Ruined

When Rebecca goes to New Orleans to stay with her voodoo-obsessed aunt, she finds the beautiful old city haunted by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Rebecca is also startled to discover a haunting of a different kind; near a graveyard one night, she meets a ghost girl by the name of Lisette, who has been dead 150 years. A former slave, Lisette helps Rebecca unearth an ancient mystery along with some troubling history truths. Meanwhile, Rebecca must deal with her snooty new prep school, a serious crush, and an elite group of popular girls who may be linked to the mystery themselves.

PRAISE FOR PAULA MORRIS'S NOVEL QUEEN OF BEAUTY:

"A stunning debut novel...a masterful work."-- The New Zealand Herald

"With this haunting love letter to New Orleans, Morris makes her YA debut, telling the story of 15-year-old Rebecca Brown, a proud New Yorker sent to live with a family friend while her father travels overseas. Ostracized as an outsider, Rebecca struggles to fit in and cope with her new surroundings. When she befriends Lisette, a ghost who has haunted the cemetery ever since her mysterious death 155 years earlier, Rebecca is drawn into an eerie story of betrayal, loss, old curses and family secrets. As Mardi Gras approaches, so does the culmination of something dark and angry that has been brewing for decades. This moody tale thoroughly embraces the rich history, occult lore and complex issues of race, ethnicity, class and culture that have defined New Orleans for centuries, turning the city into a character in its own right. Rather than shy away from the shameful or tragic moments of the past, Morris uses them to capture the city's essence. From Mardi Gras rituals to voodoo spells, Hurricane Katrina to jazz, this is a story that could only be told in New Orleans. Ages 12 — up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Called a stunning debut novel . . . a masterful work" ("The New Zealand Herald"), this novel combines voodoo, ghosts, the mystique of New Orleans, and a stormy romance for a gripping supernatural thriller.