to be darker and more twisted based on the blurb but while the book is intriguing it didn’t cause me any sleepless nights.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I would recommend Portraits of Celina for those who enjoy mysteries with a paranormal twist.

Recommend it?

Yes

Expected publication:
April 1st 2015 by Switch Press