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Mini-Review: Encounters with Spirits, Chronicles of the Unexplained, As Red as Blood

January 4, 2016 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Encounters with Spirits

Tite: Encounters with Spirits

Author:CAN ũa Waya

Genre: Non-Fiction, Spirituality

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

I have never been to heaven and neither have I ever been to hell, but both have come to me.

Amidst an exotic landscape of distant lands, intra-clan rivalries, and family legacies begins the honest, humble, and achingly sincere autobiography and testimony of CAN ũa Waya. While most stories begin in the “ordinary world,” Waya’s ordinary world was populated by witchdoctors, werewolves, and shape-shifters.

In this book he tells of his life in which spirituality—in some form or other—has been inextricable from the everyday events of his life since earliest childhood. Waya has experienced the many faces of God as he journeyed through complicated relationships with his family and encountered both catastrophic and mundane obstacles, yet he still arrived at an unconditional, unshakable faith in God.

Though Waya examines demonology, extraterrestrials, and the occult with an uncommon intimacy, his main goal and purpose is to point those seeking lasting freedom from demonic oppression to Christ Jesus, whose compassion remains unchanged.

“Do you want to be helped?”

I answered and said, “Yes. Please help me, Lord.”

And that was all the praying I did that morning.

There may be no prayer dearer to the heart of God.

Review: An okay read, but very wordy, and a little over the top for my tastes. I find it hard to believe some of the things the author experiences. I can live with spirits and demons, but werewolves? Witchdoctors? I was skeptic, and the book didn’t convince me to change my view.

Forsaken

Title: Chronicles of the Unexplained

Author: Gary Gillepsie

Genre: Non-Fiction, True Haunting

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Chronicles of the Unexplained presents a lifetime of true paranormal experiences. The stories are from a broad range of individuals, many of whom would be the last people you would expect to be willing to communicate with anyone on such subjects. The true tales are interspersed with the story of the author’s own battle with a not-so-hospitable entity and the unforeseen circumstances that were associated with the completion of this book.

Review: An okay read of true haunting tales, but not a lot of details on them, and no references or investigation into any of the hauntings. Most interesting were the stories that did come with witness interviews, and the ones the author personally experienced.

As Red as Blood

Title:  As Red as Blood

Author: Salla Simukka

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

In the midst of the freezing Arctic winter, seventeen-year-old Lumikki Andersson walks into her school’s dark room and finds a stash of wet, crimson-colored money. Thousands of Euros left to dry—splattered with someone’s blood.

Lumikki lives alone in a studio apartment far from her parents and the past she left behind. She transferred into a prestigious art school, and she’s singularly focused on studying and graduating. Lumikki ignores the cliques, the gossip, and the parties held by the school’s most popular and beautiful boys and girls.

But finding the blood-stained money changes everything. Suddenly, Lumikki is swept into a whirlpool of events as she finds herself helping to trace the origins of the money. Events turn even more deadly when evidence points to dirty cops and a notorious drug kingpin best known for the brutality with which he runs his business.

As Lumikki loses control of her carefully constructed world, she discovers that she’s been blind to the forces swirling around her—and she’s running out of time to set them right. When she sees the stark red of blood on snow, it may be too late to save her friends or herself.

Review: A fast-paced read that is miles away from an actual fairytale retelling, but still somewhat intriguing. Lumikki is an engaging, complex main character and the Finnish setting offered an extra layer. However, Lumikki’s skills are over the top (James Bond can hold no match to her), and the villains are completely laughable. Everyone except Lumikki seems to miss half a brain. Interesting, but not my cup of tea.
Filed Under: Ghosts & Hauntings, Mini-Reviews, Non-Fiction, Thrillers, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mini-Review: Sing for Me, Forsaken and Flesh Failure

January 3, 2016 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Sing For Me

Tite: Sing For Me

Author: Gracie Madison

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Madeline Noel fled war-torn Heaven to hide within the mortal world, but the blessing that could protect her from evil is the holy realm’s forbidden power.

