First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones (second opinion)

I'm not the first reviewer here on the blog to discuss Charley Davidson books. Actually, Lili reviewed and was "Daring You to Read..." this very book a few years back. I don't know why I waited so long to get into this series, but I'm really glad I did. First Grave on the Right is hilarious, fun and witty.

I think it's a perfect book to listen to as an audiobook. To be honest, this was the first audiobook I ever listened to in its entirety. I've tried to listen to books multiple times but I've never quite understood the appeal, until now. The narrator of First Grave on the Right, Loralei King, is wonderful and easy to listen to. The voices and the accents she uses makes it easy to follow and differentiate the characters. She reads the sarcastic comments perfectly and simply "gets" Charley Davidson's humour. Berls from Fantasy is More Fun actually recommended this series based on the narrator, and I think from now on, I'll be making more informed purchases when it comes to audiobooks.

As for the actual story, it's the perfect mix of mystery, paranormal and romance. If it wasn't for the paranormal aspects, the story would actually read like a cozie mystery. It has the humour and the crazy situations of a cozie but the author added this wonderful twist, which is Charley Davidson. Charley is a private investigator/police consultant/bartender/grim reaper. That last job title is obviously not on her business card. When we first meet her, she has a lot on her plate but even with her disorganized life she's able to do her job. She's able to juggle four murders, a comatose prisoner from her past, a mysterious shadowy lover, a mysterious shadowy Big Bad, and oh so many ghosts. As a grim reaper, she can see ghosts, and her job as a grim reaper is to try to help them get to the other side. Wherever that may be. As for being a PI, she got into that business because ever since she was five years old, her detective father and uncle have used her special ability to solve murders.

Charley is the perfect female PI for a paranormal romance. She's smart, courageous and resourceful. Her sarcastic wit is very similar to mine so I feel like we would get along perfectly. Her obsession with coffee borders on unhealthy, but come to think of it, so does mine. Her sensual encounters with a mysterious shadow being are pretty steamy, and the more the being interacts with Charley, the more she's led to believe he's Reyes, a complicated character she once met when she was in high school. Charley knows very little about this Reyes, but the more she investigate, the more she wants to find out. We do end up finding out who and what he is at the end of the book, and although I'm not surprised, it raises so many more interesting questions!

If you're a newbie to audiobooks like me, I highly recommend trying this one out as an audio. If you're reluctant, or simply prefer reading, this story is still a great choice. Be prepared to laugh out loud and get sucked into this grim reaper tale.



https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/first-grave-on-the-right-by-darynda-jones-audiobook-excerpt

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by Tynga at Monday, July 04, 2016

 Audio, Charley Davidson, Darynda Jones, ghost, Grim Reaper, Macmillan, Paranormal Romance, Purchased, Review  1 Person left their mark

✎

The City by Dean Koontz

The City by Dean Koontz is one of those rare books that shows us that you can have heartache, conflict, beauty, soul and the paranormal all in one story.  Long known and renowned for his work in thrillers and the paranormal Dean Koontz takes this opportunity to give the reader something more.

The City is more than just a simple recounting or reenacting of an event.  There is plenty of side story given throughout the tale.  Fortunately, much of side story is not just filler or fluff.  There is much done in the way of plot development accomplished in some of the smallest details within the story.  To me, it added realism to the story as the pieces started to fit together and sometimes not perfectly as often happens in real life.

As the story develops and moves along, so too do the characters.  The story takes place when the main character, Jonah Kirk, is only ten years old.  He is a young man born to music and surrounded by people of various talents.  Since it is written from his point of view, we get the most growth out of him.  His natural curiosity leads us to find out more about his family, friends and neighbors.  The people in Jonah's life turn out to be a grand mix of cultures, intellects and temperaments.

This is all set in 1967 Chicago.  While it was a time of civil unrest, the book does not center itself on those things.  Instead, the reader get a good feel for the way Jonah saw the city as he was growing up.  Koontz does a wonderful job of giving us that vision of a city neighborhood as seen through the eyes of a ten year old boy whose heart is filled with hope.

The City by Dean Koontz is a wonderfully nostalgic read.  It may not be hardcore paranormal or science fiction enough for some but, for me, it works just fine.  There is a bit of language and some violence that earns it a soft PG13 from me.

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by Tynga at Wednesday, April 27, 2016

 Dean Koontz, ghost, HarperCollins Publishers, Paranormal, Purchased, Review, Spirits, Suspense  Leave your mark

✎

A Magic Dark & Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic

This was a really good book! I will admit, I was a little skeptical to read "ghost" in the book description, but A Magic Dark & Bright totally proved me wrong. There's a well-developed plot beyond "ghost story" and fantastic 3-dimensional character development. Even the setting is rich!

The book kicks off at the start of summer in Asylum, PA. Amelia is navigating a new normal after the death of her brother a year prior, and her parents' divorce soon after. Now a new boy has moved in next door, and she can't help but be attracted to him, even though she grew up thinking that his grandmother (her next door neighbor) is a bona fide witch. Oh, and just a side note: she occasionally sees a ghost, a woman in white, in the woods near their houses.

That's why I loved this book: yes, there's magic and a ghost, but it's just one part of a much richer story. There's also the story of healing, and how Amelia is finding a way to move on and develop her own personality without her brother or father. And there's the story of friendship, both between Amelia and her best friend Leah, and the blossoming friendship (or more?) between Amelia and Charlie, the new guy next door. There's history: their town, Asylum, is so named because it was originally founded as an asylum for French immigrants plagued by rumors of dark happenings. And last but not least, there's also mystery: a series of explainable deaths, which many residents want to pin on Charlie.

The author does a fantastic job of weaving all of these story lines together to create a captivating novel. There were no plot holes, and I never saw the ending coming. I see it listed as a "Book 1" on Goodreads.com, and I look forward to a potential sequel!

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by Tynga at Thursday, October 29, 2015

 Bookish Group Press, Fantasy amp; Magic, ghost, Girls amp; Women, Jenny Adams Perinovic, Magic, Publisher, Review, The Asylum Saga  2 People left their mark

✎

Touch by Claire North

 

This has to be one of the more unusual books I’ve read recently (and I read John Dies at the End). I pretty much had to dispense with my usual way of consuming a story. There would be no easily dissected plot or character development. Much as the Inkheart series is series of books about books, Touch is a book about characters or more to the point people.

Don’t misunderstand me, there are definitely characters and character development within the story. The unusual part is, Kepler, the main character. The way Claire North handled Kepler’s atypical existence gave the character much more depth than many main characters show in a story. Many others weave in and out of the story in a way that highlights Kepler’s uniqueness.

The majority of this story takes place in Europe, both eastern and western. Its settings and situations are often stark and gritty. It reminded me of many stories about those areas during the cold war. The author does an excellent job of presenting these scenes even if they aren’t beautiful inspiring vistas seen in some books. It seems obvious that author chose these places to invoke a feeling of struggle or hopelessness as a symbol of the human condition.  If so, it works well especially those times it is contrasted with scenes from the West.

The story itself does require some close following. There is a significant amount of the story told in flashback. It’s handled well by enticing the reader to want to know about these events and then showing rather than telling their stories.

I’ve done my best to extoll the virtues of this story and still be spoiler free. I hope I’ve succeeded in intriguing many of you enough to give it a try yourself. I love a good story with a good twist. In that, this story met and exceeded my expectations. It’s not an action/adventure but, some of the violence is graphic enough to earn this one an R rating from me.



[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0QcEJr3TKk&w=294&h=176]

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by Tynga at Wednesday, March 11, 2015

 Claire North, Fiction, ghost, Hachette, paranorma, Paranormal, Purchased, Review  1 Person left their mark

✎

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

A Sudden Light is not just a ghost story, it's a multi-layered epic about the power of redemption and how the past influences our lives in more ways than we can imagine. This is a novel that I carefully read, devouring each and every word and description; A Sudden Light is a slow-paced, but brilliantly told novel with a story that spans generations and is so expansive in scope. This is such a rare coming-of-age novel with an ingenious mystery that's full of surprises,  Garth Stein has written  a splendid follow-up to The Art Of Racing In The Rain.

