Blog Tour Review: The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name by Reece Carter

The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name is a deliciously dark, spooky adventure filled with intrigue, danger and magic as well as some wonderfully unique, heart-warming friendships.  Corpse’s quest to find her memories, her family and her name, whilst battling terrifying villains, kept me utterly spellbound throughout.

Corpse is a ghost who has made herself a body from wax with green seaweed hair and shells for eyes.  She believes that possessing this effigy will stop her from facing Death Proper and allow her to stay in the world of the living.  She haunts the roof of a shack on the rock-that-doesn’t exist as it is kept hidden from prying eyes by the three witches that live there, witches that Corpse avoids.  She stays hidden from the terrifying witches, and is alone except for her rather endearing and loyal friend:  a huntsman spider which she has named Simon and who communicates with her through a series of clicks. 

When Corpse is visited by a ghost, the Old Man, she is warned that she needs to escape from the rock as the witches are determined to regain their lost treasure, a precious treasure that actually belongs to Corpse, and which will restore her lost memories.  The witches need the treasure in order to restore their magic, magic that is being lost to them as the rock dies.  Can Corpse find her lost treasure, and stop the witches becoming even more powerful?  Can she unlock her memories, and discover the name that has been lost to her?

And so begins the most incredible tale as Corpse finds herself in the eerily atmospheric fishing town of Elston-Fright: a tale of darkness, danger and treachery, with heart-pounding twists and turns, which had me racing through the pages of this brilliantly fast-paced adventure. I loved that Corpse was reunited with a friend she thought she had lost forever, and that she makes some new friends which balances the darker moments of the story as she battles against the chilling cruelty of the witches.  I’m going to leave it there for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say that this is a story that will wind its way into your heart, and both warm and chill it, as secrets are uncovered and the past comes to haunt.

There is a darkness in this story that is perfect for spooky nights and a real otherworldly atmosphere with nail-biting moments of tension and spine-tingling frights.  There are also some wonderful friendships, and an underlying sense of hope as Corpse comes to realise that the strength of her magic doesn’t come from the magic of the rock, or even her treasure, but from the love she has for her found family and friends.  I found the ending beautifully heart-warming – and then there is ‘Elsewhere’ which makes me desperately hope that there will be another visit to Elston-Fright!

This is the most magical, spine-tinglingly spooky adventure to cuddle up with on a dark evening, perfect for readers of 9+ and their adults!  An absolute must-devour-in-one-sitting read!

Author Information

Reece Carter is a high-profile Australian nutritionist who has written two
non-fiction books for adults, appeared on many of Australian’s major
television networks, and written for magazines like GQ. He grew up in
rural Western Australia and now lives in Sydney. He has always wanted
to write for children and The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name is his first
novel, perfect for fans of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman.

Thank you so much to Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and to Usborne for providing me with a copy of The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do check out the other stops on this week’s Blog Tour below: