Things Slip Through by Kevin Lucia

October 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

THINGS
Things Slip Through by Kevin Lucia
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal, Historical
Length: Full Length (159 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Welcome to Clifton Heights, New York. Just another average Adirondack town, and nice enough in its own right.

Except after dark, or under the pale light of the moon. Or in a very private doctor’s office at Clifton Heights General Hospital, where no one can hear you scream. Or on a road out of town that never ends, or in an old house sitting on the edge of town with a mind – and will – of its own.

Maybe you shouldn’t have left the interstate, my friend. Maybe you should’ve driven on to the next town.

But you didn’t. You saw our sign, turned down our road, figuring on just a short stay. And maybe it will be.

Or maybe you’ll never leave.

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Except after dark. Or on cold winter days when no one is around, and you’re all alone…

Some questions are better left unasked, and some mysteries were never meant to be solved.

Chris has investigated some truly bizarre cases since he moved to Clifton Heights a year ago. Despite growing close to several of the residents in the town he has never been able to convince anyone to explain what they know about the people in their community who died under violent circumstances or disappeared without a trace. Their reticence casts an eerie pallor on the first few chapters, and Chris’ attempts to tease the truth out of them provides smooth transitions between the short stories embedded in this piece.

I requested to review Things Slip Through under the assumption that it was a collection of unrelated tales, so discovering that they shared a common setting and in some cases the same characters was a pleasant surprise. Mr. Lucia wove the lives of the residents of Clifton Heights together in ways that I did not always anticipate. Coming across these connections occasionally helped to explain things that had earlier mystified me about certain plot points.

The author spent so much time amplifying the mysteries of Clifton Heights that I would have liked to see him spend more time explaining how the community became such an unnerving place to live. Some backstory is provided, but given the ominous tone of certain conversations early on I was expecting to have more clues to work with in order to better understand how certain facts were linked to one another.

Given how dark the plot had been up until that point I was expecting a similar tone in the final case Chris revisits. The author’s approach to the disappearance of a small child was unexpected and would have worked quite well as a standalone story, but it did not blend in well with the overall tone of this novel. This was even more true when something from an earlier case that had been used in one of the scariest scenes in the book showed up in this one. With more development the juxtaposition between the two scenes would have added depth to the plot, but as it was written I was a little confused by why Mr. Lucia made the decision to link these tales.

With that being said, reading Things Slip Through was like finally catching a good look at something dark and slithery lurking in the shadows that normally moves too fast to be seen. The author clearly spent lot of time developing the setting, and his meticulous attention to detail pays off every time the tension builds to a new peak.

Things Slip Through is the scariest thing I’ve come across so far in 2013. This is a good choice for anyone who likes the surge of adrenaline that comes from reading extremely descriptive horror.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Terror at White Otter Castle by Bonnie Ferrante

October 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CASTLE
Terror at White Otter Castle by Bonnie Ferrante
Publisher: Single Drop Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (53 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Laurel, Aster, and Beth have been best friends since grade one when they created the “triangle of power”. In September, as high school graduates, they will head off in different directions. Because Laurel fears it will be the end of their friendship, she convinces the others to join her on an end of summer trip – a nine-day canoe expedition to White Otter Castle, deep in the Northern Canadian forest. Unknown to her, the hundred-year-old log castle is has a dark secret. The “triangle of power” faces the ultimate test when the dark forest holds a terror they never imagined.

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If there’s scarier place to set up camp in than in the shadow of an abandoned mansion I can’t imagine where such a place might be located. Ms. Ferrante convincingly builds up the tension from the very first scene, and there’s never a dull moment as the hiking group settles in for the night.

It was difficult for me to determine the best age recommendation for this book. While the main characters are seniors in high school, certain plot points are resolved more quickly and easily than I would expect from a horror novel written for teens. The tone of this piece seems to be geared to a younger audience, but the violent content makes makes me reticent to recommend Terror at White Otter Castle to anyone under the age of 12. This is not a good selection for middle school readers who are sensitive or brand new to the horror genre, although I do think it will be appealing for most students in that age bracket.

The unexpected ending drew me back into the intrigue I felt when I read the opening scene. Ms. Ferrante struck a good balance between explaining what was happening and allowing the reader to bring his or her own interpretation to the chain of events. It also reinforced my hunch about the age group for which this tale was originally written.

