Supernatural: An Anthology of Magic and Secrets by Heather Beck

SUPERNATURAL
Supernatural: An Anthology of Magic and Secrets by Heather Beck
Publisher: Treasure Cove Books
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (117 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Age Recommendation: 10+
Reviewed by Astilbe

Enter a world where anything is possible.

Heather Beck presents Supernatural, an anthology of magic and secrets.

Black Magic Wish
A curse, cast thirteen years ago by a black magic witch, causes chaos for the unfortunate Jamie Banks.

The Amazing Amber Cook
Strong, smart and independent, Shane’s new friend would be perfect if only she wasn’t an alien.

Jupiter’s Revenge: An Amber Cook Sequel
After being abducted by an alien, Shane must devise a tricky plan in order to escape.
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Revenge Of The Fortune-Teller
The magical life of Sage Michaels is revealed when she becomes a fortune-teller’s assistant at the local carnival.

Home Grown Flowers
The Walker sisters have an unsettling secret, but when Bridget discovers the truth, will anyone believe her?>

Would you still make a wish if you knew the forces that grant them sometimes grant them in unexpected ways?

Each story in this collection contains a character who is about to have his or her wildest dreams come true. The problem is, not all of their dreams are good ones, and not everyone has actually thought through the logistics of their deepest desires.

“Black Magic Wish” feels like a modern day fairy tale. What Jamie’s parents intended for good has turned out be far more complicated than either one of them could have ever imagined. While the premise caught my attention, Madeline’s explanation of what was actually happening to Jamie never quite made sense to me.

“The Amazing Amber Cook” and “Jupiter’s Revenge: An Amber Cook Sequel” work best if they’re read an one continuous plot. Amber’s self-confidence made me like her despite her tendency to steamroll over social conventions, although I would have preferred to hear her explanation for how she planned to make Jupiter’s atmosphere palatable for Shane’s lungs. She weaved around the topic so often I expected it to finally be answered at some point, and I was a little disappointed when the dialogue never revisited to this question.

In “Revenge of the Fortune-Teller,” Sage’s need for a summer job takes her to places she never would have visited otherwise. While her lack of emotional maturity and social awareness made Sage seem much younger than seventeen, the final scene was deliciously creepy and will be stuck in my head for a long time.

Skip ahead and read “Home Grown Flowers” first. This perplexing mystery is perfect for the age group for which it was intended, and it is by far the strongest tale in this anthology. Ms. Beck piqued my interest in the Walker sisters’ unusual secret, and I hope her hints about a possible sequel at the end of it will come to fruition. The Walker sisters and their friends have only scratched the surface of their adventures. In the meantime, consider reading this tale aloud as you huddle around the fireplace!

Supernatural: An Anthology of Magic and Secrets is a terrific choice for late elementary students who are beginning to request more nuanced reading material. The frights are real, and I will be recommending this collection to friends and family members in this age group.

Creatures Of The Night: An Anthology of Fangs, Claws and Jaws by Heather Beck

NIGHT
Creatures Of The Night: An Anthology of Fangs, Claws and Jaws by Heather Beck
Publisher: Treasure Cove Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Short Story (114 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Age Recommendation: 10+
Reviewed by Astilbe

When night falls and the moon shines brightly, creatures emerge to stalk their prey. Heather Beck presents Creatures Of The Night, an anthology of fangs, claws and jaws.

What would you do if you discovered a creature that isn’t supposed to exist? How would you react if no one believed you when you told them what you’d found?

The characters in this collection come up with a wide variety of answers to these questions. Some believe what they’re seeing right away while others search for more mundane explanations, but all of them approach their discoveries with curiosity and courage.

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“Eyes of Red” follows a shy, teenage girl named Lisa who is reluctant to give up her Halloween traditions because they were such an important part of her childhood. When trouble strikes Lisa is the first to leap into danger in order to help others. Her persistence and ability to think outside of the box in high pressure situations made her my favorite protagonist in this book.

The relationship between Alex Pierce and her father in “Night of the Eel” is strained to say the least. Mr. Pierce is so focused on staying young and hip that he treats his daughter like a rival instead of a family member. While the plot was intriguing the depths of his immaturity made it difficult for me to enjoy this tale. Jokes should end with everyone laughing, not just one person.

Before reading “The Pumpkin Patch” I never would have imagined that a pumpkin could be aggressive. Scott West’s obsession with this fruit is only expressed once a year during Halloween, but after burying a bizarre pumpkin in his backyard one fall he is shocked to see baby pumpkins growing in the same spot the next year. The premise is perfectly suited for middle school students, but I did wonder how a new patch could grow if last year’s pumpkin was buried after all of its seeds had been removed.

“Call of the Loon” ended this collection with a creepy peek into an unusual summer camp. Lorelei is disappointed when her parents ship her off to camp for four weeks, but as soon as she arrives she becomes caught up in the mysteries of Camp Loon. The foreshadowing was spooky, and the ending fit the atmosphere of this tale perfectly.

Creatures of the Night is a great choice for preteens interested in paranormal stories who are just beginning to transition to scarier material. The frights are genuine, but none of the monster descriptions are graphic or inappropriately violent.

Journeys Through the Unknown: An Anthology of Supernatural Adventures by Heather Beck

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Journeys Through the Unknown: An Anthology of Supernatural Adventures by Heather Beck
Publisher: Treasure Cove Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (125 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astibile

Gnome Genome

Trapped in a mysterious garden, Meghan must play games with tricky gnomes to regain her freedom.

A Weird Twist Of Fate

When Judith finds an ancestor’s diary in the attic, she makes a startling discovery about her family.

The Secret Oracle Of An Egyptian King

After Dr. Riley and Vaughan unearth a mummy’s tomb, they are plagued by a deadly curse.