As a talented soprano for the Eden Theatre Company, Madeline hides among prima donnas and tone-deaf flutists. Her perfect voice may entertain audiences, but a careless laugh may shatter glass, and her greatest scream can kill. To control her unrestrained voice, the angels forbid Madeline from embracing the emotions that strengthen her song. Anger. Fear.

Love.

The demon-hunter Damascus vows to defend Madeline from Hell’s relentless evil, but he cannot protect her from her own feelings. Though they deny their dangerous attraction, her guardian becomes her greatest temptation.

Surrendering to desire may awaken the gift suppressed within Madeline’s soul, and neither Heaven nor Hell will allow such absolute power to exist.

Review: While the idea of Choirs, angels with the gift of music, is an excellent and original plot idea, the book simply was too confusing at times. It didn’t explain things enough. On top of that, Madeline’s personality makes it almost impossible to connect with her. The love between Madeline and Damascus is forbidden, yet she keeps leading him on. Damascus reads like an angel version of Twilight’s Edward. So while the plot had original elements, this didn’t completely do it for me.

Forsaken

Title: Forsaken

Author: Kristen Day

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…

Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.

Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her. Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.

Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her,’ Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.

But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.

She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.

Review: The concept was all right, but the plot and characters left much to be desired. Think Twilight but with mermaids and you pretty much have a good synopsis for this one. The writing wasn’t stellar either, and the main character was plain annoying.

Flesh Failure

Title: Flesh Failure

Author: Séphera Girón

Genre: Horror

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

“From out of the grave.”

London, 1888: Agatha drags herself from a shallow grave to roam the fog-shrouded streets of the dark city, trying to piece together what happened. Her new friends, the ladies of the night, live in terror of Jack the Ripper, while Agatha persistently searches for what she discovers she needs to stay alive electrical charges.

As her memory grows stronger, the hazy images from her past come into focus, but questions remain. Do her answers lie in the shadows of the streets, the hidden corridors of London Hospital, or someplace far more frightening?”

Review: Frankenstein from the POV of the monster, set in London of Jack the Ripper would be a good way to describe this. The historical events, like the Ripper murders, were the best part of the book for me. Not too original, but entertaining all the same.
Filed Under: Fantasy, Horror, Mini-Reviews, New Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mini-Review: Escape from Witchwood Hollow, The Sisters’ Grimoire, Mothman’s Curse

January 2, 2016 2 Comments

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Escape from Witchwood Hollow

Tite: Escape from Witchwood Hollow

Author: Jordan Elizabeth Mierek

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Witches

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Everyone in Arnn – a small farming town with more legends than residents – knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?

Review: I knew this would be a hit from the moment I started reading. Witchwood Hollow is such an amazing, imaginative seting, and the story is so unique and original. Honoria is an amazing character, and I admired her bravery. Loved the focus on witches, and how it all wrapped up in the end. Definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.

The Sister’s Grimoire

Title: The Sister’s Grimoire

Author: Suza Kates

Genre: Paranormal, Witches

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Tate Whiteburn has come home to Bar Harbor, Maine, but what should have been a short trip takes an unexpected turn. The Victorian house near the cliffs holds much more than painful memories, and when lightning strikes midnight, family secrets unfold.

She and her sisters have no choice but to work together, as they find strength they never knew they had . . . and face danger from a place they never knew existed.

Review: The good: the book focuses on three sisters and their bond. The bad: it kind of reads like Charmed. There’s a Victorian house, a grimoire, witchy magic being passed from mother to daughter, and so on. While entertaining, the plot sometimes jumps from place to another, which made it difficult to follow. Characters were flat too, and hard to relate to.