Terror at White Otter Castle is a good choice for anyone who loves contemporary young adult horror.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lost in the Shadows by Selah Janel and S.H. Roddey

October 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

LOST
Lost in the Shadows by Selah Janel and S.H. Roddey
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Full Length (300 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review ed by Astilbe

Welcome to the Shadows:

Journey with authors Selah Janel and S.H. Roddey to a world where every idea is a possibility and every genre an invitation. In this collection of forty-seven short stories, lines blur and worlds collide in strange and wonderful new ways. Get lost with the authors as they wander among fantasy, horror, science fiction, and other speculative musings.

Shadows can’t hurt you, and sometimes it’s all right to venture off the path.

How would you choose the right path if you had limited information about your options and an extremely short period of time to decide what to do?
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Some answers to this question responses come in the form of extremely short stories, others focus on how it is people find ideas or what happens when you make a big mistake. The authors’ creative approaches to the topic, especially the ones that personify certain aspects of the writing process, sucked me into this book.

Angel’s dazed reaction to an extremely dangerous situation after a car crash in “A Choice” is one of the highlights of Lost in the Shadows. She has a limited amount of time to make a life altering decision, and her level-headed reaction to what happens to her after the crash made me wish I could keep following her after the plot wraps up.

Occasional missteps are found in tales like “The Empty Table.” Calliope has a dangerous secret that she has so far hidden from her boyfriend. When he invites her parents over for Thanksgiving dinner, though, she worries that they will pick up on the clues about her past Calliope can’t hide. The premise was excellent, but I didn’t understand why Calliope and her boyfriend had such poor communication skills given information about their relationship that surfaces later on in the plot. Expanding stories like this one into novellas would allow them more space to explain background information that was sometimes so sparse I had trouble understanding what was really going on.

At first I thought that “Downing Street” could also use more exposition. The idea of anyone taking advantage of Halloween to cover up a crime is chilling, but once I read it again I quickly came to appreciate the slithering horror of only knowing half of the details. “Downing Street” is so short it could almost be classified as flash fiction, but it quickly became my favourite entry in this collection.

There were also a handful of tales that felt out of place in a primarily science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthology. For example, “Almacide” explores an urban environment from the perspective of a seed who was expecting to sprout in a clean, rural garden. The premise was interesting, but the sermonizing tone of it was a poor fit for this particular collection.

What surprised me the most about Lost in the Shadows was how seamlessly everything fit together. It isn’t easy to blend two different writing styles together, but Ms. Janel and Ms. Roddey make it look effortless. Within a half dozen pages I was slipping from one adventure to the next without realizing that they were written by two different authors.

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish Lost in the Shadows. This is a solid anthology that I would recommend to anyone who likes well-paced, genre-blending short stories.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

And the Night Growled Back by Aaron Dries

October 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

NIGHT
And the Night Growled Back by Aaron Dries
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (68 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

They shouldn’t have run.

There are three of them, Sam, Lila and Paul—young travellers with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and yet, everything to lose. Their visit to Iceland has invigorated their senses…until the carnival. There, a single punch is thrown. A man lies dead on the ground. Blood speckles Sam’s bruised knuckles. In a blind panic, they flee the scene and disappear down an unpaved road, winding through the barren landscape. Soon they find an empty cabin, the perfect place to hide until they figure out what to do. Dead is dead; wrong is wrong—this cruel truth is etched into their minds as though carved with a rusted blade.

These capsules are based on herbs, so it does not provide overnight cheap cialis 100mg results. Caverta order cheap cialis does this by increasing the blood supply to the heart is cut off, the muscle weakens. Erectile dysfunction has come viagra uk shop up an ordinary condition among young as well as older male personalities. Dose: viagra 100mg pfizer precisely as your specialist endorses. Twilight turns to night. All is still. It is then that the travellers realize they are not alone. Something is lurking out there. In the dark. They can hear its growls. And to the creature, the guilty and the innocent taste exactly the same.

Fear is a drug, and like all drugs sometimes it has side effects.

