Review Sevenster by Alexandra Penrhyn Lowe

Title: Sevenster
Author: Alexandra Penrhyn Lowe

Language: Dutch 

Published: April, 2012 (A.W. Bruna)
Pages: 335

Source: for review
Series: De Laatste Wachter #1

Rating: 4 / 5 

Synopsis from Goodreads: Because this is a Dutch book, the synopsis is also in Dutch. In short the story is about Eveline. When she tries to summon a ghost, she begins to see them everywhere. and not only ghosts, but worse. She learns she has a gift, which was shielded before, but now she has to learn to live with it. 

Eveline heeft maar één zorg deze zomer: een echt leuke jongen vinden met wie ze voor het eerst kan zoenen. Maar dan roept ze geesten op tijdens een feestje – tegen de waarschuwing van haar pleegmoeder in – en nu ziet ze plotseling dingen die andere mensen niet zien.
Doodsbang dat ze bezeten is door een kwade geest, probeert ze een manier te vinden om alles terug te draaien. Maar dan hoort ze van een waarzegster dat ze de eeuwenoude gave van De Wachters heeft – een gave die was afgeschermd, maar nu is wakker gemaakt. Een gave waardoor ze geesten en demonen kan zien.
En zij zien haar ook.
Eveline heeft maar één zorg deze zomer: in leven blijven.

It’s hard to believe but Alexandra Penrhyn Lowe is the very first Dutch YA author. So normally I review books that are (also) published in English, but for this one I’m going to make an exception.

So it’s not only the very first Dutch YA title, it’s also pretty good. The reason I read most books in English is because I just like those books better than the books published here. But that could also have something to do with the fact that until now there weren’t any YA books published here.

Finally, that’s changed. So that brings us to Sevenster, the first book in a trilogy.

Before I started this book, I was afraid it would be disappointing since I expected so much from it. But it didn’t. I thought it was really good. The story had just one tiny downside: the age of Eveline, the main character. She turns fourteen somewhere halfway through the book. And that made her a bit childish at times. For example: she’s really preoccupied with never been having kissed before. I now it was a big deal for me too at that age, but now it feels a bit far away.  

But the story made up for that big time. Once I started it was hard to put the book down. The story gets scarier with every page, so it kept me on the edge of my seat.

After summoning ghosts on a party she starts seeing ghosts for real. She can communicate with some of them. When she tries to save one, she nearly dies herself. She sees her grandfather in the between world and  he tells her she needs to guard the family secret and where she can find it. During her research she discovers she’s not the only one after the secret

The writing style is good and that made me flip the pages even faster.

If you can read Dutch, I definitely recommend this one. You don’t want to miss out on the first Dutch YA!