Book Babe: paranormal

Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts

Monday, October 15, 2018

The Witch of Willow Hall: The Coming of Age of a Witch

Although I read a great many novels involving paranormal elements, I usually don't blog about them on Flying High Reviews even when they have female protagonists that could be considered strong. There are several reasons why I decided that this review belongs here. One is that The Witch of Willow Hall is historical, another is that it's primarily a romance and finally October is the month of Halloween. So I thought the readers of this blog might be interested in a seasonal historical romance about a witch. I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley.

I tend to be inclined to try out new writers. Every year I find debut novels that show potential. I hoped that The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox would be one of them.

The best aspect of this novel is the protagonist's character growth. Lydia is the middle daughter in a family with a heritage of witchcraft. Despite taking place in 19th century Massachusetts, this initially seemed to have a great deal in common with the TV series Charmed about three sisters who were witches from a long line of magical practitioners which takes place in a contemporary context. Charmed just rebooted with a very current approach and a new set of sisters on the CW network. There are some major differences between The Witch of Willow Hall and Charmed. In the book that is the subject of this review, there weren't three paranormally gifted sisters, and there was no one to train those who did have gifts. Lydia was pretty much on her own coming to grips with her powers, and the ghosts at Willow Hall. This meant that she needed to become very strong and independent, and that's exactly the direction in which she evolved over the course of the narrative.

Since Hester Fox's book is a romance, it focused on the impact that being a witch had on Lydia's relationships--particularly her relationships with the men in her life, and the poisoned relationship with her elder sister Catherine who apparently had no powers, and perceived herself as being in competition with Lydia. It seemed to me that Catherine wasn't sufficiently developed, but Lydia herself and the man who emerged as the romantic hero more than made up for Catherine's deficiencies in character development.

I think it's possible that Hester Fox will write better books in the future, and that The Witch of Willow Hall certainly works for historical romance fans who are looking for a Halloween read.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Ghost Talkers: A Novel Depicting A Secret Paranormal Aspect of WWI

My reviews on this blog dealing with Madame Presidentess about Victoria Woodhull and The Witch of Napoli here , show my interest in spiritualist mediums. This is why I wanted to read and review Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal. The premise is that during WWI the British secretly utilized mediums to pass on information from recently dead soldiers to military authorities. This is an extraordinary concept. So I thought it would make for a highly unusual novel.

Ghost Talkers reflects the world wide predominance of women among spirit mediums. This doesn't mean that it's impossible for men to be mediums. There actually are male mediums shown in this novel, but mediums are usually women. The reasons are largely based on cultural traditions and gender stereotypes. Mediums must be receptive to spirits. That ability to be receptive is a strength in the context of mediumship, not a weakness. Gifted men must overcome the idea that receptivity is unmasculine in order to accept that they are mediums.

Kowal presents mediumship as a way for women to play an important role in the war. It was not the only role that women played in WWI. We know that women were nurses, ambulance drivers and espionage agents. There were also woman pilots in WWI. See Inspirational Women of World War I. Ghost Talkers does include nurses, and Kowal prominently mentions ambulance drivers in her historical note.

The women in the British medium corps are presented as strong individuals. It's mentioned that some were Afro-Caribbean immigrants. One Afro-Caribbean medium was a named minor character. Yet the main protagonist was Ginger Stuyvesant, an American whose mother was English. I ended up respecting Ginger for her courage.   Her romance with British Captain Ben Hadford is very central to the plot, and her last scene with him was very moving.

I give this book an A for originality. It may be a candidate for my favorite read of 2017, but it's much too early in the year to know that for certain. It would be wonderful if Mary Robinette Kowal wrote further about the women of the medium corps.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Wolf By Wolf--Can Our Heroine Kill Hitler?

If this blog is about anything it's about female protagonists like Yael in Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin. Yael is a teen who is a concentration camp survivor in an alternate world where Hitler won World War II. She escaped the camp using a paranormal power that allows her to assume new identities easily, but she still has concentration camp numbers on her arm that can't be removed. She elected to cover them with wolf tattoos. So she is in the process of concealing her past and her former identity wolf by wolf.