No sooner do weird things begin happening around Lila than she is sure she’s figured out who or what is causing them. Her rationale for the theory she comes up with is as puzzling as it is horrifying, and I found myself searching for more clues in the text that would support her hunch even as I privately wondered if there was a better explanation waiting for me at the climax.

Uneven pacing contributed to the 3.5 star rating. I plunged into heart-stopping action in the beginning only to see the plot stumble into a much slower pace about halfway through. The final scene was terrifying, but the action leading up to it happened so rapidly that I had trouble understanding what was happening for a moment. Experiencing certain flashbacks earlier on in the piece would have helped me maintain the tension that builds up so steadily in the beginning.

What keeps my skin crawling when I think about this tale, though, is the electrifying way in which Mr. Dries describes the dark, quiet, rural setting. Iceland is as much of a character in this piece as are the living, breathing people . The land and sky are silent witnesses to the horrors that take place, and their unnerving observance makes the plot much more frightening than it might have been otherwise.

And the Night Growled Back is full of classic horror tropes that sometimes showed up in unexpected places. I’d recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a fast-paced storyline and graphic violence.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

What Child Is This? by Victor J. Banis

September 13, 2013 By 1 Comment

CHILD
What Child Is This? by Victor J. Banis
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (6 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What had happened to her own daughter? Where had this child come from, the mother wondered. Who was she? Why did she sit for hours staring at her baby brother, contemplating…who knew what?

It was enough to drive you mad…especially, if you had a history of madness. But the doctors had assured her that was all behind her, a thing of the past…

Wasn’t it?

Every parent worries about their children, but some concerns are much scarier than others.
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The narrator of this piece has spent years anxiously attempting to predict the future. Her racing thoughts keep reverting to the same horrifying conclusion, but she’s having a difficult time getting anyone to listen to her. Occasionally doctors and well-meaning family members treat certain adult patients as if they are children, and the narrator’s reaction to this new dynamic in her closest relationships was quite similar to how I’ve seen other people in the same situation react in real life. Her reaction to the paternalistic treatment of her emotional state fleshes out this character’s personality and made it easier for me to like her when she makes certain choices.

While I completely understand that short stories generally don’t include a great deal of background information, I would have had an easier time understanding the ending if the narrator’s troubled past had been explained in greater detail. Everything was wrapped up so quickly and with only one or two hints about the truth that it took me a few rereads to realize what was actually happening to the narrator and her children.

Even with my confusion about the ending I was eager to figure out the narrator’s jumbled point of view. Mr. Banis creates an extraordinarily creepy atmosphere in what should have been ordinary scenes from the daily life of a young family. Sometimes the most frightening things in the world are also the most familiar ones.

What Child Is This? sent a shudder down my spine. This is a good choices for readers who prefer horror that is suspenseful instead of gory.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Twelve Dancing Priestesses by L.T. Getty

August 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

12
Twelve Dancing Priestesses by L.T. Getty
Publisher: Burst Books
Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal, Historical, Horror
Length: Short Story (29 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

For almost a year, every month surrounding a full moon, young girls have vanished without a trace from their homes in their small town and its surrounding farms. Just before the next child is set to disappear, a young stranger arrives. Only, she too is a young girl, a strange traveling musician who holds a bond closer to her fiddle than to any human being, and those who hear her say she wields an otherwordly power when she plays.

This short is haunting, a new story which resembles fairy tales of old. Arella has her own, odd, way of speaking which singles her out as well as creates her character. She and her fiddle are joined as if one, with striking similarities to the pied piper when the locals’ concern is taken into account.
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The plot is fast paced and reaches a surprising conclusion which is intriguing, if not entirely satisfying. There is need for the twist to be better foreshadowed in the main text as it comes out of nowhere rather than acts as a true surprise.

However, that should not detract too much from Getty’s accomplishments here. There is consistently great description and an air of homelessness to the story. It is obviously in the past but an exact century or decade, even country, would be hard to pick. Far from being a problem, this is a virtue. It has the enchanting allure of allowing me to place the action in my own back garden, should I wish. This makes the horror later on seem all the more real.

