Review + Casting Call: Cin by Christina Leigh Pritchard

Title: Cin
Author:Christina Leigh Pritchard
Series: Cin Series # 1
Genre: YA Supernatural
Format: E-book
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amz / B&N
I received this novel free of charge from BBT in exchange fro an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:

The Doctor said I should be dead. My heart beat furiously. I looked up at the flashes of lightning in the sky. Yes, I should be dead. Why wasn’t I? Seventeen year old Lisa Brown’s life is falling apart. First, her mother and father divorce, then their house forecloses and now, her mother has decided to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital. If that weren’t enough, she must leave sunny south Florida to attend a boarding school full of geniuses in cold, Lynn, Massachusetts. The city where the locals chant “Lynn, Lynn, city of sin; you never come out the way you went in.” And, they aren’t kidding. Lisa must live in a tiny shack with two strange teenagers, a dog named Pig who growls when you look at him and a cat named Rat. “Mind the cat,” everyone says. What the heck is wrong with this place? Lisa thinks she’s landed in her own house of horrors with the anti-social Alex and his facetious sister Ally. But, the real drama begins the day she is struck by lightning

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

Perfect for those who are making their entry into the supernatural world since it is not the heaviest supernatural world intro. It is a still great book though. It feels contemporary but the veil of the supernatural is always lurking in the commentary by the characters. Don’t expect the supernatural to make a full-blown entry until halfway through the novel.

Let’s talk about the main character, Lisa Brown. She is all right protagonist. Quick to anger, a little slow in comprehending her new world but she is aware of the oddities around her. What is great about her is that she is aware of herself and her place in the world but she still tries to fight her role in society. She doesn’t just accept what she is being told (she launches into battle before she has the entire facts). She is complicated. She believes Alex is a villain but she still wants him. It is an interesting internal battle because she is aware of herself. Internal debates about what is going on are fantastic if the character is right on the mark and Lisa sometimes is.

Alex and Ally are the siblings and I suppose could be viewed as the antagonists but not as villains. In Lisa’s mind, they are cold people but they are just quirky. Although, Ally was mean at first. Both have unique histories and abilities; pay attention to the Michael’s history lesson and you will be set. It is not really explained why but both of them really want Lisa to stay in town (especially Ally since she was aggressive to Lisa). It’s a question that is meant for the second book since this book was just an introduction to the semi-supernatural world of Alex and Ally. Overall, their interaction with Lisa has changed them dramatically. Ally becomes more friendly while Alex becomes possessive of Lisa. Alex and Lisa have this pain-addiction connection that causes problems for them but should work in their favor.

A quirky element of the world-building is that it is not heavily supernatural. It is supernatural because of what Alex and Ally are and can do but it just barely glosses the supernatural world. It feels contemporary because of the lack of supernatural elements but it is not contemporary because it erases heavy issues from the characters. It is in between two worlds. The school was a nice addition to the storyline. It appears to be a normal school but it is far more complicated what it seems. For students that are shut-ins, they are pretty connected to the world. The secondary characters and their relationships with other characters are not really explored but Lisa is definitely thinking about how everything connects.

It is a fantastic book that I would love to give five butterflies to but it just falls short of it. The book gives away too many of the answers to important questions and highlights the odd behavior that a reader would have already notice. It is easy to detect what is going on and what it means. What Alex and Ally are and can do, the students, Lisa’s father; the only mystery that I didn’t figure out before Pritchard told the reader was Rat the Cat. I kept thinking “Maybe Rat is a real person” but he is not. What he is far more interesting. I love Pig the Dog, too.

Overall, it is a pretty good book. It is about Lisa just trying to fit into a world that she forced to live in. Alex and Ally are misunderstood individuals but with good reason are they misunderstood. I’m looking forward to the second book. Hopefully, the secondary characters get more face time. Maybe stronger ties to the supernatural world would be a good idea as well.

4 BB-Ready for capture

Pritchart is holding giveaways on her site so feel free to stop by and try your luck.

