The Lantern’s Ember, by Colleen Houck ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

416 Pages

Synopsis: Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

I was so excited to read this retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, especially as it’s written by Colleen Houck who wrote the imaginative Tiger’s Curse series. I’m sorry to say that while it wasn’t a complete wash, I was left disappointed.

This is set sometime after the Salem witch trials, but you don’t really get a sense of where Ember lives. Most of the story focuses on the “otherworld” which is much more developed in terms of technology. It’s a little steampunkish which thrilled me to no end, and as usual the author does a beautiful job with world building. What did let me down though, was the lack of thrills and chills. I was expecting so much more spookiness given the story this was based on.

My main issue however was with the characters. First, there’s a love square, and you guys know how much I love those. (Yes that was sarcasm.) And, this was one of those rare stories where I actually liked the secondary characters more than the main one. I didn’t have strong feelings about Ember and Jack either way. They were just sort of  “meh” for me. I loved the others though, especially Deila who’s a kickass pirate captain with a metal tooth. She’s all kinds of awesome and deserves her own story.

And finally, the way The Lantern’s Ember is written, it feels more middle-schoolish even with the annoying romantic entanglements. Ultimately this latest book by Houck just didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m still a fan of the author though so hopefully this is a one off.

 

 

 

The Brink of Darkness (The Edge of Everything #2), by Jeff Giles ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: Things have changed for seventeen-year-old Zoe since the otherworldly events that brought her together with the mysterious bounty hunter she calls X. In order to save Zoe and her family, X has done the unthinkable—he’s given up his freedom and returned to captivity in the Lowlands.

X is determined to break the lords’ hold on him once and for all, but being stripped of his power pushes him toward a darkness he’s never experienced and a past he’s never known. The secrets that surface could be the key to reuniting X and Zoe…or they could mean the destruction of everything they’ve been fighting for.

Gripping and full of heart, this epic continuation of Jeff Giles’ series—which already has rave reviews from the New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia, Melissa de la Cruz and Cassandra Clare, among others—will bring readers right to the edge of everything.

When I reviewed the first book of this duology last year, The Edge of Everything, I gave it 4 1/2 stars with my only issue being the insta-love between Zoe and X. In The Brink of Darkness, their relationship  is firmly established even though they spend a good part of the book separated, so I was able to completely buy into their romance. 

The story picks up immediately from the end of the previous book and even though it’s been a year, I was immediately sucked right back in. While X is in the underworld on a quest to find his mother and reunite with Zoe, she’s is back with her family and friends and worrying about X. I absolutely loved this couple and their devotion to one another. Neither lets anything or anyone stand in their way of protecting the other. And just like in the first book, the secondary characters are equally well written. The world building is amazing and readers get to see much more of the underworld, its inhabitants, and how it works. The story unfolds at a fast pace and the ending ties everything perfectly. My only disappointment is that this is the end. I find myself already missing the characters. I highly recommend this duology for teens and adult fans of YA paranormal. It’s original and creative and you won’t be able to prevent yourself from becoming attached to the characters.

 

 

The Precious Dreadful, by Steven Parlato ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Abusive Relationships, Dysfunctional Families, Mystery, Paranormal, Substance Abuse, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

352 Pages

Synopsis: Teddi Adler is just trying to figure out her life. 

When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi feels she’s losing her group on reality—-as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own. 

As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—-her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

I have to give The Precious Dreadful kudos for being so highly original. It also had many other good qualities. I liked Teddi and completely emphasized with her desperate attempts to solve a mystery going back to her childhood. I also loved her BFF Willa who loyally stuck by her even when Teddi turned on her. I wasn’t fond of the romance between Teddi and Aidan however. Their relationship was verbally/emotionally abusive from the beginning, and even though Teddi would stand up for herself, she’d still go back to him. I don’t have an issue with abusive relationships in YA fiction as long as there’s a lesson imparted. But that’s not the case here. Aidan is never called out on his unacceptable behavior and that spoiled what otherwise would have been a 4-5 star read for me. At the end of the book something happens that I surmise was supposed to make the reader feel more sympathetic toward him, but it just didn’t work for me.

The plot itself is quite eerie and kept me guessing through much of the book. The more I read, the bigger feeling of dread swept over me as I wondered what poor Teddi was going to uncover in the end. I started this about mid-afternoon and couldn’t stop reading until I finished around 11:00 at night.

Except for the romance, I really enjoyed The Precious Dreadful and it’s intriguing mystery. I loved Steven Parlato’s writing style and the way the story flowed so smoothly. I also thought he did a fairly convincing job portraying a 15-going-on-16-year-old girl. The story has just a touch of the paranormal and is compelling and will keep readers wondering. Despite my issues with the romance, I think this would still make a worthy book discussion choice as readers could debate over what Teddi should have done in response to Aidan’s behavior. 

Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18), by Kay Hooper ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 3rd, 2018

352 Pages

Synopsis: Madness has taken hold of Prosperity, North Carolina. Residents are killing each other, as if in a dream, and waking up with no memory of the monstrous acts they’ve committed—-or why. As the death toll climbs, the local sheriff’s department is further rocked by a murder carried out by their own. Deputy Katie Cole knows that whatever monster is afoot is beyond her scope…

The Special Crimes Unit is called in for their specific brand of investigation. It will take all their training, all their experience, and every extra sense they can call on to get to the bottom of things in Prosperity. And as a dark pattern begins to emerge, even the most experienced and hardened SCU agents have to wonder if this is beyond their understanding.

I’ve been an avid of this series since the first book, Stealing Shadows was released in 2000 and one of the main reasons is because every time I pick up a new book in the series, I feel like I’m meeting up with old friends. Hold Back the Dark was no different. Although it seemed a little slower for things to start this time, that may have been because somehow I missed the two previous books. It didn’t take long for me to get sucked right back in to this dangerous world with the elite Special Crimes Unit and they’re civilian counterpart, Haven. The story is told in the third person by several agents, but this works really well as they’re all working the same case, and it actually lets you get to know them more. The only other criticism I have is that I thought the ending came together a little too quickly, but it tied up all the loose ends and set things up nicely for the next book.

The Bishop/Special Crime series is another one of my favorites and Hold Back the Dark did not disappoint. Although it’s a long running series, you could technically read this as a stand-alone. Kay Hooper always thoughtfully provides at the end of each book a list of the agents and what their psychic powers are and which books they’ve appeared in thus far. She also provides a glossary of the powers themselves. However, if you have time, I suggest you go back to the beginning because you’ll get to know each agent so much more personally and that truly adds to the overall mythology arc of the series, which, while it has a multilayered storyline and is action packed, is also very much character driven. I highly recommend Hold Back the Dark and the previous books to readers who love police procedurals, thrillers and suspense, with the occasional romance thrown in, and plenty of exciting paranormal powers.

Maledicus (The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1), by Charles F. French ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBT Relationships, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

333 Pages

Synopsis: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Roosevelt Theodore Franklin attempts to make it through life day by day. Roosevelt is a widower, who lost his beloved wife to cancer and a retired history professor, and he has not stopped grieving. Along with his two closest friends, also retired and who also have lost loved ones, the three men form a paranormal investigation group. They hope to find an answer to the question: is there life after death?

When asked by a local teacher to investigate a possible haunting of her house, the group discovers an evil beyond anything they could have imagined. This is no mere ghost. Maledicus, who was in life a pimp, torturer, and murderer during Caligula’s reign in Rome, in death has become a sociopathic demon that attacks the weak and innocent. Maledicus threatens a five year old child’s life and soul. Terrified by what they have discovered, Roosevelt and his friends must choose to either walk away from this threat, or do battle with this ancient creature at the potential loss of their sanities, their lives, and their souls.

When our fellow blogger, Charles French, asked if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing Maledicus, the first book in his Investigative Paranormal Society series, I immediately said yes after reading the premise and I’m so glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maledicus is definitely a character driven book, and just about everyone involved is well-rounded and completely relatable. The Paranormal Society itself is made up older gentlemen: Roosevelt, Jeremy, and Sam. Each of them has suffered the loss of a loved one and as a result have formed this group to investigate strange occurrences and either confirm and dispel meddlesome spirits, or debunk them. The focus in this story is mainly on Roosevelt, but you still get a good sense of who the others are as the author alternates POVs and timelines. Even the demon, Maledicus’ backstory is thoroughly explored, and let me tell you he is one nasty piece of work.

My only criticism is that I felt the dialogue was a little awkward at times and there was some repetitive words and phrasing. But there wasn’t enough of this to spoil my overall enjoyment of the book. I also wish that the IPS’s latest client Helen, had been a little more developed. I don’t know if she’ll be appearing in future books, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.

The plot itself is classic horror. Instead of relying on blood and gore, there’s a continual building of chilling suspense and fear. I was mesmerized from the very first page. Everything is so detailed, from the characters backstories, to the afterlife where Maledicus is unleashing his campaign of terror, that I was completely invested in what was happening.

In the end, I believe Maledicus is an auspicious debut for Charles French. With its believable characters and themes of love, friendship and devotion coupled with the horror, suspense and mystery, it’s a captivating tale and one I highly recommend. I’m looking forward to reading the next supernatural adventure of this intrepid group.

~

If you haven’t checked out Charles’s blog at https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com I recommend that as well. You won’t be disappointed. 

