For a while while I was reading Delia's Shadow, I didn't think I was enjoying the story. I mean, the idea of the story was great--young woman moves back to San Francisco a few years after her parents' deaths in the big quake, but that's not the big thing. No, Delia's biggest problem is that she sees ghosts, and now one has decided to attach itself to her until she solves the mystery of the ghost's death. It sounded cool, and when some rather grisly murders were added in, (necessitating a handsome, grieving police detective), I figured it was a can't miss.

And yet...the storyline felt clunky. We meet Delia's best friend, Sadie, who is getting married and whose mother is dying, and she accepts Delia's problem with no issues whatsoever. I could almost get on board with that, and I did love Gabe, the detective, who lost his wife in the earthquake. I think my biggest problem was the addition of Isadora, a woman who also communes with ghosts but mostly just came off as an irritating drunk. Had she been left out of the story entirely, I would probably be giving the book five full stars.

Don't be mistaken, the longer I read this book, the more I liked it. I could nitpick how the murderer was "found out", but it's a paranormal mystery so that would be pointless. Though I figured out where the story was headed, I was thrown for a loop by a big twist in the murders late in the story, and the friendship between Delia and Gabe blossomed nicely into a full on romance. While the murders were described in rather gory detail, I ended up finding myself caught up in the story and stayed up past my bedtime to finish. I'll be looking for the sequel, but hoping Dora finds a job in another country so she won't be making an appearance.

~taminator40

Anya's Ghost--A Graphic Novel Adventure

Anya's Ghost is a good graphic novel that pulls the reader into the story quickly, and keeps you turning the pages to find out just what is up with this ghost...Is she really just a friendly ghost who wants out of the well where she's been stuck for nearly a hundred years? Or is there something slightly more sinister going on? 

Built around Anya, a teenager whose mother emigrated from Russia to America when Anya was a child, we follow her through a normal, teen-angsty type day, wherein the boy she likes has no clue she's alive and school is such a bore. Then she trips and falls into an old well, and unable to make herself heard, she realizes she's not alone--there's a skeleton in there, with its ghost still attached. Turns out the ghost belongs to Emily, who died nearly a century ago, and now wants to experience more than her hole in the ground. When Anya is rescued, she finds that somehow she's brought Emily's finger bone home with her, thus enabling Emily to leave the well. The thing is, Emily is pretty handy, helping out in school and giving advice on how to make Sean take notice. But Anya wants to help solve the mystery of Emily's murder, and it's this fact that changes everything.

The story itself is good, and the characterizations are spot on. I really enjoyed the artwork; Emily's pupil-less eyes give a definite creepiness to her appearance, and the black and white theme adds to the ambiance. This graphic novel would most definitely appeal to teens who feel isolated in social situations, and it's got enough depth to the story to make even a reluctant reader want to keep going. I wasn't such a fan of Anya's friend Siobahn (still not really sure what her purpose was, to be truthful), but I loved the way Anya's confidence grew over the course of the story, and I liked the idea that she had difficulty fitting in because she came from another country.  This is one graphic novel with a good story that can easily be recommended to anyone who wants to escape for a bit.

~taminator40

I wanted to love Sisters of Blood and Spirit, and honestly, there were parts I really did enjoy. The premise is great--twins, one born dead and the other who still sees, hears, and touches her sister. No one understands how Lark interacts with Wren when Wren is dead, but Lark just knows that her sister has always been a part of her life; indeed, Wren's her best friend (that no one else can see). Eventually it all gets to Lark and she decides she's going to join her sister in the Shadow Lands by committing suicide, but Wren won't allow it and sets up a rescue. It's at this point that the story actually gets going; considered a bit of a freak at school, Lark is surprised when a group of students approach her for help with a problem they've created because it's known that she sees ghosts.

So far, so good. The group has gotten the attention of a long dead ghost from an abandoned psych hospital and they need to get rid of it, pronto. Lark enlists Wren's help because, together, they are stronger and can find out more info. Lark lives with her grandmother who seems to be overly indulgent and kinda clueless at times, though she does support Lark and acknowledges Wren's presence. With all the endangered kids on board, the twins set to work to free them from the malevolent forces of the long dead.

So...it's not bad, and the pages turn fairly quickly because the action is fast. I just didn't like Lark, even with her sad background and her mad ghost-busting skills. It's not her harsh language but her generally cutting attitude and her inability to be nice for any length of time that made me sort of want one of the bad guys to swallow her whole. Wren is more likable in demeanor but still a bit on the odd side. I could see their special relationship building into something really cool but my dislike of Lark sort of ruined it for me. Plus the idea that (possible spoilers...you've been warned so skip ahead now...) ...

...the impossibly hot guys still want to be with such a negative person just rang hollow for me and I didn't believe it. Sure, she might be pretty, but not on the inside. In addition, there were holes in the final "battle" and the resolution big enough to drive a stolen paddy wagon through. No one's gonna notice an open grave with an obviously burned set of remains inside? Uh uh. There also seems to be some confusion between what's a ghost and what's a zombie. Also--how is Wren still aging on the other side? Does everybody continue to age or is it only the Dead Born? So many questions.

So, how did I arrive at 3 stars? Well, it is a good story, and I really liked some of the characters, including Wren, Kevin, and Ben. There's potential for a sequel that I'd probably read because the action was good and I liked the relationship between Lark and Wren. There's a lot of gore but it fits the theme, and I like the whole paranormal aspect. Weighing those factors against what bugged me, I have to say I liked the book more than I disliked the stuff that bugged me. Definitely some problems, but it's still a fast, absorbing read.

~taminator40

Two Very Different Books

I finished two very different books over the weekend, both enjoyable for very different reasons. First up is The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

I am such a Gaiman Fangirl that I suspected I would love The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but what I ended up feeling after closing this novel was something beyond that emotion. Enraptured, entranced, enthralled...yes, all of those, and complete, total adoration. The Ocean at the End of the Lane exceeded my expectations on every level.

I always expect something different and otherworldly when reading a Gaiman young adult novel, and this one is no exception. Told from the viewpoint of a seven-year-old boy (whose name we never learn), it's the story of a summer when a houseguest commits suicide on the farm of a mysterious trio of females. The young man becomes involved with the eleven-year-old girl who lives on the farm, and together they embark on an adventure that leads to an odd creature escaping its confines through the boy, and the desperate fight to get rid of the creature as it wreaks havoc on the boy's home life. All of this plays out in a magical fantasy filled with lovely descriptions and colorful environments that are as creepy as they are intriguing. The ending is perfection; heck, the whole book is!

If you've never read a novel by Neil Gaiman, definitely take the time to search out The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's true that it's a fantasy, but underneath are the common feelings we all experience and the characters we all recognize. This is a slim book that packs a wonderful, fantastic tale that I will want to revisit time and again.

The second one is Holy Ghosts, written by Gary Jansen:


Holy Ghosts is a very quick read; it's the non-fiction tale of Gary Jansen and his family, whose home is invaded by ghosts. Jansen had lived in the home growing up, and his mother even told him once that there was a ghost living there, but it's once he is older and has purchased the house for himself and his growing family that the odd incidents began to increase. After his wife's miscarriage, Jansen experiences electric sensations, sounds, toys going off randomly, and lots of unexplained shadows. Through his work in the publishing industry, he is able to contact Mary Ann Winkowski (the lady on whom the tv show The Ghost Whisperer is based) and she advises him of details of the two ghosts and also how to rid his home of them. Along the way, Jansen, a spiritual Catholic, discusses how the presence of the ghosts affected him on religious levels, doing research and leading him to a stronger faith.

This book is quite engaging, even if there is a good deal about Jansen's personal upbringing; this is understandable due to the fact that he's spent much of his life living in the same place. I liked that much of his research and experiences were backed up by the facts, and his interactions with Winkowski are particularly amazing. If Jansen is to be believed, (and I feel strongly that he is telling the truth), then this story is fairly solid proof that there is something more out there. This is an enjoyable read and definitely one to get you thinking, particularly if you have any interest at all in the paranormal.

~taminator40

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

Wherever You Go has the potential to be a creepy paranormal young adult novel--teenager loses the boy she loves in a horrific car crash but he's not really gone; he's watching over her every move, unable to move on into the light because of his unfinished business on earth. And it is indeed a paranormal, but not in the typical sense that many young adult paranormals are today--there is the ghostly boyfriend watching over Holly, the survivor of the car crash that took his life. But it's so much more, layered so well and so heart wrenching that it transcends the typical novels out there today.

Six months have passed since the car crash that took Rob's life and yet he finds he can't move on into "the light", if there is even such a thing. So Rob spends his eternity watching over Holly, the girlfriend he loves but who never really fit into his popular crowd. Holly's trying to cope with her loss, but her problems are so much bigger than just losing Rob; her mother is working two jobs to try to make ends meet, so Holly must be surrogate mother to her younger sister Lena, cooking and cleaning and basically keeping their small apartment going. When Holly's beloved grandfather Aldo comes to live with them upon his diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Holly is stretched beyond her limits to cope. That's when Rob's best friend Jason enters her life, and together, they try to accomplish the items on Aldo's memory list while becoming more to one another. Complicating all of this is Rob's inability to be seen or heard by anyone...except Aldo. And his ramblings to Rob are mostly just the result of his Alzheimer's, right? So how can Rob make peace with his life and help Holly?

All of this is the tip of the iceberg for this wonderful novel that crept into my soul with every word and every page. Holly, Rob, Aldo, Jason...they are all so well written and so believable that the paranormal aspect is totally secondary to the depth of the story. The glimpses into Rob's parents' lives after the loss of their son, the generous way Holly attempts to hold her family together, Jason's growing feelings for his dead friend's girlfriend all round out this story fully. Moving between points of view--Holly's in first person, Rob's in second person, and Jason's in third--kept me reading "just one more page" until I was done. This one's moving, focused, and spirit-filled. Go read it now.


~taminator40

I'm Baaaaack...With Reviews, No Less

Well, here I am.

