Category Archives: Paranormal

Review: Cazadora by Romina Garber

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
Cazadora by Romina Garber

Cazadora (Wolves of No World #2)
Romina Garber
Wednesday Books
Published August 17, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Cazadora

In Cazadora, Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to be illegal in a timely, intimate, and emotionally powerful narrative.

Werewolves. Witches. Romance. Resistance.

Enter a world straight out of Argentine folklore…

Following the events of Lobizona, Manu and her friends cross the mystical border into Kerana–a cursed realm in Argentina–searching for allies and a hiding place. As they chase down leads about the Coven–a mythical resistance manada that might not even exist–the Cazadores chase down leads about Manu, setting up traps to capture and arrest her.

Just as it seems the Cazadores have Manu and her friends cornered, the Coven answers their call for help. As Manu catches her breath among these non-conforming Septimus, she discovers they need a revolution as much as she does.

But is she the right one to lead them? After all, hybrids aren’t just outlawed. They’re feared and reviled. What happens when the Coven learns of Manu’s dual heritage? Will they still protect her? Or will they betray her?

And after running this far, for this long–how much farther can Manu go before her feet get tired, and she stops to take a stand?

“In this effervescent sequel full of magic and beautiful imagery, Manu learns to reclaim her own narrative and, together with her lovable found family… stake out a place in the world where she belongs…An inspiring, powerful tale of belonging.” ―Kirkus, starred review

Must-Read 2021 YA Fantasy ―Book Riot

Must-Read Books by Latinx Authors Out in 2021 ―Hip Latina

My Review

CAZADORA picks up pretty much where LOBIZONA leaves off. Manu and her crew are on the run being pursued by Cazadores, a law enforcement group for the Septimus, which includes the Lobizones (werewolves) and Brujas (witches). I know that’s a lot to digest. This is one of those books you shouldn’t read unless you’ve read the first book already.

The story keeps up that fast pace with Manu fleeing, finding allies, enemies closing in, stakes mounting, all the way to the last page. There are some pauses for romance and for Manu to explore her connections with her parents. CAZADORA has a big cast, so it doesn’t go deeply into many of the relationships between characters, though.

One of the things that does get explored a lot is the issue of gender identity in what is a very binary culture. In the Septimus world, boys are Lobizones. Girls are Brujas. A person’s whole identity within the community is based on those facts. So what does that mean for someone who doesn’t fit those binary definitions?

Manu being a girl with werewolf powers, a Lobizona, at first feels to her like a personal fight for recognition of her identity. But as she pursues a place in her community, she meets others who are in hiding or on the run because of who they are. One Lobizone lost his ability to transform after an attack by a monster. Another is transgender.

So Manu begins to see the restrictive rules of the community as not only impacting herself, but also harming others. In some ways it’s an echo of the fight she’s had her whole life as an undocumented immigrant. So she has to decide whether she’s going to keep running, whether she’s just fighting for herself or for everyone who’s different.

I liked the way those conversations and themes were woven into the story. It felt like those ideas emerged naturally and organically, so it didn’t feel forced to me. I also loved the way the Manu grew as a character through the story. At first, she was just running and surviving. Watching her reach a place where she took control of her story and made her own hard decisions was really moving.

And, of course, like any good second book in a series, this one ends with a new adventure already in its sights. I’m already excited about a third book, and I will definitely be reading it!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Latinx. Two female characters are in a romantic relationship. A minor character has a disability. Another minor character is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some scenes showing kissing between couples. A couple scenes show making out and one leads up to sex but fades out at that point.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to transform into werewolves. Others have magical abilities, like the ability to freeze things or create fire. These are thought to be gifts from a goddess.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some battle violence.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of Cazadora in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

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

Steelheart
Brandon Sanderson
Delacorte Press
Published September 24, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Steelheart

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

My Review

The thing that drew me most to this story was the concept of it. Humans begin to have superpowers, but all of them become evil. How do ordinary humans fight back? It’s a great underdog, keep the hope in hopeless circumstances kind of tale, and I really liked those things about it.