Getty does the job: she portrays a small town and its culture down to minute detail. In the process, she creates a magical world on the border of history and place, a fairy town for a new fairy tale.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Violet Eyes by John Everson

August 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EYES
Violet Eyes by John Everson
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Contemporary, Horror
Length: Full Length (354 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Their bites are more than deadly…

The small town near the Everglades was supposed to offer Rachel and her son a fresh start. Instead it offered the start of a nightmare, when an unknown breed of flies migrated through the area, leaving painful bites in their wake. The media warned people to stay inside until the swarm passed. But the flies didn’t leave. And then the radios and TVs went silent.

That’s when the spiders came. Spiders that could spin a deadly web large enough to engulf an entire house overnight. Spiders that left stripped bones behind as they multiplied. Spiders that, like the flies, sought hungrily for tender flesh…through Violet Eyes.

There was something lurking in the dark forest of Sheila Key Island. It emerged from a scientific experiment. It forms a force both deathly and infectious that horrifyingly intersects with the lives of those living in Passanatte, Florida. Now the question is: Can it be contained?

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Billy has been experiencing severe headaches that simple Motrin can’t relieve. The towns people are noticing flies that attack leaving painful bites. Pets are going missing. Spider webs are taking over homes. The town is unknowingly under attack by the flies that bite and leave larva, which within a short time span the larva hatches into a multitude of spiders.

Violet Eyes is a edge of your seat thriller that had me running from every spider and fly that I saw. This book is not for the squeamish. This is a gripping scary story that gives an extended version of the television shows Infested and Monsters Inside of Me. John Everson built a convincing world that is believable, it kept me engrossed and it is so wonderfully written with descriptive gory details. Even though the mutation most likely isn’t possible the author did a wonderful job in making the story believable with his writing style, and making the story easy to follow. The novel flowed nicely and didn’t leave any unanswered questions.

This book is still a five star to me even with a few grammar mishaps and also towards the end of the book it was mentioned that they were traveling in a car, and then later it mentions they are in a SUV.. nothing incredibly important to the plot, just something that pulled me out of the story for a moment.  Violet Eyes is a very entertaining read, and I will definitely look for more writing from Mr. Everson and add him to my favorite author’s list.

I highly recommend Violet Eyes to anyone interest in reading a filling horror story. It is a must read from a talented writer. With such creativity, I found myself in the author’s imagination well after finishing the novel- scratching my head and wondering “what if…?”

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Witching House by Brian Moreland

August 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HOUSE
The Witching House by Brian Moreland
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (103 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Some houses should be left alone.

In 1972, twenty-five people were brutally murdered in one of the bloodiest massacres in Texas history. The mystery of who committed the killings remains unsolved.

Forty years later, Sarah Donovan is dating an exciting man, Dean Stratton. Sarah’s scared of just about everything—heights, tight places, the dark—but today she must confront all her fears, as she joins Dean and another couple on an exploring adventure. The old abandoned Blevins House, the scene of the gruesome massacre, is rumored to be haunted.

The two couples are about to discover the mysterious house has been waiting all these years, craving fresh prey. And down in the cellar they will encounter a monstrous creature that hungers for more than just human flesh.

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The only reason Sarah Donovan agrees to go on this trip is to impress her new boyfriend. I immediately questioned her judgement on this decision as she clearly doesn’t enjoy Urban Exploring or ghost hunting, and I couldn’t understand why such a sweet, kind woman would put herself in such an awkward position. Sarah isn’t the type of person to complain, though, and I was impressed by how quickly she adjusts to what the Ghost Squad are planning to do in the Blevins House.

I had difficultly understanding why Dean and Sarah are dating. Sarah seems to be using Dean as a rebound relationship after her divorce, but I was never sure why Dean would want to become emotionally involved with someone who fears so many of the things he loves. I hope their relationship lasts once the initial burst of sexual chemistry wanes, but these two characters share so little in common that I don’t think that is likely. Sarah and Dean easily could have been described as siblings or childhood friends instead without changing what happens later on in the plot, and I think making their relationship a platonic one would have made more sense given everything we learn about their personalities and interests.

The vivid descriptions of key rooms the Blevins House and the deliciously tense atmosphere made me feel like I was exploring everything alongside the Ghost Squad. While I was initially confused by why a seemingly-supernatural creature would still have the need to eat, watching this macabre plot unfold was so absorbing I brushed that question out of my mind until it was time for the answer to be revealed.