I really haven't been anywhere, actually; just knee-deep in marching band season with youngest dear daughter. The reading's been slow but good when I've been able to snatch a few pages, but the ability to review has been wayyyyy yonder on the backburner. But finally band season's done (we came in fifth in the state, thank you very much! Check us out at http://www.johnovertonband.org/) and we're headed off to Hawaii on November 19 for a week. I'm already plotting which books to take (definitely Elizabeth Chadwick's newest, To Defy a King, and possibly Torment by Lauren Kate). Don't look so shocked...I know you fellow book readers plot what books to take on vacation just as early as I do. I also know you take two or three extra books *just in case* you start to read something and it doesn't take. Don't look away. I know your secrets.

Anyway, I'm in the process of catching up on my reviews, and here are two of my recent reads. First up is The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.

Things are fairly typical for Chloe Saunders; she's a regular 14 year old with her circle of friends and she's very into films. Though she misses her mother who died years earlier, she's got a father and a trusted aunt who care for her. So what if she's a bit of a late bloomer? It's all good--until the day she sees a terrifying ghost. Suddenly she's no longer normal; she's diagnosed as schizophrenic and shipped off to the Lyle House, an in-house treatment center so that she can learn to cope with her illness. The problem? It's not really an illness; it's fact, and Chloe's going to have to convince herself that she's got a special power she's going to have to learn to deal with, despite the adults who are trying to get her to believe otherwise.

The Summoning is engaging right from the opening pages and doesn't let up throughout. Once Chloe figures out she's not schizophrenic, you know she's going to have to get herself out of Lyle House, but it seems next to impossible. Her friendships with Liz, Derek, Simon, and Rae provide Chloe with the realization that perhaps she's not alone in her gift, but none of them seem to know what's going on...and it's obvious as the mystery grows that things are much darker and deeper than any of the kids had suspected.


Finding a stopping point was a big problem for me while reading The Summoning because Ms. Armstrong often ends chapters on cliffhangers. I kept thinking "just one more page...just one more chapter..." and before I knew it, fifty more pages had flown by. If at times Chloe seemed a little naive, it was understandable, given her background and the work the adults had done to ensure that she was kept in the dark. The Summoning had lingered for quite a while in my to-be-read pile, but it's a sure thing that its sequels, The Awakening and The Reckoning, certainly won't. Great fun and highly recommended.

Next up is The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller.

Ever have the feeling that you've lived before? Haven Moore has; in fact, she's been feeling that way since she was a very small child and could give details about New York City and Rome that there was no way she could have known. In her small East Tennessee town, under the scrutiny of her judgmental grandmother, Haven is seen as odd and out of place. The fact that her best friend is a gay football player who helps her sew dresses doesn't help her outsider status, and her susceptibility to "visions" which cause her to faint frequently is seen as possibly even demonic by her church. But when Haven discovers a box of notes written by her deceased father wherein he ponders the idea of Haven's having lived past lives, she knows he's right. And when she sees handsome playboy Iain Morrow's face plastered in the papers, she knows in her soul that he's the "Ethan" she's been looking for since her last life ended.

The beauty of The Eternal Ones is that you're never precisely sure what's going on, and who the good guys are. Haven's susceptible to the feelings and visions she experiences, but she also listens to just about everyone she meets, casting doubts and raising red flags constantly. She allows Iain to sweep her off her feet and then abruptly decides he's using her, but his presence and assurance that they are meant to be together throw her into even more turmoil. Iain remembers all their lives together, and while Haven believes him, she begins to wonder when it becomes obvious he's keeping big, big secrets. Then there's the Ouroboros Society, a group that tracks people who remember past lives. Just what part does the Society play in Iain's life now, and what part did it play in the deaths of Haven, once known as Constance, and Ethan, many years before?


The Eternal Ones is wonderfully layered and mysterious, and Haven and best friend Beau are vivid and believable. The biggest issue I had was the wishy-washiness Haven experiences once she follows her instincts and goes to meet Iain; should she believe in him or was he really the cause of her death in the 1920s? Come on, make a choice and stick with it! But the seamless way Miller weaves reincarnation with Christianity and the slow unveiling of Haven's past life as Constance more than makes up for any dithering she may do along the way. This one actually rates a strong 4.5 stars...and I'm hopeful there's a sequel already in the works.

~taminator40

Shade

Shade is the story of almost seventeen year old Aura, born after the Shift: when for some unknown reason, all children suddenly became able to see and interact with ghosts. Which is a pain, of course; until Aura's boyfriend Logan dies unexpectedly of a drug overdose. Then Aura embraces being able to still see and talk with Logan, but the trouble is, Logan no longer wants to "go into the light" or cross over into heaven; he wants to stay with Aura. And that possibility means he might turn into a Shade, trapped in darkness forever. Complications also arise when her new school partner, Zachary, begins to arouse feelings within Aura...and Logan reacts.


I really wanted to like Shade much more than I actually did. It's got a terrific premise and Aura is a believable character. There's a lot going on, with Aura's family issues (her mom's dead; her father's unknown), the Shift (what is it?), and the relationships between Aura, Logan, and Zachary. It just felt as though it took a very long time to get to the action--at page 140, I felt as though I was still waiting for the book to take off. And though there was a lot happening, none of it felt very focused; were we more concerned with Logan, Zachary, or the Shift? I can see the appeal of this as a romantic paranormal tale, but I just was expecting...more. It's not that it's poorly written, but I wasn't feeling the connections. Shade ends on a cliffhanger but I doubt I'll pick up the next in the series.

