Showing posts with label Paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paranormal. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Review: The Ghost & the Goth by Stacey Kade
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Genre: Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 281
Source: Good Golly Miss Holly Arc Tours
Blurb (from staceykade.com)
Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star…and newly dead.
Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.
I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?
The Quickie Review
Meet Alona Dare, beautiful, popular, likes to make peoples lives miserable, however her seemingly perfect life has come to an abrupt end, she’s now the newest member of the ghost (or ‘spirit’ as she likes to be called) universe. Now meet Will Killian, a brooding loner who is outwardly hostile to Alona Dare and her cronies but secretly lusts after the unattainable Alona, oh and Will can see the dead, including its newest member Alona, you can bet with these two fun and hilarity ensures. The Ghost & the Goth is an extremely funny and entertaining read with engaging, well developed characters. It’s a great light hearted and easy read with a dash of seriousness for good measure, perfect for summer.
The Full Blown Review
All Will wants to do is graduate from high school and get as far away as possible from his town and his incompetent psychiatrist to somewhere which has a low population (low population = not many dead people to annoy him). Will’s managed to hide his special ability from the ghosts very well over the years however one stupid mistake has left the ghosts knowing he can see and hear them and now they won’t leave him alone which is very distracting and can be dangerous for poor Will. Fortunately or unfortunately for Will (depending on your view) he smirked at the disappearing ghost of Alona Dare, newly deceased fellow student, who from that very facial expression could tell Will saw her, Alona Dare GHOST, when no one else can. With Will being the only person able to interact with Alona she’s understandably possessive over him, so by uttering the words ‘he’s mine’ to the other ghosts bugging poor Will she inadvertently volunteers to be his spirit guide which ties herself to Will so if anyone wants anything from Will they have to go through Alona. The only problem is Will’s life is quite complicated so in order for Will to help Alona they are going to have to deal with Will’s psychiatrist Dr.Miller, who wants to lock him up in an institution, a huge black cloud (nicknamed Gloomy Gus by Alona) which keeps on attacking Will for reasons unknown and Principal Robert “Sonny” Brewster who has it in for Will in a big way. Will’s not the only one with issues though there’s also the small problem of Alona disappearing into thin air however this issue can be solved simply by Alona being “nice” as Will puts it in order for her to stop disappearing as “positive equals energy”, however nice is not a word many associate with Alona Dare. Will Alona and Will be able to help each other work out their issues before it’s too late for both of them, well you’ll need to read the book to find out!
From just reading the blurb alone I was sure this was going to be a fun read so when The Ghost & the Goth finally arrived on my doorstep I was really excited to get into it and I am pleased to report I was not disappointed, Ms.Kade has written a book that is not only very funny but also a really engaging read with characters that were realistic even though they have some extraordinary abilities.
The Ghost & the Goth alternates between Alona and Will, two characters who were very different yet Stacey wrote them both so well. I particularly enjoyed reading about their growing unlikely friendship with all the hilarious witty banter that was said between the two, both characters had some great one liners. There was also some great chemistry between these two and so much tension, I really wanted Alona and Will to end up together even though Alona is a ghost and Will is still, well alive, but its only semantics people, things can be worked out!
Alona was my favourite character by far even though she was a huge bitch - which surprised me - I mean in real life I wouldn’t go near her with a barge pole. I’ve found that sometimes when I read a book with a bitchy character they are often only one dimensional with no other qualities apart from their bitchiness (there is no substance) however Stacey Kade has crafted Alona into a multifaceted character, she’s not just this one dimensional bitchy character she’s smart (as Will soon discovers) and her life is not all that perfect, she puts on a front - which I’m sure many people can sympathize with - as a coping mechanism for all the stuff that’s not going right in her life (or was not going right in her life). Don’t get me wrong though she was a real bitch, especially at the start, I was certain that I would not warm to her at all but very slowly (and I’ll note subconsciously) I was warming to her and towards the end I really did like her, not love but like, most probably because she mellowed a bit, dare I say I think she even warmed towards Will. Alona was a person who told it like she saw it and was very blunt, I guess you could say she lacked the finesse of tact, which many people don’t like but she just thought she was telling people the truth.