Trevor's life is on the rocks with his parents splitting up and he sees moving back with his dad to the family mansion as an opportunity to fix up his parent's marriage. Little does Trevor know that Riddell House is occupied by a ghost and is filled to the brim with hushed up family secrets. The ghost has very different wishes for the House than his Aunt Serena who is looking to make a pretty buck off of it.

A Sudden Light is at heart a coming-of-age tale about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality, manhood and the ugly past. Trevor undergoes a major transition from the beginning of this novel to the bitter end and his character makes a huge leap in maturity. Suddenly Trevor is forced to grow up and though he doesn't always handle this well, he makes the best of his crappy situation and becomes the best person he can be.  Trevor doesn't have to take on the trouble of the past, yet he takes on the burden of his ancestors and tries to fix their heaps of errors.

This is a character-oriented novel and so, Trevor's family is put under a microscope for much of this novel. Between the characters who are alive and those that live on in the past, each family member is a hot mess and provide so much entertainment and drama for the reader. If you think you're family is a disaster, wait until you meet the Riddells who just might be the most messed up literary family ever.

A Sudden Light is a stunning literary work that will haunt readers long after finish and leave them with chills. Stein has written a beautifully written novel and this one has the potential to be one of the biggest books of the year.  Those looking for a perfect book club pick or just something truly spectacular should definitely pick up A Sudden Light.

 

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by Tynga at Wednesday, September 10, 2014

 BEA, Fantasy, Garth Stein, ghost, Mystery, Review, Simon and Schuster  3 People left their mark

✎

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I really looked forward to reading The Vanishing Season because I absolutely loved Anderson's Tigerlily. If you're looking to read a novel in the same vein as Tigerlily or you've been interested in reading a ghost story, The Vanishing Season probably won't work for you. Despite the fact that the description mentions the novel's ghost narrator, this novel is technically not a paranormal one and this book is a contemporary, coming-of-age tale. Anderson has crafted a slow-burning novel with gorgeous writing and a lifelike setting in TVS; this isn't the type of book I'd normally read, but there was something so chilling and powerful about this stand-alone.

This book is about a teenager named Maggie who's learning about herself and what it means to be friends with someone. Sure, there's a ghost narrator, but the primary objective of this omniscient character is to show the story from a bunch of angles without being biased. There's also murders going on while Maggie is discovering herself, but the murders aren't really the focus of this novel by any means.

From the moment I met Maggie, I started to develop with a bond because I love characters who are introverted and more sheltered. Maggie doesn't want to go outside, she doesn't want to socialize with people, she just wants to be binge watch her favorite shows on Netflix and as an introvert, I totally understood her outlook. I loved how Pauline and Liam made Maggie blossoms and metamorphize into someone so radically different -- they helped Maggie out of the cocoon she'd been hiding in. I remember feeling those feelings of insecurity that Maggie dealt with and it was reassuring to see her tackle these feelings with courage and strength. Each character in an Anderson feels special and they're always three dimensional to the point where they feel as if they have a separate life outside the novel. Whether it's the quirky, wise Elsa who is obsessed with US Weekly or  Liam who is experiencing unrequited love. Anderson doesn't just create characters, she creates people that are so easy to fall in love with.

Anderson's writing style in TVS is gorgeous and haunting to the point where even something as simple as a flock of geese flying off seems magical and extraordinary. Anderson has a powerful gift to bewitch readers with her every word and her descriptions in this novel are lush and mesmerizing. Readers will feel the chilly atmosphere of the winter season as they turn the pages and they will feel like they know the quaint town that Maggie lives in because Anderson truly immerses readers with the setting.

The Vanishing Season is a wonderful, coming-of-age that will chill readers with it's incredible narration and writing. While the plot is a bit sparse and slow-paced, the beautiful setting and writing eclipse this novel's short-comings. Though I expected a novel with more paranormal elements, I'm so glad that Anderson surprised me with this terrific coming-of-age tale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by Tynga at Wednesday, June 25, 2014

 coming-of-age, contemporary, ghost, Harper Collins, HarperTeen, Jodi Lynn Anderson, Paranormal, Review, young adult  2 People left their mark

✎

Torn from the Shadows by Yolanda Sfetsos

I sure do love Sierra Fox. Despite being hunted by the Obscurus and experiencing all sorts of crazy, life-changing events, she's still a sweetheart. A sweetheart who will kick your butt in a minute if she thinks you're doing wrong but a sweetheart nonetheless. Her tough exterior can't hide her squishy marshmallow insides, not when we see how much she cares for the people in her life. She'll face down evil with a letter opener if it means helping her loved ones, and it's a trait you have to admire, especially since she's not gifted with super strength or healing. Sierra is a  powerful spook catcher but she's as physically vulnerable as the rest of us, which gives her story a little extra oomph.

At the start of TORN FROM THE SHADOWS, things are pretty good for Sierra and company. Sierra and Papan are madly in love, Willow is settling in, Roe and the new spook trainers are getting into a routine, Ebony has come back to herself for the most part...but it wouldn't be a very exciting book for us if things stayed on such an even keel and death, phantasms, demons, and more come flooding out of the woodwork before you know it. There's a lot going on and it's all quite exciting. And it all advances the overall series plot even though the parts of the book may seem like disparate threads: Mace is back as a phantasm, another old "friend" is also causing trouble, Sierra has to train the newbie spook catchers, Willow takes in a stray dog, Ebony and Oren make cow eyes at each other, and Papan and Sierra are trying to find time to enjoy their relationship. And that's the first half of the book. Sfetsos does a great job of taking these storylines and building and building the novel to its exciting climax and I thoroughly enjoyed each page.

While juggling her familial responsibilities and her battle to stay ahead of the Obscurus, Sierra also discovers more about her grandmother and the extra abilities Pepita gave her. And this was really interesting to me. I love it when a series mythology blossoms and the Sierra Fox series gets really juicy in this respect in TORN FROM THE SHADOWS. Everything is really building to a head, which will hopefully come to an amazing conclusion when the fifth and final book in the series comes out.

Another plus about TORN FROM THE SHADOWS? We learn a lot more about Papan's background. For the first time, we get to see his family and learn a bit more about how werewolves operate in this world. Despite this, I don't think we got nearly enough page time with Papan this time around. When he's there, he's his usual fabulous self -- and he and Sierra spend a significant number of pages getting smexy -- but I didn't get nearly enough of his humour. And Papan's storyline ends in something of a cliffhanger so I'm quite curious to see what his fate will be as the series comes to a close. I won't spoil it for you but I will say that things are definitely up in the air for him, and consequently for his relationship with Sierra.

On a personal level, I really enjoyed getting into a book set in Sydney. Having been to Australia over Christmas to visit my brother, I was lucky enough to spend a couple weeks there and I can know safely say that Sfetsos does a great job of creating a sense of the city in TORN FROM THE SHADOWS  and all the other novels in the series. Admittedly, the series is set in a fictional suburb but I think I enjoyed TORN FROM THE SHADOWS just a teensy bit more from having been in Sydney recently.

I'm a huge fan of this series and I highly recommend that you urban fantasy lovers out there give Sfetsos' writing a chance if you haven't already dove into her work. The Sierra Fox series is outstanding.  You won't be sorry.

Read an excerpt (click on Excerpt tab)

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by Tynga at Monday, April 14, 2014

 Adult, Author, ghost, Review, Samhain, Sierra Fox, Urban Fantasy, Yolanda Sfetsos  Leave your mark

✎

Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan

Two years after being tortured for is his blood by demons and being rescued by the lovely Mary Chase, Jack Talent is still trying to recover from the mental damage. His own brand of therapy includes murder, which would be frowned upon considering he is an investigator. All is well though, until the SOS decides that Miss Chase should become his partner and she starts poking around. His strategy to keep the woman his heart desire as far away as possible is utterly destroyed.