While all of the twists employed by The Witching House are standard for paranormal horror stories, there are a few surprises tucked away in unexpected places. I’d recommend this book to anyone who finds old, abandoned houses creepy or wonders what their moldy walls would say if they could speak.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

July 26, 2013 By 1 Comment

AFFLICTION
Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery, Horror
Length: Full Length (562 pgs)
Other: BDSM, M/F, M/F/M, Ménage, Multiple Partners, Fetish, Toys
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Some zombies are raised. Others must be put down. Just ask Anita Blake.

Before now, she would have considered them merely off-putting, never dangerous. Before now, she had never heard of any of them causing human beings to perish in agony. But that’s all changed.

Micah’s estranged father lies dying, rotting away inside from some strange ailment that has his doctors whispering about “zombie disease.”

Anita makes her living off of zombies—but these aren’t the kind she knows so well. These creatures hunt in daylight, and are as fast and strong as vampires. If they bite you, you become just like them. And round and round it goes…

Where will it stop?
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Affliction left me breathless and feeling like I’d read the adventure of a lifetime. This book had it all. If I was an adrenaline junky, this book had enough tense moments with volumes of flat out action that kept me on the edge of my seat that I felt I had received a serious fix. If I was a die-hard romantic, then this book made me feel like I’d found and lost amazing treasures – I was shocked, I was saddened and I was feeling the warm and fuzzies from some parts that were sappy and full of romance. If I was into some kinky sex, I would have found some serious satisfaction in the story too. This novel put them all together making it simply incredible and the absolute best writing that Laurell K. Hamilton has done in a long while. I’m simply blown away by the powerhouse that is Affliction.

Longtime fans of the Anita Blake series should be pleased with this book. It really does tap into the original grittiness and realism that originally captured my attention with the first Anita Blake novel I’d read years ago. Yes, there are some erotic moments in this story, even a new twist with Nicky that I’d never seen or heard of before, but it has a purpose here. It serves to explore and validate the strength of the declaration she makes in the book. It’s a bit extreme but seeing what kind of wereanimal Nicky was, it made perfect sense. It works. And it leaves no doubt as to the truth. I admit that it might squick some people out but I took it in the manner and context it was written in. These people aren’t human, and our rules and social mores don’t have weight. It makes that ‘otherness’ more real.

The villain was a huge surprise. He broke all the rules and threw Anita and the gang for a serious loop into the bizarre. The evil dude was bad to the bone and enjoyed every miserable moment he could inflict on everybody. I didn’t figure out that there was an actual agenda until the very end. Astounding! The conflict truly was like a roller coaster. There were sharp twists and turns, very low lows that made my stomach drop and highs that were a breath of fresh air, until the plot took that drastic plunge into more revelations, despair and sheer brutality that left me stunned. At one point, with one character, I had to walk away from the book. I was so upset. I felt nauseas because I was hyperventilating. I couldn’t believe what was happening and that Anita couldn’t save the day. I wanted her to save the day, needed her to, but the author knew what had to be done. The only reason I was affected so profoundly is a clear testament to Ms. Hamilton’s skill as a writer. In Affliction the writing is honed to such a sharp, thin edge; my feelings were cut and sliced, leaving my emotions flayed and frayed. It was master craftsmanship.

I was thrilled with seeing Jean-Claude away from home. I was sad for Micah because he was home. I got to see another side to Nathaniel I never suspected he had. I got to see how the Harlequin were integrating…or not. I learned something worrisome yet, when I thought about it, logical. When Anita found out she wasn’t too happy but then again, neither was I. Probably for the same reason. Men always think we need protecting and for most civilians, we do. But the heroine isn’t like me or other women I know – the guys forget that sometimes. Makes for interesting dialogue exchanges.

That’s another strong aspect – dialogue. Awesome to see Ed/Ted verbally sparring with Anita and showcasing just how unique their relationship is, and I enjoyed how the heroine deals with bigots and morons – especially when she plays them. One in particular deserved it. Name calling and verbal barbs are some of the things that made this tale seem real because it touched on how some guys, even professional and well trained, break down under stress. Believe me, there is a ton of stress for the police and SWAT in this story. I liked how the author showed the evolving of the working relationship between all the people who will eventually make a difference in the outcome.