The only thing that tripped me up at all were the characters. Several of the male characters have accents and interesting backstories. (One was kind of odd, but okay.) There are only two speaking female characters in the whole story, and I don’t think we learn much if anything at all about their backstories. They are beautiful but a bit flat.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed reading STEELHEART. I got it years ago as an audiobook to listen to on a road trip, but never actually listened to it until recently. It’s the first book by Sanderson that I’ve ever read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. More often, faux swears like calamity and sparks are used.

Romance/Sexual Content
David clearly has feelings for a girl on his team.

Spiritual Content
Some Epics style themselves as gods, demanding service.

Violent Content
In the opening of the story, an Epic uses his power to turn workers, customers, and a baby in a bank to ash and bones. There are other scenes of battle between the Epics and David and his allies.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: Pets of Elsewhere by Jaimie Engle

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

Pets of Elsewhere (Ghost Dog #1)
Jaimie Engle
JME Books
Published March 3, 2021

Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Pets of Elsewhere

Haunted by four-legged ghosts in St. Augustine, a 12-year-old must help vengeful shadow-pets find rest or watch them pick off his family one-by-one.

Colten never wanted to leave Satellite Beach. His dad, a now retired Air Force Captain and his mom, a homemaker, couldn’t wait to open a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, in a gorgeous Victorian that once belonged to a world-renowned veterinarian. Only, Colten sees things, hears things, and his sister almost dies—twice. Animal ghosts are reaching out from the other side with hints that the doctor may have been hiding things behind the Victorian’s closed doors, leaving Colten with two choices: help them or watch his whole family die.

PETS OF ELSEWHERE is a haunting middle grade thriller that blends elements of Pet Sematary with The House on Haunted Hill for kids who have outgrown Goosebumps and become die-hard fans of Supernatural.

My Review

I’m a little bit of a ‘fraidy cat when it comes to books like this, but I had a lot of fun reading PETS OF ELSEWHERE. I liked the sibling relationship between Colten and his sister Kennedy. It felt spot on from the way they picked at each other to the loyalty and protectiveness underneath. I liked the mystery elements and the way the ghost animals drove Colten toward the clues. The added element of danger, because the ghosts could cause real harm, was an interesting twist that I didn’t expect, and it really boosted the intensity and stakes.

PETS OF ELSEWHERE reminded me a little bit of THE DARKDEEP by Brendan Reichs and Ally Condie. I don’t know if it’s because I kept thinking of that book, but I kind of wanted a team or more of a solid friendship to emerge in PETS OF ELSEWHERE. Colten does make a couple friends and they sort of float in and out of the story, believing him about the ghosts, but no one really sticks with him to solve the mystery. I think having a friendship develop through the story like that would have been cool, but I still enjoyed it a lot just as is.

The descriptions of St. Augustine were also great. I felt myself nodding along to some of the descriptions of different places and the commentary on the way the town is. It was really fun to read a book set in a place I’ve been. Readers who enjoy creepy paranormal stories will definitely want PETS OF ELSEWHERE on their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are white. There are a couple of minor characters that are POC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Colten sees and interacts with ghosts of dead animals. He figures out that he has to help them resolve unfinished business so they can move on to their afterlives.

Violent Content
Ghost animals attack Colten and his sister in a couple of scenes, leaving them with real injuries.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of PETES OF ELSEWHERE in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.

Review: Switching Fates by Stacie Ramey

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

Switching Fates
Stacie Ramey
Ally Press
Published February 12, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Switching Fates

One Lives. One dies. He chooses.

Bryan Rivers will do anything to save his dying girlfriend Courtney—even enlist supernatural help. His ex-girlfriend Rose is a practicing Wiccan, and Bryan pleads with her to use her powers to help. She reluctantly agrees, but like everything in Rose’s world, the remedy is complicated and comes with a serious warning: the kind of powerful magic that Bryan requires involves summoning mythological beings. Specifically, the Three Fates.

Once the Fates appear, their proposition sounds simple: play three rounds of their favorite game, Switching Fates, to win the chance to save Courtney. But it’s a game where Bryan must make the horrifying choice between two lives; which person lives and which person dies. And each round is more challenging and wicked than the last. With the realization that he’s in far over his head, Bryan must figure out how to beat the Fates at their own game.

