Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living... To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

Hardcover, 280 pages  Expected publication: March 11th 2014 by Soho Teen

Teens that enjoyed the movie Skulls starring Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker will enjoy this story.  

Secret Societies, a prestigious school, a series of disturbing deaths. Liv, Gabe and Malcolm investigate the true nature of the organization and the truth behind the several girl spirits that still haunt the campus. With the help of Gabe who can hear ghosts, Liv is able to connect to the real world and find answers of what Wickham Hall is really hiding.

Liv and Malcolm have a pretty quick romance happening in the first section of the book. The quick bond they need to develop to carry through the trust into the remainder of the story. Gabe and Liv's friendship is one that happens a little slower but is the core to the story.

There is very little down time in this story. A continuous mystery that spirals until the powerful ending. With the setting of a very prestigious school with hidden corridors, chambers and catacombs. The story has a very foreboding feeling to it. There are twists and even some rules that must be obeyed while searching for answers and the consequences for Liv and the other ghosts are high.

My favorite part of the story is the setting. The feel of this dark and secretive school with more than just brick and mortar hiding what's within. It was a highly enjoyable and addictive read.

Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray Gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to The Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.