CASTING CALL! Please join the raffle to be one of four new characters in upcoming C I N books! Submission Form. (No purchase necessary to win)

CASH PRIZE PHOTO CONTESTS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE! Submission Form. 

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

58th in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: First in a Series, E-book, Where are you reading?-Massachusetts

Review: Spirits in the Trees by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

Title: Spirits in the Trees
Author: Morgan Hannah Macdonald
Series: Spirit Trilogy # 1
Genre:  Paranormal Mystery
Format: E-book
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amz
I received this novel free of charge from BBT in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:
SOME FAMILY SECRETS ARE BETTER LEFT BURIED.
An abandoned house, a psychotic killer, and a victim reaching out from the grave. A woman must unearth deadly family secrets before she becomes a ghost herself.

Madeline Anderson goes to Isabelle Island, Washington, to sell a family home abandoned over forty years before. Bizarre things occur the moment she steps on the property. Inside the dilapidated old house, items move about of their own accord. Strange noises come from empty rooms. She has a vivid, recurring dream of a woman running for her life. The wind rustling through the trees sounds like urgent, murmuring voices. When the cacophony dies down, one single word emerges: MADELINE,MADELINE,MADELINE.

At first, Doug Lindstrom, the hot fireman helping Maddy restore the old home, doesn’t believe anything is going on. He’s certain Maddy is jumping at shadows because she heard the local kids call the house haunted. That is, until he witnesses horrific violence himself that he can’t explain away. After Maddy’s life is threatened not once, but twice, Doug vows there will not be a third time.

EVIL DOES EXIST.
While searching for answers, Maddy uncovers astonishing secrets about her aunt’s past. Finding more questions then answers, she digs deeper until she stumbles across evidence of a cold case involving a serial killer nicknamed The Seaside Strangler. Together, Doug and Maddy must unmask a killer. The lives they save just might be their own.

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз
Random: The death are much more fascinating than the living.

This is an okay murder/paranormal mystery. It is not the greatest but it is not the worse story that I have read. My main problem lies with Maddy (the main character) and my inability to connect or sympathize with her. On the plus side, the novel has a very good use of journal entries an spectral evidence.

It starts out with a bang but it is a cold bang. It starts with a burning house and the purpose was to shock the reader and force a connection with Maddy but it doesn’t work that way. How the situation is handle is too cold and I don’t feel for her. Yeah, the situation is tragic but so what; Maddy is a stranger to me and appears to be a frustrated wife. After that, the book doesn’t try to form a connection between Maddy and the reader. It’s like it expects the reader to be connected to Maddy because of the tragic accident but I don’t feel it. She is not a very interesting character (not even her love interest is interesting); the only interesting thing about her is the haunting. Overall, I’m not crazy about her or any of the living characters.

The two things that I truly liked about this novel are the journal entries and the hauntings. The journal entries are about Madeline (Maddy’s great-aunt) who has a tragic but more compelling life than Maddy.  The reader can feel her pain in being secluded in a hell house. Madeline, for me, was a stronger character than Maddy. Madeline was victimized by her in-law-family yet she persevered in the house. It may have taken her awhile to find her courage but it is the process that makes her a stronger character than Maddy.

The hauntings are a typical of haunted house. Bathtub full of blood, doors closing by themselves, opening and closing cabinets but they spice up the story. It brings the paranormal world into the living world setting instead of confining the paranormal to Maddy’s head and her dreams. It was a good move to bring in the paranormal experts as well. They do EMF readings of the house and record the house’s strange movements. The dreams of Maddy are also interesting. That’s where the mystery comes in because Maddy is reliving a crime through paranormal means. The dreams are graphic in a sense that they will make the reader believe what is happening to the victim. The panic and the fear are visible in the dream sequence.

It is odd that I can connect with the Madeline and the victims instead of Maddy who we as readers tend to read more about. Maddy and all of the living are close characters; it is hard to connect with them because their past are simply brush over and told directly instead of being shown. Whereas the victims and Madeline, their stories are shown on an emotional level.

In the end, this is good book. There is always something going on so the action never really slows down. Very intriguing journal entries about a screwed up family. Dream sequences that are filled with emotions. It is a good book but Maddy as a cold main character just lowers the butterfly rating.