Mothman’s Curse

Title: Mothman’s Curse

Author: Christine Hayes, James K. Hindle (illustrator)

Genre: Children’s Book, Middle Grade, Paranormal Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

When Josie and her brothers uncover a haunted camera, the Mothman legend becomes a terrifying reality that threatens their entire town in this spooky and action-filled novel. Josie may live in the most haunted town in America, but the only strange thing she ever sees is the parade of oddball customers that comes through her family’s auction house each week. But when she and her brothers discover a Polaroid camera that prints pictures of the ghost of local recluse John Goodrich, they are drawn into a mystery dating back over a hundred years. A desperate spirit, cursed jewelry, natural disasters, and the horrible specter of Mothman all weave in and out of the puzzle that Josie must solve to break the curse and save her own life.
Review: What an entertaining read! For an adult, the characters are a little flat, and some of the plot parts aren’t all that original (a haunted camera has been used just about a million times already) but I’m sure kids will love it. The story flows well, it’s fast-paced, the characters do have little quirks that kids enjoy reading about, the book uses local legends which makes it seem more realistic, and whenever it gets too creepy, the cartoon-like illustrations will help dissolve that fear.
Filed Under: Children's Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mini-Reviews, Mystery and Suspense, Paranormal / Supernatural, Paranormal Mystery, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mini-Review: Dark of Night, Chase the Dark, Wicked Ways

July 31, 2015 2 Comments

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Dark of Night

Title:Dark of Night

Author: Marios Savva

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

It now followed her to Whitesands. Everyone who took part in it with her had died horribly. There was no escaping it. It would get her too. Who could save Jane from the inevitable?
Sheriff Jake, the sheriff of Whitesands, a former inspector of Scotland Yard and world renowned detective, now faced his greatest ever challenge. With the help of his best friend and deputy, Chief, these brothers-in-arms will be tried and tested like never before.
The tragedies that ensue will darken the days of Whitesands. Will Jane be saved? Everyone would give their all to do so. But, would it be enough?
It lurks in the shadows to bring destruction to those brave enough – or foolish enough, to try and stop it. It will not be denied. Or will it ..

Review: While “Dark of Night” had an interesting plot that reminded me of “It Follows…” (a movie which I thoroughly enjoyed) yet completely different – just the same unsettling, atmospheric undertone, the book didn’t live up to my expectations. It could use another round of editing and/or proofreading, and the many errors distracted me from the plot.

Chase the Dark

Title: Chase the Dark

Author: Annette Maria

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Piper Griffiths wants one thing in life: To become a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. There are precisely three obstacles in her way.

The first is Lyre. Incubus. Hotter than hell and with a wicked streak to match. His greatest mission in life is to get Piper into bed and otherwise annoy the crap out of her. The second is Ash. Draconian. Powerful. Dangerous. He knows too much and reveals nothing. Also, disturbingly attractive — and scary. Did she mention scary?

The third is the Sahar Stone. Top secret magical weapon of mass destruction. Previously hidden in her Consulate until thieves broke in, went on a murder spree, and disappeared with the weapon.

And they left Piper to take the fall for their crimes.

Now she’s on the run, her dreams of becoming a Consul shattered and every daemon in the city gunning to kill her. She’s dead on her own, but there’s no one she can trust — no one except two entirely untrustworthy daemons… See problems one and two.

Review: A book filled with fun, danger, action, and basically everything that makes urban fantasy delicious. The world building was excellent, leaving us with a vast, detailed and complex world to explore. The two love interests were great too, but Ash was my favorite. Piper is an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about her struggles. The sequel definitely goes on my to read list.

Wicked Ways

Title: Wicked Ways

Author: Lisa Jackson, Nancy Bush

Genre: Mystery / Suspense

Rating: 1 star

Purchase: Amazon

The Greatest Terrors

Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is an ordinary suburban wife and mother. That’s what she tells herself as she flits between her realtor job, yoga class, and caring for her daughter, Chloe. But for months now, Elizabeth has worried that she’s far from normal…that she’s somehow the cause of a series of brutal, horrible deaths.

Are The Ones

Her mean-spirited boss. A bullying traffic cop. Her cheating husband. Elizabeth had reason to be angry with them all. She didn’t mean for them to die. No one will take her fears seriously–except the private investigator prying into her past. . .

