Category Archives: Paranormal

Review: Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Where Futures End
Parker Peevyhouse
Kathy Dawson Books
Published February 9, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Where Futures End follows the interconnected stories of five teens. Dylan finds a way to cross into another world. Years later, Brixney tries to use social media to keep from being imprisoned in a debtor’s colony. Years after that, Epony and her boyfriend craft new identities for themselves as reality stars only to learn the secure future they crave will cost them what matters most: their authenticity and their love for each other. Later still Reef embarks on a dangerous mission via virtual reality game in an attempt to win an escape from a terror-stricken city. At last, Quinn meets a stranger who reveals to her a terrible choice, one that links her story back to all the others before.

Confession: I actually read this book several months ago and have been horribly slow at posting my review on my blog, which is terrible because I loved it so much!

This story is unlike anything I’ve read before. At first, because it’s so different, I worried that I wouldn’t like it. It seems like this really cerebral type of story, and I feel like those kinds of stories often have shallow characters or often let the events overshadow the characters. Where Futures End has great characters, though. I was hooked on Dylan from the very opening pages. As his story ended, I was nervous again about starting Brixney’s story, because I worried I wouldn’t like her as much as I liked Dylan.

But I did. Every time the story switched to a new piece (it’s written like five shorter stories one right after another) of the story, I fell in love with a completely new set of characters and a completely new story world. I loved the way each story reached back to the ones that came before in some way, so you really had the sense of history impacting the future.

I really enjoyed reading this one, and definitely recommend it, especially to sci-fi readers. If you enjoyed the movie Cloud Atlas, you definitely need to read this book. If you like books that are really unusual and unique or have a puzzle or moral dilemma to them, definitely get yourself a copy of Where Futures End.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently. (Fewer than ten times.)

Romance/Sexual Content
Kisses and hints at more between Epony and her boyfriend. Reef takes a wife because it helps him gain better standing in the online game, but he wonders if he’ll be able to consummate the relationship. (He doesn’t.)

Spiritual Content
The human world connects to another alien world, but only those with a strong vorpal, kind of an aura or energy can cross between the human world and the other.

A man catches Brixney eating ice cream nuggets and asks if she paid for them. She comments that he prays to God she has. Later she remembers a game she and Brandon play where they imitate the painting in the Sistine Chapel—one as Adam, the other as God, reaching toward one another.

Violent Content
Reef faces battles in the virtual game he plays.

Drug Content
Epony’s boyfriend tells her that sometimes he gets drunk when he hangs out with older boys.

Reef struggles with an addiction to resin, something he started young, after witnessing his mother do the same. Stopping will damage his organs.

 

Review: Twinepathy by C. B. Cook

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, , , , ,

Twinepathy
C. B. Cook
Available July 14, 2016

Amazon  | Goodreads | Author’s Website

Twins Albany and Brooklyn keep their telepathic connection a secret from everyone. After all, who would believe them anyway? But when a strange girl shows up on their doorstep with no memory of how she got there and an inexplicable power of her own, the twins begin to realize there may be more people with powers, and not all of them use them for good. They learn about an organization of people with abilities and a terrible plot to destroy it. At first committed to sit on the sidelines, Albany soon realizes she and Brooklyn might be the group’s only hope for survival. She and her sister must decide whether they’ll join the fight, even if it means risking everything.

This is such a fun story. I liked all the silliness and joking between characters. Albany and Brooklyn were both great and easy to root for. The rest of the cast of characters does get a little overwhelming at times, since there are so many of them and their code names to remember on top of everything else.

Twinepathy is a pretty short read—I finished it in just a couple hours—but it’s the perfect length for a reluctant reader, and a great fit for fourth or fifth grade readers who are into Marvel or other superhero stories. This novel made me think a little bit of the Twintuition books by Tia and Tamera Mowry, which also feature gifted twins. It’s different in that Twinepathy focuses on the girls’ role in a larger group of gifted people.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
I don’t specifically remember descriptions showing a racially diverse cast.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
The girls’ older brother is dating a girl named Ezra. They do not witness any romance between them, though.

Spiritual Content
Brooklyn and Albany share a telepathic connection. Other characters possess special powers like telekinesis, teleportation, the ability to manipulate metal, etc.

Violent Content
Battles between the members of the superhero team and the villain and his clones.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Save

Review and Giveaway: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Fate of Flames
by Sarah Raughley
Simon Pulse
Available November 22, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Fate of Flames

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.

When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement.

But now, with technologies in place to protect the world’s major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms.

Until the day that New York City’s protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy.

Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn’t much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together.

Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever?

