Ghostcloud by Michael Mann || Paranormal Dystopian MG

Ghostcloud

Twelve-year-old Luke Smith-Sharma shovels coal under a half-bombed, blackened power station. With his best friend Ravi he keeps his head down, hoping to one day earn his freedom and return to his family, while avoiding the wrath of the evil Tabatha Margate. When he tries to help new girl Jess, Luke is punished and sent to clean the sewers of the haunted East Wing, a place from which few return.

Whilst serving his punishment, Luke realises he can see things others can't in the power station: ghostly things. He befriends a ghost-girl called Alma, who can ride clouds through the night sky and bend their shape to her will.
But when Luke discovers the terrible truth of why Tabatha Margate is kidnapping children and forcing them to work in the power station, Alma agrees to help him and his friends escape. Will Alma convince the ghost council to help their cause? And can Luke find his voice, while trying to find a way home?

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Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Middle grade set in a dystopian society
• Hopeful children, even in dark situations
• Very unique take on ghosts and spirits
• Uplifting story about taking risks and protecting each other
• Vivid writing that paints a lovely scene

Many thanks to Peachtree and Rockstar Book Tours for an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This cover is colorful and sinister, uplifting but spooky, and I was immediately intrigued by these seemingly conflicting atmospheres. Plus, to be fair, it’s fall, and I plan on reading aaaall the books that include paranormal elements or give me spooky vibes. Obviously, a book about ghosts qualifies here.

Ghostcloud is a fantasy ghost story set in a dystopian London, where kids are kidnapped and forced into manual labor underground, and something sinister haunts the streets aboveground.

As it turns out, the cover very nicely reflects the atmosphere that Mann creates in his book. It’s dark and dreary, but filled with beautiful scenery and uplifting moments at the same time. It’s a very careful balance that Mann manages to maintain. While the ending felt a bit sudden, I enjoyed the ride and the world that’s established throughout the book. This is definitely one I’d love to visit . . . sort of.

Ghostcloud is set in a dystopian London, where kids are being taken and forced into manual labor. Which is, of course, where we find our protagonist, Luke.

While they’re underground, these kids have no idea what’s going on aboveground, which means Luke has no news of his father and his sister. All he knows is the shoveling he’s forced to do day in and day out, all in the hope of earning his freedom through getting a ticket. Meanwhile, the only thing keeping these kids going is the thought that one day, eventually, they’ll be reunited with their loved ones.

The biggest mystery (for the kids, at least) is what exactly is going on underground. Of course, mostly, they’re just trying to get by. Keep your head down, do your work, earn your freedom. It’s a way of life. Underneath all that, though, even the kids can tell that something isn’t quite right. Aside from the obvious wrongdoing of kidnapping kids and forcing them to perform dangerous manual labor, the woman in charge of the entire operation is extremely suspicious and definitely has ulterior motives. Motives that are rather dangerous to question or investigate.

While Ghostcloud is technically (obviously) a ghost book, Mann spins the ghostly aspect into something fresh and unique.

I really liked the way Mann approached the paranormal aspect! Yes, there are ghosts, but ghosts exist in different forms. They’re not quite like humans. In Mann’s world, for example, ghosts can hook to whatever most calls their spirit . . . like clouds! Hence, ghostclouds, which have the ability to soar high over the world. There are many different forms of ghosts, depending on what their spirit bonds with, which I thought was really unique!

More than just that, death in general changes a person. Whether you’ve seen death or you’ve been touched by it, it marks you in a way that lets you interact in different ways with the spiritual world. It’s a pretty high price to pay to get into an exclusive club, and none of the characters have chosen it for themselves, but it’s still a really interesting premise.

Mann somehow manages to balance a dark, sinister world with beautiful scenes and uplifting hope.

I mean . . . this is a dystopian world, no doubt about that. However, it doesn’t mean everything is bleak and hopeless. Far from it! Mann includes some really breathtaking scenes of characters soaring above it all (both literally and figuratively). There’s beauty in the darkness, basically, especially in the way the characters refuse to let it destroy their hope. I don’t want to talk too much about these scenes, because they include minor spoilers, but needless to say, even though this book sounds dark, it’s really well-balanced in that aspect and not overwhelmingly so.

The writing in this is so lovely and quotable! It’s easy enough for middle grade readers, of course, but still a pleasant read for older readers, as well.

You know, in case you couldn’t tell by the quotes that I chose to share in this review. But in case you weren’t paying attention, this book is very quotable and enjoyable. There are lots of little introspective moments as characters are dealing with their lives and deciding which parts of them they actually have autonomy over. I mean, when you’re kidnapped and threatened, it may seem like there’s not a whole lot that’s in your power, but there actually is, as Luke is quickly realizing. Mann’s writing is definitely enjoyable, regardless of your age!

The ending is a little bit too clean, easy, and happily ever after for me, especially given the tone and content of the rest of the story.

On one hand, I get it. The message was always an uplifting one about hope, and middle grade is notorious for its happy endings, regardless of where the book starts. It’s just a facet of the age category. That being said, though, it felt like a really weird juxtaposition to end this on a happily ever after note, especially considering the way all the bad things that happened in the other 300 pages were sort of just swept under the rug. There is no fallout or aftermath and no repercussions of kidnapping thousands of kids (nor any repercussions for accomplices and no mention of the impacts on society as a whole).

This is obviously personal preference (which, to be fair, is what all reviews are anyway). However, I just felt like this book would be perfect for an almost-happy ending that implied there was still more work and healing to be done.

About Michael Mann

Michael’s first writing success was for a poem about potatoes - in a competition run by a Yorkshire school catering company. As a ‘reward’, he had to shake hands with a giant potato mascot in front of his entire school. It would be many years before he dared write again.

These days, Michael is a teacher by day, dad by night, and mostly writes when he should be sleeping. He owes the idea for his middle grade novel, Ghostcloud, to his coal-mining grandad and a lifelong love of cloudspotting. He’s half-Indian and passionate about diversity in children’s literature, and loves books that keeps kids turning the page.

He has a first-class degree in anthropology, lives in East London with his (very patient) partner and their (less patient) toddler, and can be found playing board games when he’s not busy losing his wallet. Michael was an Undiscovered Voices 2020 finalist, and his debut middle grade novel Ghostcloud will publish with Hachette in October 2021.

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1 winner will receive a finished copy of GHOSTCLOUD, US Only.
Ends October 4th, midnight EST.

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