On the flip side we have Will, adorable, cute Will, who at first seemed to be Alona’s complete opposite, he was caring and actually nice however it soon becomes apparent that both have issues that they are hiding from people, their lives are not all rosy. Whilst Will may be a bit of a social outcast, which is kind of understandable with the poor boy seeing ghosts everywhere, he had a friend in Joonie he even stayed with her after she went a tad nutty (her nuttiness will be explained in the book, I don’t want to give too much away), which I found very endearing. I also have to mention Will and his iPod nano Marcy, yes he named his iPod, how cool is that, genius! I’m so impressed that I’ve been inspired to name my iTouch, now I just have to come up with a name, hmmm decisions, decisions….
Secondary characters were also well developed and a lot of fun primarily because of the way Will and Alona reacted to them especially the dialogue between Will’s principal, Mr.Brewster, a hideous man who actually called Will a bad seed, and Will’s psychiatrist Dr.Miller, who was writing a novel based on Will without his consent.
The Ghost & the Goth is such a fun read and leaves open the possibility for a sequel which I’ll definitely be reading!
Rating 3.5 out of 5
There’s Another Book?!?
Stacey has said that The Ghost and the Goth is the first book in a planned trilogy with the second book in the trilogy called Queen of the Dead (don’t you just love the name?) which will be released on June 7, 2011. Here’s the description –
After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare–former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead–finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this, ugh, “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello?! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately signs her name in the “clearly not” column. But Will is, ahem, willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.
Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.
I love that we’re going to be introduced to another seer, one that’s a female, bring on the love triangle, because its pretty obvious Alona has a thing for Will and Will definitely has a thing for Alona, me thinks Alona’s going to be jealous with this new lady seer, can you say love triangle.
Oh and here is the super awesome cover Stacey just released for Queen of the Dead, enjoy!
Here are some interesting facts about the cover Stacey mentioned on her blog –
* "The models for Will and Alona (both of whom I LOVE) are the same as on the first cover. The photos for both covers were shot at the same time. And I believe there are photos for the third cover from that shoot as well. Yea! I think these models are perfect as Will and Alona and I’m thrilled to have the consistency of them on all three books!"
* "Will is a busboy in the second book; hence, his apron. In the earliest draft of the book, we spent much more time in the diner. But as I was revising, I cut out most of the diner-based material, and then–yikes–learned the cover was going to be set as a diner. But, with that in mind, a perfect opportunity for a new diner scene in the book came up, and it all worked out beautifully."
* "I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but the gym uniform Alona is wearing is based on my high school’s required gym uniform. So I just love that they put her on the cover in that outfit–it looks so familiar (and right) to me because of my own high school experience!"
Goodies
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Release Date: November 22, 2010 Publisher: Penguin Australia
Genre: Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 348
Source: Penguin Australia
Blurb (from Penguin Australia
Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he's doing all right - until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak. Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he's a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else. With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle
The Quickie Review
Slacker Sam’s suddenly cosy life is shattered when he discovers he’s a necromancer (fancy word for someone who is able to raise the dead), now poor Sam is introduced to a whole new world he never knew existed whilst trying to deal with a crazy power hungry necromancer, a talking head, a locked up hybrid werewolf cross faerie and a baby faced wise beyond her years harbinger, what’s a slacker to do? Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is a darkly funny, action packed debut novel from Lish McBride which will leave you asking ‘will there be a sequel Lish?’
The Full Blown Review
Poor Sam he’s not having the best week but somehow getting threatened by some weirdo in a suit is the least of his worries as his week is only getting worse what with a talking head that used to be his friend hanging around and being attacked by this crazy guy with exceptional strength who can remove a car bumper with their hand. Apparently Sam is a necromancer and a powerful one at that - someone just forgot to mention that to Sam- suddenly Sam is wanted by one of the most powerful necromancers around for being a threat and you don’t want to get on that mans bad side, believe me.
