Release Date: November 15th, 2011
Genre: Didactic, Non-scary Horror
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 523
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

They say the dead should rest in peace. Not all the dead agree.One night, Silas Umber's father Amos doesn’t come home from work. Devastated, Silas learns that his father was no mere mortician but an Undertaker, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother have no choice but to return to Lichport, the crumbling seaside town where Silas was born, and move in with Amos’s brother, Charles.

Even as Silas eagerly explores his father’s town and its many abandoned streets and overgrown cemeteries, he grows increasingly wary of his uncle. There is something not quite right going on in Charles Umber’s ornate, museum-like house—something, Silas is sure, that is connected to his father’s disappearance. When Silas’s search leads him to his father’s old office, he comes across a powerful artifact: the Death Watch, a four hundred year old Hadean clock that allows the owner to see the dead.

Death Watch in hand, Silas begins to unearth Lichport’s secret history—and discovers that he has taken on his father’s mantle as Lichport’s Undertaker. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his father—no matter the cost.

Blurb: Yes, we get it: honor your ancestors. Please MOVE ON!

Review: 80% of this book was just the author going on and on about how the living should always remember the dead. Respect your ancestors and history and whatnot. I often found myself rolling my eyes as the author said this AGAIN and AGAIN just using slightly different words.

The other 20% was filled with irrationally emotional characters, ONE zombie who was actually really boring, a creepy relationship with a dead girl, and three ghosts who I think we're supposed to be some version of the fates. This was only slightly more interesting than the other 80%.

If it wasn't a holiday, and if I hadn't been able to read about 250 pages a day, I would NOT have finished this book. It was just dreadfully dull.

Other Reviews:

• Ageless Pages (Loved it!)
• Mon Palais (It was okay)
• Allyson (Didn't Like It)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.