Too Close To See

The more scared and angry Elizabeth becomes, the higher the death toll grows. But those who wrong her aren’t the only ones in danger. Because others have secrets too, and a relentless urge to kill without mercy or remorse…

Review: I wanted to like this book, considering the authors are well-known and I’ve heard good things about their work. But this…It wasn’t what I expected. The plot moves along painfully slow. There are way too many characters and none of them gets enough screen time so that I didn’t connect to them at all. Dialogue is almost non-existent. The only person we spend a lot of time with is Elizabeth – we spend nearly all the time in her head – but still, I couldn’t connect with her either. Dissapointing.

Filed Under: Mini-Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Mini-Review: Ghost Camera, The Betrayed

July 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Ghost Camera

Tite: Ghost Camera

Author: Darcy Coates

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

A small number of cameras have the ability to capture ghosts on film. This gift comes at a steep price; the ghosts are resentful and hungry, and the cameras offer them a rare chance to reach their favourite prey… humans.

Jenine didn’t know any of this when she found an abandoned Polaroid camera in a lighthouse. At first she assumes the ghostly shapes in the photos are a glitch or a prank – but then the spirits begin to hunt her down, and she’s forced into a deadly race to free herself from the camera’s curse.

Review: Main character Jenine lacks personality – she’s about as interesting as a cardboard figure. Everything happens to her, and she doesn’tset anything in motion herself. Her best friend Bree is far more interesting and should’ve been the main character. The story is all right but a little predictable.

The Betrayed

Title: The Betrayed

Author: Heather Graham

Genre: Paranormal Mystery, Ghosts

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Sleepy Hollow isn’t so sleepy anymore…

One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream–an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he’s sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard’s gone missing there.

Maureen–Mo–Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She’s actually the one to find Richard?or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI’s unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait: the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that’s as intense as it is unexpected, if they live long enough to enjoy it!

Review: Aiden and Mo make an interesting pair, but unfortunately it takes a long time for the two of them to connect. Aiden struggles with his abilities, and as thus he makes an intriguing character. The murder mysteries are good too, and as usual, Graham crafts an engaging paranormal mystery. Unfortunately I found it difficult to connect with Aiden and Mo – although interesting, they were also somewhat obnoxious and I doubt I’d like them if they were real people.

The Way of All Flesh

Title: The Way of All Flesh

Author: Tim Waggoner

Genre: Horror, Zombies

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

In a world where zombies battle the living, which is more terrifying?

David is trapped in a nightmarish version of his hometown, pursued by crimson-eyed demons and insane cannibals, with no idea how he got there. At every turn he’s taunted by a mysterious youth named Simon who knows far more than he lets on.

David’s sister, Kate, fights for survival in a word decimated by flesh-eating zombies – and her brother’s one of them. She’s determined to put a bullet in David’s brain to set him free.

Nicholas Kemp is a human monster, a born killer. But in a world ruled by the living dead, he’s no longer the most feared predator, and he’ll do whatever it takes to become that again. He plans to start by killing Kate.

Review: A cool concept with a vivid, refreshing take on zombies. David is a zombie, and most of the book is told from his POV. Then there’s also Kate, his sister, who is still a human. I liked the zombie perspective, which was original and interesting at the same time. The book ranges from hilarious to gross to all-out horrifying.
Filed Under: Mini-Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mini-Reviews: Masters of Blood and Bone, The Dunfield Terror

July 24, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Masters of Blood and Bone

Title: Masters of Blood and Bone

Author: Craig Saunders

Genre: Dark Fiction, Dark Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Holland’s a man who’s good with death. Good at death.

When his daughter goes missing, he finds himself pitted in a deadly game against the Gods themselves. Powerful enemies surround him—a changeling, a mage, and a god who wants to destroy the world.

With silver bullets in his gun and death on his mind, Holland aims to set things right…or die trying.