I loved this book which I wasn’t expecting at all, actually I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book, it just turned up one day from the wonderful folks over at Penguin Australia and boy am I happy it did because from simply reading the blurb alone I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise (that sounds bad doesn’t it? But it’s true).
From the very first chapter I knew I would love Sam and I did, he was very funny, he had this great deadpan humor going on with a touch of sarcasm which I am especially fond of (I am exceptionally versed in the subtle art of sarcasm, just ask my parents). I especially loved his sharp witty banter with the other characters in the book especially Ramon his best friend and co-worker at Plumpy’s (is that not the best name for a fast food restaurant ever? Plumpy’s it just rolls off the tongue). Lish also wrote some really intense scenes with Sam and his mother which were very realistic, I really felt for poor old Sam, I'd be pretty ticked off too especially considering the secret she was keeping from him.
Apart from getting Sam’s perspective we also delve into the heads of three other characters, Ramon, Sam’s best friend and Plumpy’s grill cook extraordinaire, Douglas Montgomery, an exceptionally powerful sadistic necromancer, and Brid, a hybrid werewolf cross faerie who has been captured by Douglas for one of his creepy experiments.
Ramon is a friend anyone would want as were Sam’s two other Plumpy’s co-workers, Frank and Brooke, they were all willing to do anything to help Sam. I especially loved how the boys were really protective over Brooke even after her little incident with Douglas and a sword, they took it all so well and were very caring towards her.
Now what can I say about Douglas , I don’t think I can sufficiently put his creepiness into words, all I can say is that man is one twisted necromancer. The scenes where he was trying to train Sam in his necromancer abilities showed just how much of an evil sod he was. On the flip side we have Brid who was a kick ass heroine, she was so strong even after everything that happened to her. I really loved how we got to see through Brid’s flashbacks her interactions with her close knit family which gave us a real insight into her character. Also fear not romance lovers there’s a little bit of lovin’ that goes on between Brid and Sam.
From the get go the story progresses at a quick pace and doesn’t really slow down until the end and speaking of the end I really hope there’s going to be a sequel, its definitely possible with the ending, so here’s hoping!
So if you’re looking for a YA book with a darker tone that’s also exceptionally funny this is most definitely for you, bravo Lish McBride for writing such an entertaining read!
* I thought I should mention that the book is a tad violent, has some colorful language and a sex scene so for those of you who are a bit sensitive perhaps you should give this book a miss, its definitely a book for older YA readers as the main characters are in their late teens and in college *
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Goodies
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer Book Trailer –
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
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Release Date: August 30, 2010 Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Paranormal, Romance (sort of)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 420
Source: Penguin Australia
Blurb (from Penguin Australia
Haven Moore has always known she's different: there are the talents that can't be explained; the knowledge of places she's never been; and then there are the visions that overwhelm her - terrifying visions of a life that ended tragically two decades earlier and more than a thousand miles away in New York City. The citizens of Haven's rural, highly religious community, believe that she's been possessed by a demon. But this is no demon: it's reincarnation.
Haven journeys all the way to Manhattan
This is an epic and thrilling romance set in the snake-handling churches of Appalachia, the dusty ruins of ancient Rome , and the grand mansions of Manhattan
The Quickie Review
So I’ve mentioned this before about a hundred times but I am a huge sucker for romance in novels so from simply reading the blurb of The Eternal Ones I was sure I’d fall in love with it I mean the whole premise of eternal love and searching every lifetime for your soulmate super duper romantic. Alas however romance was seriously lacking, I mean there was a bit but not much at all, the story was more of a mystery which worked quite well as it had me double guessing myself a couple of times, I thought I knew what happened but then I was thrown through the loop again. So basically if your looking simply for romance this probably wont be the best book to read however if you enjoy a little mystery you should definitely give this a go.
