Tag Archives: paranormal

Graveyard Shakes

Posted on by

There are two stories that come together in a single tale in Graveyard Shakes. The first story is about two sisters. Victoria and her younger sister, Katia, are sent from the farm to a boarding school on scholarship. Victoria wants to fit in and Katia loves to stand out, which doesn’t help Victoria. The second story is about a mad scientist (Nikoa), his nearly dead son (Modie) and ghosts, including Little Ghost. Every thirteen years, Nikola must take the spirit of a living child and give it to his son so that his son might “live”. Most of the ghosts in the graveyard (and secret laboratory) help with the process, except Little Ghost who is really rather scared of this ghostly stuff.

The two stories converge during a snowstorm, when Nikola sends his ghostly helpers to find a child and Katia runs away from Victoria, who must find her before she is used a life giving essence for Modie. With some help from Little Ghost and Modie, who both sacrifice themselves, the sisters escape from Nikola and end his evil plans. The story wraps up nicely, with the sisters accepting each other as they are, Nikola accepting his son’s death and vowing to be a better person, Little Ghost finally at peace and Modie (now a ghost) enjoying his new ‘family’ – Victoria and Katia.

The artwork is bold and the story is fast-paced. Young readers won’t be as disturbed as their adult counterparts by Nikola’s obsession with his child’s immortality and willingness to sacrifice living children. And, the sisters’ eventual acceptance of their uniqueness and unity after the initial discord is heartwarming. Additional selection.

The Witching Hour (Midnight)

Posted on by

The Witching Hour is part of the Midnight) series of scary stories, which are similar in length to the Goosebumps series, but intended for teen readers. The Witching Hour focuses on Rosie, a teenage girl who moves to the town of Middleton shortly after Mackie, a star played on the high school football team, has died in an accident. There is speculation that Mackie’s best friend Omar may have been at fault in the death. Rosie befriends Omar and tries to help him overcome his grief, which isn’t an easy task, as many in the town believe that it was Omar’s fault.

How does Rosie deal with all the unexplainable things that keep happening? How does she and Omar cope with  Mackie’s ghost?  What can they do to stop the haunting?

This short, easy to read book will appeal to teens who like ghost stories.

The Beast is an Animal

Posted on by

The Beast is an Animal is a fantasy novel with a theme that felt fantastically dark like most fairy-tales. Here is a quote from the book: “Alys, in fact, had never been afraid. Her favorite nursery rhymes were the scary ones. The ones about The Beast sucking out your soul and leaving behind nothing but gristle and skin. Those were the ones Alys liked best.”

The story was engaging, suspenseful, creepy, scary, unfair, with a setting that felt very historical.  The book opens with a scenario that is reminiscent of the best classic fairy tales: twin sisters, born in a small suspicious village, are abandoned by their father in the woods.  They grow into something not quite human that need to feed on souls to survive.  Alys and the other children in the village are spared by the twins and taken in by a nearby village. Fear of the soul eaters and of the Beast rules village life, but the Beast is not what they think he is and neither is Alys.

This young adult novel will appeal to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, fairy tales, and historical settings.

 

The Edge of the Light (Whidbey Island Saga # 4)

Posted on by

The Edge of the Light is the fourth and final (according to the jacket) book in the Whidbey Island Sage. If it is true that this is the last book in the series, then I encourage you NOT to read it, as it will leave you frustrated and feeling incomplete. The major plot threads are not resolved. The reader doesn’t have any inkling of what will happen to the main character, even though the author built intrigue with the storyline of an investigative journalist having tracked her down. The reader is left hanging, as if there were to be a fifth book.  IF there is a fifth book, then I would encourage the reader to start with book one and continue through to the conclusion. It’s just that book four does not conclude the story.

This series will appeal to those who are familiar with western Washington state and the Puget Sound area. Set on Whidbey Island, the story centers on a group of teenaged friends facing a number of issues:  A grandmother with nice real estate that is being exploited by her daughter while the grandson, Seth, tries to protect her; Seth’s girlfriend, Prynne, who he wants to stay with but is worried about her drug use; Derrick, a refugee from the war in Uganda who is trying to locate his sister, Rejoice; Jenn, who is experiencing romantic feelings towards her teammate Cynthia, but worrying how her Christian conservative mother will respond; and then there is a Becca. Becca can read people’s thoughts and tries to make sense of what they think and say. She tries to solve their problems without letting them know how much she actually knows.

The plot is full of the issues and challenges these teen friends experience: elder abuse,  Alzheimer’s disease, drug use, lesbian relationships, and, of course, the paranormal abilities of Becca and her quest to keep this secret.

If a satisfactory conclusion wasn’t absent, this would be a fun read for YA mystery fans.

Diary of a Haunting Possession

Posted on by

Possession is the second in the Diary of a Haunting series, and is similar in that the main character is a teenaged girl who experiences an onslaught of paranormal activities. In Possession, Laetitia, a 15 year old girl African American girl, has dreams of being a famous pop star signing to adoring fans. She wants to sing, sing, sing. But she is haunted by nightmares and visions, including images of race riots near her home.

Possession differs significantly from Diary of a Haunting in its religious overtones. Without spoiling the plot, let me just say that religion plays a fundamental part in the plot line and character development. A comparison that came to mind, although significantly different, is The Exorcist.

Fans of the horror genre will enjoy the frightening scenes in this novel. A drawback is that the reader learns the source of Laetitia’s nightmares in the prelude, and that ruins it for me. It is the opening of this book that I didn’t like, as it was the ending of Diary of a Haunting that weakened that book.