Evil Stalks the Night
by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorites
Sarah has a large family, seven kids in all, but live is only good or a short time before something evil appears in the woods near her home. Sarah has the ability to recognize but no one else does because she comes from a long line of women with a gift, or curse. She is able to receive visions which to her has been as much a curse as it has been a gift. The evil that moved into the woods seems to focus on Sarah's family, and she doesn't understand why, even the visions that she has showing her the past, she is unable to understand and connect to her family until the very end. She is sure that the evil wants her and that to get rid of it, she would have to sacrifice herself. Evil Stalks the Night is a complex tale of unleashing evil and it following a person through lives taking its revenge over and over again. Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith weaves a well developed and multilayered story that is complex and compelling.
While Evil Stalks the Night focus on the evil and Sarah, there is also her brother Jimmy, who she is very close to that plays a big part in the story. The more the story goes on, the more you realize that Jimmy has more and more to do with the evil. Even her younger brother Charlie, who had his own problems in life, turns out to be a help in death. The things you think about people aren't always what you think they are and they surprise you in the end. Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith has written a detailed, complex and well developed story. Although there is no sex in the book there are a number of deaths, and although they are not described in detail, they are inferred to be quite gory. Therefore I would probably recommend this to adult readers.
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The 13th Descent - Book One: The Rosefire Trilogy
by Ky Lehman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Life isn't perfect, in fact far from it since her mom and Nanna died, but Ren thinks it's pretty normal. For a teenager, she has her best friend Mike, school and family, if only Georige Pa would stop drinking. Even though the bizarre deaths of her mom and Nanna, don't have Ren thinking too much, until her Aunt pulls her out of school with the news that her mom is really alive. That alone is enough to turn your world upside down, but follow that with the knowledge that you have lived before, and you have a job to do coupled with the fact that there are people out there wanting you dead. Well, now that is just a little much for a teenager to take in one afternoon. Author Ky Lehman has woven a wonderful tapestry that is the story of the past and present, the battle of good over evil and light over dark. The 13th Descent is the first book in what will become The Rosefire Trilogy, and it starts off with a bang.
The 13th Descent is set to begin The Rosefire Trilogy, and as such you expect to have a lot of background in this book, but the way that author Ky Lehman has written the tale, the background you need comes from the characters themselves, as they remember their past lives, how they worked then and what they are to do now. It doesn't come across as too much, it comes across as part of the story and feels right. By the time you reach the end you are wanting that next book to continue the story, to see what is next because you have gotten to know and like the characters and their connections to each other. This is a good book for readers of all ages, no sex, violence and very little language.
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Dusgadh Essence of Life Book One: The Awakening
by Margaret A. Daly
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Dusgadh, such an odd word to title a story, but then when you subtitle it Essence of Life, maybe it makes more sense. Ember has never felt like she fit in. She loved her family, but they were taken from her in middle school and she was left with only her older sister. She has trouble making friends, and even worse, she sees ghosts. She is just fumbling along in life until one night, a party and a seance in the park brings up something more than Ember or anyone else was expecting. Author +Margaret A. Daly sets this fantasy, supernatural, paranormal story around a group of late teenagers. Throwing in past-lives and reincarnation along with some evil magic, power hungry kings and rebel forces bent on resistance. How it all comes together is the beginning of a series, and this story is the start, the Awakening, or the memories of the past returning to Ember, allowing her to continue on her mission.
Dùsgadh: Essence of Life, The Awakening is a wonderful first book in a series, in fact I really thought it was a complete book until the very end when I realized there was more to be told still. By using the concept of awakening, Ember recovers her memories of the past and her past lives in this book, and so her sister is there to explain things to her as well as her two guardians. Although author +Margaret A. Daly uses this book to set the background and introduce you to characters and the whole concept of the story, it still has plenty of action, adventure and death to keep you on the edge of your seat as you are reading. There are even some people that are barely mentioned in this book, that I have a sneaking feeling are going to show up in later books, only because I just can't see the author making the deal out of them in this book without them showing up again somewhere. This is a great read, and I am willing to say middle schoolers, teens, young adults and up would enjoy this story!
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