I love books set in the South (The Prince of Tides, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Witching Hour). Unfortunately, most of them are full of tired stereotypes (fried chicken is not the only thing people eat in the South) and take place in towns that feel more like a set of True Blood than actual places in the South.

This is NOT the case in Shadowed Summer. Saundra Mitchell has crafted a novel so real, I could feel the sweat dripping down my neck and found myself standing with the fridge door open. The characters are so heartbreakingly real, I was thinking about Iris long after I finished the novel. I love the fact that Iris spends her summer doing exactly what any girl in a small Southern town would do – unearthing secrets, digging through attics, and getting into some trouble along the way. She really is my kinda girl.

But Shadowed Summer is not just a novel full of atmospheric qualities, written in impeccable voice. At its core, SS is a ghost story – haunting and frightening, suspenseful and impossible to put down. If you don't believe in the supernatural, so be it. But if you read SS, Saundra Mitchell will make you a believer.