Ghost Files #2 #YA #Horror
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Ghost Files #2 is book two in this #YA #Horror series. I enjoyed #1 and downloaded this immediately to continue following the life of Mattie Hathaway, a reaper of souls. Mattie has been in the foster care system most of her life. She is just recovering from a violent attack. She is surrounded by friends; Officer Dan Richards, Dr Olivet, Mary, Meg and Eric a ghost.

Mattie can speak to ghosts, in fact she has abilities to help them cross over and she is a beacon to them, but it has its downsides as darker creatures also want her powers. Officer Dan is helping Mattie find out about her mother, he arrives to take her to her birthday party, but they are confronted by a demon. They only just escape in time and the party meal gets abandoned when it shows up again.

Dan and Mattie hole-up in Dan's flat, but even here Mattie is drawn to dangerous ghostly beings, but its a revelation from reliable Dan which breaks Mattie's heart and has her running away. She takes off to New Orleans to help Dr Olivet with a haunted house, but the City of the Dead is so full of ghosts who want help that Mattie is overwhelmed and passes out for three days.

Dr Olivet is working with the Malone family and they help Mattie to keep some of the ghosts at bay, but the house they are investigating holds some very strong evil characters who will stop at nothing to get to Mattie and her powers.

This series has a very compelling storyline, I really enjoy Mattie's sharp witty narration and there were some unexpected twists and turns which I enjoyed. I did want to learn more about some of the twists and storylines introduced and a couple of times I felt lost. For instance friends set up a party for you and you just leave and no one complains for follows it up? Mattie fears flying, yet next day she's flying to New Orleans? Throw in a handful of typos and this book was good, but not quite good enough. I'm sure more of the storylines I'm interested in will be explored in the next books in the series.

This book was purchased from Amazon.co.uk
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Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten!

A quick disclaimer before I begin: the author is one of my friends. Neither my rating nor my review have been influenced by this.

So I gave the first book of the Experiment in Terror series a try a few months ago and though I didn't care much for it then, I've found myself really wanting to read more about Perry and Dex's adventures these past few weeks. This novella has been sitting on my Kindle ever since I discovered it was free in the Amazon store and something about the yellowish sky as the sun set earlier made me decide now was the right time to read it. Short, sweet, and just as much fun as I expected it to be, The Benson has completely brought back my interest in continuing this series.

One of my problems with Darkhouse, the first Experiment in Terror novel, was Dex's character, but I was much more comfortable with him here. Perry's entertaining banter with him flows well and the dynamic they have, quit a bit of it influenced by their sexual tension, is fantastic. I was a little lost to begin with because this takes place after/references events from book two and I've only read book one, but I got into the groove soon enough and I think someone who hasn't read the series before might be able to do the same.

Stephen King's The Shining taught everyone to fear haunted hotels and The Benson is exactly the kind of hotel to fear. There aren't any men driven mad by the spirits of the hotel here, but The Benson is just as creepy. Halle establishes the atmosphere well with the ghost encounters and a hanging man that scared me almost as much as it scared poor Perry, who was trapped in the same room with it!

The only issues I have are some minor editing/writing snafus, like typos and some rough phrasing. That's it. Otherwise, their adventure through a haunted hotel, complete with evasive ghosts (when aren't they evasive?), is perfect reading for when one wants something fun, short, and creepy.

This novella only confirmed that I made a good choice when I decided to give this series a second try. I'm picking up Red Fox and the rest of the series (especially The Dex-Files; an incredibly sexy story from it companion novel helped reignite my interest in this series) as soon as possible.
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This book has convinced me that I need to create a new bookshelf: horror-romance. I haven't watched a true horror film since I watched The Exorcist by myself in the basement when I was a teen. Thankfully, I find reading horror slightly less scary. I think it is because there is no creepy music or shrill screaming upping the ante. The gore is still described but somehow seems less....oozy in print than picture. Veiled, by Karina Halle, is a demon-seeking-human type of terror that is tremendously high on the fright factor, but it also contains probably one of the hottest love scenes I've read all year. All I had to hear was, "You gorgeous girl," at just that moment in Jay's Irish brogue and I was sunk for this book.