Shadowdance had a very different mood than the previous novels in the series and I enjoyed it all the same, if not more, because of it's dark complexity. Talent and Chase have been lashing at each other for four years, since they first met, and things don't get better because they are partnered. See Talent has a terrible secret involving Chase weighting him down and he cannot risk her finding out. So despite his desire to keep her close and cherish her, he does his best to be despicable to her and keep her at bay. Not knowing better, the poor Chase reciprocates teeth and nails and it makes for some quite heated up exchanges. I truly enjoyed their colorful exchange even though I felt bad for them. Callihan did an awesome job keeping their angst and banter believable.

Both main characters are highly lovable individually and they are a diamond in the rough when together. Each of their tormented past is endearing and I can only command Kristen for the complexity of their past. They are entwined in a much deeper way than we are first led to believe and I enjoyed discovering the different layers of their involvement. Their feelings of betrayal and unworthiness felt true and broke my heart on more than one occasion.

I found the main plot line to be jaw-dropping and engrossing. Despite discovering early on who the Bishop of Charing Cross (the killer) is, many plot twists kept us on our toes as a copy cat started mocking the first series of murder. Miss Callihan also introduced new supernaturals we hadn't encounter in the series yet and I enjoyed learning more about this new lore. A new character also made an apparition and I can't wait to know more about him! Lucien also really grew on me and I really hope he gets his own novel in the future.


I really liked how the conclusion played out and I have to say I had all kinds of speculations going on as to how it would end and I got quite a scare at some point! Thankfully, I got my feeling of happy feelings in the end and even got a bit teary-eyed, emotional mess that I am lol


I haven't found information on a fifth novel in the series, but the conclusion leads me to believe their will be an other novel, this one featuring Will Thorne, an old friend of Jack Talent. The Darkest London series is an extremely well written and engaging paranormal romance series and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of historical settings. Steampunk lovers will also find elements they'll like in this amazing series!



 

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by Tynga at Thursday, December 19, 2013

 Adult, Darkest London, Forever, ghost, Hachette, Kristen Callihan, Netgalley, Paranormal Romance, Review, Shifters  4 People left their mark

✎

A Cursed Moon by Cecy Robson

Novella November might be over but I have one more novella for you: A CURSED MOON, the novella bridging A CURSED EMBRACE (#2) and CURSED BY DESTINY (#3) in Cecy Robson's Weird Girls series. For the first time, we get a new narrator: Bren, the sisters' werewolf friend. He's largely been muscle-y comic relief with his much less muscle-y best friend Dan but  now we're jumping into his brain and there's a very different tone from Celia's narration. It's not a bad thing but it's definitely noticeable, which is good since Bren and Celia are great friends but have very little in common, personality-wise, and it'd be troubling if things sounded exactly the same this time around. In fact, Robson does a great job of inhabiting Bren and creating a unique voice for him, which is why I'm sad to say I found this adventure a bit less satisfying than the other stories. Don't get me wrong, A CURSED MOON is a nice foray back into the Weird Girls world but I missed Celia and the grand problems that she and her sisters get into. (She shows up in the novella but she's not the central character.)

There are two central ideas in this novella: (1) Bren has responsibilities to the were pack that he needs to start doing and (2) ghosts are popping up all over Tahoe, causing trouble and mayhem. Robson does a nice job of tying them together and I particularly enjoyed the stuff with the ghosts. It's the aftermath of events from A CURSED EMBRACE and it's good to see that Tahoe's supernatural residents are doing their part to contain this new menace. I found Bren's interactions with the other weres to be a bit less interesting, though we do learn a lot more about why he's a loner, which I loved. There was just something about his interactions with Aric that didn't click for me the way a Weird Girls story usually does. But, as always, his relationship with Dan made me laugh out loud. Well,  Dan generally is such an endearing character that I always smile when he's on the page but it's great to see him through Bren's eyes now. They've got such a strong brotherly bond -- who doesn't love a good bromance?

Towards the end of A CURSED MOON, there is something that can only be called a Big Event. I won't say a word about it but I think this is what makes this novella a must read for fans of the series. I'm not sure how Robson will explain it away without referencing these events, as I haven't started my ARC of CURSED BY DESTINY yet but I'm certain that there will be significant ramifications for this Big Event. I'm very curious to see how this plays out and hope it becomes an important part of the series. (I know I'm being the Queen of Cryptic right now but I really don't want to spoil things for you. It was such a surprise to me and I want it to be the same for you.)

While I may not have enjoyed A CURSED MOON as much as I've liked previous Weird Girls stories, this novella is still a good and useful addition to the series. We get a lot more knowledge about how the weres function and we learn more about Aric, his station, and his feelings for Celia. And finally learning the full scoop on Bren's family definitely satisfies, since it explains his reluctance to join up with other weres for all this time. Plus, there is that Big Event that has to affect the next novel so I'd urge you to read it before proceeding with CURSED BY DESTINY. Say what you will but Robson definitely knows how to throw that Act 3 surprise at her readers, to make sure you stick around for the next instalment!

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by Tynga at Monday, December 02, 2013

 Adult, Cecy Robson, ghost, Penguin, Publisher, Review, Signet, Urban Fantasy, Weird Girls, werewolf  2 People left their mark

✎

Elysian Fields blog tour: Flash fiction by Suzanne Johnson + giveaway!

As always, I'm thrilled to have Suzanne Johnson visit Team Tynga's Reviews. I love her work as both Suzanne Johnson and Susannah Sandlin but today she's here wearing her "Johnson" hat since the third book in her Sentinel of New Orleans series, ELYSIAN FIELDS, in on the horizon. And boy, is it good!

Suzanne's on tour to celebreate the release of ELYSIAN FIELDS and she's stopped by with some flash fiction set in the world of the series. There's also a giveaway at the end of the book so be sure to stick around.

Welcome, Suzanne!

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I Yam What I Yam

Suzanne Johnson

Note: “I Yam What I Yam” is an original short-short set in the world of the Sentinels of New Orleans series, featuring wizard DJ Jaco, her partner (and maybe more) shapeshifting enforcer Alex Warin, loup-garou enforcer Jake Warin, the undead 19^th-century French pirate Jean Lafitte, Cajun merman Rene Delachaise, and a cast of many—few of them are actually human.

I watched as Jean Lafitte, once he’d gotten used to that darn newfangled pencil, draw out the geomantic lines of the Beyond as they currently stood.

A master navigator in his human life, New Orleans’  resident pirate and leader of the historical undead made it his business to know the frequently shifting shortcuts through the preternatural world. For what I suspected was a chunk of change from the Elders, he provided my bosses with weekly updated maps.

Ensconced in my strip-mall office on Tchoupitoulas Street, we’d been working for a couple of hours—well, he’d been working and I’d been trolling eBay for additions to my pattern glass collection. It wasn’t the most practical office space for a wizard sentinel, but the sign on the door read CRESCENT CITY RISK MANAGEMENT, which seemed sufficiently boring to keep stray humans from wandering inside.

My stomach rumbled loud enough for the pirate to hear from his seat at the small conference table across the room.

“We should procure a meal, Jolie.” He gave me an assessing look with a sweep of his dark blue eyes. “Most modern women are far too thin, as slim as a rapier. I have always admired your—”

“Stop.” I held up my hand, palm outward, in the universal language of shut-the-hell-up. Because if the word “hips” finished out that sentence, I’d have to hurt him. “Sure, let’s go somewhere quick, though, because the Elders are anxious to get that map.” The prete political world had grown tense, and the Elders wanted to be able to anticipate what routes other species were using to travel in the vast Beyond.

Jean placed his pencil reverently on the graph paper map he’d been using. “Tres bien. Shall we go to the porc du ciel store? I must confess, it intrigues me.”

