4 comments about Woolvs in the Sitee.

1. WOOLVS strikes me as being a work for a mature reader. It's kind of a picture-book for adults, maybe, which makes it an odd in-between sort of thing (and difficult to market, I suspect) but something powerful and memorable, nonetheless. Both the art and the narration are nicely understated, indirect and ambiguous-- skillfully removing or blurring the boundaries between reality and nightmare. Much is left (rightly) to our imagination- but our hero has an imagination, too. Or does he? The world of the story is a bleak one-- Ben, our orphaned narrator, lives in a deserted post-apocalyptic cityscape, social collapse reflected in the desperate misspellings of his narrative. He obsesses, waking and dreaming, over shadowy predators in the empty streets. He tries to warn his only friend and benefactress, Mrs. Radinski, of the approaching danger. Does she really not believe him? The book, working on a lot of levels and leaving much unexplained, has lured me into repeated readings. Apart from a feeling that the ending is one note off, I find Ben's simple voice more affecting and the pictures more suggestive each time I pick it up.



2. This book makes me want to move to Australia because if books like this can win awards there, I think I could be a successful author. Reading this book is like watching a 30 second trailer to a good movie, except there is no movie to see. The author sets up the characters and the scene and then abruptly ends the book. I mean come on, at least show him finding the woman. There is a fine line between ingenuity and just plain stupid and this book just doesn't do it for me.



3. This is a wonderful picture book for horror fans of any age -- including adults.
   
   The story is apparently about a broken-down society in which food and water have grown scarce, electricity is out, and people are left to fend for themselves. The story is narrated first-person by a teenager named Ben who lives alone in the basement of an apartment building after his family was killed by wolves roaming the city. But these are not ordinary wolves, Ben assures us, leaving me to wonder if he's talking about werewolves. The kindly Mrs. Radinski doesn't believe in any wolves despite Ben's repeated warnings. Then one day she goes missing...
   
   Or maybe there are no wolves. Maybe Ben is a mentally ill teenage runaway whose hallucinations have painted a threatening shadow over the peaceful streets and parks he remembers from his childhood. We can't really tell for sure, because Ben is the only narrator we have, and no matter what's really happening, Ben just isn't all there.
   
   I've read hundreds and hundreds of picture books, but I've never seen one anything like this. The story is told with a genuine sincerity that is made more powerful by the poor spelling, and the dark sketchy illustrations complement the writing perfectly. I'm not sure who the target audience is, but fans of Neil Gaiman's twisted perspective on horror will love this. Buy it for teenagers or adults, or for anyone old enough to appreciate a good psychological horror story.



4. Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most successful, imaginative and challenging writers for children, and Woolvs in the Sitee the bravest to date. It is a beautiful and frightening book, with poetic language rich with unsettling imagery and metaphor. It presents a dystopic post-Western world, in which people vanish and `woolvs' prowl. The exact nature of these woolvs is never quite spelt out.
   
   Nor, for that matter, is anything else: the most striking aspect of Woolvs in the Sitee is the phonetic spelling that forms the voice of protagonist Ben. The device speaks of his interrupted schooling, the disappearance of his family, and mirrors the collapse of his society. Anne Spudvilas' illustrations are spellbinding, full of shadows and menace, amplifying the unnerving and paranoid atmosphere.
   
   The book deserves the awards it has won (and will no doubt win). However, the book is challenging, and I do wonder who the intended readers are. Younger children are not cognitively developed enough to understand the many metaphors and resonances essential to grappling with the text. By the time older children have matured enough to understand the text, they generally reject picture books.
   
   To test the theory I ran the book past my three girls. Each reacted quite differently: my six-year-old Dr-Seuss-fan was terrified; my eight-year-old Harry-Potter-freak was bored; and my ten-year-old, who is mid-way through The Lord of the Rings and attempting to translate the Elvish, was badly irritated by the spelling, which she found made it difficult to read physically. In Piagetian terms, the eldest has moved on from concrete to formal logic, but even so, none of my girls was as excited by the book as I was.
   
