Review of the deepest cut

The Deepest Cut

(MacKinnon Curse #1) 

By J.A. Templeton 

About: 

Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother’s life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she’s somehow responsible for her mom’s death, Riley is desperate to see her mother’s elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley believes her life couldn’t get worse––that is until the ghost of nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon catches her purposely cutting herself. An uneasy truce quickly turns into friendship, and soon Riley’s falling hard for Ian.

Riley believes her gift could help Ian end the curse that has kept him tied to the land for centuries, but that would mean letting him go forever and she’s not sure she is strong enough to do that. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough, the spirit of the woman who killed Ian returns and she’ll stop at nothing to keep Riley from helping Ian find eternal peace.

Source: Goodreads

My rating: 4.5/5 

My Thoughts: 

‎Ghost stories aren't really my thing (aside from nearly headless Nick in HP) but I'm glad I read the deepest cut by J.A. Templeton. This book was creepy enough to be believable but not so bad that I was scared out of my wits. 

The story is about a girl called Riley, who has been able to see ghosts ever since the car accident with her mother, where her mother died but she survived. Generally Riley tries to ignore the spirits because if she pretends not to see them they leave her alone, and if she acknowledges them then they don’t stop harassing her.  

Riley is American but she, her brother Shane and her father move for her father’s work to Braemar, a village in Scotland. There she meets Ian, the resident castle ghost.  

Ian was poisoned by a psychotic servant who fell in love with him, and to make matters worse she cursed him so he can’t ever move on. Riley befriends Ian and vows to help him any way she can. 

In addition, Riley self-harms by cutting herself when things get tough. This added factor makes Riley more real to the reader, because not many can see ghosts, or survive a car crash where their parent dies, but I'm sure many can understand depression or self-harm.  

Ian helps Riley deal with the guilt of her mother's death, and her cutting addiction, while she tries to help him move on.  

Unfortunately, the spirit that cursed Ian, Laria, is still around and she's determined to make Riley's life hell if she helps Ian or gets close to him. This isn't as easy as it sounds since Riley and Ian are falling for each other and Riley knows that once Ian goes, she will be all alone...  

Zed (: 

Favourite Quotes: 

He reached out, his hand resting on my shoulder. “Yer mother died as she was supposed to. Fate decided that. Not you.” 

“It’s probably just as well that you don’t like him. He’s a heartbreaker, that one.” 

Weren’t they all? 

“Then what are you so afraid of? I asked, terrified of the answer. 

He reached up, cupped my face with his large hands, and said, “I’m afraid of not being able to leave you when the time comes.” 

I hated sneaking into the castle again. If I were caught, a breaking-and-entering charge would be the least of my problems. I had no idea if I could explain to my dad, or the cops for that matter, why I had done it. If I said anything about searching for an eighteenth-century journal that belonged to a witch who had cursed the ghost I had fallen in love with, my dad would have me committed on the spot.