Odd & True, by Cat Winters ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Family Secrets, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Sisters, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio. 

In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic States, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

Cat Winters has grown to become one of my favorite YA authors because of her lyrical style of writing, and the wonderful way she combines historical fiction with the supernatural. Although Odd & True was not at all what I expected, I think it might be her best novel yet! 

The story is told from both sisters’ perspectives—Tru’s in 1909, and Od’s farther in the past during the two years she was away. I thought this was going to be a book about hunting monsters, but it’s really about Tru and Od coming to terms with the tragedies in their pasts and coming to facing reality, as long buried family secrets come to light. As they cope with all this, there’s a lot of sadness, but the love and support these sisters share is so pure and beautiful, that it’s obvious that in the end they will pull through.

The story is more family drama than thriller, but it does have a hint of the paranormal in the last third of the book. I found this to be a quick page-turner, because I loved both Tru and Od, and also because of the intrigue surrounding their family. Their battle with the Leeds Devil is a nice touch especially as the events surrounding it are based upon actual events. The ending is absolutely perfect as everything comes full circle and I found myself tearing up a bit reading the last few pages.

With Odd & True, Cat Winters has definitively proven what a creative writer she is. This is a story about hardship, loss, family secrets, monsters and myths. But most of all, it’s a beautiful story of two sisters who overcome the setbacks in their lives because of the love they have for each other. I highly recommend this for older teens and adults who enjoy historical fiction with character-driven plots, that are infused with traces paranormal elements.

Curses ~ By Calvin Dean – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Thanks to the author for providing this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

320 Pages

Synopsis: Martin Gallagher buys an old house in the country. While pursuing Hannah, a widow from the neighborhood, he encounters a sexy but psychotic ghost named Agnes. To make matters worse, Agnes is dead-set on derailing his blossoming romance.

Meanwhile, an eccentric medium offers to help Martin exorcise his home, but this means resisting the temptress, encountering the bizarre, and braving supernatural encounters. Can Martin overcome his desires and fears long enough to lift the dreaded curse?

Curses is just one of those books that you come to the end and think “Now that was fun!” It’s creative, and original, and has one of the most likable main characters that I’ve come across.

The book is split into three parts and I found the first two to be the most enjoyable. Martin is a character I wish I knew in real life. He’s intelligent, sweet and funny, and somehow maintains a calm demeanor even while dealing with crazy and unexpected supernatural happenings. I loved his relationship with Hannah, but his dealings with Agnes, the psychotic ghost, had me in stitches!

Overall, Curses is a wildly entertaining book that I highly recommend to fans who like some humor mixed in with their horror. This was my first book by Calvin Dean, but it definitely won’t be my last!

Lifeblood (Everlife #2) ~ By Gena Showalter – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 28th, 2016

443 Pages

Synopsis: My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning. 

With her last living breath, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future–and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten’s competition is Killian, the boy she can’t forget–the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she’s never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.

Before jumping into Lifeblood, you definitely need to read Firstlife, because otherwise you’ll find yourself completely lost in this rather complicated world. To sum it up briefly, in this alternate world, humans have a Firstlife but they need to make a contract with either Troika or Myriad to spend their second lives in, or their spirits will wind up in the extremely dangerous Many Ends, which is something like Purgatory. Troika is all about love and light, while Myriad is about power and might. Both realms are continually at war with one another. So, this sequel picks up exactly where the first book left off, Ten, has just been betrayed and killed, but before dying, she declared her allegiance to Troika. Unfortunately, she’s in love with Killian, who’s from Myriad, so there’s definitely a Romeo and Juliet theme here. Ten really finds her feet in this story and fully embraces her inner warrior princess. What I love about her is even though this is a fantasy novel, Ten, and for that matter, the rest of the characters come across as very real and relatable. While she has many positive characteristics such as strength, loyalty, and compassion, she can also be naive, stubborn and impulsive, which in this case can lead to people getting killed. Showalter does a phenomenal job at character development and Ten learns from her mistakes, thereby becoming a better friend and leader. The supporting characters come with their own backstories which makes them equally interesting. The romance between Killian and Ten is wonderful and considering everything that’s stacked against them, there’s virtually no relationship drama as far as love triangles, blow-ups, etc. However, this does lead me to the one criticism I had. Ten spends a lot of the story mooning over Killian, and not only did it get a little repetitious and annoying after awhile, but it was also at odds with everything else that was happening. I understood that she’s madly in love with him and worried about him, but I didn’t need to be told this constantly throughout the story. But honestly, this is just a minor complaint. These are two people who trust each other implicitly, and will do whatever it takes to be together. The world building continually amazes, with layer after layer being added, so as a reader you’re constantly being introduced to new things. How the author does this without taking anything away from her characters is testament to her talented storytelling. There’s plenty of action which keeps the momentum up and I finished this in two sittings. The Everlife series is shaping up to be a standout series that will appeal to teens and adults alike, especially if you’re looking for something totally unique. I can’t wait for the third book which is due out next year!

