Category Archives: Paranormal

Review: Who Could It Be at This Hour by Lemony Snicket

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, , ,

Who Could It Be at This Hour by Lemony SnicketWho Could It Be At This Hour?
Lemony Snicket
Little, Brown and Company
Published October 24, 2012

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Thirteen year-old Lemony Snicket is ready to begin a thrilling adventure as an apprentice to a detective. His first assignment leads him and his confident companion to the small town of Stan’d-by-the-Sea. Snicket soon discovers the object he’s been hired to recover is part of a complex plot which will risk more than his apprenticeship to solve.

As Snicket works to uncover clues with the aid of his bungling mentor, he often finds himself asking the wrong questions, and later regrets the consequences. His partner, though more experienced, often overlooks evidence or logic, and though Snicket disagrees with her decisions, he remains positive and respectful toward her. The story maintains the 1950s feel of a classic spy novel.

Fans of Snicket’s earlier infamous series will find a slightly more sophisticated tone draped over the same tongue-in-cheek humor and playfulness in the first volume of the series All the Wrong Questions. Recommended for ages eight to twelve.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Language Content
No profanity or crude language.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Snicket discovers a woman tied up in a basement which is filling with water. He frees her.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush by Laura Toffler-Corrie

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

My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush
Laura Toffler-Corrie
Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck Publishing
Published August 20, 2013

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Babysitting the neighborhood terror, David Lipski, is enough to give any girl nightmares, but when the handsome hero who comes to her rescue waltzes out of Jenna’s dreams and into a server’s uniform at Cowboy Clem’s, it’s got to be too good to be true, right? Luke has the face of an angel. And that’s exactly what he is. He’s been sent to earth with a mission – to guard and protect the family heirloom necklace Jenna’s just been given as a birthday gift. If Adam, a boy serving darker powers, gets his hands on the necklace, he’ll bend its power to his will and use it to rule earth. Along with a tirelessly devoted neighbor and her young babysitting charge, Jenna embarks on a wild adventure to stop the forces of evil from swiping the tacky necklace and destroying the world as she knows it.

The story is packed with quirky characters and light-hearted humor, though there are several brief references to bodily functions. The unconventional use of angel and demon characters made the story unique, but left the story-world somewhat disjointed. Both Jenna’s parents seem remarkably disconnected from their daughter’s life. While Jenna doesn’t spend a lot of emotional energy on her family either, she often speaks rudely about her family members. The romance between Luke and Jenna develops nicely and remains clean, making this a good choice as a romantic story for new teen readers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild word choice and frequency.

Sexual Content
Very brief kissing. Jenna tries not to think about sex in front of the boy who can read her mind. No additional details are specified.

Spiritual Content
Though the story features angels and demons, neither appear connected with God or Christian context in any way. Instead, the two are mortal enemies somehow thrust into the human world by the alignment of planets at the equinox.

Violence
Very brief fighting and description of someone stabbed to death. No graphic content.

Drug Content
Jenna asks her parents if a person could talk to an angel. Her mother offers that someone taking crack might have this experience.

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

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Review: Season of the Witch by Mariah Fredericks

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

Season of the Witch
Mariah Fredericks
Schwartz & Wade Books
Published October 8, 2013

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When she was a little girl in a playground game, Toni learned about princesses and witches. Though being a princess is glamorous, it’s the witch, Toni decides, who has the real power. Later, after the popular Chloe and her entourage make Toni’s high school life a living hell, Toni joins fellow exile Cassandra and performs a spell to stop Chloe and her antics. Only, the results are far worse than Toni expected. And when Cassandra chooses Toni’s best friend as the next target of her wrath, Toni knows it’s up to her to stop the witch from putting another princess under her spell.

While the princess and witch themes are thought-provoking and twist together nicely in the story’s resolution, the occult experimentation may be too creepy for some readers. The creative conclusion, which focuses on solidarity and compassion, is the greatest strength of this story. Through the prism of the fairy tale, Fredericks explores the power of hate and ill will versus the power of love, compassion, and understanding, weaving them into a powerful anti-bullying message.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Toni finds herself in a mess of trouble with Chloe because over the summer, while Chloe and her boyfriend Oliver were taking a break, Toni and Oliver began an intimate relationship. No detailed accounts of their time together make it into the pages of the story, but Tony recollects that she’s been in several short-term, intense relationships. There’s little emotional fallout for Toni, and even when her recent relationship with Oliver reaches its disappointing end, Toni is more angry that he won’t defend her to Chloe than hurt that she’s being dumped so easily. For a girl who’s barely recovering from knowledge of her father’s affair with a young woman, this lack of emotion in Toni seems too convenient and highly suspect.

Spiritual Content
Toni and Cassandra read spells from Cassandra’s Book of Shadows. They practice casting a hex on other girls using a focused, mean gaze. Together, they follow a spell which includes blood in order to place a curse on a girl who antagonizes Toni. It’s vivid and pretty creepy.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
References to parties at which teens were drinking alcohol. One drunk teen is killed in an accident.