I frowned, considering what a “pig of heaven store”  might be, finally concluding he meant the Heavenly Ham place at the other end of the strip mall. “There’s nowhere to sit in there and I don’t want to bring it back here. We’ll drive till we find something.”

We left the store, locked the door behind us, and got into my current rental car, my old Pathfinder having met with a fatal accident recently. The Elders were paying for the rental, so I was in no hurry to buy a new one.

“Let’s try Frankie and Johnny’s.” I steered toward the nearby uptown mainstay, calculating how much attention the pirate might draw. He was ignored in the Quarter, where a Frenchman dressed like a big, strapping pirate was among the more normal folks one encountered. Uptown, not so much. But F&J’s was neighborhood-funky, so I thought we’d be safe from any preternatural incidents. Plus, it might be fun to watch Jean interpret a modern menu.

The restaurant was packed with lunch-goers, though, so I looped back over to Mid-City and cruised the options on Carrollton. I looked longingly at Mikimoto’s, where the “Hawaii Five-O” sushi rolls with eel sauce were to die for. I couldn’t imagine Jean trying to maneuver those big hands around a pair of little wooden chopsticks, however.

I spotted one of my favorite comfort spots and cut in front of a sky-blue VW Beetle, whipping with a slight screech of cheap rental tires across two lanes of traffic and coming to a quick halt in a parking lot

I looked at Jean, whose fingers clutched the car door handles. “I feel you need automobile lessons as much as I, Drusilla,” he said, measuring his words. “I wonder if men were meant to travel in such a rapid manner.”

“Yeah, well, remind me to tell you about airplanes,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. “You like fried chicken?”

He was frowning at the red and gold sign. “Who is Popeye? Does he cook pleasing chicken?”

“Oh yeah.” True, Popeye’s wasn’t the grease-fest it had been back before a group of Canadians had bought it from its local founder. But it still filled a need. “Popeye is a cartoon character, a sailor.” At Jean’s blank expression, I added, “a made-up character in stories for children.” I didn’t know how to explain a logo.

“What has this Popeye sailor to do with chicken?”

Sheesh, what was this, chicken twenty questions? “I’ll explain later,” I said, getting out and walking across the lot. In other words, I had no idea.

Jean followed me inside and we stood at the counter, gazing up at the menu board. “I’ll buy your lunch,” I told him. The Elders would reimburse me since he was on their clock. “Just tell the man at the counter what you want, then I’ll pay for both orders.”

Jean nodded and stepped to the counter. The teenage order-taker looked at him, slightly open-mouthed. I crossed my arms and waited for the fun to begin.

“This for here or to go?” the teen asked, straightening the gold apron that stretched a bit too tightly across his purple t-shirt clad torso.

“Here,” I hissed, and Jean, ever the French gentleman, said, “Ici, s’il-vous plait.”

“Say what?” The teen craned his neck to look past Jean at me. “Dude don’t speak no English?”

“It’s for here.” I shrugged, fighting to keep a grin off my face.

“Ok, then what you want?” The teen pulled out an orange tray, slapped a paper placemat on it and looked at me.

“Do not treat the famous privateer…” Jean paused…”John Lafayette as if he were unable to order a simple meal.” The famous John Lafayette did not like being dismissed or diminished, as our teenage chicken-monger was learning.

He didn’t look contrite. “Sorry, sir. What you want?”

“I am fond of popcorn, but I do not wish it with shrimp.” Jean studied the menu. “Therefore, I should like popcorn with a chicken leg.”

The teen slid his gaze slowly to me. I grinned at him. Who was I to try and explain the phenomenon of popcorn shrimp to a 230-year-old pirate?

He seemed to ponder a moment. “We’re all outta popcorn, sir.” I smiled at his quick recovery. “How ‘bout some onion rings with that chicken leg?”

Jean frowned and whispered over his shoulder: “These onion rings, Jolie. Are they a type of jewels or does one eat them?”

“Eat,” I whispered back.

“Very well.” Jean smiled as he continued to study the menu. “And a Coke.” He’d recently been introduced to the joys of soda and I’d seen him drink several. I pondered whether the historical undead could develop blood-sugar problems.

“You want that leg spicy or mild?” The teen’s triumph faded as Jean’s frown returned. “You know, regular or like wit’ some red pepper in the batter?”

I settled in for an entertaining lunch.

Copyright 2013 Suzanne Johnson. May not be reprinted or shared without written permission of the author.

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Thanks for stopping by with such a great Jean Lafitte story! (He's my favourite character in the series.)

For more Suzanne, you can visit her website or blog, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

You can also see the other stops on her blog tour by clicking on the banner:

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The mer feud has been settled, but life in South Louisiana still has more twists and turns than the muddy Mississippi. New Orleanians are under attack from a copycat killer mimicking the crimes of a 1918 serial murderer known as the Axeman of New Orleans.

Thanks to a tip from the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, DJ Jaco knows the attacks aren't random--an unknown necromancer has resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans, and his ultimate target is a certain blonde wizard.

Namely, DJ. Fighting off an undead serial killer as troubles pile up around her isn't easy. Jake Warin's loup-garou nature is spiraling downward, enigmatic neighbor Quince Randolph is acting weirder than ever, the Elders are insisting on lessons in elven magic from the world's most annoying wizard, and former partner Alex

Warin just turned up on DJ's to-do list. Not to mention big maneuvers are afoot in the halls of preternatural power.

Suddenly, moving to the Beyond as Jean Lafitte's pirate wench? It could be DJ's best option.

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository

And here's the full series:

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There is a fantastic tour-wide giveaway!
Suzanne is offering one (1) iPad 2 and five (5) $20 gift cards, open internationally!

To enter, do what the Rafflecopter wants. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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by Tynga at Monday, August 19, 2013

 ghost, giveaway, Guest Post, Macmillan, Suzanne Johnson  57 People left their mark

✎

Elysian Fields by Suzanne Johnson

If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that I am positively gaga for Suzanne Johnson's Sentinel of New Orleans novels. I'm head over heels in love with the world, the characters, and Johnson's clever writing. Plus, things just keep getting more and more complicated for DJ, which means the reading just gets better and better!

In DJ's third outing, things are at their most tense, thanks to an undead serial killer, strained relationships, and questions that only lead to more questions. Needless to say, I loved it, especially since the dashing undead pirate Jean Lafitte has a central role in ELYSIAN FIELDS. He's my favourite character in the series because he's such a honourable rake and I'm positively thrilled that he has a key role in this novel. He even does a bit of growing as a character, which made him all the more charming to me. I die over his interactions with DJ, who is so unwillingly attracted to him.

Also great: the interactions between DJ and the rest of the cast. She has some major revelations about Jake and his life as a loup-garou, and what it means for their friendship; DJ and Alex have some serious conversations and moments, which were quite satisfying; and DJ learns the cost of her secrets when it comes to her friendships with non-preternaturals. And if that's not enough, we finally get an explanation about the mysterious Quince Randolph! I won't spoil it by telling you if he's good or bad but I will tell you that I was very surprised by the plot points involving this character and that I think it's going to make life quite interesting for DJ in future novels.

We also see DJ explore her elven magic, which is a lot of fun since she's frankly quite bad at it. Her training sessions are such fun to read. They're some of my favourite scenes in ELYSIAN FIELDS, which says a lot since I think the whole book was just delightful.

I think I'm going to stop raving here since some of my favourite parts of ELYSIAN FIELDS are major spoilers. If you want to chat, just let me know. I'm dying to talk about some of these developments!! To wrap up, I'll just say this: ELYSIAN FIELDS is Grade A urban fantasy goodness. If you haven't tried the Sentinel of New Orleans series yet, (a) you're missing out and (b) you better hustle to your local bookstore to give it at try!