~taminator40

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

The Hollow by Jessica Verday has an excellent premise: Abbey, whose best friend Kristen has died right before their junior year of high school, meets a mysterious, handsome young man while at her funeral. Jessica doesn't have many friends, and with Kristen gone, she takes solace in visiting the cemetery near her home in Sleepy Hollow; it's there that she gets to know Caspian, and the two develop a relationship as they begin to share their stories. But there is something odd about Caspian: he seems to have feelings for Abbey but yet he never seems to want to touch her, and he disappears for weeks at time, yet he brings her gorgeous gifts and gives her a special nickname that warms Abbey's heart. Meanwhile, there's Ben, a local boy who seems willing to befriend Abbey, but she is too distracted by Caspian, the loss of her friend, and her hobby of creating perfumes to really want to get to know Ben.

Lots to like in this hefty book: Abbey is a tortured soul who desperately needs to make peace with herself over the loss of her friend, and she seems determined to latch onto people who may seem a bit odd to others. Her parents are well meaning and yet too busy to really involve themselves in her life at times, and Caspian seems to be just what is missing in Abbey's life when he appears. The desperation Abbey feels is apparent in most of her actions, and quite honestly, I left the book wondering just how sane she really was (much like Abbey sometimes wonders herself). And there's that premise of an excellent paranormal element tied to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow--a great idea in itself. And being a lover of cemeteries myself, I really connected to that element of Abbey's existence.

Still...there's a lot that bugged me about this novel. Many people have mentioned the size of the book--it's 500+ pages in a hardback format, making it hefty and not easy to lug around, and the fact that it's double spaced type is just irritating. A huge number of those pages are Abbey doing very mundane things, stretching out the time when it could easily have been compressed to make the story tighter and flow better. The paranormal aspect is actually downplayed until the final couple of chapters, and if Abbey had cried or whined one more time, I would've wall banged the book for good. And as my husband said, sometimes knowledge can be a dealbreaker--in the first few pages, Verday has Abbey watching a *bulldozer* dig a grave. Raised by a father in the excavation business, I can tell you emphatically that bulldozers don't dig--they smooth. It's a *backhoe* that digs and that cemeteries employ. I know, I know, it's a little thing, but accuracy goes a long way in my enjoyment, and it's those little details that an editor should have caught.

Spoiler alert... Okay, if you're still reading, I'll say it bugged me that Abbey can touch Nikolas and Katy and not Caspian (though that might be explained later), and that there were a few too many coincidences (Seriously, Abbey just happens to get a hold of a yearbook from Caspian's high school...and his photo is missing...and his dad has the yearbook at his shop?) Most of all, what's the deal with the black streak in Caspian's hair, which Katy and Nikolas say "marks him as one of us...a Shade"...but they don't have black streaks and Caspian's very much alive father remembers from when he was alive?

Still, this is not a bad book, and I have to say it kept me engaged while reading it. I just feel that there are too many holes to be punched (many of which a good editor should have caught...which seems to be happening more and more lately). I just expected more of a creepy ambiance, more paranormal activity (that seemed paranormal), and a stronger heroine who can handle herself in an emotionally more mature manner. I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'll read the next in the series; I'll have to give it a skim when it comes out to see if the story seems to move along better and fills in some of the blanks.

~taminator40

A Couple of YA Reviews

First up...Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock...

In the third book in Catherine Gilbert Murdock's series based on D.J. Schwenk, D.J. is back at school after dealing with her brother Win's terrible accident and ready to just play basketball. She's broken up with her boyfriend Brian; all she really wants is to have life return to normal for her junior year of high school. But life's funny like that sometimes: what you want most seems just out of reach, and is it really what you want after you think about it?

D.J.'s always been a stand-out athlete, and this basketball season quickly proves that she hasn't lost anything by not playing the previous year. It doesn't take long before colleges begin to show interest in her skills and the idea of being good enough to play in a Big Ten school freaks D.J. to the core. Life would be fine with her if she played for a local Division III team where the pressure wouldn't be so great and she wouldn't be the star of the show. And why on earth is she having to deal with this her junior year? Rather than being able to put her basketball worries behind her, things ramp up when Win becomes involved, pushing D.J. to think beyond herself and go for the big scholarships. But D.J. is petrified at the thought of playing before thousands of fans; so scared, in fact, that she almost becomes physically ill while watching a friend blow a big shot at U of M. D.J. has got to come to grips with what she wants and what she is actually ready for, and this applies to her love life as well, with both Brian and Beaner fighting for her attention.

This book was a fast read, and well-written. The nervous D.J. is very realistic and her fear is palpable. Typical of a teen sensation, she's unsure about her future and unclear about what she wants. In general, this is a book whose voice comes through easily; we get inside D.J.'s head and worry right along with her. I did find myself more than a little irritated with D.J. as she thinks she wants to throw away some great opportunities, but I could see where her fear was coming from. What I didn't really care for was the side story of Amber and Dale's relationship, which seemed a bit cliched in my opinion, and a bit unnecessary with everything else going on. Other than that, I can recommend this installment in the series wholeheartedly; D.J. is a funny, smart, determined young lady who has won a place in my heart with her self-effacing comments. Recommended.