Ada Palomino is the lead character. She is the younger sister of Perry Palomino, a main character in a slew of other Halle novels in the Experiment in Terror series. I haven't read those books, but there is a link and Ada's story is a spoiler for how that nine-book series ends. I was fine with how this was handled, but be forewarned. Ada is 18, coasting through the summer before college, publicly blogging about fashion, but privately barely hanging onto her mental health in the aftermath of the Experiment in Terror events. Things start going bump in the night, and Ada's hold on her psyche becomes even more tenuous. She is this interesting character transitioning from teen to adult because circumstances of life have forced her to, regardless of whether she is really ready or not. Luckily, the slang (twatwaffle?) and other new adult paraphernalia fall by the wayside as the horror envelops the plot. Ada is no child.

This novel managed to push all the right buttons for the kinds of things I find scariest. Demons are probably the most terrifying because they have such presence in Judeo-Christian religion and are directly sourced from the Bible. Halle immerses you in the horror version of this, complete with the Demon Legion attacking in multiple, disgusting ways. They want Ada, and are devious and determined to get her.

Her guide is a stranger in person but familiar in her dreams. Hunky Jay is a big brute of a red-head, with beautiful blue eyes. He is enigmatic and unconventional, especially for the hero figure of a paranormal book. He is there when she needs him....sometimes. The confusion about Jay is part of what keeps the suspense of this novel churning.

Probably my one complaint about this book is that we only heard the story from Ada's first-person perspective. I think Halle could have successfully incorporated Jay's perspective without diluting the suspense. I could see why Ada wants to "undo him as he undoes me." In turn, she is forbidden fruit to him.

"You're eighteen, Ada. Pretty sure you're allowed to have a man around you. Back in the day, you would have been my bride at sixteen." With that statement, I was thinking, "Who is this guy?" Well, read and find out.

I have to say I found myself impatient as I swiped the pages of this book, and I think that is the hallmark of a well-written suspense novel. 4.5 stars. [Plus, loved the book cover.]
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Its been 6 months since the chilling tale of The Keyhole House. Now Ashley and her daughter are back with Ashley's fiance and "adopted" daughter. This time on the search for a good college for the girls, they find themselves on yet another ghost mystery. The Rosewood house is home to something evil and it's left up to two of these 4 people to help the homeowners.

This book was a great follow up and added on to what was presented in the first Cypress Falls book. I really enjoy each of the characters and I really enjoyed this story. It was a chilling and captivating read. It kept me reading and enthralled from the first page.

I hope to read more from Cypress Falls and from such a talented author. ...Stormi
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Yes! Super paranormal and seriously creepy. The mystery was amazing and honestly a bit disturbing if you think about what happened. This is probably my favorite book in the series so far.
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*Book source ~ Purchased at Audible

Halloween is right around the corner and Chicago is experiencing some really weird things. Weird and bad. Murphy goes out of town for a little R&R and Harry gets sucked into the bad happenings in his town when Black Court vampire Mavra demands Harry bring her the Book of Kemmler or some incriminating photos of Murphy killing defenseless humans will be sent to the police. While looking for the book though Harry finds out something big and catastrophic is going down on Halloween night and its up to him to stop it. Since when is Harrys life ever easy?

My Guest Reviewers:

A ~ my 16-yr-old daughter
T ~ my 14-yr-old son
K ~ my 13-yr-old son

This series continues as a favorite. Everyone loves the magic and the humor as well as many of the characters. This book talks about necromancy and they enjoyed learning about how it works in the Dresden universe. The plot was a good one with twists, turns, new far-reaching plot points (such as about the War and info about the Erlking and the Wild Hunt) and imminent peril to Harry and it was extremely enjoyable to listen to. As far as narration goes, James Marsters has reached his stride and we would have a very hard time listening to another Dresden book if he wasn't narrating it.

Favorite characters besides Harry:
A ~ Ramirez, Bob and, of course, Mouse. She was disappointed Michael was not in this book.
T ~ Lasciel, Ramirez and Mouse
K ~ Sue and Mouse

Favorite moment:
A ~ Butters thought Harry was gay and theres a part towards the end with Bob and Sue that I won't mention due to spoiler avoidance
T ~ The whole part with Sue, Harrys threat to Mavra
K ~ The whole part with Sue

While there were many to choose from we whittled it down to a tie for favorite quote:

We are not going to die.
Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. Were not?
No. And do you know why? He shook his head. Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because Im too stubborn to die. I hauled on his shirt even harder. And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.

What's with that?' Butters screamed, his voice high and frightened. 'Just covering his head with his arms? Didn't he see the lawyer in the movie?
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I read the first book in under 2 hours and, quite frankly, was questioning my judgement in reading it home alone.
I read the second one within 2 hours also and was still unnerved- even without being home alone this time around. I came to the end of this one and quickly closed it, stealing a nervous glance around my room to make sure the possessed Sofia Flores wasn't going to jump out and attack me. It was fantasticly terrifying. I highly reccommend this sequel to anyone and everyone who loved the first book and is looking for a good follow up.
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I am slowing becomes a huge supernatural horror fan. The Possession of Cassie Quinn just reminds me of why I fell in love with this type of book. Honestly this book just totally freaked me out and made me have goosebumps most of the way through. So if your like me and like a good scare than I would definitely read this one but be sure to keep one eye open when you sleep. I know I did.

As the book begins we learn that Cassie's Mother has just gotten remarried to a man named Dave and is now stuck with a new step-sister, Ashleigh. Cassie and her little sister, Andie are forced to move away and live in a large house in the country with her new family. Cassie just wants to be done with the move and carry on with her now fractured life the best she can. Cassie begins having frightening and confusing dreams about something that happen in the house years ago. She'll find out that the house holds many secrets, ones too dark to be told. So when things become even weirder for her upon moving it she is all but happy.  In her bedroom she receive terrifying messages that is from beyond the grave. LEAVE! Someone or "something" does not want Cassie and her family to live there. With no one to turn to she begins to make friends with the local kids and discovers they are the key to finding out what really happen and what she can do to end this. But finding the truth may end up killing her or..... worse!

No spoilers there because I don't want to give away any of the good scary parts. I must say I was very surprised but how amazing the story was. I love a good scare but this just has me looking over my shoulder for a week after. The Author Kathryn Knutson really did a excellent job at making the me feel like I was right there with Cassie while the events were taking place around her. Cassie is a strong female protagonist and reading from her POV was much more thrilling than it would have been from a 3rd person POV. The book was short read but all the more reason to want to reach the end. The last few pages I found to scare me the most and was definitely a conclusion I was not suspecting.

The one and only thing that I did not care for was the pace of the book. I found myself stopping and coming back a lot. While the author's writing was very edgy and predominant it got a little choppy at times during the book. Other than that I would say I truly enjoyed the book and would love to read the next installment.

The Possession of Cassie Quinn is a beautifully hunting tale. A thrilling ride from start to finish. A MUST read for all supernatural/horror fans. This book left me with the chills long after the last page.
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Spoilers for those who have not read the first book.

I read Hush Hush and I didn't see what the big deal was. The angel mythology was different, the story was decent and creepy (okay, I liked the creepiness) but the relationship between Patch and Nora was so twisted, I didn't have words. For most of the book I'm like hello he is trying to kill you (therefore not to be trusted at all).

Any who, I wasn't in a big rush to read the second book and I sure in hell didn't want to pay full price for it, so I waited. Then I got into ebooks, which are a lot easier to just pick up and read here or there while I'm commuting or wait around. So I download Cresendo from my local library and I am glad I continued the story.

Cresendo picks up not to long after Hush Hush. It's summer and Nora is taking a summer class, hanging out with her best friend Vee and Patch and her are actually in a good. However after the first few chapters everything goes to complete s***. Once again Becca goes dark and creepy and I love it.

Nora and Patch are fighting, someone is out to kill her again, she's broke (no job, no money), she gets these weird creepy feelings, a guy she knew from childhood has come back into town and something is not right with him, and did I mention Nora thinks she sees her father, you know the one who was murdered not so long ago.

At this time we have background into the angelic world (because of the first book) so now we get to have a story line that has more action and mystery while we're trying to figure what the hell is happening and who is currently messing with Nora.

What I like:
There is a lot more action and mystery in this one, the story drew me in more and we get to know a little more about the angelic world. We got to see more of Nora and Vee, hanging out and being best friends. Also, did I mention the creepy factor, it is very creepy, love it.