My Review of Fate of Flames

I think my favorite thing about this book was the way the characters surprised me. As each one was introduced, I had a sense of whether I’d like or dislike them and the way the story unfolded often proved me wrong. I didn’t think I’d like Chae Rin, but as she entered the scene, she totally won me over. And Rhys kind of got on my nerves at first, but by the end, I was totally rooting for him and biting my nails over all the things I won’t spoil.

The story world was a little tougher for me. Sometimes I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a series or something. I didn’t always feel like I understood the rules of the world or how they impacted the characters and their decisions. I was also surprised by the strong profanity. The story felt like it would be perfect for a younger audience, but then had the language that’s more often present in upper young adult literature. I found myself a little surprised by that.

On the whole, I thought Fate of Flames developed well and kept me turning pages. I felt like there was a good balance of having a complete story but also setting up for a series. This would be a great pick for someone looking to read about strong female superheroes. The boys in the story hold their own, but the girls are the real backbone of the tale.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Chae Rin is Asian, Belle is French. Other characters have Eastern European backgrounds. Maia has one parent from New York and the other from Jamaica.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently throughout the story.

Romance/Sexual Content
A boy kisses Maia without her consent. She feels attracted to another boy.

Spiritual Content
Monsters of bone and mist called Phantoms bring death and destruction to cities and people. It appears someone has manufactured a way to control them.

Four girls bear powerful abilities. When one dies, her power passes to another girl who already lives.

Violent Content
Battle scenes. Maia remembers a girl’s murder.

Drug Content
Some of the girls drink alcohol, and one is rumored to have been an alcoholic. Maia does not drink.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About Sarah Raughley

Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.

So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.

Visit the other Tour Stops

Enter to Win One of Three Copies of Fate of Flames

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O’Reilly

Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

The Secret of Goldenrod
Jane O’Reilly
Carolrhoda Books
Available October 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Trina and her father move to a tiny town where they’ll live in and restore a gorgeous house rumored to be haunted. Though at first Trina struggles to fit in with the other kids in town—all she wants is a friend, just one friend—she soon meets Augustine, a doll who helps Trina face truths about herself and others around her. She finds the courage to reach out to her estranged mom and find new friends who help her bring the town back together.

Trina also finds a friend in the house, whom she calls Goldenrod. It’s often Goldenrod’s leading that prompts Trina to act, though at first she finds the old home spooky and worries it may be haunted, like the rumors say. As Trina learns to sense Goldenrod’s feelings, she also begins to listen and watch the people around her, which helps her connect to them and value them. As she learns to be kind and listen to others, she soon builds relationships with many people in town.

The spooky elements make this a great Halloween read, but the elements of heart make The Secret of Goldenrod a fantastic read for any season.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are white, middle class or upper class in a very small American town.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Trina’s dad insists there’s no such thing as ghosts, but Trina believes she senses Goldenrod. A doll also moves and speaks with her. A ball shows up mysteriously several times. The townspeople believe that anyone who has stolen anything from the house is then cursed with bad luck. After Trina and her dad move in, people begin returning items they’ve stolen, grateful to be relieved of the curse.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Ghost Maven by Tony Lee Moral

Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Ghost Maven
Tony Lee Moral
Saturn’s Moon Press
Available October 3, 2016

Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After Alice’s mom dies, Alice, her sister, and her dad move to Monterey, California. There Alice tries to confront her fear of water by kayaking in the bay. A sudden storm drags her out to sea, and a mysterious boy rescues her. Alice can’t stop thinking about Henry, the young sailor who came to her rescue. Then she learns that Henry has been dead for over one hundred years, bound by a curse which can only be undone when he atones for wrongs he committed in his life. Henry warns her that their love is forbidden by rules that govern his curse. But to break the curse, Alice risks losing Henry.

This story reminded me a lot of Ophelia Adrift. Grief-stricken girl meets the ghost of a sailor and falls in love. Lots in common there, though there are some significant differences in the plotlines, too. I loved the setting of this novel—Monterey, CA. It definitely added to the story and felt real. I liked Henry and some of the other characters.

As the action ramped up, sometimes it got a little hard to believe. Things happened quickly, and sometimes just didn’t seem logical or like there was enough motivation set up for the characters to make the choices they did. Because of the prologue and the Ghost Maven abilities and artifacts, I kind of thought this might be a series. The end of the novel doesn’t really indicate that the story continues, though.

If you enjoyed Ophelia Adrift or have an interest in ghost stories, you’ll want to check out this book.

Recommended Age 13 up.

