Even in the golden age of paranormal young adult fiction, a good old-fashioned ghost story was often hard to find. Spirits played second fiddle to the likes of vampires, werewolves and zombies. But in Suzanne Young’s Hotel Ruby, the ghosts are back—and they’re having a blast. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey Casella and her brother Daniel are on their way to live with their grandmother, destined to be dumped on her doorstep because their father can’t get a handle on his grief. But their journey takes an unexpected detour and they’re forced to take a room at the exotic Hotel Ruby. Young paints a lush picture of the hotel, reminiscent of Stephen King’s Stanley Hotel, perhaps brought even more to life after this past season