For the captors of Holland’s daughter, death is not only on it’s way, it’s in their very possession as Holland’s daughter isn’t just a girl…in fact, she’s barely mortal at all…

She’s Ankou, Death’s daughter, and she’s not an easy mark.

The battleground has been set, the world’s at stake, and all Hell is about the break loose.

Masters of Blood and Bone is an epic clash between good and evil, life versus death, Gods against mortals, a timeless story of power and corruption and one man’s pursuit to protect what he loves at any cost.

A delightful book about a man’s quest to get his daughter back, who isn’t quite human either and holds a few dark secrets of her own, whereas her father, Holland, is willing to move heaven and earth to get her back, no matter how powerful his enemies are. Beautiful writing, sharp dialogue from the characters and a delightful, twisted plot. Dark fantasy the way it should be.

The Dunfield Terror

Title: The Dunfield Terror

Author: William Meikle

Genre: Horror, Lovecraftian Horror

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

It starts with a strange glowing fog that arrives at the height of a snowstorm.

A terror from the past has returned, bringing with it death and destruction that threatens to overrun the town. The old stories tell of a post-war experiment gone wrong, one that opened the way for the fog—or whatever was behind it—to begin its reign of terror.

A small team of workmen are the last hope to keep their town alive through the long, storm-filled night. But the many horrors that await them are beyond anyone’s worst nightmares.

Reminiscent of Stephen King’s “The Mist”, we’ve got fog causing havoc here, and in a Lovecraftian fashion. A small group of workmen who are out to clear the roads from snow, are the only hope to keep the town alive in its darkest night yet. The atmosphere, dark and foreboding, is the best part of the book.

After Midnight

Title: After Midnight

Author: Allan Leverone

Genre: Horror, Dark Fiction

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Six months ago, Caitlyn Connelly’s search for her family brought her face to face with Milo Cain, the monster known as “Mr. Midnight,” a depraved killer wandering the streets of Boston.

Her brother.

Though disfigured in a brutal attack, Cait managed to defend herself and in so doing put Milo in a prison hospital bed, where he now lies comatose and paralyzed, alone and forgotten.

But not helpless.

Unbeknownst to doctors, prison officials or anyone else, Milo Cain is actually awake and aware, and the brain injury suffered at the hands of his twin sister has altered him. He is now more deadly and his hunting grounds have expanded.

Now, armed with shocking abilities and the perfect alibi, Mr. Midnight is back, and determined to even the score with the one person he hates more than anyone else in the world.

His sister.

Caitlyn thought the worst was over. It has only just begun.

The sequel to Mr. Midnight, a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately the sequel comes nowhere near the first in terms of quality or originality. It’s not a bad read, but I’d expected more. Some of the magic of the first book, which was gritty, dark and unsettling, was missing, and I couldn’t connect to any of the main characters. The first half felt repetitious too.

Thanks to DarkFuse Publishing for providing review copies of all three of these.

Filed Under: Mini-Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mini-Review: White Knuckle, Island of the Forbidden, Doppelganger

July 19, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

White Knuckle

Tite: White Knuckle

Author: Eric Red

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

There’s a killer on the road…He’s a big rig truck driver who goes by the CB handle White Knuckle, and he’s Jack the Ripper on eighteen wheels. For thirty years he has murdered hundreds of women inunimaginable ways, imprisoning them in a secret compartment in his truck, abductingthem in one state and dumping their dead bodies across the country.Dedicated FBI agent Sharon Ormsby is on a mission to hunt down and stop WhiteKnuckle. She goes undercover as a truck driver with a helpful long hauler named Rudy ina cross-country pursuit that will ultimately bring her face-to-face with White Knuckle in apedal-to-the-metal, high-octane climax on a highway to Hell.

Review: I’d classify this book more as a thriller than a horror book. It’s an interesting book, with an unique main character. The author crafts a serial killer well, and gives him an actual personality. He’s more than stereotypes. Despite that, the book is a little predictable, though. The pacing wasn’t always fast enough, but overall it was an enjoyable book about a serial killer and the FBI agent desperate to hunt him down.

