Every now and then you come across a book that, from the premise alone, you know will be an excellent read. Joseph Nassise’s Eyes to See is just one of those books. This is the story of Jeremiah Hunt. Hunt’s life is turned upside down when his daughter is stolen from under his nose. Desperate after every conceivable lead goes nowhere, Hunt stumbles on an ancient ritual which will allow him to see. Not really understanding what that means, he performs the ritual, sacrificing his regular eyesight to be able to see the supernatural all around us, all in an attempt to find his daughter.
While some of the character interactions weren’t the greatest (particularly between Hunt and the witch, Denise), the world and the ghosts were fantastic. One ghost in particular, Hunt’s friend Whisper, was a wonderful character. Whisper befriended Hunt, offering him her eyesight whenever he needs it. She doesn’t say a word, but that doesn’t matter – she was very much “alive” in Nassise’s story. Hunt’s other ghostly friend, Scream, was another great character. Like Whisper he never speaks, but he doesn’t need to; he can scare people who can’t even see him.
A really interesting feature of Eyes to See is that Nassise flips from first to third person point of view. In this way, you can follow along with what Hunt is thinking, but you also get to see what other characters are up to when they’re not around him. This was particularly fun when you get to see what my favourite human character, Detective Stanton, was thinking.
Nassise’s Eyes to See doesn’t just promise a fantastic premise – it delivers a fantastic story that will keep you reading right to the end. TBPL is currently looking into getting King of the Dead and Watcher of the Dark, the next books in the series; I can’t wait to read them!