   Likewise, I was unable to persuade any of the three to 'read' past the first page of Shaun Tan's beautiful The Arrival.
   
   Is Woolvs in the Sitee then an attempt by adults to push post-modern genre-straddling texts onto children for the children's own good? Is there an intellectual didactic purpose behind its authorship, which is rejected by kids as they reject all preaching? Is the book really aimed at well-meaning, literary parents hoping to broaden their children's minds? These are probably questions which arise whenever children's books break with expectations.
   
   It's refreshing to see a child's book that isn't all pastel-pink fairy-floss and no fillings, but my feeling is that Woolvs in the Sitee is possibly too alienating for many of its intended audience.

5 comments about Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (Bram Stoker Award for Young Readers).

1. "Days of Magic, Nights of War" picks up immediately where the first volume left off, which is a good thing for anyone who's followed the series. "Abarat" is an excellent young adult novel; "Days of Magic, Nights of War" manages to be even better: richer in detail, characters, background, and plot--and even more exciting--this novel is rare in that it stands perfectly on its own. You don't have to read the first one to understand the second perfectly.
   "Abarat" follows the adventures of Candy Quackenbush, a seemingly normal teenage girl who is accidentally swept away from her world, into a magical archipelago known as the Abarat, where time is not time at all, but a place, or rather, places: each island inhabits one of the hours on the clock. For instance, there is Gorgossium, which stands at the hour of midnight; the Nonce, which is three in the afternoon; and Scoriae, which stands at seven in the evening. The first novel chronicles her initial discovery of the Abarat; her first encounter with her best friend, Malingo; her fight against Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Gorgossium, whose dearest ambition is to vanquish all the magic and goodness in the Abarat--already flagging severely--and replace everything with a permanent midnight, over which he will rule supreme.
   All of this is established in the first novel, yet it is woven seamlessly through this second one. In the second one, Christopher Carrion, intrigued by Candy and hating her for it, sends assassins after her, tracks her, and in the end pursues her himself--all the while preparing for the day of Absolute Midnight.
   Candy, meanwhile, is discovering that she is NOT an ordinary girl; for one thing, she is a powerful incantatrix (spell-sayer) and, oddly, remembers things from the Abarat, things she has never even seen. While running from Carrion, she darts all over the islands, dodging the Lord of midnight while trying to save the Abarat, and unraveling the mystery of just who she is. If she and her companions are to save the Abarat from Christopher Carrion, she must know who she is, for she is irrevocably tied to the Abarat's fate.
   The second installment of Barker's saga is beautifully written and imagined. It's not flawless--Barker's writing can drag a little--but it's still beautiful, from style to character to plot and all in between and beyond. Personally, I was disappointed on this score: in the first volume, Barker sets the stage for SOMETHING between Candy and young, slightly sinister entrepeneurial genius Rojo Pixler, but there is no mention of him in this novel. Pixler, even if he's not precisely evil, is dangerous. Carrion wants to plunge the Abarat into absolute midnight; Pixler may not want destruction, but he wants to destroy the heart of the Abarat just the same by plumbing all of its magic and mysteries and putting them up for sale--for his own benefit. Even in their clash or confrontation or whatever it is didn't happen in this book, to exlcude even a mention of him when he's obviously important is a literary misstep.
   However, that's a relatively minor complaint--in fact, that and the very occasional flatness of Barker's generally incredible writing are the only complaints, certainly nothing that would have kept me from buying the book if I'd known. I'd reccommend it to any fantasy fan, and most people in general. But beware: this book has creepy imagery, both in the form of Barker's drawings, and in the descriptions and actions of characters. The horror of the stitchlings and the sacbrood, and definitely the sadism of Mater Motley, Christophert Carrion, and even Admiral Bloat are above most younger readers. Even Letheo's physical and psychological suffering at the hands of Christopher Carrion are causes for pause, if not censorship. Anyone 12 and older can handle this book without a problem. Most 9-11 year olds will be able to as well, and even younger readers capable of this material should be all right in most cases. Still--just in case, if you have any doubts--review it, because even though it's amazing, it's amazing at least in part because of the contrast between goodness and horror.
   All in all, this novel was excellent, and I do reccommend it.