What I don't like:
The interactions with Nora and Patch are so weird and Nora kind acts like a crazy girlfriend for a little while and I hate that. Also I really wish the relationship between Nora and Vee was shown even more and I wish the relationship was a little different. Vee at times was annoying and I'm like "what kind of friend is that" and I don't remember if she was like that in Hush Hush or not.

Overall 3.75 stars
Cresendo had a lot, there was dead dad sightings, spy-work, fighting, unexpected secrets, twists and turns, a death, a betrayal and an ending that leaves me saying "This cannot be good". I will be reading the next book in the series, Silence.
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Its spring break and Sam has to spend it with her uncle and his film crew on an isolated island in a haunted house. She usually spends it at her Nanas but her Nana passed away recently. Nana was her best friend someone she felt comfortable with. Sam has a hard time feeling comfortable and fitting in anywhere else.

Sam is dreading being alone with all these people in a haunted house and with the island being isolated not because she is afraid of ghost but because she is afraid her craziness will come out and she doesnt want her uncle thinking she is crazy nor does she want the whole world to know if something happens and it is caught on film maybe she can get her uncle to edit the film if anything crazy happens that is.

Sam has secret ability that she knows nothing about. I mean she doesnt know that it is an ability she thinks she is crazy as do her parents. Sam is afraid that being in a haunted house will cause her ability to come out and that is the last thing she wants. But with her uncle and his crew there to do their job to prove or disapprove that the house is truly haunted or not just may cause her ability to be known and they will think she is really crazy and lock her up again.

I don't read too many books about haunted houses but I do love movies about ghost and haunted houses and I love reading Kathleen Grogers books and when I read the summary or maybe even before I knew I had to read The Shattered Seam. I was not disappointed in anyway. I would like to suggest The Shattered Seam to anyone who loves a good story written by a great writer. I cant wait to start the next book The Silencing Seam. I cant wait to find out more about Kyle and Sam. What will their next adventure (or haunting) be?
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GENRE: Paranormal/Romance/Horror
THEME: Ghost
RECEIVED: For Review from Author
BLOG: [...]

REVIEW:
Okay so my first reaction to finishing this book was a long pause and then screaming "OH MY GOD!" Yep that was my initial reaction then I calmly put the book down and took a long breath, this was such a killer good fourth book in the Experiment in Terror Series.  Karina Halle really knows how to make me want to pull my hair out and frighten me at the same time with her ghost story.

Perry and Dex are back! But this time around Perry is getting herself into a different situation. The duo's next haunted expedition is taking place in Seattle where Dex lives and his so called "perfect" girlfriend wants Perry to stay with them while she works with Dex on the show.  But not only does Perry have to deal with their cutesy and argumentative relationship, she also has to deal with her own relationship with Dex and it's complicated. Then of course there's the ghost and this one is a scary one and she's from Dex's past and popping up everywhere. What really doesn't help the situation is that they're a shooting the next show in a mental institute, where everything seems to go wrong.

Pretty much each time Dex and Perry go to shoot a new episode it gets more insane, scarier and dangerous. I really feel bad for Perry most of the time because of course she gets the worst of it.  The mental institute is probably in my mind one of the scariest place that anyone would go to and hunt for ghost. What they find there is everything and more of what they were looking for and it's going to put them in major danger. Along with a competition ghost hunting show it really made for one awesome horror ride.

Perry I have to say is one hell of a girl, she deals with the ups and downs of everyone around her. Her parents are probably the worst parents ever, I don't like them at all but her sister is great and really supporting her the most. Then she has to deal with Jenn, the annoyingly perfect girlfriend of Dex, who is really not perfect. I felt for Perry, she held it together pretty well and really stuck up for herself and opened up a lot more this time around. Dex doesn't really make it easy for her to keep her emotions in when he really cares for her too.

The ghost are freaking scary, I swear as a fan of the television show ghost hunters I love this kind of stuff. But actually being there and hearing or even seeing ghost and the ones as creepy as in Lying Season I would be crying a lot. Lets just stay make sure your reading this one with the light on.

Overall I can't get enough of this series, Lying Season hands down was fantastic. Yes, there are some grammar errors but they really didn't bother me because I love this series.  The relationship with Dex and Perry just threw my heart around; I really love these two guys. They are both struggling in their own past lives but I'm pulling for them. The ending in this was insane and I was not prepared, so get prepared! I highly recommend this book!