Next up is Ruined by Paula Morris...

Rebecca Brown is puzzled when her father, who has raised her by himself since she was two, suddenly has to go to China on business for the better part of a year and his solution as to where Rebecca will stay is to leave her in New Orleans with a friend of the family, "Aunt" Claudia, a woman Rebecca doesn't remember meeting. New Orleans is a long, long way from New York City in more ways than one, and Rebecca's new school, Temple Mead, is filled with snobby girls whose families date back for generations. Not to mention the fact that the shotgun style house Aunt Claudia and her daughter Aurelia live in is just across the street from a very old cemetery and very close to the old family homes of the rich girls in school. To say Rebecca feels like she is an outsider is an understatement, but she's determined to make the best of things, even hoping to make friends with the mysterious homeless girl who apparently lives in the cemetery.

Ruined is indeed a ghost story, but it's more than that as well; it's the story of how generations of families can hold sway over even a modern city, and how the spectre of murder can still wreak havoc many years after the deed. Once Rebecca determines that Lisette, the odd girl from the cemetery, is actually a ghost, the story picks up as she begins to unravel the tale of what happened many years before and has been kept secret since. Even the appearance of handsome Anton Grey cannot hold Rebecca's attention for long as she faces the two girls in school who would like nothing better than to see Rebecca gone...in one way or another.

I liked this story and found the pacing to be quick, with Rebecca's disbelief turning into horrified truth very well done. Rebecca is a strong girl who doesn't suffer fools gladly, and her loyalty to her aunt and cousin is tremendous. I did find the whole climax a bit unbelievable (though we are dealing with ghosts here) since I couldn't imagine so many people so willingly going to such lengths to protect someone from an evil curse. The insertion of Hurricane Katrina and its ravages gives the story a timely feel but makes me worried that the book will age quickly in just a few years. Finally, the idea of Rebecca's father doing what he did is really too much for me, but it did bring a satisfactory conclusion. But this is a good ghost story, filled with atmosphere and the spirit (pun intended) of New Orleans. Romance and ruins; what more could a teenager want?

~taminator40

A Couple of Reviews

A couple of reviews; both paranormal, one young adult and one not; both good but for different reasons. 

Ghost Huntress: The Guidance, is the second book in Marley Gibson's series featuring Kendall Moorehead, a sixteen year old girl who is experiencing her psychic "awakening" just as she moves to Georgia with her family. Kendall has assembled a ghost huntress team upon realizing her abilities, and along with new hottie boyfriend Jason, the group seeks to find ghosts and help them cross over to the light. This time out, the focus is on the Civil War era home of teen Stephanie Crawford and her mother as an unsettled Union soldier seizes his moment and possesses the body of hateful cheerleader Courtney Langdon. Kendall and her gang decide that despite Courtney's general skankiness, they can't allow a ghost to run free and wild with her, and they take action, rounding up both local psychic mentor Loreen Woods and the Episcopalian priest, Father Mass, to help them rid Courtney of her unwelcome intruder. 

Of course that's not all that goes on in this volume: Among other things, Kendall's mother forces Kendall to undergo pyschological and physical testing to rule out psychosis as a reason for her "awakening", which is actually a very reasonable yet irritating thing for a mother to do when her child suddenly goes around talking to ghosts. Kendall's not so amused; her reaction is entirely normal for any teenager. Naturally Courtney is around to make Kendall's life a pain by trying to get Jason back and generally doing everythig she can to undermine Kendall's sudden popularity. There is also friction between Kendall and Jason, as well as the ever-present spirit guide Emily trying to help Kendall (and sometimes "over" helping). Lots of action, lots of interaction; mostly believable as far as ghost hunting goes. 

The Guidance is a good story that kept me turning the pages, yet I seem to be getting pickier with the series as I read this one. Kendall's ghost hunting techniques are quite spot on (even though she's really more of a medium) but it is sort of surprising how much she's learned how quickly. There's a little of everything thrown in, including references to auras, herbs, exorcisim, Reiki spiritualism,spirit guides, and tarot cards--almost too much, really. I also have a problem with the stereotypes being reinforced here: cheerleader=bad, Goth girl=troubled/running from something, boyfriend=hot and instantly in love. The idea that a medium in a high school setting would be so very popular is also pretty out there; I'd say most high schoolers would react with disdain if not outright derision for such high profile antics as Kendall provides. Also, the references to current pop culture were distracting, and especially so when specific songs were not only mentioned, but lyrics that will be outdated within another month were quoted. I also have to point out that Southerners, and Georgians in particular, don't ask one another if they want a soda to drink. 

Interruption to regularly scheduled review: It is soooo, soooo annoying to name drop brands. I don't care that Kendall crossed her "Timberlanded foot". Get over it. Interruption over. 