My Review

I don’t often read books in the New Adult genre, but I like Stacie Ramey’s writing, so when she offered me a copy of her newest book, I couldn’t resist. I’ve been in a little bit of a reading slump lately, where I just haven’t enjoyed reading as much as I usually do, and that’s very odd for me. I think partly because of that, I had a lot of fun reading this book.

One of the reasons I tend not to read a lot of New Adult fiction is that it often contains more graphic sexual content than I’m comfortable reading, but I felt like SWITCHING FATES had a lot of sexual tension without being overly explicit, which I liked.

I also got pretty hooked into the suspense of waiting to see what Bryan would do and whether he would be able to save both Rose and Courtney. I definitely wanted to know what would happen and whether he would find a way through in time, or whether he’d have to make the ultimate terrible choice.

Reading this book felt really indulgent and fun. It was like sitting down to eat a whole box of chocolates. I really enjoyed it even though it’s not my usual go-to genre. It reminded me a little of Amanda Hocking’s Watersong series, so I think fans of those books would really like SWITCHING FATES.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 18 up.

Representation
The major characters are white. Rose is a practicing Wiccan.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Some groping over clothes. In one scene a boy takes a girl’s pants off. In another, he reaches under a girl’s shirt. There’s a brief description of sex and some references to it.

Spiritual Content
Rose is a practicing Wiccan who performs a spell meant to save Bryan’s girlfriend from death. Instead, she summons the Fates, three powerful, immortal women who have the ability to control who lives or dies.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
One scene shows a girl dying after she jumps off a roof and hits her head. Some scenes show characters bound and gagged. Someone beats them with a stick or switch.

There are also some references to a suicide attempt in the past. Bryan discovered the survivor immediately after she’d made the attempt, so there’s some description of what he saw and some references to scars left from that incident.

Drug Content
Bryan attends a party and drinks alcohol with his friends. He sees at least a couple people taking Ecstasy. There are a couple other references to hard drug use and smoking pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of SWITCHING FATES in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

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

Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press
Published September 17, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About DREAM THIEVES

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he’s not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys – a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan’s secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface – changing everything in its wake.

Of THE RAVEN BOYS, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY wrote, “Maggie Stiefvater’s can’t-put-it-down paranormal adventure will leave you clamoring for book two.” Now the second book is here, with the same wild imagination, dark romance, and heart-stopping twists that only Maggie Stiefvater can conjure.

My Review

This series is one I return to again and again to listen to the audiobooks, because I LOVE listening to Will Patton read the story. So I’ve probably listened to DREAM THIEVES at least three times, but somehow I hadn’t reviewed it until now. I think I kept getting lost in the story and forgetting to make notes on the content for the review.

At any rate, it’s probably obvious that I enjoy the story, since I keep reading it. I love the tension between Blue and Gansey. And I love going with Ronan into his dreams. I’m always fascinated with him as a character because he’s so angry but somehow so loveable? Maybe because he’s so loyal underneath his grouchy exterior. He’s trying to figure things out, to fix things that have been broken either by him or someone else, and I love those things about him.

Gansey’s sister Helen is also one of my favorites. I think I would totally read a spin-off series or fan fiction where she’s the main character. She’s efficient and brilliant, all sharp observations and quick problem-solving. I love it.

On the whole, I think DREAM THIEVES might be my favorite book in the series. I haven’t read CALL DOWN THE HAWK yet, but I love Ronan’s character, and I got a copy of the book recently, so I suspect I’ll be checking it out soon.

Check out my reviews of other RAVEN CYCLE books.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
There are hints that one character is gay, but nothing overtly confirmed in this book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing between boy and girl. One embrace which is full of tension. Some intense kissing between man and woman and references to going to bed together.

Spiritual Content
Blue’s mother and her housemates are all psychics with varying areas of specialty. They do tarot card readings. They read objects and can tell things about them.

Ronan is Catholic and attends church with his brothers. Ronan can also take objects from his dreams.