Island of the Forbidden

Title: Island of the Forbidden

Author: Hunter Shea

Genre: Horror

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Sometimes, the dead are best left in peace.

Jessica Backman has been called to help a strange family living on a haunted island in Charleston Harbor. Ormsby Island was the site of a brutal massacre two decades ago, and now the mysterious Harper family needs someone to exorcise the ghosts that still call it home. The phantoms of over one hundred children cannot rest.
But something far more insidious is living on the island. When the living and the dead guard their true intentions, how can Jessica discover just what sort of evil lurks on Ormsby Island? And why is Jessica the only one who can plumb its dark depths?

Review: This book is pretty amazing. It’s scary, horrifying, and atmospheric. Jessica Backman leaves to help a strange family on a haunted island. The island was once the site of a brutal massacre, where over one hundred kids died. Perhaps the book isn’t the most original in terms of what’s haunting the island, but then it takes a strange twist or two and before you know it, you’re facing a whole new kind of evil. The writing is great, the characters are amazing, and it’s seriously one of the most enjoyable horror books I’ve ever read.

Doppelgänger

Title: Doppelgänger

Author: Sean Munger

Genre: Horror, Supernatural Horror

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

The house of madness!

Transplanted from her native Sweden to the drawing rooms and gas-lit parlors of Gilded Age New York, Anine Atherton will want for nothing in the lavish row house her rich new husband bought for her. But Anine’s house doesn’t seem to like people. The caretaker hangs himself in the entryway. The maid drops dead her first day on the job. Anine herself is becoming anxious and terrified, and not just because of the ghostly laughter she hears in the middle of the night. Her gentle, charming husband is slowly turning into a domineering brute. And whatever shadowy entity lives in her house, it can read Anine’s mind and use her darkest secrets against her. The last woman to live in the house went insane. Will Anine be next in line?

Review: I wanted to like Doppelgänger but I felt disconnected from the characters. The story has a good premise, it’s atmospheric, the house is a scary enough, but none of the characters really connected with me. I couldn’t like the characters, so I didn’t feel much for them.
Filed Under: Mini-Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Mini-Reviews: A Place for Sinners, Must Love Ghosts, The Doll Collection

July 10, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Title: A Place for Sinners

Author: Aaron Dries

Genre: Horror

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Sometimes, survival is a sin.

Amity Collins has been deaf since she was seven. That was the day the wild dogs attacked, fighting for her bones. The day her father died. This trip to Thailand is exactly what Amity and her brother, Caleb, need—freedom.

As their boat slits through saltwater, Amity, Caleb and the other passengers are having the time of their lives. They watch the island emerge on the horizon. Its trees twitch, as though impatient or hungry. Within its shadows, secrets best kept hidden will be unearthed. Sacrifices will be made. Terror will reach out to grasp Amity, as real and frightening as what’s lurking in the dark.

A perfect example of a book that starts out strong but ends on a bit of a sour note. The first part was magnificent, and I felt like I was in Thailand too, along with the main characters. However, the second part of the book, while disturbing and holding a lot of potential, fell a little flat because it was TOO complex. Some of the twists and character reveals made little to no sense either. I don’t mind a little complexity but it needs to stay within the realms of the possible.

Title: Must Love Ghosts

Author: Jennifer Savalli

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Ghosts

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Haunted? Call 1-800-GHOST-HUNK.

Tia McGarry believes love is nothing more than a biochemical cocktail, and she’ll have the research to prove it—as soon as she and her calm, stable, almost-fiancé land a research grant.

Her biggest mistake, bad boy ex-boyfriend Dec Mancini, is firmly in her past. But when the ghost of her long-dead great-uncle moves into her living room, Dec is the only paranormal investigator with the skills to get rid of him.

Dec is used to scorn and ridicule, but he never quite got over Tia’s refusal to believe. With irrefutable proof that ghosts exist manifesting in her house, he can finally earn respect for his profession—and maybe find common ground for himself and Tia to rebuild on.

