Red Rabbit Ghost, Jen Julian (Review by Darlene Smoliak)

Red Rabbit Ghost is described as a haunting debut horror novel. Author Jen Julian has crafted a story that will immerse you in a world of magic and family drama. It is eerie, magical, dark, and so addicting. The story centers around Jesse, a college freshman, who begins to receive odd messages from someone back in his hometown of Blacknot. They imply that they know something about the death of Jesse’s mother. You see she died on a riverbank in mysterious circumstances with Jesse laying beside her as an infant. Jesse has no memory of her but he does have a burning desire to know more about her. Jesse has always been an outcast in his hometown so needless to say some of the townsfolk aren’t too happy with him poking into town business. As we learn more about the people of Blacknot we are introduced to Alice who has more than enough issues of her own. As the story unfolds and Jesse receives more of the mysterious messages he becomes more and more obsessed with finding out what happened to his mother. Did his mother harm herself or did something much more sinister happen? This novel kept me on the edge of my seat. Once I opened it I could not put it down. The dynamic between Jesse and Alice fascinated me and I eagerly flew through those pages. The story is full of magic and mystery. It is dark and intriguing and definitely made for a reader like me. If you’re a fan of magic and horror and can let yourself slide a little beyond belief this is one of those novels to completely lose yourself in.