Review: 'The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart' by Leanna Renee Hieber

WARNING: This review contains spoilers if you have not yet read "Darker Still", 

the first volume of Natalie Stewart's story.

But just as the witches in Macbeth proclaim:
"Something wicked this way comes,"
there's no avoiding it.
But that doesn't mean I have to submit.

Jonathan, Lord Denbury, has been freed from the painting and the demon possessing his body forced out by the combined efforts of Natalie and her friend, Mrs. North.  The painting has been destroyed.  Not everything is resolved, however,  and Jonathan is wanted by the police for actions his body committed while possessed.  Natalie hopes that the painting's destruction signaled the end of the supernatural chapter of her and Jonathan's lives.  But when Natalie and Jonathan discover that there is a new darkness brewing in the City That Never Sleeps they must muster the courage and fortitude to stop a madman from trapping the souls of the dead.

Add another well-written, suspenseful novel to the newer cannon of YA Gothic literature.  Hieber continues to weave Natalie's story while introducing new characters and new supernatural elements that  readers will hope to see in future novels.  Natalie continues to grow into her newly discovered voice, as well as into her supernatural abilities, and must learn to balance her independence and family obligations.  Her struggle makes Natalie a character that teen girls can relate to even though her adventures are anything but ordinary.  Another strength of this novel is the historical detail, the setting is as important as the characters.  Nineteenth-century New York City is beautifully depicted in all its industrial glory which makes Hieber's novels a wonderful introduction to that time period.  Romance, mystery and supernatural evil abound in Hieber's newest novel, giving readers everything they could ask for in a book.  Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 1, 2012

Book Source: Sourcebooks, courtesy of Lauren Walker - Thank you Lauren!
Reviewed by: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 14+ for some creepy scenes

Recommended for Readers of:

Program: Ghost Hunting 101 for Teens

Now that Summer Reading is finished (whew!) and school is just about back in session it is time to look at Fall programming.  For me, this means hosting a series of programs around my SECOND FAVORITE holiday - Halloween!

One of the program I am super-excited about for Fall 2012 is my Ghost Hunting 101 program, which is easy, inexpensive and sure to be a hit with the teenage crowd.  All you have to do is reach out to a local paranormal investigations group (in my case Houston Paranormal Investigations) and inquire about visiting the library.  Most groups are very willing to share their knowledge and love answering questions teens have about the paranormal, ghost hunting and the equipment they use.  What better way to get in the spooky spirit than talking with real-life ghost hunters?

Books to Set the Mood:
Texas Ghosts: Galveston, Houston, and Vicinity by Olyve Hallmark Abbott ISBN: 978-07643341
The Everything Ghost Hunting Book: Tips, tools, and techniques for exploring the supernatural world by Melissa Martin Ellis ISBN:978-1598699203

The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader ISBN: 978-0547258294

Ghost Files: The Collected Cases from Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits by Jason Hawes ISBN:

Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places by Brad Steiger ISBN: 978-1578591466
Ghosts Along the Texas Coast by Docia Williams ISBN: 978-1556223778

Films to Set the Tone:
Ghostbusters 1 & 2
The Haunting
The Others
Poltergeist
White Noise

Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

It's the Suicide Forest.  I'm walking through the fucking Suicide Forest with

two witches, and a knife that flashes to the dead like a damn lighthouse.

Available August 2012

Anna Korlov was dead long before Cas Lowood met and fell in love with her and he knows he should be moving on. But he can't. In the months since Anna Dressed in Blood dragged the Obeahman into Hell, Cas finds himself haunted by a specter he can't slay. He sees Anna everywhere; asleep or awake she appears, visible only to him and seemingly caught in some tortuous circle of punishment that leaves her unable to truly rest in peace. Cas is determined to discover what kind of underworld Anna has become trapped in and rescue her from her torment.  But opening the door between worlds requires a steep price, one that Cas cannot pay alone.

With her trademark blend of creepy images and relatable characters, Kendare Blake continues the story of Anna Korlov, ghost, and Cas Lowood, ghost hunter, in her newest novel Girl of Nightmares.  I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant when I heard that Anna Dressed in Blood was going to have a companion novel, I loved the first book so much that I was concerned another novel set in that world would fall short.  But Girl of Nightmares lives up to it's predecessor and provides the reader with another intriguing chapter in the life of Cas Lowood and his friends.