Tia can’t deny their crazy, chaotic chemistry is strong as ever, but as the ghost’s pranks threaten to put her grant out of reach, she must decide which is the greater risk: letting a ghost jeopardize her career, or falling in love with the man who could destroy her safe, stable life.

Tia doesn’t believe in ghosts, but when her dead uncle shows up, she might be forced to change her opinion. And when on top of that her ex-boyfriend, a paranormal investigator, makes a reapparance in her life and it seems like things are about to turn hot and heavy between them again, she’s in for a fun and quirky adventure. Despite that, the plot is pretty basic and the characters are a little flat too. Not a bad read,but not that great either.

Title: The Doll Collection

Author: Ellen Datlow (Editor)

Genre: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

The Doll Collection is exactly what it sounds like: a treasured toy box of all-original dark stories about dolls of all types, including everything from puppets and poppets to mannequins and baby dolls. Featuring everything from life-sized clockwork dolls to all-too-human Betsy Wetsy-type baby dolls, these stories play into the true creepiness of the doll trope, but avoid the clichés that often show up in stories of this type.Master anthologist Ellen Datlow has assembled a list of beautiful and terrifying stories from bestselling and critically acclaimed authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Pat Cadigan, Tim Lebbon, Richard Kadrey, Genevieve Valentine, and Jeffrey Ford. The collection is illustrated with photographs of dolls taken by Datlow and other devoted doll collectors from the science fiction and fantasy field. The result is a star-studded collection exploring one of the most primal fears of readers of dark fiction everywhere, and one that every reader will want to add to their own collection.
At the publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied

Dolls are creepy. Enough said. Now, in this collection, which packs a bunch of the most original stories I’ve ever read in the genre, the authors explore the trope of creepy dolls. A range of haunted dolls, mad doll owners, creepy doctors and ventriloquists pass by, and each story is unique and strong in its own way. One of the best horror anthologies I’ve read.

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Mini-Reviews: Butterfly Palace

July 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Title: Butterfly Palace

Author: Colleen Coble

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

When Lilly Donnelly arrives at the Cutlers’ famed Butterfly Mansion in 1899, the massive house and unfamiliar duties threaten to overwhelm her. Victorian Austin is lavish, highly political, and intimidating, but with the help of the other servants, Lilly resolves to prove herself to her new employers.

Then, while serving at an elegant dinner party, Lilly recognizes one distinguished guest as Andrew, the love of her life, who abandoned her without a word back home. He seems to have assumed a new identity and refuses to acknowledge her, leaving her confused and reeling.

Before Lilly can absorb this unwelcome news, she’s attacked. Could it be the sinister Servant Girl Killer who has been terrorizing Austin? Or is it someone after something more personal–someone from her past?

Does she dare trust Andrew to help or is he part of the danger threatening to draw Lilly into its vortex?

I hate to say it, but this book wasn’t my cup of tea. The characters act strangely and not suitable to their station. Lilly is your typical Mary Sue, and everyone seems to like her. The snobby characters act too snobby and the character’s personalities aren’t consistent. I did like the mystery part though, but the characcters made this a not-so-pleasant read for me.

Title: What She Left

Author: T.R. Richmond

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Rating: DNF

Purchase: Amazon

Gone doesn’t mean forgotten.

When Alice Salmon died last year, the ripples were felt in the news, on the internet, and in the hearts of those who knew her best.

But the person who knows her most intimately isn’t family or a friend. Dr Jeremy Cook is an academic whose life has become about piecing together Alice’s existence in all its flawed and truthful reality.

For Cooke, faithfully recreating Alice’s life – through her diaries, emails and anything using her voice – is all-consuming. He does not know how deep his search will take him, or the shocking nature of what he will uncover…

What She Left had such an interesting premise. A story told from an unique POV, adding in flashbacks through which Dr. Jeremy Cooke recreates Alice’s life…it could’ve worked so wonderfully. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work at all. The story drags on, the characters are impossible to connect to and Jeremy is just plain creepy. I couldn’t finish the book, and had to finish at about 30%. Apparently this book seems a hit or miss to reviews in general and for me, it was a miss.