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a mature young adult / adult story with very scary situations and fantastic mystery. I highly recommend this to fans of horror and paranormal enthusiast.
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I am not normally a suspense/thriller reader but gosh I really have enjoyed this series so far!  The first book was good and this was even better and MUCH creepier! I always stopped reading it about an hour before bed so I could sleep at night, however it's not a horror or gore scare, it's just creepy (IMO).

The first book posed about a thousand questions, but answered hardly any of them.  The good news is that we get a good chunk of our questions answered in this one, however not all of them which will keep you pining for the next book in the series. The 'relationship' in this book is fleshed out much better than in the first book, you can at least see why they might like one another, be attracted, etc, which I felt was very lacking with Devlin in the first book.  Can't wait to see which direction the next book goes and what's in store for poor Amelia, hopefully she gets some light in her life soon!
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This one is pretty scary. I like the part with the growl. If you like paranormal and want to be scared then this one will be enjoyed.
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The 411 by Maria:

We love horror movies but especially this new genre of takes on reality ghost shows where investigators head into various locations and give you a history of what happened there as well as their investigation. I am not going to lie; I am a big fan of these types of shows.

In Hollows Grove a bunch a paranormal investigation team explore an abandoned, haunted orphanage.  It takes a while before the "real" ghosts show up (midway through the movie). Before that the team are setting up their shots and scaring each other.

I definitely jump twice but shook about 5 times and I think that was because of the audio. There was a lot of whispering or low talking and suddenly there would be the loudest sound.

The effects of the "ghost children" were fair but part of me wishes there was more interaction.

The coolest scene shows about 5 or 6 children walking toward the investigators but only one of them can see it.

Bravo Craig. I loved it!
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Holy creepiness! That opening scene seriously gave me chills! The whole idea behind the story is just so dark and disturbing, but there is a lighthearted bit with a ghost cat "adopting" Sonja. I do wish the cat had more scenes, though. My only issue with the book was that they mystery wasn't fully solved at the end.
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Spirits cant step over or navigate crooked pathways. A superstitious community would have been especially cautious with suicides. The ghosts of those who take their own lives are considered notorious wanderers. That probably explains the high walls that surround the cemetery. In the old days, they would have buried the bodies facedown to disorient them.
  The things you know.

Overall I like this series. It has this eerie quality to it and I really enjoy the southern drawl of a book, Im pretty sure a book can have a southern drawl. It is this slow and easy almost swaying in the wind kind of vibe sometimes.

I probably should have reread the other books going into this one though. I had forgotten a lot of things about the secret order of the Coffin and the Claw and how Devlin was involved with them in the first place. I just felt like I was playing catch up a little too much. So if you can reread at least the last book going into this one.

I was really hoping that after the events of the last book that Devlin would be a believer of at least some things supernatural but he is still forever the skeptic and the fist half of the story I felt like Amelia told me a million times how they were drifting apart. I mean a small part was shown but overall it was just her telling the reader that things weren't perfect between them. Which was sometimes strange as you could tell how much Devlin cared about her but it is a weird relationship where both parties seemed to be keeping all kinds of secrets from the other and you knew some big thing would have to happen for them to either start really trusting each other with everything in their lives or that a split would happen.

I have read the other books for the ghost stories but also for the forbidden romance of Amelia and Devlin so I really hope they work that out. But because of the slow paced nature of the book it seemed to take a long time for things to really get going.

But there are ghosts and a mystery to solve. We also have Amelia who has not let the other side know she can see them and that comes with a whole new bag of troubles as the spiritual realm keeps trying to contact her and she isn't she if they are friend or foe. Still that whole story was extremely interesting and I loved learning more about her special powers and what they are evolving into.

In Short - I really liked the ghost storyline of this but the relationship aspect left me wanting a lot more. I know the next book is out but I think Ill wait until #6 is also done so I can read them back to back. I think that one is supposed to close out this storyline.

The 2 star deduction is for the meandering that we have to endure and repetition of the relationship angst.
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Oh this is unfinished!! lol. Okay, I must say its getting better. Dex and Perry have a mission! Ghosts are a thing of the past. They have something far more scarier than what they expected. At least this will question their beliefs. Are there some secret feelings finally beginning to reveal itself from Dex? who knows ....... on to the next book