3 BB-Pretty to look at

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

57th in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: E-book, Self-Published, Ghostly Reading, Men in Uniform, Where are you reading?-Washington

Wishlist Wednesday # 21

Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Pen to Paper. It is the place to showcase one book that has been on our wishlist. Click on the image if you feel like joining in on the fun.

On My Wishlist is: Here (On the Otherside) by Denise Grover Swank

Blurb from Amazon:

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can’t ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

I like the cover. It is so creepy. The blurb is interesting but I’m not sure what to think about it. Could it have paranormal elements? Is it a medical/government conspiracy? Alternate reality? Maybe all three.

Review: My Immortal-The Vampires of Berlin by Lee Rudnicki

Title: My Immortal-The Vampires of Berlin
Author: Lee Rudnicki
Series: The Vampires of Berlin # 1
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Format: E-book
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amz/ B&N
I received this novel free of charge from BBT in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:
She was beautiful. Her high cheekbones and burgundy hair gave her a distinctive Eastern European look. Her face gave away no secrets; her distant stare made it seem as if nothing else in the universe existed. Her clothing was minimal; she wore a white ankle-length nightgown and was barefoot, despite the fact that most of the ground in Berlin was covered with broken glass and other dangers. Somehow, her feet were uninjured. The German soldiers remained still, their weapons trained on their unannounced guest. “They are coming for me,” she whispered. The young vampire was clearly afraid of something…

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

Random: What a strange method of telling a vampire story

This has to be one of the strangest frame story that I have read but I love it. The best way to picture this book is like one book was hollow out to make a secret compartment and what was place in the compartment was a story about World War II with a dash of vampire thrown in it.

The frame story is of Professor Richter in Germany possibly revealing Operation Tristan (from WWII) to the world and the United States sort of butchering his attempt to do so. It leads to official legal documents being reveal but all we get is the cover page. From the cover page forward, it is a story about a German soldier saving the young vampire from the blurb while trying to escape the downfall of Berlin. It is a story, not a legal document that follows which is odd to me. With the legal intro look, I was falsely expecting a legal overview/report on what is Operation Tristan. It even ends with a legal notice at the end of the German soldier’s story and continues on to show how Professor Richter has affected the world. The legal notices add symmetry to the book which is nice. That’s why I said that it is a strange way to tell a story because the legal notices are supposed to claim the story as factual but the story within the legal notices has parts that Sebastian and Wolf (main characters) could not have been party to. It raises questions as to how the document came to be and why is it in a story format instead of a legal, almost autobiographical account of what went on in Berlin. The format is not what I expected; it’s different; different is good.

The strangeness of the book continues with how the two stories are told. The frame story reads like a spy thriller; an agent stumbles into a big secret and gets caught up in it. It threw me off balance because I kept waiting for the vampires to show up and the vampires didn’t. It’s a mini-thriller novel at first. With the legal document intro, it switches into historical war fiction and this is where the vampires show up. It goes full out with World War II history especially with the German and Russian armies. It is very detailed with what soldiers do and how the war has framed their thinking about humanity. For some, it hardened them and others-value life more.

I’m sort of obsess with the format of the book but the characters are decent and detailed characters. Sebastian is the one who refuses to leave Eva, the young vampire, and Wolf has no choice but to drag Eva along for the ride. Their reaction to Eva and other vampires is not common but considering they are trying to escape Berlin before the Russians launch the final attack on the city, I supposed they would not dwell on the existence of vampires; they are surprisingly comfortable knowing. Heydrich is Hitler’s supernatural key (I guess); not a nice guy at all. The vampires are also interesting because they are fighting for humanity instead of fighting for vampires. They are also classical vampires meaning they can turn into bats. Yeah!

Overall, it is a very good story with a strange way of detailing a “legal document.” It is mainly the World War II story as the core of the book and the modern story is just framing. I’m looking forward to reading the next book because the ending is a hella of a twist. I didn’t really expect it. (But this book has definitely not been what I expected at all…in a good way).