The Full Blown Review
Ever since Haven Moore was little she has had visions from a past life as a girl named Constance - all of which involve or are about the love of her life Ethan - making Haven very different from the rest of the inhabitants of the small, tight knit community of Snope City. Consequently when living in a small community such as Haven does being different is never a good thing even when Haven hasn’t had any visions in years. Soon however Haven’s visions suddenly return when she sees Iain Morrow an impossibly handsome and rich movie star on TV who Haven’s convinced she’s met before but how exactly? Could this Iain actually be Ethan, Haven’s true love? Now with the visions back Haven’s grandmother along with the rest of the inhabitants of Snope City New York
I’ve never read anything dealing with reincarnation before that said I find the whole concept really fascinating I mean being able to come back from a past life, pretty cool. Miller’s description of Haven and Iain’s past lives was so detailed and interesting, whilst Miller concentrated on Haven’s past life as Constance in the visions, the very beginning of the love affair between Haven and Iain was detailed so the reader knows how it all started and let me tell you what a beginning!
Haven was a strong lead character, I especially loved her interactions with her grandmother, which I’m sure were unintentionally hilarious, well they were for me. Nothing seemed to phase Haven she knew what she had to do and she did it. Whilst many girls would take the gorgeous looking Iain’s words as gospel Haven always questioned what he was or wasn’t telling her which is refreshing. That being said however her indecisiveness towards Iain did cheese me off a bit, I mean pick your position and stick with it! The supporting characters were also well developed with my favourites being Beau, Haven’s best friend and Haven’s mean, nutty, tough as nails, take no crap from anybody (phew that’s a lot of adjectives) grandmother Imogene Snively who has to have one of the best surnames ever!
I love how Miller took us on a journey from the small rural town of Snope City to the bright lights of New York and then to the ancient city of Rome Rome as I absolutely adored Rome when I was there and with Miller’s descriptions I could perfectly picture the beautiful settings such as such as the bustling piazzas and the magnificent buildings that make up Rome
The stunning Piazza Navona which was described in the book
A fair portion of the start of the book is dedicated to Haven’s back story and her life before she leaves for New York Snope City
Haven’s story really starts to pick up once she gets to New York and is confronted with the mystery of Constance ’s death which she must solve in order to work out who she can trust. Whilst at first it appears simple to Haven that Iain is her one and only, and she can trust him entirely her view begins to change can she really trust Iain because if she can why is he hiding things from her and telling her to stay away from the Ouroboros Society? The last quarter of the book really picked up the pace and was really engrossing as the mystery was coming to a pretty spectacular conclusion where many of our questions were answered, my main one being can Haven trust Iain or not, because frankly I had no idea!
What did irk me sometimes was Haven’s attitude towards Iain, boy was she a flip flopper, I was like girl just pick whether you’re going to trust him or not. At one point in the story she decided that she could trust him and then all of a sudden she didn’t and then once again she changed her mind and went back to him, can you say frustrating! Perhaps I’m being to hard on poor Haven I mean I’ll admit that I was pretty flummoxed at who to trust or what was going on sometimes especially when I thought I knew what was going on, oh how wrong was I, don’t you just love that in a book when you have no idea what’s going to happen next, I know I do.
The Eternal Ones was a thoroughly enjoyable read even though the romance aspect was not as all encompassing as I believed it would be as the mystery aspect really kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. Whilst the ending did conclude nicely there is definitely room for a sequel which will hopefully delve more into Haven and Iain past lives.
Rating
3.5 out of 5
There’s Another Book?!?
Yes indeed there will be another book in the series here’s what Kirsten has to say about it –
It is action-packed. Haven is forced to infiltrate the Ouroboros Society in order to save someone she loves. I won't say more for fear of giving too much away. But I'll be posting updates on my blog over the next few months!
Goodies
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