Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore by Lori Bonfitto

October 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment

PARK
Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore by Lori Bonfitto
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary, Horror, Holiday
Length: Full Length (236 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A telekinetic teenager. A doomed ocean liner. A haunted bed & breakfast. A zombie-fighting real estate developer. These are but a few of the eerie people, places and things that go bump in the pages of Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore.

Spanning six decades, Asbury Dark will thrill and delight anyone who’s ever ridden the rides on the fabled boardwalk, searched for Bruce at The Stone Pony, or shambled along in the Zombie March.
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Mystery and suspense author Lori Bonfitto delivers seven unforgettable tales of fright and fantasy, transforming Asbury Park from a nostalgic playland into a world fraught with obsession, reincarnation, and the paranormal.

Get ready to be scared.

“Dead and Breakfast” shows what happens when a woman teams up with her cousin and his friend to flip an old house. Few things go as planned when home renovations are mixed with a fickle real estate market. I was surprised by how many plot twists I didn’t see coming in this one. They all make perfect sense based on what I’d figured out about the characters. This is the kind of storytelling that keeps me coming back for more.

Some stories in this collection were much longer than I expected them to be, especially “Harbinger.” In it a businessman who is putting off his retirement sees something terrifying on his morning commute that is invisible to everyone else around him. His attempts to figure out what he’s seeing and why no one else can see it kept me guessing until the end. The premise would have worked equally well expanded into a novel or contracted into something that only takes up a few pages. It would have been slightly less scary but still satisfying in the shorter version due to what would have needed to be cut out. The novella format didn’t leave quite enough room to fully explore all of the themes that are included. This pattern repeated itself a few different times and was my major reason for not selecting a higher rating.

If I had to pick one favorite, it would be “Waves.” The plot follows a couple named Denise and Steve whose young daughter has begun remembering things she couldn’t possibly know. I had an inkling of what might be going on fairly quickly, but the dialogue was so entertaining that I didn’t mind knowing what was happening so soon. Strong, even pacing also kept my interest high. The incredible ending is what really made a fan of this tale though!

I’d recommend Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore to anyone who likes a little social commentary mixed in with their science fiction.

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

The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

October 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FLIP
The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (389 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Julie and Brad Evans are house flippers. They buy low, clean out the old occupants’ junk, and try to make a profit. Enter Hemmings House on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Too good a deal to pass up, but with an ominous secret. The old Victorian Mansion has dwellers that do not want to be dispossessed. As the house reveals it’s past, will the couple’s marriage survive The Flip?

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I liked both the main characters, Julie and Brad. I think most of us can relate to them and their need to make some extra money. In the case of this couple, they’ve been flipping houses. Not smooth sailing but nothing like the house they’ve just purchased. I loved the setting of this story and I could visualize Brad in the house, tearing away at the walls, and discovering more things about the house.

The only thing I didn’t like about this story was the weaving of Brad’s point of view with those of the ghosts, it was a bit jarring at times, and also it wasn’t until later that the book switches back to 1862 where the real tale of the story is unfolded and we learn who these inhabitants are.

I did like that their story was part of the actual history of the area and era which made for some interesting reading. The last third of the book really picked up the pace and I found myself turning the pages just to see if these two would make it out alive, or if the ghosts would destroy them and also the house.

The secondary characters are entertaining too and the dialogue very natural sounding. 398 pages might sound like a daunting read for some people, but the print is large and the pacing quick so even if you’re short on time it’s not a problem. If you love a haunted house story, The Flip is probably a good pick for you.

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

Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski

September 17, 2014 By 2 Comments

JONES
Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing=
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Historical
Length: Full Length (233 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Braineater Jones wakes up face down in a swimming pool with no memory of his former life, how he died, or why he’s now a zombie. With a smart-aleck severed head as a partner, Jones descends into the undead ghetto to solve his own murder.

But Jones’s investigation is complicated by his crippling addiction to human flesh. Like all walking corpses, he discovers that only a stiff drink can soothe his cravings. Unfortunately, finding liquor during Prohibition is costly and dangerous. From his Mason jar, the cantankerous Old Man rules the only speakeasy in the city that caters to the postmortem crowd.

As the booze, blood, and clues coagulate, Jones gets closer to discovering the identity of his killer and the secrets behind the city’s stranglehold on liquid spirits. Death couldn’t stop him, but if the liquor dries up, the entire city will be plunged into an orgy of cannibalism.
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Cracking this case is a tall order. Braineater Jones won’t get out alive, but if he plays his cards right, he might manage to salvage the last scraps of his humanity.