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

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Review: The Harder the Fall by Lauren Barnholdt

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

The Harder the Fall (Girl Meets Ghost #2)
Lauren Barnholdt
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
Published September 3, 2013

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Twelve year-old Kendall has a small problem: she sees ghosts, and she can’t tell anyone. Especially Brandon, whose mother has not only been haunting Kendall, but who begins pulling some creepy stunts in an effort to keep Kendall away from her son. So, there’s that. Kendall is also haunted by a girl named Lyra with an attitude whose flaky mom and flirtatious brother have opened a nail salon. Kendall and her bestie endure horrible manicures more than once while Kendall attempts to gather info on Lyra’s death so she can find out how to help Lyra move on. The problem? Lyra’s brother’s hand massages get a little out of control, and now Brandon, Kendall’s almost-maybe-hopefully-soon boyfriend gets jealous.

Now Kendall has to avoid Brandon seeing her with Lyra’s brother and avoid Brandon’s mom seeing her with Brandon, all while she avoids that awkward convo with her dad about his new serious girlfriend. Talk about a juggling act. When it all comes crashing down, there’s only one person Kendall can turn to for help. If she dares.

Barnholdt perfectly captures the zany fun tone of her middle school heroine, keeping what could be a spooky tale solidly grounded in all things bright and cheery. Kendall is a chipper, loveable narrator, though she seems more like fourteen than twelve. While this second novel in the Girl Meets Ghost series is long on fun, not much is resolved between the first page and the last. Budding readers of paranormal stories will like the ghostly elements and latter elementary school readers will likely be charmed by the upbeat voice and attitude of the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kendall sees and interacts with ghosts. They follow her around until she can sort out whatever their unfinished business is and help them bring closure to their lives so they can move on. On to where, Kendall doesn’t know and doesn’t spend much time considering.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

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

Don’t Even Think About It
Sarah Mlynowski
Delacorte Press
Published March 11, 2014

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It all starts with a simple flu vaccine. One by one, the students in homeroom 10-B discover they have telepathic abilities as their minds become filled with voices of other students, teachers and even their parents.

At first, the students revel in the secrets they learn about one another: who cheated on whom, the identity of a secret crush, the test answers recorded by the smartest kid in class. But they also learn things they didn’t want to know. For one boy, it’s that Dad is having an affair and Mom has a divorce lawyer on retainer. For one girl, it’s that her parents are very much in love and, er, having sex. Would you want to know every time your girlfriend thinks about another guy? Would you want to know your crush is secretly crazy about someone else?

Should others be judged by what they say or what they think? Mlynowski explores this idea with humor and heaviness. As the group of teens struggle to navigate with their newfound ability, they must decide for themselves how to exist in a world in which people often think things far different than they say, and in which their deepest secrets become known to twenty other students. While some characters are a bit shallow and plastic, others really shine as moving, empathetic creations. The lesson that appearances often deceive is well-integrated into the story, and the author delves into possibilities both positive and negative. Ultimately, the kids must decide individually if this ability is a blessing or curse.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Several discussions about a boy who often “accidentally” has inappropriate physical contact with girls’ boobs. One girl makes plans to have her boyfriend over to her empty home during school lunch break. She also thinks back on summer escapades with a boy. Few details are given, but the reader is told they “didn’t have sex, but they did everything else.”

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
At a birthday party, one boy punches another in the face.

Drug Content
Brief references to teenaged drinking, smoking pot and taking Adderall without a prescription.

Disclaimer
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Mirage by Kristi Cook

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

Mirage
Kristi Cook
Simon Pulse
Published June 5, 2012

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Violet returns to Winterhaven for her senior year, convinced that with her awesome friends and fabulous boyfriend, this year is going to be the best yet. She’s paired with the famed Dr. ‘Hottie’ as her mentor, Aiden is closer than ever to finding a cure for his vampirism, and she’s still on top in the fencing team. Then a mysterious serial killer leaves a trail of blood-drained women in his wake, and violent visions of death for those closest to her terrorize Violet. With her mentor’s help, she hopes to discover enough clues about the visions to stop them from becoming reality before it’s too late.

Though it begins at a slow pace, delving into details like who’s taking calculus or has which lunch period, Mirage quickly ramps up the tension via Violet’s mysterious visions and Aiden’s distant behavior. Few of the characters really shine with complexity, but Violet and Aiden can be listed among them.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme but infrequent.

Sexual Content
Violet laments the fact that she and Aiden won’t be able to have satisfying sex because for a vampire, part of the satisfaction comes from biting his partner. Dressed in an inviting outfit, she meets Aiden in the loft of the barn for some alone time. The couple engage in some heavy making out, but stop before clothes come off.

Spiritual Content
In the story, Violet and her friends each share certain super-human gifts. These are thought to be a leap forward in human evolution rather than any source of spiritual power.

Violence
A rogue vampire leaves a trail of victims. No descriptions of the attacks.

Drug Content
Aiden and his friends work together to create a serum that will cure his vampirism.

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