Read an excerpt

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by Tynga at Monday, August 19, 2013

 Adult, ghost, Macmillan, Netgalley, Review, Sentinel of New Orleans, Suzanne Johnson, Urban Fantasy  4 People left their mark

✎

Pretty When She Destroys by Rhiannon Frater

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
eBook: n/a
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Publisher: Self published
Release date: August 27, 2013

Series: Pretty When She Dies #3

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: ebook from author for book tour

Purchase: Not yet available

Amaliya Vezorak always believed she was destined to live a failed life in obscurity until she was brutally murdered by an ancient vampire named The Summoner and reborn as a powerful vampire necromancer. Now it is up to her to save the world…

To be honest, I did not expect the conclusion of this trilogy to go where it went. In a way, that’s why Rhiannon Frater is so brilliant. She has the ability to write great stories and surprise you at every turn. I was definitely expecting a final battle between the main character Amaliya and her arch nemesis, The Summoner and that was delivered, but everything about it was unexpected, and definitely entertaining.

Personally, I think when it comes to writing, Rhiannon Frater’s strong point is creating great character. Amaliya and Cian, from the very beginning, had good strong chemistry, and I loved seeing it evolve throughout the trilogy. Theirs was definitely not your typical romance, but it’s the type of love that could and did stand against the true test of time: the end of the world. Their relationship, however, isn’t without its faults but the connectedness between the character is what anyone would dream to have in any relationship. Their ability to feel each other’s emotions and read some of each other’s thoughts also helped them bond and really forge and strong duo. Personally, being able to read my boyfriend’s thoughts and feelings would creep the hell out of me, but for Amaliya and Cian, it simply allowed their bond to be that much stronger. Cian and Amaliya were by far my favorite characters but the rest of the cast were also very notable.

Cian’s cabal is definitely the most eclectic Scooby gang since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You wouldn’t expect this odd bunch to be able to save the world but that’s what makes it that much more fun. Cassandra, Cian’s dhampir daughter and her girlfriend Aimee, the white witch, make an unlikely couple but really works in this urban fantasy. What’s more, the homosexual relationship wasn’t placed there to prove a point, but because it was probably second nature for the author to write about this type of relationship. The rest of the Scooby gang included a ghost whisperer, a pseudo bookworm leader, a shapeshifter and a brother-sister techno geek team. (Please note that I call them the Scooby gang but they never do call themselves that.) When you look at it this way, it really has many similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including saving the world from total evil domination. However, the biggest difference is that the main character is actually a vampire herself, but one with a conscience, obviously.

Overall, the novel was a great one but the pace of the story was a bit slow at times, and a little too fast in others. The flow could have been a little better but despite this small inconvenience, it was a great urban fantasy novel. The antagonist was as crazy as you might expect, and if it weren’t for the Summoner, I don’t think Amaliya would be the vampire she is without him. With an antagonist like the Summoner, that author was definitely not afraid to kill innocents bystanders. Truthfully, I expected more members of the Scooby gang to be killed off and while it would have been sad, I think more deaths on the good guys’ side would have been more realistic. Speaking of realistic, while I’m a big fan of happily-ever-after endings, I think the end of this book was a little too happily-ever-after. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the ending, I just thought it would have been a little different.

PRETTY WHEN SHE DESTROYS is a great conclusion to this epic trilogy and I highly recommend the whole trilogy to vampire and Buffy fans alike. Rhiannon’s dry humor and sarcasm shines throughout the book with Amaliya’s character. I’ve come to expect great things from Rhiannon and whether you read her self-published books or her big publisher books, you’ll never be disappointed. Her individual writing style is obvious in everything she writes and with this trilogy over, I’m anxious to see what she comes up with next.

Don’t forget to check out my post from last week for the PRETTY WHEN SHE DESTROYS blog tour, and your chance to win awesome prizes! You don’t want to miss out on this series!

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by Unknown at Sunday, August 04, 2013

 ghost, Review, Rhiannon Frater, Shapeshifter, Vampire, Witch, Zombies  Leave your mark

✎

On Pins and Needles by Yolanda Sfetsos

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Trade paperback: 384 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Samhain
Release date: June 18, 2013

Series: Sierra Fox #3

Source: Review copy from author

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon

All it takes is one freak to turn everything into a demonic ritual.

Sierra Fox, Book 3

Sierra Fox’s relationship with sexy werewolf Jason Papan is going great, but it doesn’t take a psychic to tell her someone’s out to get her. As usual, though, there’s too much else going on to worry about just another assassination attempt.

In addition to the demon-possessed freaks that still want her, a whole new bucket of trouble has been dumped in her path. The half-sister Sierra never knew she had isn’t a typical teenager. Willow comes with supernatural baggage that grows heavier every time someone close to her dies. And the load gets bigger every time the police find the body of another young girl.

Now Sierra’s not only dealing with the target on her own back, but the one that a power-hungry woman has painted on her poltergeist-magnet sister. As she finds herself drawn into the thick of a murder investigation, Sierra must face her deepest fears and embrace the darkest of her powers to overcome the looming threat. Or the prediction of her death might just come true.

Warning: Spook catching: never gets any easier, neither does trying to avoid being killed by a shadowy organization. Always expect the unexpected—dangerous vampires, poltergeists and demon-obsessed freaks. At least the werewolf is pleasurably safe.

If you follow my other blog, you know that I have recently discovered the wonder that is Yolanda Sfetsos' Sierra Fox series, which is why I was so happy to have her take part in Supernatural Solstice. The added bonus for me? I got my greedy little hands on an early copy of ON PINS AND NEEDLES, the third book in the series. It's also the halfway point in a projected five-book series and so far, I think it's my favourite. But before I get into why, here's a quick explanation of the series (though Yolanda offers a better one in our interview):

Sierra Fox is a spook catcher in Sydney, Australia. She has the ability to communicate with ghosts and, when necessary, capture them to take them in. After all, in this world, ghosts are subject to laws too, since everyone knows about them. There are, however, other supernaturals, something Sierra learns in A PATCH OF DARKNESS, the first book in the series. She also learns that she's not a typical spook catcher, thanks to some mixed heritage she didn't know about. So Book 1 was all about Sierra learning the truth about herself and the world around her. In SPLIT AT THE SEAMS, the second book, Sierra discovers that she's caught the eye of some very bad people and spends most of that novel trying to figure out why they want her and how to avoid falling into their clutches. Now, in ON PINS AND NEEDLES, Sierra is trying to learn more about the people who are trying to capture her, figure out what's wrong with her ex-boyfriend Jonathan, repair her relationship with her apprentice Ebony, and deal with the revelation that she has a half-sister named Willow who comes with problems of her own. With all of these factors, you can expect a roller-coaster of a book! There's also a lot of mystery in this story -- and only some are solved by the end of the novel -- to accompany the nice-for-the-reader-but-not-for-Sierra danger and demonic activity. Sfetsos really knows how to build a book to a strong climax; ON PINS AND NEEDLES will hook you from the get-go and then just keeps ramping up the stakes.

Thankfully (for our spunky heroine), there are some bright spots in her life. Sierra's got Papan, an extremely sexy private investigator of a boyfriend who also happens to be a werewolf; Oren, her grandfather who happens to be an extremely powerful witch; and a host of fellow Hunters that she can call upon. I've really enjoyed watching Sierra's interpersonal relationships develop because they make her a stronger person and give us a nicely diverse cast of characters.

Since this is a new release, I can't talk about some of the most interesting moments in the book, which are mostly in the latter half of ON PINS AND NEEDLES. I wil say that my questions about Jonathan and what happened to him while he was in Europe are thoroughly explained and we see some neat stuff with his character. I'll also say that I quite like the introduction of Willow, Sierra's half-sister, because we get to learn a bit more about Sierra's mom's life after she abandoned Sierra and because she's an interesting character in her own right. Willow is a troubled kid and I found her story arc to be really strong.