2. 
   Great book - great service from Amazon. Wish Clive Barker would write another in the series!



3. Candy Quackenbush, Christopher Carrion, Wolfswinkel, Mater Motley, Malingo, John Mischief and his brothers, and other characters from the first book of Abarat, together with Finnegan Hob, Geneva Peachtree, and other new characters bring Abarat, the islands of the twenty five hours to life.
   
   Clive Barker has created a rich, vibrant world just across the sea of Izabella from our own. A day away, or unreachable, Abarat of infinite possibility and variety is in the middle of a war between Night and Day, and Candy Quackenbush is so close to the center of the fight that she can't see the scope of it. The old characters are developed far beyond expectations set in the first book, and the new ones compliment the old characters while raising questions and introducing new depths to this story and world.
   
   Powerful imagery, quick paced story, and characters who draw you into their world work together to make this book a brilliant achievement from a master of literature. What makes this especially remarkable is that this is the second book of what has been pitched as a trilogy. Normally, the 'middle' books are not up to the standard of the first or last. "Days of Magic, Nights of War" escapes this sterotype, and only fans the flames of desire for the conclusion.
   
   The sequel can't come soon enough.
   
   E.M. Van Court



4. Well, you have to have read the first one to really sink your teeth in this one. Oh, were do I start. The story is fabulous and builds so much on what was gleaned in the first book. There's lots of intrigue and little subplots. Ooh, this book just packs a wallop of a story. The pictures are amazing and just draw you into the world of Abarat. You've just got to read this book to believe it. Warning the ending will have to begging Clive Barker to produce the third. Highly, recommended!!!!



5. The two books of Abarat are fun to escape into. The names and situations are goofy at times, but still make you want to read on to finish the story. This has lead me to read more of Clive Barker. The Great Secret Show and Coldheart Canyon, I am in the middle of Weaveworld. I have found no matter the earlier his works or the newer attempts are equally entertaining. There is some shock value, but is that not the reason for delving into this genre of books. Praise to such talent.

5 comments about M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense: A Novelization.

1. Title:Sixth Sence
   
   Author: M. Night Shyamalan
   
   Genre:Fiction
   
   Authors purpose:entertain
   
   
   summary:It's about a little lad named Cole. He lives with his mum.He goes on a field trip and sees the plane crash. Then he can see the people who died in the plane crash and many more. At first he trys to aviod them but, then he finds out all they want is help.he trys to hel[ as many of them out as he can. If he does do that he may have a chance of saving the only survivng passenger in a comma.
   I think you should read this book because it's a non stop thriller. It will have your eyes nailed to the page.you will be suprised wiht what will happen.



2. After seeing and loving the movie, I had to check out the book. Very well done. This is one excellent story. Good job Mr. Shamaylon.



3. Unlike most of you that read this book, I never did see the movie, so when I picked this up I knew virtually nothing about the story. Although it does have its suspenseful moments, I would not classify this as a "horror" story. Not a slasher tale, but a VERY emotionally moving tale about the preciousness of life. I found it extremely well written with some rather unexpected plot twists.

   As you probably already know, the story is of a young boy named Cole, who claims, "I see dead people", and his therapist, Malcom who believes at first that he is only treating an emotionally disturbed young boy. As a side part of the story Malcom has a wife he deeply loves and is trying to rescue their marriage that he feels has grown cold due to the fact that he has been consumed with his work and not been there for his wife as he was in the early part of their marriage. Any more details and I would spoil the book, so enough said.

   This book was published by Scholastic, which would lead one to believe it is a children's book. I am 40 years old and enjoyed it immensely. It kept me up until 2am to finishing it off and now here I sit with bloodshot tired eyes typing this review the morning after.

   All ages will enjoy this one.

   Thanks for reading,

   TRW




4. I Love this book so much.I started to see dead people in the end.
   I like when he's hiding in his red draped tent.This book is way beter that the movie,because the movie had some flaws.
   C.O.O.L.!