This novel is filled to the brim with juicy information that I cannot mention. Of course that annoys me. This is the kind of book that I want to share, to discuss and ask if certain parts meant as much to someone else as it did to me. I want to share what I thought was funny, and there were moments that made me smile. A few had me laughing out loud, like the John Wayne references. It was so … personable and again, reinforced the feeling that these people could be real, somewhere. I just don’t want the zombies to be real. No. I hate zombies. Even though I don’t read books about zombies, the very unique and fascinating twist that Ms. Hamilton spins throughout Affliction made it utterly mesmerizing. The best zombie is a dead, dead zombie.

I rated this tale as a best book simply because it’s that awe-inspiring. A book has to take me to another place so completely, I lose track of time and myself. It has to make me want to shout at it -in a good way, because I can’t keep my emotions quietly inside; they have to burst forth, I have to share it with someone, anyone. It has to haunt me, making me sad that I’ve reached the end even though it was an emotionally exhausting journey to reach that final page. It’s the kind of book that made me stare at it and think, “This can’t be the end, there has to be more because so much has taken place and I can sense the ripple effects it’s left in my imagination”. One thing I can guarantee. This novel is going to hold a proud place on my keeper shelf. I’ve fallen in love with the series all over again. There’s no better kudos than that.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Skates by Mark Rigney

June 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

SKATES
The Skates by Mark Rigney
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (47 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A tragedy from the past that will not die.

Reverend Renner’s quiet, well-ordered Michigan life is turned upside down after he purchases a pair of nineteenth-century ice skates at a yard sale. First an enormous black dog takes to following him all over town, and then the skates attach themselves to his feet in the middle of the night. Frightened but curious, Renner seeks help from the one man he’d most like to avoid, ex-linebacker Dale Quist. Together, Renner and Quist work to unravel the mystery of the skates, a potentially fatal task that will lead them to England, and one of London’s greatest historical disasters.

Sometimes the past refuses to be forgotten.

Cognitive dysfunction (or brain fog) is defined as unusually poor mental function, generic levitra http://amerikabulteni.com/2012/01/11/new-hampshire-izlenimleri-sessiz-sedasiz-onsecim-ne-anlatiyor/ associated with confusion, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. Although it is not a direct threat to the life of intimacy & therein causes the improper balance of the online levitra india mind, body and the universe around us. This version is also available in many delicious savors such as mint, apple, cheap viagra for women orange, banana, strawberry, vanilla etc. Texas Online Driver Education offers you the best cheap viagra canada enjoyable results ever. Reverend Renner’s urge to discover what the antique skates are trying to tell him is so strong he can’t ignore it, but even before he takes them home strange things begin happening. Initially, I was taken aback by the idea of a slight, soft-spoken minister toying with paranormal forces, but the author’s vivid descriptions of what was happening to him soon lured me into the action. The pacing was so well executed that it felt like I was watching a movie play out in my mind instead of reading my way from beginning to end. What surprised me even more, though, was a briefly humorous scene during one of the tensest moments in the first half of the tale. I was not expecting to chuckle at that particular place and time, and it was a nice break from the building sense of dread I felt for the protagonists.

The plot would have flowed more smoothly had there been only one narrator for this piece. Switching between Reverend Renner’s and Dale Quist’s perspectives was a little jarring because I couldn’t always tell who was speaking. In a full length novel, readers have ample time to get to know the voices of multiple narrators, but for this particular short story this technique wasn’t as effective as choosing just one of them.

With that being said, Dale’s wry personality and extensive knowledge about haunted objects made me anticipate the scenes that were shown through his eyes. The brief glimpses we’re given of his work with the Grand Traverse Mentalist’s Club made me eager to learn more about how Dale and his fellow club members first became interested in communicating with the spirit world. I didn’t realize that The Skates was part of a series until I started writing my review, but it will be intriguing to see how Mr. Rigney develops all of the characters in this universe over time.

If The Skates is any indication of what is to come in the future, I can’t wait to see what exciting plot twists the sequels have in store. This is a great choice for readers who love being frightened but aren’t in the market for blood or gore. Why not try out a promising new series as it is first released?

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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