Reading ON PINS AND NEEDLES is a wonderful urban fantasy tale and Sierra Fox is a great series. I strongly urge you to try these books if you haven't already and to get your hands on ON PINS AND NEEDLES as soon as possible if you're all caught up with the series.

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

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by jenn at Saturday, June 22, 2013

 ghost, Review, Samhain, Yolanda Sfetsos  1 Person left their mark

✎

The Ghosting of Gods by Cricket Baker

Book Stats:

Reading level: Young Adult
Trade paperback: 339 pages
Genre: Paranormal/Horror
Publisher: Our Street Books
Release date: May 31, 2013

Series: N/A

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Copy from the author

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Jesse is an apprentice exorcist who defies his priests when he learns his sister is in danger even though she’s dead. When he’s exiled to a haunted world, Jesse must unravel the mystery of ghosts if he is to save her. He plunges into a deadly game of hide-and-seek. The players include denizens draped in monkish robes, ghosts with matted eyes, the dead who tunnel underground in terror, and...Elspeth.

A coven scientist, Elspeth is both respected and feared for her abnormal spiritual powers. Jesse needs--craves--the knowledge of ghosts which she possesses. But is Elspeth a spiritual prodigy, or dangerously insane? The coven scientist begs him to trust her. He doesn’t. But he wants to.

Caught in a world on the brink of spiritual evolution, Jesse struggles to understand Elspeth even as frightening contacts from his sister force him to face the secret, shattering meaning of a verse he knows well: Blessed are the poor in ghost.

If I had to describe THE GHOSTING OF GODS in one word, it would be unique. Uniquely strange. At first, I had a hard time getting into the novel because the story starts right away. There’s very little introduction as the author plunges into action right from the beginning. Sometimes, that can be a good thing, but in this case, since the world the main character lives in isn’t quite the one we know, I found it a little confusing. The opening scene was gripping, to be honest, but I had little insight on what was really going on, so the effect was lost on me.

Cricket Baker’s writing is dark and heavy. It’s full of double meanings and philosophical thoughts that makes you reevaluate the meaning of life and death. She has a great imagination to have created this expansive world full of mystery and paranormal elements. Ghosts appear in every corner of the book and just when you start to understand their presence, a little more is revealed about them, which completely shifts our understanding of this parallel world. This world is also undergoing some sort of religious metamorphosis which makes us meet some very strange characters.

The story follows Jesse’s quest into a parallel universe, in which he’s thrown in along with his best friend Poe, his ex-lover Ava and her daughter Leesel. Not knowing what happened or why they find themselves in this new world, their main objectives are to stick together and find a way to get back home. But easier said than done. Not many people of the world know how to travel from one world to another, and if any of them have a clue, they are very cryptic about it. Jesse is also trying to find a way to help his sister, whom he believes is in trouble, even if she is dead and trapped as a ghost. Her senseless murder has really affected him and he would do anything to be with his sister again. I like the idea that ghosts exists in Jesse’s world, and as an apprentice exorcist, he knows a thing or two about them. But when the author starts to describe crystal balls that hold the memories of ghosts, I got a little bit more confused. The idea was original but could have benefited from more explanations.

Personally, I thought the story was well detailed and well researched but the writing was a little bit too heavy for my taste. Also, I’m not a big fan of the first person present tense the book was written in, so I think that was one of the little things that didn’t work for me. GHOSTING OF THE GODS is not the type of book you’ll sit down and enjoy in one sitting. The book will literally make you think and analyze the details. While I would usually pass on this type of book, I did enjoy the gothic and macabre tone of the story. I’m sure the novel will find many readers that will enjoy the book more than I did.

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by Unknown at Sunday, June 02, 2013

 ghost, Review  1 Person left their mark

✎

I Ate the Sherriff by K. Bennett

I Ate the Sherriff by K. Bennett

Book stats:

Reading level: Adult
Paperback: 310 pages
Genre: Paranormal Legal Thriller
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: August 7, 2012

Series: Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law #3

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

You Have The Right To Remain Dead

What's worse than killing a cop? Eating him afterwards. Which is exactly what happened to a Los Angeles County sheriff on Mulholland Drive. Now Mallory Caine, zombie at law, faces the toughest trial of her life--her own--since she's the prime suspect. Ironically, Mallory's been suppressing her undead desires in a 12-step zombie recovery group. It's her human desires that scare her. . .

Anyone You Crave Can And Will Be Held Against You

He's one hot werewolf named Steve "Rawhide" Ravener, and he's Mallory's latest client. His cheating wife has run off with a rival pack, and if he hopes to see their cubs again, he needs a lawyer whose bite is worse than his bark. Needless to say, family law has never been this hairy. And with a murder charge hanging over her head, a snake goddess charming her mother, and all kinds of hell-spawn taking over L.A., Mallory's plate is full. And she's dying to take a bite…

When I first got into this series, I had not clue how to categorize it into a genre. Without a doubt, it can be categorized as as a paranormal series because it does have zombies, vampires, werewolves, demons and many other paranormal beings. However, I truly believe it’s more than that. It can also be seen as a legal thriller since the main character, Mallory Caine, is a zombie lawyer. It does have multiple court room scenes but it’s not as dry as you might think. Actually, the author is very informative and writes in a way that keeps you on edge, hanging on to his every word. The author, no doubt, has a legal background because not only does he know his way around the courtroom, but he references multiple cases and laws. The courtroom scenes are actually one of the best scenes in the books since we see Mallory in her prime—defending people (and herself) whom aren’t necessarily innocent.

Mallory Caine is the type of protagonist you can’t stop rooting for. Living as a zombie in L.A. is quite difficult for her because walking the the busy streets is like walking into a casino as a recovering gambling addict. Living in L.A. as a lawyer isn’t all that easier since everyone seems to be against her. However she does have a few people working along side her. Her new client, Steve Ravener, strongly believes in her, and Father Clemente who really wants her to choose good over evil. Because L.A. is about to be hit by something bad and evil, the Lord of Darkness, Satan himself. Mallory isn’t too sure what is happening to her city but she does sense the forces of evil are getting stronger. Especially since she knows her ex, Aaron Argula, is the son of Satan and has the mayor of the city on his side. Also, zombies are on the rise, the mayor is more corrupt than usual, cults are being created and prophesies are being revealed.

Despite her good intentions, trouble always seems to find Mallory and after two years of being a zombie, she has finally gotten caught. Caught for eating the sheriff (but not the deputy). And let me elaborate on that a little. For those of you who haven’t read the series, Mallory isn’t you’re average zombie. She’s not the mindless monster Hollywood has made us believe zombies are. Don’t get me wrong, she is dead and she has been raised from the dead. And she no doubt feels the need to eat brains. Especially human brains. She has tried to go on a cow brain diet, but for her, it’s just not the same as the real deal. She has tried to live off the brain of scum, the bad guys roaming the streets, acting as a vigilante of sorts but she knows deep down eating human brain is not right. As the narrator, her character really shows us her internal conflicts over he diet and despite her murdering ways, we can see the goodness through of her selfless acts throughout the series.

A fair warning to some readers. The author does go into some gory details when Mallory feasts on human brain but those scenes aren’t overly bloody and gross. But since the book does involve some cannibalism, I just thought I should warn you beforehand.

Frighteningly sassy and more than occasionally morbid, Mallory makes a wonderful narrator for this series. She is sarcastic to no limit and she knows how to play dirty in court. We do see her evolve throughout the series but bottom line, the Mallory Caine in I ATE THE SHERIFF, is the same Mallory you meet in the first two books of the series. She definitively gives a new meaning to the the saying “Bite me!”. The pop culture references in the narration is an element that adds originality to the writing. I really hope to see more of Mallory in the future and I really hope the author doesn’t leave us hanging like this. With the city of angels on fire and in the middle of an Apocalypse, no less.

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by Unknown at Sunday, November 25, 2012

 Demon, ghost, Kensington, Review, werewolf, Zombies  Leave your mark

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Break My Heart 1,000 Times blog tour: Interview with Daniel Waters + giveaway!

