Origins by Jen Jensen is the second book in the “Jamis Bachman” series, and this is not a standalone novel. The first book, Jamis Bachman, Ghost Hunter gives you information that you need to understand the characters, their relationships, and even certain aspects of the story in this second novel. This book happens not long after the first book ends, and takes Jamis and a couple of her friends on a wild trip to Arizona. There she encounters ghosts, demons, haunted buildings, and possessed people. Oh, and there may be a killer roaming around as well. While sorting all these things out, Jamis may even find out information about her own origins.
The main characters in this story will be familiar to those who’ve read the first novel, so obviously they are already well-developed. The author did a great job with the newer characters in this tale, making them just as clueless, scary, evil, and/or frightening as they needed to be for their roles. Jamis is still the deeply curious (read obsessed), hyperactive, troubled, yet loveable character we came to know in the first novel.
The setting really makes this story. The author takes us deep into the Arizona desert and into a rather frightening former ghost town called Jerome where a lot of the paranormal activity seems to be coming from. The descriptions make me want to either search this place out to see it, or run screaming from the area in fright. I had a lot of fun reading this story, and I recommend both novels to those who love a good paranormal tale. I do hope there will be future books in this series. I want to see more of Jamis Bachman.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 