The only thing worse than being murdered is waking up the next day with no memory of who you are or why there’s a gaping hole in your chest.

It took a little while for the character development to start happening in this book, but once it did I was glad for the delay. Building up such detailed descriptions of the personalities of the people involved first made their evolutions even more rewarding than they would have been otherwise. There were several developments that I didn’t see coming, especially when it came to the main character’s quest to discover his past.

One of the many mysteries that Braineater Jones has to unravel during the course of his adventures is who he was before he died. It was fun to see him slowly gather clues about his past, but I would have preferred for him to have a more humanizing undead name as he did it. I understand why the author wanted to start off with a character who has had literally everything from his former life stripped away. The name Braineater was too campy and distracting for my tastes, though. Braineater had some surprisingly empathetic streaks in his personality, and he deserved a zombie name that better represented that.

Mr. Kozeniewski has a tongue-in-cheek writing style that works incredibly well for this kind of tale. I didn’t read the first chapter so much as I absorbed it. Sometimes he made me laugh, cringe, and then gasp within a matter of minutes. This was my first introduction to his work. Based on how much I enjoyed it, I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for what he comes up with next.

I strongly recommend checking out the glossary at the end of this book to anyone who isn’t familiar with 1930s slang. While I knew many of those terms already, it was also helpful to look up the zombie-related jargon that is specific to this universe. Including the glossary was a great decision, and I’m glad that the author alerted me to its existence in the foreword.

Braineater Jones is one of the most entertaining horror novels I’ve read in 2014. This is a great choice for anyone in the mood for a genre-busting thriller!

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

Lifeline by Kit Power

August 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment

LIFELINE
Lifeline by Kit Power
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (85 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

FRANK IS IN TROUBLE.

Not the “best call the wife” sort of trouble. Not the “how on earth did I manage that?” sort of trouble. Not even the “I hope to God no-one ever finds out about this” sort. Frank would kill for that kind of trouble right now. But it’s not Frank who’s making that call.

I remember reading somewhere that cigarette and candy automats were in place by the 1930’s, and by the time World War II rolled around, vending machines were raking in $600 million, an astronomical amount considering that most of the candy they stocked sold for a penny. discount sildenafil In today’s world of careless lifestyles and hectic jobs have not only increased cialis 40 mg stress in people but it has also been seen affecting the sexual health of men. In those people with diabetes levitra shop uk who have autonomic dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension can occur. GPs are obliged to take these potential risks into account when planning care for their patients and thus, leave no viagra prescription online stone unturned to cure men with erectile dysfunction. Someone else is. And that someone else is Trouble like Frank has never known.

And now, Frank is discovering that in a survival situation, hope can be as much of a liability as despair…

Pain is a signal that something has gone wrong in a body, but that isn’t the only purpose it serves.

The blurb barely scratches the surface of what this story is about, but in this case that’s a good thing. Not knowing exactly what to expect when I started reading made it even scarier once I realized what was happening to the narrator. It’s difficult to go into specifics without giving away spoilers, but this is definitely something that belongs in the horror genre.

I would have liked to see a little more time spent developing the final scene. It felt slightly abrupt to me based on how much time was spent earlier on in the plot wrestling with whether or not the narrator will get what he wants. The pacing was well-done throughout this piece, but when it ended I felt like I’d been dropped over the side of a cliff. A certain amount of dread works well in this sub-genre, but Lifeline would have easily earned a much higher rating if it had provided a few more details about the last jaw-dropping paragraph.

The fast-paced, thrilling plot lead me to finishing this tale in one sitting. By the end of the second scene I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next because the author had already shocked me with certain twists. I’ve read one other book by Mr. Power so far, and it’s interesting to see how his writing style evolves from one set of characters to the next. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from him in the future!

Lifeline wallows in the dark, sinister side of the horror genre. This is a good choice for anyone who likes to be scared by things that actually happen.

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

Masque of Shadow by T.A. Miles

August 22, 2014 By 5 Comments

MASQUE
Masque of Shadow by T.A. Miles
Publisher: Raventide Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Historical
Length: Short Story (29 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Heartbroken over the premature death of her young sister, Estelle conceives a dark plan to recover Lunette’s innocent soul from the thief she witnessed taking it. The price is higher than she anticipated, reaching far beyond the loss of her own innocence when she enters voluntarily into the realm of the Lord of Shadows, into a theater of madness constructed by the souls of the dead.