 

 

 

 

 

Unfolding ~ By Jonathan Friesen – 2.5 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Paranormal, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Blink for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

288 Pages

Synopsis: Jonah wishes he could get the girl, but he’s n outcast and she’s the most perfect girl he knows.

And their futures seemed destined to fork apart: Jonah’s physical condition is debilitating, and epileptic seizures fill his life with frustration. Whereas Stormi is seemingly carefree, and navigates life by sensing things before they happen. And her most recent premonition is urging her to leave town.

When Stormi begs Jonah for help, he finds himself swept into a dark mystery his town has been keeping for years. And the answers Stormi needs about her own past could possibly destroy everything Jonah has ever known–including his growing relationship with Stormi herself.

I really thought I was going to like Unfolding more than I did, but in the end this just didn’t work out for me. The story is told by Jonah, who suffers from both epilepsy and scoliosis. He’s head over heels in love with his best friend Stormi, but he’s just so socially awkward, that I found myself cringing at times. Naturally he’s a frequent target of bullies and making things worse are his cold-hearted parents who treat him abysmally because of his disabilities, which just made my heart break even more. His character is very sweet and I appreciated how he tried to be straightforward and honest, even though he tended to trip over his own tongue when it came to expressing himself, especially to Stormi. Her character I was just never able to connect with though. She’s very cryptic throughout the book, which I guess goes with who she really is, but it makes it very difficult to understand her. And then there’s the plot which is a sort of messy mix of ancient curses, biblical prophecies, and atoning for the sins of our fathers. I think the author just threw too many themes and plot devices into a relatively short book, which ultimately left me feeling confused. While Unfolding was a disappointment for me, it is garnering some positive reviews on Goodreads, so if you enjoy YA paranormal fiction, I encourage you to read them before making up your mind.

The Fifth Petal (The Lace Reader #2) ~ Brunonia Barry – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Music Therapy, Mystery, Paranormal, Salem MA, Salem Witchcraft Trials, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 24th, 2017

432 Pages

Synopsis: Salem’s chief of police, John Rafferty, now married to gifted lace reader Towner Whitney, investigates a 25-year-old triple homicide dubbed “The Goddess Murders”, in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed one Halloween night. Aided by Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims who has returned to town, Rafferty begins to uncover a dark chapter in Salem’s past. Callie , who has always been gifted with premonitions, begins to struggle with visions she doesn’t quite understand and an attraction to a man who has unknown connections to her mother’s murder. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian and sometime-aunt to Callie, is guilty of murder or witchcraft. But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. We’re the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?

The Fifth Petal is the second book in the Lace Reader series and while it works fine as a standalone, I recommend reading the previous book first because it’ll add more to your reading experience. I have to admit both the premise and setting particularly appeal to me as I live in Danvers, MA which was formerly known as Salem Village. I grew up hearing all the stories about the witchcraft hysteria of 1692, and have made many visits to the Rebecca Nurse House as well as the museums in Salem. What I really appreciate about Brunonia Barry’s writing, is her meticulous research into the subject. While I’m not a historian, from what I do know, she’s gotten everything right in both books, even down to the fact that the victims hung, were not done so at the infamous Gallows Hill, but were done so from a tree that now overlooks a Walgreens of all places. She also does a fantastic job at capturing the essence of modern day Salem, beginning with the insanity of it’s Halloween celebrations which attract people from all over the country. There are two storylines in this book. One takes place in 1989 and concerns the murders of three women known as the “Goddesses”. The second mystery is set in 2014 and concerns the mysterious death of a teenage boy. What ties these two mysteries together are the two survivors of the first murders: Rose Whelan, who was once a respected expert on the Salem Witchcraft trials but is now mentally unstable and a prime suspect in both murders; and Callie Cahill whose mother was one of the victims in 1989. I really like how the characters are written in this book, even the relatively minor ones. They’re all interesting and each has something to add to the story. Callie though, really stands out both for her tragic backstory, as well as how her past has led her to become a music therapist. I found the concept of treating people in pain with singing bowls especially interesting. For the most part, this is a fast-paced book, although there is a section where Callie and her new boyfriend head off to Italy, which really adds nothing to the story and slows things down a bit. There are quite a few twists and turns which kept me guessing right up until the end. There are also some paranormal aspects to which adds to the mystery. Overall, while I didn’t like The Fifth Petal quite as much as The Lace Reader, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries and historical fiction and is especially interested in the Salem Witchcraft hysteria. I’m looking forward to the third book, Bone Lace which will hopefully be out next year.