5 BB- Total Keeper

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

56th in the  150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: First in a Series, E-book, Men in Uniform, Where are you reading?-Germany

Review: Night Rising by Chris Marie Green

Title: Night Rising
Author: Chris Marie Green
Series: Vampire Babylon # 1
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Format: Paperback
Source:  PaperbackSwap
Pub. Year: 2007
Purchase: Amz/ B&N

Blurb from Amazon:

In this first book of an all-new trilogy, life proves stranger than the movies when a Hollywood underground coven of vampires comes to light-and gets targeted by the tough-as-nails daughter of a sexy screen siren.

Stuntwoman Dawn Madison hasn’t been on the best of terms with her father since her movie star mother died. Still, he is her dad, and when he vanishes while investigating the bizarre sighting-caught on film-of a supposedly long-dead child star, she comes home to Tinseltown to join the search for him. Working with his odd colleagues, she discovers an erotic and bloody underground society made up of creatures she thought existed only on the screen.

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

Random: The book is a rough diamond.

The series has potential but it falls a little flat. It has a loose plot and less than appealing characters. Add in villains that may not be true villains, it is not what I had expected.

Let’s talk character. Dawn is the main protagonist who really likes sex. The first half of the book is about Dawn wanting to have sex with anyone and not being able to satisfy her craving. I have never read a character like her but Dawn’s constant need for sex made her a hard character to like. In the second half of the book, the action picks up so the novel is not emphasizing her sex drive (but it is still there). Kiko is a little person who has psychic visions. He is a struggling actor and has a lot of faith in his boss, The Voice. Breisi is a Hispanic woman who is a technology and combat expert. She is reserved but she is an interesting character. The Voice/Jonah is their boss and a hypnotizer. He never physically appears in the book. (I’m guessing vampire or ghost). He has many secrets and not very forthcoming with them. Frank (Dawn’s father) is an absentee character but he helps drive the story forward. It’s a nice touch of Green making him an absentee character to reflect his absentee father status.

The plot could have been tighter or at least solve the original mystery that brought Dawn to Los Angeles. It starts with Dawn looking for her father but she never finds him so that is highly disappointing. Instead, she half-solves the case he working on when he disappeared. The novel also adds Eva as a residual character. Eva is Dawn’s dead mother and Eva as a memory continues to haunt Dawn. The dead of her mother stole Dawn’s father away from her and Dawn is continually compare to and usually fails to live to the world’s expectation as the daughter of one of the most beautiful and talented actress. That’s probably the best part of the novel. So much of what is going on can be trace to Eva. There is certain starlet that reminds of me of Eva and I hope she has a recurring role in the second book.

The villains, if you can call them that, are vampires. I don’t really consider them villains because they are not turning or killing people against their will. It is the human who consents to what the vampires are requesting. There is a hierarchy and while it is a cold hierarchy, there is some warmth and caregiving with the vampires. The vampires don’t seem like villains. At least not yet. There is still hope for them.

I know it sounds like I didn’t really like the book but it was an okay book. It is not at the top of the urban fantasy series but it is not the worst urban fantasy book that I have read. It is just okay.

3 BB-Pretty to look at

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

55th in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: First in a Series, Where Are You Reading?-California

Promo Post and Giveaway (INT): Boy Who Dreams by M. Cesar

Title: Boy Who Dreams
Author: M. Cesar
Series: Destiny Awaken # 1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: E-book
Source:  VBT Café Tour
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Smashwords

Blurb from Smashwords:

Jordan a sixteen year old boy begins to be haunted by several dreams as he returns to school after his holidays.

Events come quick and fast as a death forces Jordan to realize that something weird is happening. With help from those around him he starts to understand that his dreams are showing him the future. Then things start to spiral out of control as an unknown enemy haunts him in his dreams and in his real life.

As his friends start to mysteriously vanish without any explanation, he has to overcome his fears of the unknown, and face a reality that he is not just a normal boy, but someone that is walking a destiny foretold thousands of years ago.