However, all that said, I can endorse The Guidance because it is good fun and the storyline, while at times sappy, did keep me turning those pages. I like Kendall's spunk, and I like Jason's skepticism. I like that Kendall isn't living and breathing just being with her boyfriend, and I like that there is a set-up for future novels. I also like that the author has taken pains to make sure that the religious aspect of ghosts and psychic abilities has been established (going so far as to quote scripture!). So with this in mind, I will round up my initial reaction of 3.5 stars to a solid 4 and hope the next one gives me more action and less name-dropping.

Second up is the second in Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series, Blood Bound:

In Blood Bound, the second book in Patricia Briggs's Moon Called Series, Mercy Thompson is back at work as a mechanic in the garage she owns, and hopefully done dealing with werewolf trouble. Thankfully, that does seem to be the case, unless you count the fact that her former love, Dr. Samuel Cornick, has moved into her trailer since he's decided to move away from his father's pack, and her new possible love, Alpha Wolf Adam Hauptmann, is so intense that it's making Mercy nervous. No, this time it's not the werewolves, it's the vampires; specifically it's Mercy's vampire friend Stefan, who needs Mercy to go on a visit to see a new vamp in town, the catch being that Mercy must go incognito as her walker self, a coyote. Mercy agrees (because really it's a payback) and during the visit, encounters evil so violent that she is shaken and physically harmed in the process. From there, things go downhill; Stefan turns up missing, along with three local werewolf pack members who had agreed to help Stefan find the demon vampire currently terrorizing the town. It comes down to Mercy to track the missing wolves and Stefan and take care of the truly evil vampire conjured in order to take over the local vampire seethe. 

Mercy's one tough cookie, and she's no less hardheaded in this installment. Her interactions with the local fae put her in danger, along with her determined attempts to find the demon vampire Littleton in order to rescue her friends from his decidedly demented plans. Mercy's ability to interact with ghosts also plays a role in this action packed novel, and even though she's not physically as strong as the wolves and vampires, she uses cunning and her religious senses to help her defeat evil. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends is one of her best traits. But she's also got a dark side, and the ending of the novel leaves one with the sense that in Mercy's world, there is no gray area. Right or wrong, Mercy makes up her mind and forges ahead. 

This novel has a lot going for it, including an entirely scary scene where a demon bangs repeatedly on the side of her trailer throughout one very long night. Briggs has a way of pulling you directly into the story so that you have to know what happens next. The fact that Mercy's love life is complicated adds tension to the plot but never does she let it get in the way of getting the job done. Mercy's one smart chick and she's loyal but ruthless when necessary. This one's not for the squeamish. I admit it; I'm hooked!

~taminator40

Creepiness in Louisiana

I became interested in the Myrtles Plantation after seeing a Ghost Hunters episode on Sci-Fi a few years ago. Apparently this Louisiana plantation was crawling ghosts, and the ghost hunting team did in fact have some success in uncovering some odd happenings. So when a friend suggested this book, I jumped at the chance to find out a little more about this mysterious place deep in the south.

Written by Frances Kermeen, owner of the Myrtles Plantation during the 1980s, we are told the history and the alleged ghostly encounters that have taken place there. Frances felt compelled to purchase the Myrtles after a brief visitation in 1980, and she and her then husband spent a good deal of time renovating and updating the plantation. Almost immediately upon taking possession, Frances began hearing unexplained noises and seeing strange lights and even faces. During the decade in which she owned the Myrtles, the odd events were almost a daily occurence, with many of the guests also having weird things happen. Though Frances loved the house, eventually her life fell apart (whether or not it was the house, as she hints), and she sold out and moved away around 1990. Fifteen years later she decided to write this rather dramatic tale of what went on while she lived on the property.

This is a good book, with lots of action and plenty of "evidence" that ghosts do indeed haunt the Myrtles. Frances admits to being dramatic (she even hosted several murder mystery weekends at the plantation) and this comes across throughout the book. The writing itself is a bit choppy and amateurish, but the book does flow and you can feel her enthusiasm for the place. I admit to being highly skeptical of some of the things Frances described (she really lost me with the "crying portraits") but I don't doubt for a second that she endured constant demonstrations of ghosts during her tenure at the Myrtles. My take is that some of the stories may have been embellished somewhat, but with so many people visiting the plantation and experiencing much the same activities, there must be something to the tales. This is a fun read and it did give me some interesting background into a fascinating home that's indeed alive...with history.

~taminator40

Swoon

After looking at some of the reviews for Swoon by Nina Malkin, I was a little wary about launching into it. But I suppose that was a good thing since others' disappointments made me lower my expectations, leaving me very pleasantly surprised once I finished this very intriguing novel. Swoon is quite different from most young adult paranormals out there, thus making it new and enticing, filled with teens that might actually be more comfortable in Gossip Girl than sharing space with psychics and a golem.

Swoon begins with Dice (yes, the nicknames grate after a while) discovering that her best friend/cousin, Pen, is sharing her body with a spirit from 1769 following a mishap from the very tree where the spirit, Sinclair Youngblood Powers, was hanged. Realizing this is just the beginning of the predictament,however; after allowing Sin to tell her his tale, Dice decides she must exorcise him from Pen's body by following Sin's explicit instructions. Unfortunately, Sin uses the ritual to claim an actual body for himself, and sets forth to wreak havoc in the lives of the descendants of the people who hanged him.