Title: The Winter Foundlings

Author: Kate Rhodes

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Psychologist Alice Quentin has been looking forward to a break from her hectic London life. She has vowed to stay clear of police work. The previous cases she helped the police with have left her scarred. So, when Alice is given the rare opportunity to study treatment methods at Northwood high-security hospital outside of London, she is eager to get to work.

But then a young girl is discovered, dressed all in white, on the steps of the Foundling Museum. Four girls have recently gone missing in North London–this is the third to be found, dead. The fourth may still be alive, and Alice Quentin may be able to help. Britain’s most prolific child killer, Louis Kinsella, has been locked up in Northwood for over a decade. Yet, these recent kidnappings and murders are clearly connected to Kinsella’s earlier crimes. It seems that someone is continuing where he left off. So, when Detective Don Burns comes asking for Alice’s help, how can she refuse? Alice will do anything to help save a child–even if that means forming a relationship with a charismatic, ruthless murderer. But Kinsella is slow to give away his secrets, and time is running out for the latest kidnap victim, who is simply trying to survive. In her quest to save a life, Alice finds she has put her own life on the line.

The Winter Foundling is Kate Rhode’s exciting thriller featuring Alice Quentin following Crossbones Yard and A Killing of Angels

I’m amazed I haven’t heard more about this author before because her book is pretty amazing.The Winter Foundling offers an interesting setting (a psychiatric hospital), where Britian’s most prolific child killer is locked up, an engaging main character who is a psychologist (rather than the usual detective) and a plot that is fast-paced and ruthless. A gripping thriller that I’d recommend to all thriller fans.

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Mini-Review: Dangerous Dream and Dangerous Creatures

June 28, 2015 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Dangerous Dream: A Beautiful Creatures Story

Tite: Dangerous Dream: A Beautiful Creatures Story

Author: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

The #1 New York Times bestselling Beautiful Creatures series continues in this brand-new digital-exclusive story.Catch up with Ethan, Lena, and Link as they finally graduate from high school and get ready to leave the small Southern town of Gatlin. But when Dark Caster Ridley makes an appearance, the sometime bad girl can’t resist picking a fight with her sometime boyfriend, Link. Angry and rebellious as ever, Ridley ends up alone in New York City and becomes entangled in the dangerous underground Caster club scene, where the stakes are high and losers pay the ultimate price.Where’s a Linkubus when you need him?

Review: The best part of this novella is that it featured Ridley and Link. While I couldn’t always relate to Lena and Ethan and wasn’t fully on the bandwagon promoting their relationship, I’ve always been a huge fan of Ridley and Link. The book is brief, but it does has a story and plot, and it doesn’t fall into some of the tedious, slow-paced writing traps the other books in the series are prone to. If you’re a fan of the series, I’d definitely recommend it.

Dangerous Creatures

Tite: Dangerous Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

A new series returns to the world of Beautiful Creatures. Some loves are cursed…others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she’s a bad girl. She’s Dark. She’s a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she’s around. Lucky for her, Wesley “Link” Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn’t hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of Beautiful Creatures, are back and casting another magical spell. Their signature mixture of mystery, suspense, and romance, along with a dash of fun and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

Review: After having mixed feelings about the Beautiful Creatures series, I wasn’t sure if I should give Dangerous Creatures a shot. But with the focus being on Ridley, who was easily my favorite character from the Beautiful Creatures series, I couldn’t get around it, and had to read this. Unfortunately, the book never really delivers on its promise, and the promise we’ve been expecting since first meeting this unlikely couple in the Beautiful Creatures series. Ridley never quite regains the spark she had in the previous series, Link never redeems himself nor does he become anything more than the insecure boy he is in the first series, and their relationship feels forced. Not what I’d expected or hoped.

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