Debut novelist Cherie Priest sets out to update the Southern gothic and although it's a not entirely successful effort, it's definitely an enthusiastic one. Multiracial, cool, gorgeous Eden Moore is a heroine so full of spunk that she verges on the obnoxious at times but, like the novel itself, she possesses a certain undeniable charm. Unlike her literary predecessors, who couldn't manage much more than screams and faints, Eden handles everything with aplomb. From a seeing the dead to a determined, if ineffective, stalker-cousin with murderous intent to revelations of rotting incestuous family roots to an over-the-top supernatural finale set in the middle of a swamp -- Eden can handle it. Priest is most effective as a writer when describing Eden's youthful ghostly encounters with eerie panache, but with sequels in the offing she may stick with Buffyesque supernatural butt-kicking rather than more nuanced chills. She has obvious potential no matter what path she takes. (CFQ Vol. 37, Issue #8)