We have a lovely vistor on the blog today: Daniel Waters, author of the Generation Dead series! Here's visiting us as part of a blog tour celebrating his newest release, a YA novel called BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES. I really enjoyed this interview and hope you do, too!

We also have a giveaway of BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES so make sure to stick around!

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Hi, Daniel, and welcome to Tynga's Reviews! We're so pleased to have you! To start, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

I often write about dead people but I'm really full of life.

How would you describe BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES in a couple sentences?

Break My Heart 1,000 Times is a ghost story about the intersections of love and loss. Ghosts are everywhere and everyone can see them. It is very, very scary.

What is your favourite scene or character in BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES?

I normally have a difficult time picking favorite scenes, but I will say that the first scene with Veronica stands out to me because it came almost effortlessly and required very little editing, and usually I have to work hard for my scenes and need multiple revisions. But that one was the first I wrote for the book and the moment I was done with it I really felt like I'd stuck the landing, and that the scene was exactly what I wanted it to be.

I waffle over favorite characters in my work as well, but I'll single out Janine here because she barely existed in the manuscript I first turned in to Disney. My editor, Catherine Onder, suggested that I try working with her more and I'm so glad that she did because Janine really came to life in the subsequent drafts and added considerably to the story. Janine was like a ghost that we brought back into the world of the living--it was was sort of like my experience with Karen in the Gen Dead books, because she started as a walk-on only but then blossomed into a character ai ended up writing a whole novel about. I like Janine so much I could see myself writing another story with her as a lead.

One of the things I really liked about your book is how ghosts aren't inherently scary. They can be, but they can also be joyful, poignant, and so much more. What prompted you to write a supernatural thriller in which the regular (living) people are the scariest part?

Here's my big secret: the supernatural characters I write about? The zombies, the ghosts? They're just people, really.

And people are always the scariest part.

While I was reading your book, I could see a lot of parallels between The Event and real-world events like September 11 or the bombing of Hiroshima (especially since you mention Hiroshima in the story) -- people's varied reactions, the host of theories about why this happened, etc. Was this on your mind while you were writing?

Absolutely. One of the many subtextual concerns of the book is how people deal with and are haunted by loss. One of the things that haunts me is our ability to endure absolutely horrific loss--Hiroshima, wars, the Holocaust, genocides--and somehow just keep on keepin' on.

In general terms of "what is on my mind" when I'm writing a novel, I think of it as two separate psychic contracts: the psychic contract with the reader, which requires me to provide an entertaining story (my concept of "entertainment" may vary from yours however and would probably require an entire essay so I won't go further than that here), and my psychic contract with myself, which requires me to work out my feelings in a subtextual way--I try write "about" something important to me while also attempting to entertain the reader. Generation Dead is about my feeling on how we treat each other as much as it is about zombies; Passing Strange is about my feelings concerning depression as it is about an anti-zombie conspiracy. The reader may or may not notice or care that those elements are there; whether or not a reader notices that Break My Heart 1,000 Times is "about" my take on the various ways people in America deal with loss as much as it is about ghosts and serial killers hopefully does not detract from its value as an entertainment. Secretly, of course I hope that the reader both notices and has an enhanced entertainment experience for noticing, but each person should take their thrills where they find them.

Two of the deepest scars on the recent American collective unconscious, to me, are the events of 9/11 and at Columbine. Break My Heart 1,000 Times was a my chance to work out some of my personal feelings regarding 9/11; I've another novel with my agent where I work out my feelings about Columbine.

On your blog, you describe BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES as "the ghost story I have been wanting to write since I wanted to write" and also the scariest story you've written to date. What makes BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES stand out for you?

I'm not sure that this is the same thing that will make the book stand out to readers, if it will, but it stands out to me because I more or less accomplished with the book what I set out to accomplish. I'm never a hundred percent satisfied with a book when I'm done, but I think I fulfilled the basic contracts with myself and the reader--I wanted to write a novel that I though readers would find interesting and entertaining, I wanted to write what I thought was a unique ghost story, and I wanted to write about loss--personal loss and communal loss.

I just found out that BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES has been optioned for film and there's already a screenplay. Congratulations! Are there any actors you'd love to see portray your characters?

Thank you. I'd love to see any actors portray any of my characters! What had been fun is reading other folks ideas on who should play different people--Jason Fuchs, who wrote a fantastic screenplay for the film, dreamcast Denzel Washington in the role of Mr. Bittner, a choice that never crossed my mind when writing but I could totally see in the role, while a reviewer I read saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman instead, and he'd bring a completely different--and fitting--aspect of the character out. When I was writing I sometimes visualized Frank Langella as Bittner, but really I'm just so excited to see my work adapted to film I'd look forward to welcoming just about anybody.

While there's resolution for the main storyline, you left a lot of questions open at the end of BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES. Will you be writing more stories in this world? If so, can you tell us anything about what's to come?

My books thus far have all left questions unanswered, and this is because I tend to think of all-inclusive endings as lies. The world doesn't resolve itself in a tidy fashion.

However, unlike Generation Dead, which I knew from the moment I started writing that this was a story I would tell over several books, I hadn't initially thought about writing about the world of BMH1kx beyond the one book. It wasn't until I started doing revisions that I started to feel like there were other stories needing to be told in this world. I have a few ideas and few pages of notes--I would like to write a story featuring Janine--but I haven't fully committed on paper yet. I'll wait and see how much those idea haunt me!

Thanks very much for visiting us, Daniel! It's been a slice. :D

Thank you, I appreciate it.

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More about BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES:

Living in the aftermath of the Event means that seeing the dead is now a part of life, but Veronica wishes that the ghosts would just move on. Instead, the ghosts aren't disappearing--they're gaining power.

When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica's high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he's haunted by the possibility that she's waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he's wrong, what's the harm in creating one more ghost?

From critically acclaimed Generation Dead author Daniel Waters, comes a delectably creepy and suspenseful thriller. Break My Heart 1,000 Times will leave readers with the chills. Or is that a ghost reading over the page?

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

US/Canada only

Ends Sunday, November 4, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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by jenn at Monday, October 22, 2012

 Daniel Waters, ghost, giveaway, Hyperion, Interview, young adult  17 People left their mark

✎

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters

Book stats:
Reading level: Young adult (12+)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Hyperion
Release date: October 16, 2012

Series: n/a

Source: Review copy from AuthorsOnTheWeb

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Living in the aftermath of the Event means that seeing the dead is now a part of life, but Veronica wishes that the ghosts would just move on. Instead, the ghosts aren't disappearing--they're gaining power.

When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica's high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he's haunted by the possibility that she's waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he's wrong, what's the harm in creating one more ghost?

From critically acclaimed Generation Dead author Daniel Waters, comes a delectably creepy and suspenseful thriller. Break My Heart 1,000 Times will leave readers with the chills. Or is that a ghost reading over the page?

As you may have noticed, I rarely read YA but I couldn't resist the premise of BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES when I heard about it. It's a supernatural thriller where the scary parts are actually not the ghosts -- how could I *not* try it?

I am completely unfamiliar with Daniel Waters' other work, the Generation Dead series, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a very interesting and thoughtful story about loss and death and all of the different ways people respond to big and small changes in their lives, in addition to an exciting thriller storyline. The book is definitely geared toward the 12-17 age range but it's a nice book for those of us who are a little (or a lot) more mature. :)

The story is told from several points of view so you get to know the minds of several characters. The bulk of the novel is told by Veronica and Kirk, which allowed me to get to know them very well, but Daniel Waters also gives us some insight into Mr. Bittner, the creepy teacher, and Brian, one of the ghosts who lives in Veronica's house. The multiple angles lets us really see the world the author has created and I thoroughly appreciated it even though I didn't really enjoy being Mr. Bittner's brain.

BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES is billed as a thriller but it's not a fast-paced novel so be prepared for a slow boil. I generally prefer this genre of book to have more action and what you get in BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES is a lot of the characters' thoughts. As such, the book felt a little slow to me, particularly in the start, and I had a hard time getting into the story. I'm glad I read it through, though, because the pieces fall into place as Veronica learns Mr. Bittern has bad intentions and as she and Kirk investigate the ghosts in their community, and the story definitely builds as you get closer to the end.

My favourite part of this book, hands down, is the world building because the ghosts aren't inherently scary -- it's the regular people who are the source of all of the malice and harmful intent. The ghosts are simply an artefact of The Event, a mysterious occurrence that isn't fully explained in the novel. Instead, the focus is on the aftermath and how people deal with the ghosts. Some people are afraid of them, some rely on and take comfort in their appearances, others accept them as the new normal, and still others people want to figure out what's going on. The full spectrum of reactions is well represented and it made me think a lot about the different ways folks react to big, scary events in the real world, like September 11. (This is why I called the book 'thoughtful' in my second paragraph.)

While BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES isn't the kind of book I'd normally pick up based on the target YA audience, I'm definitely happy I gave this book a try. I don't know if it's going to be for everyone but I'd urge you to read the excerpt below and see if it's to your tastes.

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by jenn at Monday, October 22, 2012

 Daniel Waters, ghost, Hyperion, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

The Vengeful Dead by J. N. Duncan

The Vengeful Dead by J. N. Duncan

Book Stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Trade paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: October 1, 2011

Series: Deadworld #2

Source: Review copy from Kensington

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

She’s the FBI’s go-to expert on Chicago’s most brutal supernatural crimes. But a bloodthirsty, revenge-crazed killer is using her deepest fears as a terrifying weapon…

Jackie Rutledge just can’t put her past to rest. Her Bureau partner is dead, but not gone. And her sanity is becoming as fragile as her career. Worst of all, a wrenching journey into Deadworld has given her unwanted new abilities—and exhuming memories she hoped to keep buried …

Now a merciless force capable of possessing humans is on a killing spree, destroying the guilty and innocent alike. It isn’t long before Jackie is a prime suspect, struggling to stay two steps ahead of her savvy new partner, and her undead P.I. and paramour, Nick. But to clear her name, she’ll have to take on her greatest challenge yet: confronting an inner darkness as inescapable as the one she hunts—and capable of annihilating more than her soul…

I have to confess: I had a very lukewarm reaction to DEADWORLD, the first book in the series. I loved the world building and the main plot line but I really didn't like Jackie, the main character. And it's hard to love a book when you have negative feelings towards the protagonist. (In case you didn't click on the link, my problem with Jackie was basically that she was way too self-destructive and I found it difficult to relate to her.)

My reaction to THE VENGEFUL DEAD? Much more positive! In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment in the Deadworld series. J. N. Duncan's kept all of the elements I enjoyed from the first novel and we get to see Jackie grow as a character. As the author pointed out in the comments on my post on DEADWORLD, the novel does take place over a short time period, making it difficult to see a lot of growth or change. This time, though, the book is a little more spaced out in terms of the time frame and it means we get to see Jackie working on herself and her issues and taking steps in the right direction. Yay!

I also appreciated how much deeper we go into Deadworld this time around, since the main focus of THE VENGEFUL DEAD is just what you'd expect from the title: a ghost on a mission to kill the people who murdered her and her unborn baby. This ghost is incredibly powerful and trying to stop her forces Jackie to use her new powers (the result of her trip to Deadworld in the first novel) even though she'd much rather hide. It was really neat to see Nick and Shelby take on a mentoring role with Jackie and her powers because it added an extra layer to her relationships wth both characters.

And speaking of relationships, it's nice to see Jackie and Nick making some progress, or at least thinking about making progress with their romance. The nature of their relationship isn't central to THE VENGEFUL DEAD but it is a nice barometer for where Jackie is in terms of her headspace and her attitudes to the world around her.

All in all, I was really impressed with THE VENGEFUL DEAD. I may have been on the fence with DEADWORLD but J. N. Duncan's won me over with this story and now I can't wait to start reading THE LINGERING DEAD!

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by jenn at Monday, July 16, 2012

 ghost, J.N. Duncan, Kensington, Review, Vampire  10 People left their mark

✎

Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: June 26th 2012

Series: Downside Ghosts #5

Source: Netgalley

Reviewed by: Christine

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

I swear this book almost gave me a heart attack. There is only a handful of books that absorb me that completely and make me feel so many emotions like Stacia Kane's Downside series.

Because Chess and Terrible are finally together, I dreaded reading this book, always fearing Stacia Kane will rip them apart. In the last book, Sacrificial Magic, she upped the ante by making Lex the leader of Bump's rival gang. Putting him and Terrible directly against each other and Chess smack in the middle creates so much tension I sometimes found it hard to breath. The underlying danger of Lex’s threat to kill Terrible kept me on the edge of my seat the whole book. I have never been more worried about a fictional character than I was worried for Terrible’s safety in Chasing Magic.

Even though Stacia Kane shows Terrible's worst side in this book, there are even more scenes where he’s absolutely swoon worthy. I always how much he must love Chess.

There were several scenes in the book where I really really wanted to strangle Chess. She is flawed and her self-respect couldn’t be any lower, but by now, even she must have realized that Terrible is in love with her, period. Yet, she maneuvers herself into situations and does things she can’t have thought through. It’s a good thing I read this book while I stayed with my family. If I had been alone while reading this, I would have screamed in frustration at her.

The relationship between her and Terrible grows stronger with each book. One of my favorite scenes was when Chess took Terrible to elder Griffin’s wedding. I was nice to see that Chess doesn’t mind at all being seen with Terrible outside of Downside. This scene also makes me hope for something to happen between Chess and Terrible. Despite the seeming hopelessness of their relationship, there’s a subtle hint at a positive future for them. Of course, I might die of joy if what I suspect does actually happen. But well. The end of the book opens yet again a new chapter in the life of Chess and Terrible and I can’t wait to see how that turns out. To say it’s a huge step for Chess puts it mildly.

While I have never been much of a fan of Lex, I definitely hate him now. He claims to like Chess, but most of the time, his actions speak otherwise. I don’t know why Chess even bothers with him anymore. But all that being said, his new role and his character are fantastic for the plot and the overall story arc, as his presence creates enough conflict for several more books (I hope).

The story of Chasing Magic is very much about consequences. The consequences of Chess’s previous actions come to bite her in the ass. Not only the mistakes she made with Lex (I refuse to see it as anything else =) ), but also the death of Slowbag and other doings of Chess's cause a lot of trouble in this book. While the Downside series is very dark from the beginning, this book was especially grim and horrid. There’s no church case in this book, instead all of Downside is plagued with an especially gruesome form of magic. The race of Chess and Terrible to uncover who is behind all that magic is a thrill ride for us readers that will make you regret every minute you’re forced to put down your book.

There is one thing that didn’t sit very well with me in this book though. I can’t really discuss it and not spoil it for you. All I can say is that for me it stands for a very unhealthy turn in a relationship. Of course you can argue that it is fitting for the respective characters but, still, that’s not something I approve of. (If you want to know what that’s about or want to discuss it, I’d be happy to!) However, this bit could not spoil my overall enjoyment of this book.

It is not a big secret that I might be the biggest fan of this series. This gem of urban fantasy hides its raw beauty under a huge layer of blood and violence. I wish I had the right words to praise it the way it deserves, but everything that comes to mind doesn’t seem adequate. Chasing Magic pulls you in with the very first chapter, puts you through a whole spectrum of emotions and spits you out wanting even more. The characters, the world, the writing - all is highly addictive awesomeness.

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by Christine at Wednesday, June 20, 2012

 ghost, Random House, Review, Stacia Kane  2 People left their mark

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