Cold Territory

The Palace of Ice is beautiful and brimming with gems, but Dale’s learning the hard way that once you enter, you can never leave.

Kingdom Of Sugar

Clayton’s adventure in a sugar wonderland becomes a nightmare when the candy comes alive.

If Journeys Through the Unknown taught me one thing it is this: be cautious. Not everyone you meet is necessarily whom they appear to be at first glance.

In Gnome Genome an act of kindness leads Meghan into a world she never knew existed. The plot quickly thickens as she attempts to outsmart her gnome competitors so she can go home again. The challenges were creative and well thought out. The ending was predictable but still left me satisfied.

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to strike a balance between being proud of who you are and fitting in with a society that may not understand. A Weird Twist of Fate explores this tension as Judith discovers an old family secret. Judith’s character was quite intriguing but some continuity and logical errors distracted me from what was happening to her.

The Secret Oracle of an Egyptian King starts out with a jolt of adrenaline that foreshadows later events beautifully. The mystery Danny and Vaughn wrestle with has a fairly simple premise but it is well executed and snaps into place just as the narrative begins to require an additional conflict in order to keep the reader interested.

Could you resist instant wealth? How do you know whom to trust? When Dale discovers something too good to be true in Cold Territory he must decide whether to heed the warning of someone he’s just met. This was by far the strongest tale in the collection. It’s one of those rare stories that is equally enjoyable for adult and young adult readers.

After Clayton gorges on candy he mysteriously ends up in a world made of sugar. Kingdom of Sugar had a unique premise but the conversations between Clayton and his mother about not eating so much sugar felt forced. It would have been more compelling to start with Clayton’s discovery of this new world as the cute yet scary creatures he meets in it can easily stand on their own.

When it’s all said and done Journeys Through the Unknown is a solid collection of genuinely creepy tales that triggered as many questions for me as they answered.

Haunted by Heather Beck

Haunted by Heather Beck
Publisher: Treasure Cove Books
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary
Age Recommendation: 10+
Length: Short Story (125 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When darkness falls and the air turns cold, ghosts come out to play. Heather Beck presents Haunted, an anthology of ghostly encounters and paranormal events. *Haunted contains The Horror Diaries Volumes 1-5.

Ghost Park

After discovering a mysterious playground in the woods, Chase is stalked by angry ghost children.

A Haunting Past

Truce’s class trip to an old native reserve turns deadly when Bear, an infamous chief who died two hundred years ago, blames him for the tribe’s extinction.

The Manor On The Rocks

Grey, damp and surrounded by jagged rocks, Calla Lily’s new home isn’t only unpleasant, it’s also haunted by the world’s most evil boy.

A Medieval Nightmare

When Ellie and Brandon get trapped in a medieval museum that’s a bit too real, they fall under a spell and become pivotal players in a ghostly regime.

A Watery Grave

A camping trip becomes a heart-pounding race for survival when Justine meets a ghost who’s determined to change her fate by trading bodies with a living entity.

Are you afraid of the dark? This book will give you five great reasons to pull the covers over your head if you’re not doing so already.

“A Haunting Past” starts out a little slow but it quickly builds up steam. The twist at the end wasn’t something I had anticipated and more than makes up for the rocky beginning. I was also surprised to see Truce getting help in his battle against Bear from an unexpected source. The relationship between Bear and this source was something I figured out early on in the story but it did provide a solid explanation for Bear’s motives.

The ghost in “The Manor on the Rock” is far more menacing than the ones in the rest of this collection. As the plot thickened I read it with a pounding heart honestly not knowing what would happen next. This was the only story in the collection that is not appropriate for younger or sensitive audiences. It was by far the best one in the collection, though, and is something I highly recommend for adult and young adult readers alike. lowest prices viagra The typical example is Naproxen (Anaprox, Naprelan, and Naprosyn). The release of anti-impotent and other remedial therapy has helped countless men to enjoy the sexual pleasure of love. cialis cheap Massage the testicle clockwise and counter-clockwise for 10 minutes each that viagra properien is beneficial for one’s health with long-term persistence. Sexually pass diseases pretense a higher threat than sexually buying online viagra persuade heart issue.

“A Medieval Nightmare” blends humor and horror effortlessly. It’s a solid, well-told tale that answered just enough questions to resolve most plot points without bogging the reader down with unnecessary details. I really liked the quick thinking of Ellie and Brandon as well as the fact that neither one could be said to be the exclusive hero of the story.

What would you do if a ghost wanted to trade bodies with you? A Watery Grave explores this question thoroughly. I figured out how it would end early on but still found the final paragraph to be deliciously chilling. This story could easily be expanded into a full length novel or followed up by a sequel. I don’t know if Ms. Beck is planning to follow up with Justine and the other characters in the future but I’d be thrilled to hear from them again.

Unfortunately “Ghost Park” was bogged down with a slow beginning and uneven pacing. While the ghosts were truly frightening I would have liked to see a more thorough explanation of their back-stories. The bits and pieces we were given were intriguing but they never quite snapped together to explain how the children died or why they were trapped in this plane. This was the weakest story in the collection and the only one I didn’t particularly enjoy despite rooting for the plucky main character, Chase. This is actually the first story in the anthology but I chose to review it last so my review, though pointed, wouldn’t prevent anyone from choosing to read this clever group of short stories.

While all of the protagonists are teenagers in this collection the writing will be more appealing to students in late elementary or early middle school. The Manor on the Rock is fairly intense and more appropriate for older readers who aren’t easily spooked but the rest of these stories could be enjoyed by kids as young as eight.

I recommend Haunted for anyone who is in the mood for something frightening. These creepy stories will stick with you long after you’ve put down the book.