Review: Snap by Carol Snow

Title: Snap
Author: Carol Snow
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub. Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: YA
Main themes: Family, Supernatural, Ghosts, Love, Photography
Pages: 224
Plot (from back of ARC):
“Madison thought she knew who she was. Then everything changed in a flash.
Stuck in a strange, sleepy beach town, Madison throws herself into her one passion: photography. But when bizarre figures start appearing in her pictures, people who weren’t there to begin with – and are later reported dead – Madison begins to question everything about who she is… and who she wishes she could be.”

Snap first caught my eye because of the cover, which I actually like and think fits the novel really well, but it was the summary that drew me in. I am a photography hobbyist (think dark rooms and winding my own film), so the fact that Madison is a photographer was interesting. Furthermore, Madison is a photographer who sees dead people in her pictures (I am not this type of photographer) made her even more intriguing.

The supernatural aspect was well done. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I like that – it would have been boring if everything had turned out just as I’d expected it to. I thought it was really interesting that Madison didn’t have any supernatural ability, but that the camera itself was capturing images of the ghosts. It reminded me a bit of those ghost hunting shows on television.

Throughout most of the book I was not a fan of Madison. She honestly was so unlikeable – spoiled, rude, stuck-up, and immature are words that come to mind when I think of Madison. I don’t feel too bad about feeling this way though, as I’m fairly certain Madison was meant to be viewed this way at the onset of the novel. And, in ways, I can see a bit of my younger self in her. Madison is young and it was kind of refreshing to see her act her age – complete with immaturity and annoying habits and attitudes. Luckily, Madison learns some lessons throughout the novel, gaining maturity and insight. Unfortunately, it takes about four-fifths of the novel to reach this point.

There is a minor romantic plot line in Snap as well. I liked the boy, Duncan, who sounded like a cute skater, much like a boy I would have liked when I was Madison’s age. Again though, Madison made annoyed me with her horrible treatment of him. But I must admit, once again, that I remember girls my age (and maybe me, if I’m being completely honest), treat boys just like Madison treats Duncan.

Ratings (out of 10):
Characters: 8
Plot: 10
Writing style: 10
Romance: 8
Originality: 10
Total: 46/50 (A-)

Overall, Snap was a good coming of age story with a supernatural twist. Madison is a very realistic character, which makes her simultaneously refreshing and utterly horrible. After all, she is a young teenage girl – they are generally horrible at some point or another. Snap incorporates many different story lines: romantic, supernatural, and familial, making the novel a novel with a little bit for everyone!