Needless to say, Yael's gift is very useful to the resistance movement against Hitler.   They developed a scheme that involves Yael becoming Adele Wolfe, a female motorcycle racing champion, and winning the Third Reich's biggest race in order to be able to get close enough to Hitler to take him out. It's a complex and risky plan.   It requires courage, persistence and constant vigilance. In this world spanning race from Berlin to Tokyo, Yael can't relax for an instant or ever fully trust any of her competitors.

The novel includes flashbacks to Yael's past. We learn how she acquired her paranormal power and the emotional impact of her terrible experiences. At one point, Yael realized that she hadn't been herself in so long that she'd forgotten what she looked like.   She tries to hang on to her sense of herself by using the very thing that is concealing who she used to be. For Yael, each wolf tattoo represents someone who had been important to her. I empathized with Yael's desperate inner struggle to preserve her identity while she is pretending to be someone else.

The ending of Wolf by Wolf is unexpected. Although this alternate world's situation isn't fully resolved, there is hope for the future. Having hope in such grim circumstances is enough for me. I am willing to wait for the 2016 sequel to discover the fate of Yael and her universe. I want to believe that she will be as inspiring in the second book as she was in the first.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Falling in love with a ghost who was also a serial killer? The Last Kiss Goodbye by Karen Robards

I was intrigued right away when I came across this book. It was my first time reading the author. This book was actually the second book in the series, which I didn't know when I bought it and started to read. However, it read fine and I didn't feel like I needed book one. I will probably go back and read the first however to see how she got involved with the ghost, Micheal, in the first place.

This book follows Charlie as she is helping catch a serial killer titled The Gingerbread Man. He strikes just twice a year, capturing 3 people at a time, and allowing one to live...the one who chooses to kill the other to so that person can be free. He sets them in weird situations, such as in a well with water filling, etc. He also provides the murder weapon.

As I read this, I was of course trying to figure out who the killer was, but there is another story plot going along as well. Charlie starts with a ghost named Micheal and he was a convicted serial killer who was on death row and now follows her. Only she is beginning to think he was innocent and wants to prove it. She's falling for him and he is for her. His portal is closed and he has to stay within 50 feet of her all the time. The two have a lot of flirty banter and somehow Micheal figures out how to be an object so they get one heated night together.

Micheal and Charlie's connection made the story. That is the reason I will go back and read book 1, because I want to know how she came to be with this ghost. Then I can move onto the last book in the series.

I found the writing to be good. There were some parts that seemed to drag and little scenes I wasn't sure added much to the story, but over all, a good book and I will be reading more of this author.

Lacey's Rating

About The Book:

Dr. Charlotte “Charlie” Stone has dedicated her career as a psychiatrist to exploring the darkest territory of all: the hearts and minds of serial killers. It’s a job she’s uniquely suited for, thanks to the secret talent that gives her an uncanny edge—Charlie can see dead people, whose tormented spirits cry out to her for the justice only she can provide. This blessing—or curse—gives Charlie the power to hunt down and catch madmen and murderers. It’s also turned her love life upside down by drawing her into a hopelessly passionate relationship with the lingering ghost of charismatic bad boy Michael Garland.

But there’s little time for romance with her supernatural suitor when murder comes pounding at Charlie’s door in the form of a terrified young woman fleeing a homicidal maniac. Saving her life places Charlie squarely in the cross-hairs of a sadistic predator nicknamed “the Gingerbread Man,” notorious for manipulating his victims like pawns in a deadly chess game. And now the queen this psychopath’s bent on capturing is Charlie. Refusal to play will only put more innocent lives in danger. Matching wits with this cunningly twisted opponent will require all of Charlie’s training and expert skills. But even with her devilish “guardian angel”—not to mention her favorite flesh-and-blood Fed, Tony Bartoli—watching her beautiful back, the Gingerbread Man’s horrifying grin might be the last thing Charlie ever sees.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

A Girl Who Can See the Ghosts That Were murdered by a Serial Killer - The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker

I picked up the first book in this series for 3 reasons. One, I just signed with the publisher and I wanted to check out some of their books. Two, it looked different and I needed a little change. Three, it was FREE. Who doesn't like free?

I loved this book. It sucked me in and I had to find out what happened. The heroine of the story, Mattie, is a foster kid who can see ghosts. After a near death experience as a child (her mom tried to kill her by stabbing), she has the ability to see ghosts, but she pretends they aren't there until her foster sister comes to her.

