Summary: Violet Choudhury sees dead people, specifically ghosts. No one else knows her secret
except for her Nanny Dede. She lives in a small town in Illinois and desperately wants to blend in
with her classmates. As one of the few people of color in town, this is no easy task. Much to her
horror, Violet’s secrets are about to take center stage. Violet is an Aiedeo, a supernatural
Assamese warrior queen. She bailed on her Aiedeo training after an accident that nearly killed her.
When resident mean girl and head cheerleader, Naomi is murdered, the Aiedeo force her hand.
Naomi is currently a bhoot, aka a ghost, more specifically a lost soul. Even as a bhoot, Naomi
experiences a full range of emotions including anger. Until Naomi calms down a little, she is no
mood to talk to Violet. Naomi’s memory of the events surrounding her untimely death is patchy at
best. Violet has until Naomi is buried to solve the crime or she will be the next one to die.
Straight Talk for Librarians: Violet faces frequent acts of subtle and not so subtle racism because
of her East Indian American heritage. She is sometimes mistaken for being Mexican, bi-racial or of
Arab descent. Violet even states, “That’s the thing about racists---they hardly ever get their racism
right.” People often tell her she looks just like Jasmine from Aladdin. She doesn’t. Even the guy she
likes refers to her as exotic. Violet gently corrects the misunderstandings but it’s clear she is so over
it.” Das shines a light on the daily experiences of people of color without preaching at her readers.
Violet is just like every person who has ever struggled with finding their place in this world. She is
funny, fierce, and most decidedly a bit of a freak. However, this is not a book for younger readers. It contains multiple depictions of under aged drinking and references to a sexual assault.
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