Cultural Elements
Characters are white middle class Americans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing. Rumors spread about one girl’s behavior with boys at school. Later, a boy reveals he completed her homework in exchange for some intimate behavior.

Spiritual Content
Since Alice’s mom died, she no longer believes in God. It seems the whole town believes in ghosts, though, even members of a local church. Alice learns of a curse which causes anyone who drowns in the bay to continue to walk among mortals, though their heart no longer beats. She also learns of a group of warriors who can destroy these undead creatures. Symbols and artifacts help defeat them.

Alice and her friend hold a séance to try to reach a girl believed to be dead. Alice’s mom communicates with the girls. Alice’s friend has psychic visions of events to come and senses things about people near her.

It probably sounds weird, but the psychic elements on their own bothered me less than the fact the in some places they were sort of mixed in with Christian ideas. In one scene, characters take refuge in a church and then rely on other symbols to protect them.

Violent Content
A battle takes place between the people of the town and those cursed.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Save

Review: Cease & Desist by Stephen David Hurley

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, New Adult 18up, Paranormal, ,

Cease & Desist
Stephen David Hurley
Published by Stephen David Hurley
Available October 10, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Cease de Menich joins the cast of a cutting-edge TV reality-drama as Jeanne d’Arc. Her acting gift isn’t just talent. It’s a kind of genetic gift passed down through her family line. But as Cease wrestles with how to remain true to her saint character in the face of overwhelming pressure to have sex with cast members as part of the show, she realizes her brother desperately wanted to tell her something before he died. As Cease searches for clues in the notes he left, she realizes that his message may be the only way she can win the contest within the TV show and finish the season with her soul intact.

I have some really mixed feelings about this story. First, I have to say that there were moments in which the writing really stood out to me as excellent. Cease had a unique voice and a really powerful way of communicating. I loved that. Sometimes, though, there would be these vague references to things that either were still a mystery or I was supposed to already know about or were maybe supposed to be clearer on their own? I don’t know. Several times I got lost trying to figure out what was going on while the story moved on and left me confused.

Another thing that was weird to me was the way that so many of the scenes felt sexualized. No mistake, there’s some sexual content in the story, and Cease thinks about sex in several scenes besides that. But those aren’t what I mean. I felt like even in scenes without any overt sexual tension or purpose, there was often at least a sensual undertone. I found it a bit odd in a story with a virgin central character.

The reality TV drama definitely hooked me as a concept, though. It reminded me of Hunger Games meets The Bachelor or something. I think it the storytelling had been smoother, I think I would have enjoyed this part more. There were times I just had a hard time following what was happening. See below for additional content information.

Recommended Age: 18+

Cultural Elements
Characters appear to be white except for Craig, one of the boys in the reality TV show with Cease, who is Hispanic.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently. Crude speech about sex also occurs pretty regularly.

Romance/Sexual Content
Cease plays a virgin in a TV show in which characters ratings seem to go sky high if they have sex with other show characters. Cease wonders if she’ll have to give up her virginity in order to stand as part of the final couple and win the series. Her attitude about this widely varies. Sometimes she seems almost eager to “become a woman” by having sex with one of the male characters. At other times she seems to resent being put in a position where she has to make this choice. Because she’s cast as Jeanne d’Arc, she feels a certain responsibility to preserve the authenticity of her character, who was martyred as a virgin. That said, she does nearly have sex with a man in his apartment, and she’s not shy about kissing the boys on the show set.

Cease struggles with the knowledge that her mother and brother had a sexual relationship. Both have died before the story begins, but she revisits that issue a couple of times, once in a brief flashback to when she discovered them together. Cease and her brother had an odd relationship, too. She often refers to him as her Romeo, and talks about how they played roles together and hated returning to reality. They also shared a bed together, much to their guardian’s dismay.

Before her brother died, some friends staged a “coming out party” for him, but then tricked him into making out with another boy on film.

Many of the scenes in the book, even some which don’t have an overt sexual context, feel sexualized. Often a conversation morphs into a brief make-out session with Cease wondering if she’s willing to have sex with the boy she’s kissing. At one point Cease’s aunt helps her bathe, and even that had a bit of a sensual vibe to it.

Spiritual Content
Cease doesn’t believe in God, but she prays to the real Joan of Arc in her dark moments. When someone begins responding to her prayers via email, identifying herself as none other than the saint herself, Cease isn’t sure what to believe. She questions Joan about how she kept her faith through trials and torture. The answers seem to encourage her to have some kind of hope, though they don’t appear to alter her spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Characters in the show battle with swords, axes, daggers and other weapons for the right to one on one scenes with the boys. Some deaths occur in the filming of the show.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Save