Tag Archives: paranormal

Book Review: Demon Whispers (The Survival Chronicles, Book 1) by N.R. Farnell

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Demon Whispers (The Survival Chronicles, Book 1) by N.R. Farnell

An Urban Fantasy novel Independently published (05/17/2022)

Summary:

Devon has been captive for five long years but soon she will escape and find her sister. The knife she stole is hidden on her person and she knows that today is the day. Until a demon shows up and she has to pivot her plans. She knows she has to run, but when he offers her a deal she can’t refuse, it will go against all she’s ever known. She’s a demon hunter and he’s a demon after all.

Keywords:

Paranormal, Fantasy, Violence, Demon, Demon Hunter, Family, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Fight or Flight, Injuries

My Review:

 

 

This novel was Independently published 05/17/2022 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Book Review: Bloodless Ties (The Marionettes #3) by Katie Wismer

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Bloodless Ties (The Marionettes #3) by Katie Wismer

A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (11/15/22)

Summary:

Valerie’s blood deal with James Westcott to free herself from the wendigo curse has trapped her in other ways. She’s far from home and everyone she loves thinks she’s dead, including Reid. With Westcott hiding more secrets, can Valerie figure out a way around the blood deal to get home without getting more involved?

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love, Gothic Fiction, New Adult

My Review:

In this third book of the series, we really get to see more of Valerie outside of the sphere of the Marionettes and the estate. The book focuses on her grief and how stuck she is within the blood deal she made at the end of the last book. She is hopeless but spirited. We really get to see her fighting inner strength and spirit laced with her grief. While reading the book, it feels like a lot of emotions are happening and you get caught up in Valerie’s feelings. After finishing this book, I realized that not a lot happened plot wise in this novel. I didn’t mind that though because I enjoyed getting more into Valerie’s head and I always enjoy the way the author writes descriptions and builds up this world of the Marionettes.

My favorite part about the Marionettes’ series is the character development and the writing style of the author. I loved getting more of Valerie as well as Connor and some of the new characters that were introduced, like Cam. I really, really like how well the author writes broody characters. I also quite enjoyed the way the author writes about werewolves. My favorite parts of the book were in their camp.

The ending felt like it was written at a different time than the rest of the book as the tone seems to change slightly, and it does feel a tad rushed. Get ready for more unanswered questions at the end because there is another book coming!

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 11/15/22 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Wicked Souls (The Marionettes #2) by Katie Wismer

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Wicked Souls (The Marionettes #2) by Katie Wismer

A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (12/07/21)

Summary:

Valerie Darkmore made it. She’s passed her initiation and is now a Marionette, but this is only the beginning of her training and her secrets keep growing and growing. It isn’t just Valerie that’s adjusting to a new normal, there’s something else that is sinister and wreaking havoc on the city – leaving behind a pile of bodies. It’s up to Valerie and the Prince to get to the bottom of it before all hell breaks loose.

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love, Gothic Fiction, New Adult

My Review:

It’s been months since I read the first book and I was immediately lost when I picked up this second book. It starts just after the first one ends in time and slams you right back into the narrative without a summary or recap of characters. I quickly fell back into the story, though, as I found Valerie too interesting to ignore. I loved how much more detail and development Valerie (and other characters) get in this sequel. I also loved how much more the romantic sub-plot was developed and deepened.

I continue to be impressed with how much I am enjoying The Marionettes series since it is heavily urban fantasy and features vampires and witches. The author continues to build a world that feels real and visual and complete. It feels like a world that goes way beyond the environments the main characters are in.

This book delves deeper into the new adult and romance sub-genres as it features a fairly sexy scene, just as graphic as the scenes involving blood and feeding.

Much like my disappointment with the first book’s cliffhanger and abrupt ending, I didn’t appreciate the similar cliffhanger and abrupt ending from this second book – though this does feed more logically into the final book in this trilogy. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens!

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 12/7/21 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Marionettes (The Marionettes #1) by Katie Wismer

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The Marionettes (The Marionettes #1) by Katie Wismer

An Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (08/17/21)

Summary:

“Kirby scowls, then shoots a loving glance at the pink cowboy boots shoved in the back of my closet. She gifted them to me forever ago, and they haven’t seen the dark of night since.” (page 83).

Valerie is one of a long and dwindling family line of blood witches. At her academy, it’s almost time for the initiation test into the league that protects the vampires, except she can’t seem to muster her magic or the energy to keep up. What secrets and truths will she uncover while trying to survive the trials of the initiation into the Marionettes?

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love

My Review:

It’s difficult to impress me with an urban fantasy novel. The Marionettes, a quick read by one of my favorite YA authors, more than impressed me. I couldn’t put this book down. My favorite part about the book was the tone of the world-building and the writing style. Even down to the word choice and phrasing, the tone was uniquely presenting a Halloween-esque vibe. The world in The Marionettes is so clear and unique and interesting. The editing was superb, with no unnecessary fluff. I had to read every word. This is the type of book I would read again, just to notice the clever wording that I missed the first time around because I was so enchanted by the plot and taken by the characters. The author has taken such care with this book in almost all aspects – the words, the plot, the characters, the scenes, the world-building. I’m impressed by the level of detail that the author uses to create the world of The Marionettes.

It’s almost disturbing, the naturalness of blood and cutting to this world and to the main character. It is a part of her life and so natural and the author has so cleverly built up this world but yet it’s still chilling to read about it and the normalcy of blood witches.

The book is short – at just over 200 pages, but it’s not just the length of the novel that makes it such a quick read. The author weaves in mystery and intrigue in every scene. There are so many surprises and secrets. I had no idea where this book and the plot were going, and I couldn’t stop until I had all the answers. Except, the book ends on a cliffhanger that is more than just a cliffhanger. I don’t feel like there’s enough ending and I wish this wasn’t a two-part series. I think it would have been better to have one long 400-page novel than to break it into two parts and leave the first book without a fulfilling ending that felt much too abrupt to be complete. Perhaps when book two is available and you can read them in sequence with no stopping, it won’t feel as jarring. For such a satisfyingly written book, I was disappointed with the route the author took for the cliffhanger ending in book one.

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 08/17/21 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Final Life (The Transhuman Chronicles Book 1) by Rose Garcia

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Final Life (The Transhuman Chronicles Book 1) by Rose Garcia

A Young Adult Paranormal Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (05/15/12)

Summary:

Dominique is the new girl in town. She thought having to move across the country during her last year of high school was bad enough, but lately she’s been having visions of a red desert accompanied by a bad feeling. The visions become more frequent and the feeling of foreboding gets worse. Is there something going on or is she just crazy?

Keywords:

Survival, YA, Action, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Love Triangle, Friendship, Death, Moving, School, Psychics, Ouija, Fate, Chosen One, Afterlife

My Review:

There wasn’t much I liked about this book. It was written well enough to read until the end, but was full of issues. The love triangle setup was obvious and not very well put together. The tension just wasn’t there.

The plot was abrupt and rocky. The characters were thrust into the plot of the Pures versus the non-Pures.

I didn’t/don’t know enough about main character Dominique to identify with her before mysterious things start happening to her and I don’t really care. Dominique was a weak main character who seemed to do whatever she shouldn’t. The most emotion I got from her was her being worried about dying, but then she immediately sneaks away from her protector without a second thought.

The world building rules were not well defined and confusing. Some people know about the Pures and some don’t? The info dump between Dominique and her parents to explain what was going on was not very clever. Through this info dump we find out that she is The Chosen One, which is such a tired trope and not done well in this book at all.

This book is urban fantasy parading as contemporary fantasy romance. It was short enough and grammatically accurate enough to read all the way through.

 

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on 05/15/2012 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.00

Links for more information:

Rose Garcia’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Chasing Memories (Tala Prophecy Book 1) by Tia Silverthorne Bach

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Chasing Memories (Tala Prophecy Book 1) by Tia Silverthorne Bach

A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Novel published by Tia Silverthorne Bach (6/5/13)

Summary:

After an attack on her family while camping, Reagan is still trying to recover weeks later. With her brother gone and her own physical recovery, it’s hard for her to even think about normal. Reagan didn’t at first remember much from the attack, but slowly her nightmares of that night flesh out into dreams that might tell her what really happened, unless it’s all in her head.

Keywords:

Paranormal, Attack, Camping, Friendship, Teen Sex, Teen Drinking, Dreams, Nightmares, Psychiatrist, Healing, Scars, PTSD, School, Romance, Werewolf, Witches, Wiccan, Family Strain

My Review:

I really liked how complete Reagan felt as a character. Her complete backstory and personality were fleshed out and I really felt like I understood her as a person. However, this fullness appears to take away from the plot. A plot that is not apparent throughout the entire book. Also, I never quite knew what Reagan wanted, what her goal was.

Some of the storylines were simply dropped by the end of the novel and the promise of more books in the series doesn’t make me want to read on, it makes me wish I hadn’t picked up this incomplete book in the first place.

Unlike Reagan, her friends didn’t feel very fleshed out and felt more like buffers to the story, just adding padding.

The romance element with Rafe was way too instalove and left me feeling anxious for Reagan’s lack of consent or control with that relationship.

This novel was published by Tia Silverthorne Bach on June 5th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.75

Links for more information:

Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: MORE (MORE Trilogy Book 1) by T. M. Franklin

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MORE (MORE Trilogy Book 1) by T. M. Franklin

A Fantasy Novel published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House (10/3/12)

Summary:

Ava is failing physics. Her professor proposes a tutor at no cost to her and she jumps at the chance, since she needs to pass the class to keep her scholarship. She can’t afford tuition without the scholarship and spends enough time working to make up the difference anyways. Her tutor, Caleb Foster, seems to be everywhere in Ava’s life and she doesn’t much mind, other than that funny feeling she keeps getting that she’s being watched.

Keywords:

Supernatural, Paranormal, Race, Powers, Super Powers, Physics, College, Diner, Working, Romance, Drama, Humans, Protection, Fighting, Fleeing, Taking a Stand, Capture, Threat, Elimination

My Review:

The first half of this book was rather boring and I kept waiting for the action to pick up, which it did, with a fury. Suddenly Ava’s life was turned upside down and she was in constant fleeing mode.

Though the book was slow to get going, the ending was much more satisfying, but by that point I was ready to put the series down. The plot twists were too convenient, moving characters where they were needed in the narrative without proper placement within the plot. Characters like Lucy and Ava’s childhood friend were dropped off when Ava’s story took off. The plot just didn’t do it for me. The story wasn’t different enough from all those other “chosen one” novels and the paranormal aspect was not original either. I also didn’t feel like I ever really got to know Ava as a person before she was swept up into her supernatural character role.

This novel was published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House on October 3rd, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

Links for more information:

T.M. Franklin’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Falling From Grace (The Gift of Grace Book 3) by Esther Jones and Frog Jones

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Falling From Grace (The Gift of Grace Book 3) by Esther Jones and Frog Jones

A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Novel published by Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC. (02/12/16)

Summary:

“We’d been re-branded from “summoners” to “reality terrorists” overnight in order to give the politicians a bigger gavel.” (Page 8).

Robert and Grace freed Andrea from her centuries’ long slavery to Cythumau in Book 2, Coup de Grace, but is she really free? Though it has only been several decades in this weave, she has been away so long and in captivity so long that being human is now something foreign. But when someone takes a bullet for her, she will have to step up to protect him, right? Meanwhile, Robert is trying to live a normal college life, but summoning keeps getting in the way of his plans. At least, that’s what he tells himself. Robert is still the cause of his own undoing, but with Grace gone, he will have to lead the Spokane Grove out of trouble all by himself. Unless, that is, Andrea is willing to help.

Keywords:

Summoning, Magic, Danger, Big Beasts, Escape, Fighting, Police, Damage, Power, Runes, Blood, Hunting, Organization, Politics, Hiding

My Review:

The main focus of this book was on Andrea. The way she processed and thought about everything going on around her was fascinating. Her thoughts were thorough and interesting and quite logical. She is a character with quite the background story to overcome, but she doesn’t always make the sympathetic choice, sometimes her past overwhelms her. Andrea’s perspective was super cool and though I miss Grace, I fell in love with Andrea quickly.

Robert continues to get himself and others into trouble and then has to get them out of trouble. This time, however, the trouble has built up beyond what he’s capable of handling. Or has it? Calling on all resources, Robert will stop at nothing to keep those he loves safe.

Rick the Cornuprocyon continues to amuse in this book and has a decent role to play. The mind link between him and Robert is explored a bit more and is fascinating as an aspect of world building. Summoners and their abilities are also so very, very interesting as world building goes. The rules! The possibilities! Such a cool concept to watch unfold in a world where not everyone is a Summoner and not everyone wants to be.

This novel was published by Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC. on February 12th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Frog and Esther Jones’ Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Come Celebrate the GHOST HOPE Launch

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The much-anticipated fourth and final book of The PSS Chronicles is here. And author Ripley Patton invites you to help her celebrate its launch June 15-21.

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RAVE REVIEWS FOR THE BOOK AND THE SERIES

 

“Once again, Ripley Patton delivers. Ghost Hope is a great ending to a series with many a high.” – Author Sahar Sabati

“What a wonderfully satisfying ending to this series! I loved every word of it.” – Author Rachel Barnard

“A MUST read YA series that will leave you breathless in the end. This entire series is truly another hidden gem in the world of reading!” Dianne Bylo of Tome Tender Book Blog

 

 

Buy It Now on AMAZON /KOBO /GOOGLE PLAY

And JOIN the GHOST HOPE Read-Along Facebook Group to read and discuss the book and series with other fans, plus have direct access to the author.

START THE SERIES IN JUNE ON THE CHEAP

Haven’t started the series yet? Grab the first book, Ghost Hand, FREE on all ebook venues. And don’t stop there. Ghost Hold (The PSS Chronicles Book 2) and Ghost Heart (The PSS Chronicles Book 3), are on sale for only 99 cents in June.

PSS cover tripticENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Win the complete series in signed paperback or ebook (Plus NINE other awesome YA books)?

Book Review: Ghost Hope (The PSS Chronicles #4) by Ripley Patton

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Ghost Hope (The PSS Chronicles #4) by Ripley Patton

A Speculative Fiction/Paranormal Novel published by Ripley Patton (06/15/16)

Summary:

After everyone was displaced at the end of Ghost Heart, Olivia is with Mike Palmer stuck waiting for the hackers to find out where the dome and everyone else went. Mike Palmer leaves to find Kaylee. The hackers find the dome and Olivia is ready to go back because her goal is clear: get into the computers in the dome and find out everything the CAMFers and the Hold know about PSS, what they’ve been doing, and what they’ve done. Olivia doesn’t plan to stop at finding the research, however, she has bigger plans for the information.

Keywords:

Rare, Ghost Hand, Power, Hunted, Freak, Not Normal Teenagers, Hiding, PSS, Research, Friendship, Leader, Strategy, Romance, Love, Relatives, Plan, Reuniting, Lost, Dome, Desert, Oregon, Fighting, Human Nature

My Review:

What a wonderfully satisfying ending to this series! Everything I wanted to know and everything I didn’t realize I wanted to know was revealed throughout this final and fourth book. What is PSS, how does it work, and finally where did it come from are fully answered. As a series, Patton does an amazing job at revealing the perfect amount of information on her imaginative PSS concept at the perfect intervals. Everything came together in this final book.

Characters I thought were minor were given more depth. For instance, Anthony, was shown to have a bigger role in the overall plot and more significance to the story than just as Dr. Fineman’s henchman. Every character mattered. Every character was their own person. Even Anthony is not entirely evil as a bad guy. His motivations and why he thinks the way he does is shown. He even gets some of his own chapters!

The breakdown of POV in this book was masterfully crafted. There were multiple POV, but they didn’t always alternate every chapter. The reader gets inside the heads of everyone important, except perhaps Olivia’s mother. There’s David Marcus, Olivia, Anthony, Jason, Mike Palmer, and Kaylee to get to know better. Kaylee was the most unique and different voice. Even though I couldn’t get into her perspective as much as I could the others, she was the most interesting voice to read.

The climax was excellent in both this book and as a series finale. There was buildup of tension throughout, with action interspersed expertly with character development and scene. The ending was as tense as any thriller and the conclusion was perfect for the plot, even though I thought there could be more written for the denouement. Some of the character reactions to the climax were not as full as they could have been.

I look forward to reading whatever Ripley Patton writes next.

This novel was published by Ripley Patton on June 15th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Ripley Patton’s Website

Goodreads