9/02/2019

Heaven´s End-Wen Die Geister Lieben by Kim Kestner

This book is completely different from the other one, I´ve read so far by Kim Kestner. In this one you will find the funniest ghost story, you can imagine. Set in Scotland and with figures that present and show all kinds of characters, your eyes see a world where danger and magic live close together.

Heaven´s End-Wen Die Geister Lieben*

by Kim Kestner
Heaven´s End Trilogy #1
Publisher Fischer KJB on July 24, 2019
Genre Children 12+
Pages 473
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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Where the sky ends, the world of spirits begins.

In Heaven´s End, a small Scottish coastal town, 15-year-old Jojo lives with her family – the living and the dead. Because Jojo can see ghosts and lives with a whole horde of crazy ancestors under one roof. Nobody is allowed to know anything about their special ability. Not at all Zack, the school swarm, whose sparkling eyes make Jojo stupidly quite tingling. But in the idyllic Heaven´s End, weird things are going on. How long can Jojo still keep her secret? And what lurks beyond the world of the living? (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).

Story

While the entire town is preparing for the one night, where ghosts come as close as they can to the normal world, which actually nobody really believes, strange things start to happen all around. But Jojo is not allowed to share her secret with others. But when she sees the ghosts that are living at the castle where Zack lives, she knows that she has to change something. No more secrets. If that is a good idea?

Style

While reading the description of a scene with Jojo, I was literally on the floor laughing tears. This one was cracking me up especially. Apparently, Jojo read that on a paperweight and presents the reader with her very own interpretation:

"…Carpe diem. Unless he is shit then use the next one, I found".

This novel is full of such fantastic things. The irony the main figure shows, her humor, her way of thinking and acting – one huge entertainment for the reader.

Kim Kestner writes in an easy to read and understand style. Her words read like pure fun but with a very serious and dark background story. And although that one is as dark and horror-like as you can imagine, it is absolutely great combined with the actual story.

Characters

Jojo is not like other teenagers her age. While she can see ghosts and talk with them, others can´t. And that is exactly why she has to keep her secret or better said that of her family, for herself. Not easy when you have ghost animals sitting on your shoulders while going to school and a mother who does not allow you to have your friends coming over. The way how Jojo handles her family and the secret is not only very impressive but also very entertaining.

Conclusion

That book is awesome! Funny, haunting, full of hilarious scenes and dialogues and with the main figure to die for. And with that cliffhanger, I am literally looking forward to the next book to find out how things will continue. Laughing is guaranteed and I am convinced that you´ve never had a better ghost story in your hands. Read!

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer KJB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review. At the time, this review was published, the book was only available in the German language.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Von Anfang an hat mir der verschmitzte Humor, die feine Ironie und der herrliche Sarkasmus einiger Figuren besonders gut gefallen. Da sind Lachausbrüche und breites Grinsen vorprogrammiert. Überhaupt versteht es die Autorin auf besonders vergnügliche Weise, ihre Leser mit einer Geschichte zu unterhalten, die an schlagfertigen Dialogen, köstlichen Szenen und schwarzem Humor nicht zu überbieten ist. Dass das Ganze dann noch mit ein paar Geistern gewürzt wird, gibt dem Roman eine ganz besondere Note.

Und mit der schlichten, aber herrlich formulierten Sprache ist „Heaven´s End-Wen Die Geister Lieben“ der absolute Lesespaß.

Charaktere

Jojo kommt aus den unmöglichen Situationen einfach nicht heraus. Im Gegenteil. Sie scheint eine besondere Begabung für Fettnäpfchen zu haben und mit ihrer unglaublichen Ironie bringt sie sich gerne mal zum falschen Zeitpunkt in Position. Dabei zeigt sie aber immer Herz, Mitgefühl und ihre Freundschaft und Loyalität sind einfach nur klasse. Mal eine etwas andere Hauptfigur.

Zack ist da ein klein bisschen anders. Ihm scheint absolut alles zu gelingen und auch wenn seine Familie alles andere als harmonisch und sympathisch ist, ist er doch mit Mitgefühl und dem Herzen am rechten Fleck gesegnet. Kein Wunder, dass sich Jojo in ihn verliebt hat.

Resultat

Das war Lesevergnügen pur! Mit Witz, Charme und viel Humor wird hier eine Geistergeschichte der besonderen Art in Szenen gesetzt. Und weil es nicht nur komödiantische Züge gibt, sondern auch tiefgründige Probleme und so manche heftige Szene, hat dieser Roman das Zeug zum absoluten Spitzentitel. Und ich hab keinen Schimmer, wie die Autorin das noch toppen will. Höchst empfehlenswert. 

Kim Kestner

Kim Kestner, born in Gifhorn 1975, studied visual communication and managed a marketing-agency before she started writing. Since 2010 she works as a freelance author and has already published some novels. She has met many spirits on her travels in Scotland – but most of them were friendly. Kim Kestner lives with her husband and two children near Hamburg, Germany.

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