No one wants to believe her when she tells people her sister has been kidnapped because the girl has run away from foster homes before. One adult officer named Dan does believe Mattie, and together they begin to solve the crime of what happened to her foster sister and the other kids that have been coming to her. Turns out, there is a serial killer on the loose.

This is a young adult book and there is no romance in it. There is a lot of suspense, and you'll be flipping the pages to see what comes next. I will say, I had a pretty good idea who the killer was from the beginning. It could be that I'm a writer myself, so I can get into an authors head and know where they are going. The book is being made into a movie and I can see why. The author, Apryl Baker, tells a very good story. Her writing flows well. I will definitely be picking up the next in the series to see what kind of adventure Mattie has next.

Lacey's Rating:

About The Book:

Cherry blossom lipstick: check
Smokey eyes: check
Skinny jeans: check
Dead kid in the mirror: check

For sixteen year old Mattie Hathaway, this is her normal everyday routine. She’s been able to see ghosts since her mother tried to murder her when she was five years old. No way does she want anyone to know she can talk to spooks. Being a foster kid is hard enough without being labeled a freak too.

Normally, she just ignores the ghosts and they go away. That is until she see’s the ghost of her foster sister… Sally.

Everyone thinks Sally’s just another runaway, but Mattie knows the truth—she’s dead. Murdered. Mattie feels like she has to help Sally, but she can’t do it alone. Against her better judgment, she teams up with a young policeman, Officer Dan, and together they set out to discover the real truth behind Sally’s disappearance.

Only to find out she’s dealing with a much bigger problem, a serial killer, and she may be the next victim…

Will Mattie be able to find out the truth before the killer finds her?

Monday, January 5, 2015

A Grave Inheritance

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Publication Date: December 1, 2014

Carina Press

eBook; ASIN: B00OHV6MFA

Series: Goddess Born

Genre: Historical/Paranormal/New Adult/Romance

Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London's most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid's fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.

*****REVIEW*****

When I've read the first book, I usually evaluate a sequel on whether it develops the author's premise further.   This is an aspect of A Grave Inheritance that I would judge successful.   When Selah Kilbrid travels from Pennsylvania to London, she encounters other goddess born with different gifts, and even a different goddess. There are also new abilities and possibilities available to her as a child of Brigid that she had never imagined. For Selah, the Old World opens a new world of experiences.

I admit that I hadn't expected originality because the aristocracy of Georgian England is a well-trod territory for historical romance. I am not really interested in the lives of aristocrats in any period. I preferred the first book because the Pennsylvania Quaker environment was so unexpected for a novel in this category. Yet I did find several characters in this book that I considered remarkable--particularly Lady Dinley who I very much enjoyed.

As in the first novel, there were also predictable elements involving traditional romance relationship character dynamics. From a romance perspective, there is nothing I found unusual in this novel. There is a suspended HEA, but this is consistent with an ongoing series primarily focusing on one relationship.

Unfortunately, the storyline in this second novel wasn't resolved. There is a cliffhanger ending.   It might be advisable to put off reading this book until the third novel is available. The cliffhanger caused me to rate this book lower than I would have if the ending had been more satisfying.

The publisher provided this book to me for free in return for this honest review.

Buy the eBook

Amazon UK

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About the Author

Kari Edgren is the author of the Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the Amazon Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms. Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as there’s a spark of paranormal. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Sign Up for Kari Edgren’s Newsletter.

A Grave Inheritance Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 2

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, December 4

Review at A Book Geek

Review at I'd So Rather Be Reading

Friday, December 5

Spotlight at The Reader's Hollow

Monday, December 9

Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, December 11

Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Monday, December 22

Review at The Mad Reviewer

Friday, December 26

Review at The Book Nerd

Monday, December 29

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, December 30

Review at 100 Pages a Day - Stephanie's Book Reviews

Thursday, January 1

Review at Mel's Shelves

Friday, January 2

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, January 5

Review at Book Babe

Review at The True Book Addict

Friday, January 9

Review at Romantic Historical Reviews

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Goddess Born: A Magically Gifted Healer Faces Witch Hysteria in 18th Century Pennsylvania