Few things in this world are stronger than the bond between siblings. What Estelle doesn’t know, though, is if that bond will give her enough strength to keep searching for her lost sister.
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The horror elements took a little while to show up, but they were quite noticeable when they did. It was interesting to see how this author sampled the often gruesome origins of traditional fairy tales in order to make her story come alive. Masque of Shadows is truly intended for a mature audience. Given the dark subject matter, this was a great decision.

Once or twice I wondered why Estelle accepted all of the strange things she encountered so easily. This is a minor criticism of an otherwise mesmerizing book, but it would have been helpful to know a little bit more about her previous life in order to better understand why she was so eager to jump into a dangerous, new realm without any qualms about her own safety.

The villain in this piece was perfectly dastardly. I was especially creeped out by the physical description of him. It was a little unusual for this genre. In retrospect, it worked incredibly well given everything else the reader learns about him and his plans for Estelle.

Ms. Miles has a hypnotic writing style that made it impossible for me to tear my eyes away from the page. She described each scene in such precise detail that I felt as though I were watching a movie instead of reading a short story. This was my first introduction to her work. If it’s any indication of her talent, I don’t know how I’ll be able to remain patient while waiting for her next book comes out.

Masque of Shadow is a must-read for anyone who loves fairy tales. Just don’t be surprised if you follow in my footsteps and read it more than once!

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

Enter at Your Own Risk: The End Is the Beginning by Dr. Alex Scully, editor

August 20, 2014 By Leave a Comment

RISK
Enter at Your Own Risk: The End Is the Beginning by Dr. Alex Scully, editor
Publisher: Firbolg Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (428 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Human beings—the undisputed top of the food chain, the long-standing masters of planet earth. Or are we? What may be crawling out of the sludge to take our place? What monsters have we created in our labs, factories, and our very own genetic code? In the fourth installment of Firbolg Publishing’s Enter at Your Own Risk series, which pairs Gothic masters such as Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and H.P. Lovecraft with modern authors of the dark and macabre, the theme is environmental horror. As mankind’s tsunami wave of progress, industrialization, and technology reaches spectacular new heights, sinister things are churning beneath the surface. An unfamiliar stench on the wind. Waters a bit too murky. Soil a bit too red with blood. Progress at a price. A terrible, terrible price. Will we survive? What strange new worlds will emerge from the chaos? With an introduction from Holly Newstein, Enter at Your Own Risk: The End is the Beginning explores both the horror of the end and the hope of new beginnings for our planet and ourselves.

Not everything that goes bump in the night reveals itself right away.
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I couldn’t help but to chuckle at the creativity of some of the titles in this collection. By far my favorite one was “The Dreaded Hobblobs: A Heavy-Handed Fable for Short-Sighted Times.” It follows the increasingly disturbing interactions Daniel has been having with the Hobblobs that his parents always warned were about to take over their home whenever it got too messy. Daniel’s childhood impression of these grotesque creatures was so vivid that it sent a shudder down my spine. What really enamoured me, though, was how Daniel reacts to them when they make a sudden reappearance in his life much later on.

“Lily’s Daughter” is told from the perspective of Alexander, the teenage son of an archeologist who has disconnected from family life. The two of them live such separate lives that they rarely even speak to one another, so it’s a huge surprise when Alexander’s dad invites him to dinner. The premise was fantastic, but a slow start in the beginning made this reader restless due to the faster pace of stories that were placed just before it. So many important pieces of the puzzle were held back until later that I began to lose interest in Alexander’s journey despite being enthralled with it in the beginning.

This pattern repeated itself over and over again. It’s impossible to please every reader, of course, but I did momentarily wonder if it would have been better to group everything by the time period in which they were written instead of by theme. There were times when it was absolutely fascinating to see how authors who lived decades (or even centuries) apart approached the same subject, but sometimes it was also a little odd to jump from the fast-paced plots that tend to be favored today with the often slower styles that were popular in the past. I definitely appreciate Dr. Scully’s attempt to draw parallels between authors that aren’t normally compared though.

Luckily there were entries like “A Fine Day at the Zoo” that kept me on the edge of my seat. In it a single father named Shane has decided to take his son, Robbie, to the zoo with the hope of getting the boy to speak. Robbie’s disabilities shouldn’t affect his speech this much, but ever since Shane and his wife split up their son has been eerily quiet. The imagery in this father-child outing was so vivid that I felt a prick of disappointment when their adventures ended. It’s hard to say anything more about it without giving away spoilers, but had every short story been this provocative this anthology would have easily earned a 5 star rating.