Swoon is the name of the town where all this mayhem takes place; filled with lots of rich kids who dabble in sex and drugs, Swoon is an unlikely setting for a paranormal romp. The fact is, I liked Dice and her friends, and even the deceitful Sin. Even though the psychic aspect is a little random at times, I was just as caught up with wanting Sin to remain in Swoon due to his charm and yet knowing that he was a destructive force that needed to leave. There is quite a bit of sex and sexual tension going on, most of it a direct result of Sin's interventions, and there is a lot of casual drug use, too; something to think about before suggesting this book to younger teens. I absolutely never bought into the idea that Dice's parents would leave a seventeen year old on her own in a house in Connecticut all week, every week; that defied all logic (especially given what we learn about Dice's experiences in NYC later on), as well as several Children's Services laws. I also found the segment where Dice and Sin (Pen) time travel a bit unbelievable (Just show up in a tavern, get close, and boom! you're in 1769!). Likewise, I had to wonder at the addition of Dice's epilepsy into the story--honestly, what was the point? But setting that aside, Swoon is actually a good paranormal with interesting characters and a different storyline. Swoon actually garners 3.5 stars from me, but feeling generous, I'll round up to a solid 4.0. Recommended for older teens who enjoy all things paranormal.

~taminator40

Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun

Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun finds MJ, Gilley, and Stephen back on the prowl for ghosties and things that go bump in the night--this time in California, where Gilley has signed MJ up to participate in a haunted antiques show. The trio barely arrive before they stumble upon a dead body at the swanky hotel where they are staying, and that's just the beginning of their troubles. More than one former spectral guest is hanging around, there is an assortment of haunted items about, and a few more bodies are found. Oh, did I mention that there's a demon on the loose?

Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun, while not breaking any new ground in the series, is still a fun ride as we find MJ using her medium powers to help stranded souls across and track down those who have chosen to remain grounded. The introduction of Heath, a fellow medium, adds a nice stir to the mix as well. The relationship between MJ and Stephen doesn't advance much in this installment, but it seems as strong as ever as it plays out in the background. The atmosphere is creepy, though I found the pace of the action to not be as quick as I wanted. And while I did enjoy the story, I felt the ending was told more than shown, particularly when it came to the demon aspect. I also felt the ultimate solution to the murders came a bit out of nowhere; while I didn't guess ahead of time who the culprit was, I was let down by the revelation. Still, I did enjoy my time spent with MJ and the gang, and will be picking up the next in the series when it becomes available. This one would actually rate 3.5 stars if given the option. Enjoyable.

~taminator40

Ghost Huntress: The Awakening

I'm on a bit of a roll this weekend, finishing two books, both of which came to me from the Amazon Vine program. While there were a few minor quibbles with Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson, it is overall a good entry into the paranormal sci-fi young adult market and I feel confident in recommending it. I just saw, however, that the recommendation is for ages 12 and up, and I'd have to think a bit about that since there is quite a bit of cursing and couple of serious make-out sessions (but that's all they are). I'm copying and pasting the review I posted on Amazon below. Give this one a try; it's pretty fun.
~taminator40


Ghost Huntress: The Awakening, is the first entry into a new series that follows sixteen year old Kendall Moorehead as she moves from her home in Chicago to a rural town in Georgia. Not long after she moves into her new home, she begins to realize something odd is going on, not just around her but also within; she can sense other people's thoughts and pains, and she's beginning to hear odd sounds in her room. A chance meeting with a local New Age businesswoman helps Kendall to understand that she's experiencing an awakening of her psychic abilities, so Kendall can now add extrasensory perception/sensing the dead to her list of things to worry about, along with making new friends and fitting in at her new high school.



Kendall, while perplexed at the odd things happening to her, embraces her newfound gift with gusto and decides she must confront the ghost currently living in her house, as well as the one menacing her father's workplace. It isn't long before she conveniently finds some new friends who are interested in the paranormal, and together the four girls form the Ghost Huntresses. With Jason, twin of Ghost Huntress Taylor, the group acquires expensive equipment through the wallet of wealthy Celia and proceed to find and kick ectoplasmic butt.



Ms. Gibson has done her homework, that's for sure; she has her teen paranormal investigators using the correct equipment and following standard debunking procedures. As a person with some interest in paranormal investigation, I really appreciated that the author was giving out accurate information. The references to popular television shows that feature ghost hunters are accurate as well, and the characters are realistically written teenagers who battle not only the not-crossed-over but hormones, too. It was a little convenient to have Kendall luck out with the friends and the money aspect, but this is tempered by her mother's very mom-like response to having a daughter who suddenly claims to have psychic abilities. Though the title is Ghost Huntress, this is actually a mesh of Ghost Hunters, Medium, and Ghost Whisperer; the amount of activity experienced by the group is just too good to be true for amateurs, but it does hold your interest well. There's also a lot of New Age/crystals/protection going on, which does make it seem a little scattered in focus. But this is a fast read that sets out to entertain and that it does quite well. I'll be looking for the second book, The Guidance, when it appears later this year.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is supposedly young adult, but it's sure to please anyone who enjoys a fun, creepy tale. I love the world Gaiman created, and I love the characters, both dead and alive, who inhabit it. I want to live in a graveyard...alive, though, just like Bod Owens, the young toddler who escapes a murderer's knife by leaving his crib just in time and toddling off to the graveyard across the street. When the dead there discover the baby, they decide they are going to raise him. With the help of the mysteriously undead Silas, Bod (short for Nobody) is given the Freedom of the Graveyard and learns valuable skills such as Fading and Dreamwalking as today's modern world passes him by.