In colonial America the concept of an ethical magical practitioner didn’t exist. There was no vocabulary that would allow people to discuss such a person, and therefore no way to even imagine that someone like the protagonist of Goddess Born could be real. Selah Kilbrid was a healer and midwife in a predominately Quaker town in Pennsylvania, but she was also secretly a descendant of the Goddess Brigid who gave her super-human powers to heal magically. In modern parlance, I would characterize Selah as a priestess of Brigid. In 1730 the full truth about Selah could never be known because she would be condemned as a witch. Selah is forced to take some highly unusual steps to escape this accusation. Historically, colonial witch hysteria targeted people who didn’t practice magic at all with the possible exception of the slave Tituba, but Goddess Born by Kari Edgren is a historical paranormal romance. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

We generally associate Puritans with colonial witch hysteria, not Quakers. Since Quakers are supposed to be non-violent and officially did not believe in witchcraft, it’s hard to imagine that the lodging of a formal accusation of witchcraft would have arisen in Pennsylvania during that time period. Yet it actually did happen once. See Pennsylvania's Only Witch Trial on the website Quakers in the World to learn more.

This has been a year in which I’ve discovered historical Quakers engaging in activities that are against Quaker principles. In Slavery and the Meetinghouse by Ryan P. Jordan, which I reviewed on my blog at http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2014/08/slavery-and-meetinghouse-complex.html, I read about Quaker abolitionists who carried guns and even some Quakers who fought in the Civil War. These are Quakers that I had never envisaged. The modern Quakers that I’ve encountered have been strong proponents of non-violence. Now Kari Edgren has asked me to contemplate 18^th century Quakers persecuting a young woman who had benefited many members of her community. Do I think it’s believable? Unfortunately, I do. There was another novel that I read some time ago which causes me to find Goddess Born credible. It was Impassioned Clay by Stevie Davies (1999) which deals with Quakers persecuting women as heretics in 17^th century England. Stevie Davies is a historian who also wrote a non-fiction book called Unbridled Spirits which, as one of the reviews on Goodreads points out, contains some Quaker women. For more information about Stevie Davies, see her website at http://www.steviedavies.com/.

This book does contain some predictable elements that are due to its being a romance. Romance readers will want to know whether it adheres to the rule that every romance must end with HEA. I have to tell them that it isn’t quite HEA. Goddess Born ends with the chance of HEA which could be setting up for a sequel. A sequel would justify a delayed HEA. I found the ending a satisfying one. It resolves the Pennsylvania story line. I also enjoyed both the heroine and the hero. The heroine was unusual and the hero turned out to be both courageous and principled.

***

The power to heal is her divine gift, the fear of discovery, her mortal curse.

Selah Kilbrid is caught between two worlds. A direct descendant of the Celtic goddess Brigid, she is bound by Tuatha Dé law to help those in need. Yet as a human, she must keep her unique abilities hidden or risk being charged for a witch. In 1730 Pennsylvania, the Quaker community of Hopewell has become a haven for religious freedom—and fanaticism—and there are those who would see her hanged if the truth were revealed.

For eighteen years, Selah safely navigates the narrow gap between duty and self-preservation, until the day a prominent minister uncovers her secret. Obsessed with her power, Nathan Crowley disregards her betrothal to a distant cousin from Ireland and demands marriage in exchange for his silence. Selah stalls for time, but when news reaches the Colonies of her cousin’s death, time has run out.

Rather than submit to Nathan, Selah coerces a stranger to pose as her husband. It’s a good plan—her only plan—even though Henry Alan harbors his own dark secrets. But when she returns to Hopewell a married woman, the real fight has just begun. As unseen forces move against her, Selah doesn’t know which poses the greater danger—a malignant shadow closing in from outside or the internal fire that threatens to consume her heart.

Book Two in the Goddess Born series will be published in November 2014 and Book Three in June 2015.

Buy the eBook

Barnes & Noble

Carina Press

***

About the Author

Kari Edgren did not dream of becoming a writer. Instead, she dreamed of everything else and was often made to stay inside during kindergarten recess to practice her letters. Despite doting parents and a decent school system, Ms. Edgren managed to make it through elementary school having completed only one book cover to cover – The Box Car Children, which she read approximately forty-seven times. Things improved during high school, but not until she read Gabrielle Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude in college, did she truly understand the power of a book.

Ms. Edgren aspires to be a Vulcan, a world-acclaimed opera singer, and two inches taller. She resides in the Pacific NW where she spends a great deal of time torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts. Ms. Edgren hasn’t stopped dreaming, but has finally mastered her letters enough to put the stories on paper.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, andGoodreads.