Gansey is searching for a fabled king who, legend says, will grant a wish to whoever finds him. Adam has agreed to serve as the hands and eyes of a magical forest. (No one is exactly sure what this truly means, but it’s obvious that he’s changed by this promise.)

Violent Content
Fighting between boys. Monsters follow Ronan from his dream into reality and attack him and his friend. A hired assassin beats up Ronan’s brother (not shown) and later attacks other men. A boy sets cars on fire.

Drug Content
Ronan and another boy drink alcohol and take pills. The other boy seems to do other drugs, too. Adam drinks at a party– at first he thinks it’s ginger ale, and then later things he’s been given champagne.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Spotlight: Sanctum by Hannah McBride

News and Fun, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Here’s some fun bookish news… if you’re a long-time Story Sanctuary reader, you may remember that I used to participate in Irish Banana Book Tours. I loved working with Irish Banana coordinator Hannah McBride, so when she announced she was releasing a book, I knew it was going to be something to talk about here! Today I’m sharing some of the fun and amazing details about her debut novel, Sanctum. It’s one I’m eager to check out!

Sanctum
Hannah McBride
Available August 21, 2020

Amazon | Goodreads

About Sanctum

A survivor on the run

After refusing the laws of her sadistic pack, Skye Markham barely escapes with her life, seeking sanctuary with the feared Blackwater pack. Hunted by her former Alpha and his soldiers, she’s determined to create a life even though she knows they will come for her.

An alpha with a pack to protect

As the next alpha in line, Remy Holt has spent years guarding the Blackwater pack and his family from those who seek to seize control and destroy them. The last thing he needs or wants is Skye Markham and the dangers she brings with her adding to the stress on his pack, but his wolf has a different opinion. He wants her, and after one moment that shouldn’t have been possible, he knows he’ll never be able to let her go.

A bond unlike any other

Skye thought she was finally safe, but as her bond with Remy strengthens, the shifter world starts to break apart at the seams. Missing shifters, a dying population, and pack wars are all causing their sanctuary to crumble around them, and Skye is trapped in the middle of it all. Someone is out to destroy the pack and if they succeed, there will bring down everything Remy has sought to protect and for Skye… maybe there is no such thing as a sanctuary.

*SANCTUM is the first book in the Blackwater Pack series. Possible trigger warnings: abuse, violence, language, and bullying.

About Author Hannah McBride

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |Goodreads

Hannah McBride has been many things in her life – a restaurant manager, a clinical research coordinator, a dreamer, a makeup brand ambassador, an event coordinator, a blogger, and more. But at heart, she’s always been a writer, and in 2020 she decided to make it official with her first release, SANCTUM. 

An Excerpt from Sanctum

He shifted towards me. “This is all new to me, too, Skye.”

A sobering thought crossed my mind. The one that had been plaguing me since the woods. “Do you want this, Remy?”

The corner of his mouth hitched up for a second as he looked at me. Slowly, he raised a hand, tracing the curve of my jaw. I shivered, remembering the feel of his hands stroking when I was a wolf.

This was so much better.

He inched even closer. His breath, minty and warm, fanned over my face. His eyes tracked the movements of his fingers hungrily.

“Yeah,” he answered roughly, thickly. “I want this. I want you.” He dipped his head and covered my mouth with his.

As far as first kisses went, I was pretty sure this was one for the record books. 

Fire ignited in me the second Remy’s lips touched mine, soft but demanding all at once. His hands settled on my hips, pulling me closer. The smell of him from earlier in the evening, pine and soap and something that was entirely Remy, filled my senses. 

I was going to combust in the most exquisite ways.

His large hands almost spanned my waist, his fingers flexing against the soft material of my yoga pants. His tongue teased the seam of my lips until I opened my mouth on a gasp, letting him in.

I groaned as his tongue stroked mine, one hand sliding from my waist up my spine.

My hands had been clenched into fists on his chest, the fabric of his t-shirt bunched in my grip. I relaxed my hold now, letting my hands slide over the hard muscle and up around his neck, pressing my chest flush against his.

Now Remy groaned, changing the angle of his head to deepen the kiss.

Flames licked through my blood, and I was sure I was going to combust any second.

I was one hundred percent okay with death by kissing.