I loved the atmosphere of this book; Gaiman has such a gift of bringing odd characters to life and creating dark worlds for them to inhabit. This book is engaging and sly, and adventures abound for young Bod. There's excitement, there's tragedy, there's a tad of romance, there's revenge...you name it, it's there. I can't recommend this one highly enough! Perfect for this time of year, it's going to delight you no matter when you decide to pick it up.

Here's the link to my fuller amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/review/RFAA2D1IQDM99/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm. Oh, and by the way, with amazon's new system of ranking reviewers, I am now #247. Go, me! It's sort of a mysterious, shady way of ranking reviewers, but hey, I got another tag out of it so I figure that's my reward. I just enjoy posting my thoughts about the books I read.

~taminator40

Ghosts Among Us

If I were in an analytical mood, I'd begin to wonder why it is that in the past few years, I've become very interested in the paranormal, but I suppose the truth is that I've *always* been interested in things that go bump in the night. Those things used to terrify me, but as I've gotten older, I find myself ever more fascinated. Besides watching Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi religiously (Hey, Tango!), I've found myself reading more fiction and non-fiction, hoping to lift that veil that divides the known and unknown.

To that end, I picked up Ghosts Among Us by James Van Praagh after my friend Sharon sent it to me. Van Praagh's a pretty well known medium, and is also co-producer of The Ghost Whisperer on CBS (a show I don't currently watch...it's a Jennifer Love Hewitt problem). Anyway, I was hoping for, and received, several stories from Van Praagh of people he's met and helped, and lots of reasons to believe that he's telling the truth when he says he speaks with the dead. Good stuff in general, but Van Praagh lost me when he began describing his version of the after-life--not that I totally disregard his version, but I just wasn't all that interested. And when he got into energy levels and chahkras, my eyes glazed over. My skepticism hit a high note when he named Abraham Lincoln as one of his spirit guides...well, I guess it *could* be true, though it seemed too over-the-top for me.

I will say that after having read copious notes from my friend Susan about her experiences with her psychic friend Alison and the Akashic record, Van Praagh's version of spirit guides and "reincarnation" line up almost exactly. In my book, that lends a lot of credence to Van Praagh's words.

Ghosts Among Us is very readable and it's obvious Van Praagh is a good storyteller. After finishing this one, though, I will say I prefer Allison Du Bois's style of writing and her ability to stick to one topic throughout a book.

My Amazon review is found at http://www.amazon.com/review/R2EG7VH94BYA5G/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

~taminator40

On Going Bump in the Night

If you know me, you know I'm fairly interested in the paranormal. I'm not exactly sure what fueled my initial interest, but I can say that some odd stuff has happened to me in my life and as I age, I am much more open to the idea that there's something else out there.

I'm a huge fan of the Sci-Fi television show, Ghost Hunters. I love their scientific approach to the paranormal; they believe 80% of what people term as "haunted" can actually be rationally explained, and that's what they set out to do. It's the other 20% that cannot be explained that becomes evidence for ghosties and their activity.

When I learned that Jason Hawes of Ghost Hunters was publishing a book on his ghost hunting experiences, I was eager to snatch it up when it was published. I sped through it almost as soon as it arrived, and found that it's a very credible retelling of many of the episodes of the show, as well as a few other experiences that haven't been shared via t.v. The book is a fast read, and fun as well. Jason's ironic, grumpy but loveable tone comes through and I enjoyed hearing his take on many of the paranormal investigations he's been on. And while Grant is secretly my favorite of the two main ghost hunters, I did love this book. My review at Amazon can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2xrkwg.

My reading has screeched to a halt with band season and school. I'm still reading Diana Gabaldon's Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. The excellent news is up next after that is Elizabeth Chadwick's A Place Beyond Courage. I cannot wait to sink into that one--made all the more special by Susan having sent me a copy herself ! Through reading her notes on John Marshall, I'm fairly certain I'm going to be in love soon.

~taminator40

Mediator: The Ninth Key

I finished the second book in Meg Cabot's Mediator series last night. The Ninth Key is a fairly good sequel, and actually I probably liked it better than the first book. This series is definitely not meant to be heavy; teenaged Suze is a mediator who helps ghosts find their way to the other side. This one takes the ghostly story a little further into outside factors and Suze finds herself mixed up in an intrigue quite by accident. I like reading these books for a quick, light fix. You can find my more in depth review of this book at amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/yo4f8z .

I'm sooooooo beyond excited that I found a copy of Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer at Target tonight! It's not officially supposed to be on sale until tomorrow, and while I'd preordered it at Borders, I was beyond thrilled because I'd been looking for a short book to fill in this evening's reading time until I got my hot little hands on Eclipse. I'm so ready to find out what happens to Bella and Edward!

~taminator40