Girl of Nightmares has all the elements of horror and paranormal mystery that readers expect.  The writing is vivid and evocative without being overdone and the voice of Cas is jarringly authentic. One of my biggest complaints about paranormal/horror mysteries, as a genre, is that characters involved in that type of world rarely show signs of PTSD or stress related to their constant battles (both mental and physical). Blake creates characters that could, and might even, be at any high school.  Her characters are real and the events of their lives impact their mental, emotional and physical health. Cas's suffering makes him real.  When haunted by visions of Anna being slowly torn to shreds or burned alive, Cas does not automatically assume a paranormal root, but that may be images created by his own scarred psyche.

Blake knows how to give the reader just enough detail to make them create their own personal horror that will haunt their brains long after the book is finished and the light turned out.  Highly recommended.

**These books should be read in order.**

Book Source: ARC courtesy of Tor Teen
Reviewer: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 14+ Some profanity & disturbing images.

Recommended for Readers of: 

DANIEL WATERS ARC GIVEAWAY!

SEE GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW

One lucky reader will win an ARC of Daniel Waters's uber-creepy forthcoming title.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: 'A Certain Slant of Light' by Laura Whitcomb

Helen has been dead for more than a hundred years and has passed the time haunting individuals – most recently Mr. Brown, a high school English teacher. While accompanying Mr. Brown to school one day, Helen notices a boy, James, noticing her; something that should be impossible. But there is more to this boy than there seems and he and Helen soon embark on an incredible journey of self discovery, second chances and redemption.

Helen's personality blends innocence and worldliness in an intriguing combination while James balances her innocence with passion and emotion.  This novel is about more than just redemption, it is about accepting yourself and making a conscious choice to live the life you choose.  Emotion is this novel's strength as Whitcomb puts the reader inside the head and heart of Helen and James.  Somehow this novel balances aspects of a star-crossed lover tale as well as a heartwarming romance without giving in to the sappy language often found in YA literature.    Poignant, bittersweet and beautifully crafted, “A Certain Slant of Light” is incredibly touching novel that will impact readers long after the book is finished.

Book Source: Local Library
Reviewer: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 16+ Drug use, sexual situations

Recommended for Readers of:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter	If I Stay by Gayle Forman	Impulse by Ellen Hopkins	I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Step Aside Winchester Brothers, There's a New Guy in Town

For some reason I've been on a horror kick recently and have read some truly disturbing YA novels.  The most chilling read I've had lately is:
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas Lowood has unusual skill.  Like his father before him, he kills the dead.

Since his father's death at the hands of a powerful spirit, Cas has taken up the family knife and carried on the tradition of ridding the world of malevolent ghosts.  Everything changes when Cas receives information about an unusual ghost, Anna Dressed in Blood, who has more kills to her name than any spirit Cas has come across.  Suddenly the past comes back to haunt Cas and he must rely on new friends if he plans to survive the fight with Anna.

Kendare Blake has created a world in which things that go bump in the night are very real and likely to kill you.  Cas is an interesting and wonderfully flawed hero, while Anna's character opens the story to new directions that the reader doesn't expect.  Secondary characters are just as important and well-developed and help bring Blake's world to life.  Anna Dressed in Blood perfectly balances horror, action and emotion to leave the reader anxiously waiting for the next volume.

Recommended for readers of:

Robert Liparulo, Stephen King, Richard Yancey, Maureen Johnson

Bloody Anna is a Bloody Good Read

Anna Dressed in Blood is one of the most original, deeply creepy and engrossing novels I’ve read recently.  The story certainly lives up to the eeriness of the cover art and is an interesting mix of supernatural horror and forbidden attraction.

High school student Cas Lowood has spent the last several years hunting ghosts, carrying on the family tradition that resulted in the death of his father.  The reader is introduced to Cas while he is on the trail of a ghostly hitchhiker who sends cars off the bridge and into the river where his body was dumped.  That “kill” is ordinary and Cas quickly starts looking for the next specter causing trouble.  When Cas hears about Anna Dressed In Blood, who has been haunting and killing since the 1950s and he feels compelled to investigate.  But none of his experience has prepared him for the reality of Anna and when Cas actually comes face-to-face with her all bets are off.

I’ll be honest – this book actually gave me a few nightmares.  Not because of Anna; she is intriguing and tormented and freaky yes, but there is another character that I truly gave me the chills.  Readers will feel compelled to finish this book in one sitting so as not to be too overcome by the death-by-ghost possibilities.  Kendare Blake is a talented writer who’s second novel bursts onto the YA Paranormal scene with a bewitching tale.