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

GIVEAWAY TIME:
I’m giving away 5 e-book copies of this novel. That’s right, 5. All you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail and what format (Mobi, Epub or PDF) you would like. Being a twitter follower will give you one extra bonus point.

Good luck.

Wishlist Wednesday # 20

Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Pen to Paper. It is the place to showcase one book that has been on our wishlist. Click on the image if you feel like joining in on the fun.

On My Wishlist is: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.

Elysia’s purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island’s workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia’s life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne’s human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island’s flawless exterior, there is an under­current of discontent among Demesne’s worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations cloud­ing Elysia’s mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn’t the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi­ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she’s always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

I love the flower on her face. Plus, the purple eyes, a very nice shade of purple, are captivating. The blurb itself sounds pretty interesting. It is a dystopian world masquerading as a utopian world which are always fun to delve into. Perfection is always elusive but it is fun (and highly dangerous) to attempt to capture it. I’m curious as to her status of being a clone, does that mean she is a machine or is she biologically compatible with humans. Weird question but that is how I think.

Review: Dark Light by Carl Hose

Title: Dark Light
Author: Carl Hose
Series: Standalone
Genre: Horror
Format: E-book
Source:  Online Innovative Book Tours
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amz/ B&N
I received this novel free of charge from OIBT in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:
Dark Light is the light that shines through when some of the finest writers in horror use the power of their words for good. That’s the case with this anthology—42 writers coming together to help support the Ronald McDonald House Charities and all the good the organization does for families every year round. Make no mistake, though. These are horror writers and the stories they’ve written are not pretty. Traditional and non-traditional horror, dark humor, ghosts, serial killers, alternate universes, magic, zombies, and other creatures of the night hide between these pages. Shadows move and dead fingers stroke unsuspecting flesh, razor sharp knives shimmer in the moonlight, and unknown things hide in closets and under the bed. The stories here are as varied as the writers themselves. If you’re a fan of horror, you will not be let down. Despite the horrific nature of these tales, however, their very existence in Dark Light stands as proof there will always be a light at the end of every tunnel. Dark Light is published by MARLvision Publishing and edited by Carl Hose.

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз
Random: So many stories to choose from, so little to describe them all.

It is a great collection of horror short stories. Some are psychological horror, dystopias, ghosts, murder, whatever terrifies a reader, there is a story for that. There is also a variety of writing styles. There are diary entries, first person narrative, the rare second person point of view, and the third person point of view. With 42 short stories to read, I only have time to showcase a few of them.

“A Sight for Sore Eyes” by Deborah LeBlanc. I like this one because it threw me off balance. I was sure that I knew what was happening but the ending, damn, was I wrong. That is fantastic that it could maintain the suspense at a high level.

“ Death Comes Calling” by Randy Chandler. One of my favorite stories because it remind of “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson. A dead man, Reggie, is having a debate with the personification of Death and it is an interesting conversation. Death is an intriguing character. It slows down a little in the middle with Reggie and his wife conversing but when Reggie meets a man with AIDS, the story becomes as interesting as the conversation with Death. Even though it has a slow part in the middle, it is still a very good short story that tugs at the heart.

“ After the Fall” by Paul Fry. Not my favorite story but one that I read through. It is a diary entry style story. The main character is less than compelling and he is a bastard. He is out there raping and killing women after a nuclear disaster. Hopefully, he earns what he deserves. It is pretty gruesome story because it just lacks empathy. It is a well-written story but it just not a story that is going to bring positive emotions to a reader.

“The Long Wait”  by Christopher Shearer. I’m showcasing this one because of a very specific scene with a little girl. Children in horror movies and stories tend to a be a little creepy. Sorry, it is true; just remember The Innocents (1961). I love the first film scene where she is asking for donations and she just pulls a creepy stunt. Perfect horror. The overall story is sad though.