Enter at Your Own Risk has something to offer to just about everyone. Nearly every type of science fiction is represented here, and that makes this book a good choice for anyone who enjoy this genre!

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

Justice, Inc. by Dale Bridges

August 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment

INC
Justice, Inc. by Dale Bridges
Publisher: Monkey Puzzle Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Horror
Length: Short Story (65 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Imagine a future where orphan children are adopted by international corporations and forced into indentured servitude, where zombie viruses are spread through heterosexual intercourse, where Osama bin Laden is cloned by the thousands for public execution. Welcome to the world of JUSTICE, INC. No one is safe. Nothing is sacred. And all sales are final.

Will the world end with a bang or a whimper? So much depends on who is paying attention when it happens and whether or not they realize what they’re witnessing.
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The first scene in “Welcome to Omni-Mart” made me gasp. Leonard, a lifetime employee of Omni-Mart, has been instructed to destroy an aisle full of lifelike dolls that grow and learn the same way that human children do. Digging into Leonard’s complicated, sad backstory made me wish his tale could have been expanded into a full-length novel. He’s fascinating character who lives in a world I’d never want to visit. Reading about it, though, made me shudder.

There were very few missteps in this anthology. “Texting the Apocalypse” records the conversation between two oblivious teenage girls as their world begins to fall apart. The premise of their chat is a great one, but it was too short to convey everything that was going on around them. As much as I wanted to enjoy it, I had trouble getting too deeply invested in what was happening to them due how little they had to say about it.

Sometimes unforgettable things come in small packages.“The Villain” follows two young boys who are arguing over which one of them is the hero and which one is the sidekick. It’s difficult to say anything more about them since the whole thing takes places in one short page of dialogue, but the ending caught me by surprise in the best way possible.

Don’t skip the introduction to this collection. Mr. Bridges had a unique reason for writing all of these stories, and knowing what it was made me enjoy them even more than I might have otherwise. This section also gives the reader a glimpse of the author’s occasionally cheeky sense of humor. I wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did, so having a hint about what to expect ahead of time was nice.

Justice, Inc. is a fantastic choice for anyone who loves the dystopian side of science fiction.

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

A is for Apocalypse by Rhonda Parrish, editor

August 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

A
A is for Apocalypse by Rhonda Parrish, editor
Publisher: Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal, Holiday
Length: Full Length (295 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What do you get when you take twenty-six amazing writers, randomly assign them a letter of the alphabet and give them complete artistic freedom within a theme?

A is for Apocalypse

A is for Apocalypse contains twenty-six apocalyptic stories written by both well-known and up-and-coming writers. Monsters, meteors, floods, war–the causes of the apocalypses in these tales are as varied as the stories themselves.

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The reason why I’m not mentioning any titles in my review is that they all give away gives major spoilers about what kind of apocalypse to expect from them. The introduction explains why Rhonda Parrish decided to create such a unique collection, and I highly recommend reading it first. In order to avoid confusion, I’ll use the names of the authors who wrote them instead.

I didn’t have a clue what Ms. Cato was doing at first. Rick, her protagonist, is paying close attention to every beep from his dosimeter, but his reasons for doing so with such a calm demeanour aren’t immediately apparent. He remained a fascinating character to me even after I figured out why he wasn’t panicking due to how well this behavior fits in with the rest of his personality. It’s impossible for me to pick a favourite in this collection, but I recommend beginning with Ms. Cato’s entry to anyone who likes skipping around.

When I first started this book I thought I knew more or less what to expect from it because I read so much science fiction and horror. The authors’ imaginative twists on common apocalyptic themes genuinely caught me by surprise, and that isn’t an easy thing to do! With that being said, certain apocalypses would have worked much better as novellas or full-length novels due to how many characters they required or the complexity of their plots.

Ms. Taylor’s tale is a good example of this. In it Dr. Surya Johansson is studying the remnants of human civilization for reasons that are gradually revealed as the plot continues. Figuring out the doctor’s background and motivation for travelling from one tattered colony to the next kept me guessing, but so many characters were introduced that I had trouble keeping track of all of them. It would have also been helpful to have more information about the events that led Dr. Johansson to conducting this study. The tidbits sprinkled throughout the plot provided tantalizing clues about the backstory, but some of them never quite gelled together for me.

