Dithered between 2 and 2½ stars because this continuing saga of Suze and her ability to interact with the ghosts is turning into a silly teenage romance trope, with a romance triangle thrown in for good measure. It was a farce. Both Jesse and Paul remain cardboard characters with little depth other than their appearance. Is that because of the audience the author was aiming for? Oh please, no.

The writing style in Book 4 is still very Meg Cabot, which I find amusing (at least as far as The Mediator series is concerned). However the plot here is not very well-crafted. One big flaw was introduced in the appearance of action on some existential plane of existence. These scenarios, requiring exorcism of the spirit and transport to a between-worlds location were so poorly described that readers are easily left with no idea of whatever this is all about.

This uncertainty is exacerbated by rushing in the appearance of another character in the mediator sense (Paul) and disrupted the construct built up by the author in the earlier stories. From earlier books in the series, we know some of the paranormal rules about being a mediator, but then this structural framework becomes very loose and free to manipulation in the present story. Such developments are off-putting and certainly throw doubt on Cabot’s handling of the ghost-world theme with any finesse.

The constant fighting with remarkable recoveries from injuries is growing stale, too. As much as anything, this aspect of promptly recovering from grievous bodily harm is substantially unrealistic. The only one who captured my attention in this narrative was Jack, about whom we never hear much after Suze has explained to him about his abilities and then when he rescues Suze and Jesse from the otherworldly existence. So, blah. YA readers deserve a more cohesive saga than is apparently developing. ( )

Did not make a ton of sense, Suze was mean in it, and I hate Paul. ( )

Meg Cabot never lets me down. This book is so good. All I want to do now is go back and re-read it! ( )

PLOT OR PREMISE:
Suzannah is a mediator -- she helps ghosts move on from this plane to the next. But when she's not embracing her sixth sense, she's earning money as a staff babysitter at a hotel/resort and dreaming about Jesse who haunts her current home. Then she meets trouble in the form of spoiled brat Jack who can also see ghosts, but doesn't know that ghosts are actually real and is instead three steps away from a nervous breakdown. Suze has to help him figure out his own role with ghosts, at the same time that she tries to figure out more of the mystery with Jesse's past life.
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WHAT I LIKED:
I really liked the idea of finding newbies who don't know what they are supposed to do when it comes to ghosts -- hey, didn't they see the movie? I also still like the fact that Suze can actually interact with the ghosts (i.e. fight with them). The backstory for Jesse was cool, and knowing that Suze can move to another plane at least temporarily is really a good omen for future books. The interesting addition of negative mediators to counter-balance is very Tru Calling-ish, and we'll have to see how that plays out in future books.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Some of the repeated teenage angst might sit well with teenage readers, but it gets really repetitive fast for older readers.
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BOTTOM-LINE:
Oh, no, it's ghosts again!
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media. ( )

Teenaged Suze can talk to ghosts, kick butt, *and* look good in a swimsuit. But when the ghost of her best friend is threatened by his murderers, she needs to go beyond her usual methods. This book doesn't fit the same pattern of the last three Mediator books, thankfully. It opens up new questions about the afterlife and Suze's powers. ( )