5 BB- Total Keeper

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

54th in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: E-book

Review: The Carousel Ghost by Andrea Pelleschi

Title: The Carousel Ghost
Author: Andrea Pelleschi
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Supernatural
Format: E-book
Source:  Author
Pub. Year: 2012
Purchase: Amazon / MuseItUp Publishing
I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Amazon:
Fourteen-year-old Kate’s traditional first day at Wildwood Lake Park couldn’t get any worse. Besides problems with her best friend and the obnoxious, but cute, boy from school named Tommy, there’s the new haunted carousel ride. When Kate goes for a spin, she finds herself transported back in time and into the body of a ghost named Isabelle, circa 1928. Isabelle’s husband carved the horse, and the rumor is that he also murdered Isabelle.

Back in the present, Kate teams up with Tommy to solve the mystery of how Isabelle died, even if it means more terrifying rides on the carousel. As the investigation goes on, Kate finds herself growing closer to Isabelle than she is with Meghan. So when the carousel is slated to be dismantled for the park museum, Kate hurries to solve the mystery before Isabelle is doomed to wander the park–and Kate’s dreams–forever.

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз
What I liked: A great clean ghost story that does not rely on blood and mayhem.

This is a ghost story without shock or bad luck. It is just a simple ghost story about a woman haunting a carousel which is a great contrast to most ghost stories that are used to scared people. The story of Isabel spiked interest instead of terror.

Kate was a great protagonist. In the first chapter, she was a bit annoying with the whole “I don’t like Meghan’s new friends so I’m going show I know more about her” attitude but it is realistic. Kate would feel possessive about her friendship with Meghan around new people who want to claim Meghan as their new best friend. The fact that we see this possessive side of her is a good thing because it shows Kate’s character growth. She slowly goes from being pessimistic about losing the friendship and finds a silver lining in moving away from from Meghan. As much as this novel is about solving a mystery, it is about the Kate growing up.

One of the best features about this novel is that even though Kate is hanging out with Tommy, it is not focused on building a romance between them but rather a friendship. Kate, at the start, couldn’t stand Tommy because he acts like a typical boy for his age. She grows to tolerate him and then truly considers him a friend because the mystery murder quest brings them together. He may turn her into a little trespasser and lawbreaker but that is part of growing up. Tommy proves he is just not an annoying boy but can be a loyal and interesting person. He helps Kate mature as a person and he does too.

The ghost story of Isabelle haunting the carousel was a nice, little creepy story. Especially with the dream sequences. Isabelle had more power to communicate with Kate through the dreams than through the carousel warhorse. She wasn’t creepy, she was just sorrowful. I like how they solved the case as well. It wasn’t just independent research or looking for clues. They had adults involve in the case (without full details) in a positive way. The adults weren’t too oblivious and instead of hindering the case, they contributed to it. I applaud Pelleschi for showing well-meaning and present adults.

Overall, this is a five butterfly rating for me. It is a different type of ghost story, Kate and Tommy grow into their own skins, and a positive portrayal of adults make me love the book.

5 BB- Total Keeper

εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз__εїз_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз_Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ_εїз

53rd in the 150+ Reading Challenge
Also qualifies for: E-book, Ghostly

First in a Series Giveaway (INT)

First in a Series Reading Challenge was the first challenge that I completed. In order to celebrate that little accomplishment, I’m going to give away one book from the list below.

Out of 30 books, the 15 below are my favorite. Clicking on the titles of the books will take you to my review of the book but more importantly, will provide the blurb for the book.

Row 1: Death Note, The Faustian Host, Intangible, The Earth Painter, Bizenghast Vol. 1

Row 2: Wasteland, Halo of the Damned, Finding Alice, Memento Nora, Across The Universe

Row 3: XXXHolic, Dead Witch Walking, Hollowland, Glass House, All’s Fair in Vanities War

Shinigami

Prophecy

Pychic

Powers

Ghosts

Angels

Angels

Angels

Dystopia

Dystopia

Witch

Witch

Zombies

Vampire

Mythology

Mandatory entry: Leave a comment stating what book you would like to win.

Extra entries can be earned by being a Twitter Follower (1+), a Goodreads friends (+1), or an e-mail follower (+2). Links are on your left.

It is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway. One of you will win one book from the list above.

GOOD LUCK! GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winner will be announce soon.