5. It is a scary and touching story about Dr. Malcolm Crowe and Cole Sear. Dr. Crowe is a distinguished child psychologist. Cole is a frightened, confused 8 years old boy, which always see dead people in everywhere. A short time later, Dr Crowe believes what Cole said and tells him to listen to those dead people as they may be needs some help.

   As Cole always saw dead people that are really scared, it makes you feel afraid also.You will be consumed by the in-depth descriptions of these lost spirits and how Cole and Dr. Malcolm Crowe deal with them. You will join the way of Cole to find out why these spirits come to him and how he will get rid of them. He touched my heart that he was a small child and facing so many scared dead people and how mature he was. The ending of the story is really surprise. If you don¡¦t read the book, you really can¡¦t guess about the ending. I Love this book also I am sure this is a good book for you to read!

5 comments about Hellboy: Odd Jobs.

1. Another good Hellboy book, like Odder Jobs, this has a reasonable number of Mignola illustrations throughout.
   
   There are some good stories here, including one with Bigfoot, some remniscing over a lost colleague because of a scarecrow demon, an encounter with a Medusa, and a ratboss that wants to help the BPRD for employee services reasons.
   
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 01 Medusa's Revenge - Yvonne Navarro
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 02 Jigsaw - Stephen R. Bissette
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 03 A Mother Cries at Midnight - Philip Nutman
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 04 Delivered - Greg Rucka
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 05 Folie a Deux - Nancy Holder
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 06 Demon Politics - Craig Shaw Gardner
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 07 A Grim Fairy Tale - Nancy A. Collins
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 08 Scared Crows - Rick Hautala and Jim Connolly
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 09 Where Their Fire is Not Quenched - Chet Williamson
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 10 I had Bigfoot's Baby! - Max Allan Collins
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 11 The Nuckelavee - Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 12 A Night at the Beach - Matthew J. Costello
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 13 Burn Baby Burn - Poppy Z. Brite
   Hellboy Odd Jobs : 14 Far Flew the Boast of Him - Brian Hodge
   
   Shield support snake lady staking.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Hotel hell, bad books and a demon.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Nuke man and lost boy.
   
   2.5 out of 5
   
   
   Ratman wants better conditions.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Soldier's demon suicide.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Captain America analogue and old ally possessed.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Fairy's baby snacks.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Scarecrow spirit monster.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Evil congregates.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Drug ring and interbreeding, sasquatch style.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Garden variety skinless horse monster.
   
   3 out of 5
   
   
   Coney Island sea creepies.
   
   3 out of 5
   
   
   Liz learning.
   
   2 out of 5
   
   
   Grendel re-enactment rampage revenged.
   
   3.5 out of 5



2. I gotta start reading the fine print on these titles; I got totally fooled. I thought it was a comic book, just like the titles right above and below it. It's prose fiction. As in short stories. Yes there are some illustrations by Mike Mignola, but I thought I was getting a collection of Hellboy comics! ...



3. The book was better than I had expected. Having read some of the earlier comics where hellboy is first descovered this is a huge leap of discovery. The first of the short stories leads you to read more and more into how hellboy reacts and thinks. His charecter is dimensional having feelings of Good over Evil and cares for his friends more than he would any thing else in the world. It is a good book and would be well worth the buying.



4. Well this book is full of another looks on Hellboy himself and his world. Each story is pleasant and leads to a new contact with the stone handed red tall guy. From childhood to some pretty piece of horror, you'll have all the keys to unlock what was missing to the original comics: a character study...



5. I'll admit that I'm a Hellboy neophyte. Other than this collection of short stories, I know nothing of the Hellboy universe, and I've not even seen any of the comic book issues.

   Fortunately, a detailed understanding of the life and times of Hellboy is not necessary, because the short stories published here serve to provide plenty of background material. In any event, none of the plots hinge upon some fan-boy level of knowledge about our hero.