Mr. Aldin’s story begins with a flashback to the narrator’s childhood. Eric’s parents always reassured him that monsters aren’t real, but they were dead wrong. For a long time Eric believed that he was the last human left alive on earth, but when he finds evidence of a woman travelling through his terrority he knows he has to do anything he can to meet her. The character development in this piece was well done, especially once Eric’s risk-taking tendencies begin to show up. I had an inkling of what might be happening with this character, but seeing everything unfold through his first-person perspetive made the rest of the plot even better.

A is for Apocalypse is a clever anthology that I’d recommend to anyone who is a fan of hard science fiction.

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

The Magpie Chronicles by Sherry Gloag

July 17, 2014 By 2 Comments

MAGPIE
The Magpie Chronicles by Sherry Gloag
Publisher: EsKape Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (106 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A collection of thirteen mixed genre short stories based on the well-known Magpie Rhyme.

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
And four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told
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Nine for a kiss
Ten a surprise you should not miss
Eleven for health
Twelve for wealth
Thirteen beware of the devil himself.

Traditional poems are remembered because they speak to every generation that hears them. Will they continue to resonate with us in the twenty-first century?

As soon as I read the blurb, I couldn’t wait to find out how Ms. Gloag’s interpretation of each line could be reimagined in a fresh way. It’s uncommon for so many different genres to be represented in the same collection, and I was curious to see how and when they’d pop up together.

In “Three for a Girl,” a teenager gets into a fight with her boyfriend and decides to take a long walk to cool off before going home. What happens next caught me by surprise due to the attention-grabbing opening scene as well as how smoothly everything was tied together in the end. This is a good example of how to straddle the thin line between genres without compromising a quickly-paced plot.

“Five for Silver” follows two sisters around as they discuss the booming jewelry business that is bringing a lot of success to one of them. Like several other stories in this collection, this one had a great premise but never quite delivered enough details about what was happening in order for me to get into it. There were a few times when these tales had too many characters or never quite fully introduced them to the reader, and this made me feel a little lost in certain sections.

By far my favorite part of this anthology was “Eleven for Health.” The narrator is a woman who was married to the love of her life for decades. Their relationship has weathered far more than its fair share of bumps in the road. As she prepares for a monumental shift in her life she brushes up against funny, painful, and poignant memories that she hasn’t confronted in years. Strong character development and a plot that assumes the reader is intelligent enough to make certain deductions on his or her own made me wish for a sequel. I don’t know if the author has any plans to write one, but I’d love to revisit these characters!

The Magpie Chronicles dabbles with so many different themes that I’d recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in any of them. Some books benefit from shaking up the reader’s expectations of what will happen next. This is one of them.

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

Saving Grace Devine by Catherine Cavendish

June 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment

GRACE
Saving Grace Devine by Catherine Cavendish
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (204 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Can the living help the dead…and at what cost?

When Alex Fletcher finds a painting of a drowned girl, she’s unnerved. When the girl in the painting opens her eyes, she is terrified. And when the girl appears to her as an apparition and begs her for help, Alex can’t refuse.
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But as she digs further into Grace’s past, she is embroiled in supernatural forces she cannot control, and a timeslip back to 1912 brings her face to face with the man who killed Grace and the demonic spirit of his long-dead mother. With such nightmarish forces stacked against her, Alex’s options are few. Somehow she must save Grace, but to do so, she must pay an unimaginable price.

It’s easy to brush away a fleeting glance of something dark and wispy as a figment of your imagination, but what happens when the form begins to take on a curiously human shape?

One of the most important things any good ghost story needs is a gloomy, isolated setting. What makes Arnsay an even better place for Alex to figure out who or what has been following her around is how perfectly ordinary this community appears to be at first glance. Many small towns are slightly obsessed with the people who put them on the map, but what makes this one unique is how its chosen to remember Grace and her family. Their reactions to the legends surrounding her life and death are nearly as intriguing as Alex’s increasingly bizarre encounters with the paranormal.

It would have been helpful to have more character development in this piece. Alex’s reactions to the spirits she encounters are well done, but it was difficult for me to get a sense of the personality she had before all of this began. So much time was spent on showing how her paranormal encounters affected her that I didn’t get to know much about Alex as an individual.

Strong pacing made it hard for me to put this book down. Hints about the backstories of the ghosts that are haunting Alex pop up pretty early on in the plot. At times they involve some rather detailed flashbacks, yet jumping into a previous era for a little while made the present even more interesting due to how closely everything is tied together.

Saving Grace Devine is a solid choice for anyone who enjoys the darker, more unpredictable side of paranormal fiction. This is one of the creepier tales I’ve read recently, and I’m looking forward to reading it again.

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