Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel

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The novel’s protagonist, Gabe, works a summer job as a ghost tour guide in Canada; however, his stance on ghost quickly changes when he meets Rebecca Strand, the daughter of the former lighthouse keeper, who died in 1839 and is awakened by Gabe saying her name when he gave his tour. Going to Gabe for help, Rebecca reveals that she and her father were murdered by a vengeful ghost named Viker, who has been feeding on other spirits to grow stronger and invade the living world. However, he was gravely injured while attempting to kill the Strands, hit by the powerful light of their lighthouse, reducing him to a weak and immobile sliver of his former self. It’s up to Gabe, Rebecca, and their friends to find and kill Viker and save Rebecca’s father before he grows strong enough to raise an army of undeath.

Overall, I enjoyed Ghostlight, and found it an interesting and fun read. The antagonist, Viker, was delightfully scary, and was an amazing villain that made this book enjoyable. The side characters were all fun, and I found myself invested in each of their arcs just as much as the main storyline. However, the book did begin to feel a little bit repetitive in the second half, giving a feeling of deja vu as similar events repeated as the book stretched on; I think the book could have been several chapters shorter, and it would not have hurt the story.

My favorite part of Ghostlight was by far the worldbuilding that Oppel does throughout the novel. The idea of a lighthouse being used by an ancient order of ghost hunters is unique and fun, and the continued development of the magic of the undead and the methods used to fight them made it exciting and the reader eager to discover more.