   To some degree, these stories can be described as a mutation of "The X-Files", except with Scully and Mulder being replaced by a cynical and world-weary demonic hellspawn with a heart of gold and a burning passion to kick butt. Hellboy is, as his name might suggest, literally from Hell, and has been on this Earth since the middle of World War II, when a failed Nazi occult ceremony evidently zapped the young demonlet into England. Since then, he's been helping the BPRD track down and eliminate paranormal threats to humanity.

   Most of the stories, unfortunately, follow a very standard formula: think of a cool ghost story or legend or myth, and then inject Hellboy in the midst. Hence, despite whatever technical merits they might have, Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola's "The Nuckelavee", Matthew Costello's "A Night at the Beach", and Max Collins' "I Had Bigfoot's Baby" are not particularly gripping, and they largely reduce Hellboy to a bystander or an observer, who occasionally throws a punch.

   Other stories are much more successful. Brian Hodge gives us "Far Flew the Boast of Him", which is both horrifying and poignant, and which, with its inclusion of a certain monster, offers a reward for those with degrees in English literature. Stephen Bissette's "Jigsaw" is disturbing and painful and has a beautifully sad ending. In a more lighthearted vein, Greg Rucka's "Delivered" shows that Hellboy isn't always fightin' mad and that not every encounter with the arcane ends in tragedy. And in "A Mother Cries at Midnight", Phillip Nutman explores the Mexican folk tale of the Weeping Woman, and its parallel to the childhood of Hellboy himself.

   The contributions from the other authors are not altogether memorable, but are at least sturdy and well-crafted, although a couple of them really fail to reach a meaningful conclusion.

   Illustrations are provided throughout the text by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. It's a handsome volume and a good way to pass a dark and rainy evening alone. Certainly, it's provocative enough to make me want to seek out more Hellboy material.

5 comments about Last Act: The Stage Is Set For Murder.

1. Melanie Martin is the new girl in Careville. She feels happy when Susan Trels invites her to play Melissa in Stan Russel's Final Chance. Everything goes as planned until opening night...when someone DOES dies...just as the play said.



2. Melanie is new in town. She's in love with scruffy Marc Hall. She looks up to the cute and popular Susan Trels. And she is anxious to be in the upcoming play because she believes it will be a great opportunity for her. It's directed by Susan and it stars her beloved Marc. The thing is, it also stars Rindy Carpenter. Melanie and Rindy had a little car accident a few months back and Melanie still holds a bit of a grudge against this cool, quiet beauty.
   
   Then there's crazy, yet childishly innocent, Jeramie and sassy, bubble-gum chewing, no-nonsense Tracie. These two provide a bit of humor and color to an already interesting story.
   
   If I'm making these characters seem a bit like bad stereotypes, relax. They are a little stereotypical, but they are certainly not boring. Pike manages to bring them to life on the page. They certainly stayed in my mind long after I put the book down.
   
   There's a few mysteries at the heart of this book. First of all, there's the mystery of Clyde. The other kids talk about him but Melanie doesn't know who he is and what happened to him. Then there's the central murder mystery. I will say that Melanie becomes the main suspect, but I won't say who the victim was because I think that's something that the readers can find out for themselves. I'm not sure if it's a spoiler or not, but I think it's best to leave that as a surprise.
   
   The second half of the book follows Melanie through an amateurish murder investigation where she creates a list of potential killers. She's desperate to clear her name.
   
   This is a decent murder mystery for 13 year year olds. Yeah, the book might feel a little dated to those who didn't grow up with Pike. The ending is not entirely satisfying. Looking back, I realize it was a little simplistic. But I think it's an enjoyable read nonetheless. The characters come alive. There's enough mystery to keep you turning the pages. And the climax is certainly dramatic enough. If you don't let yourself analyze the plot too much, you might find yourself really getting into it.
   
   If you're an old fan of Pike, I think you'll probably like this. I think young readers might too, so long as they know what to expect.



3. Ok, so I love Christopher Pike. I have read all of his books and have enjoyed every one of them except this one. I got the impression that the ending was decided by him at the last minute during writing. The story went VERY slow. The ending was not predictable, but that was only because it was SO unrealistic not beleivable. It could have never happened. I don't mean that in a supernatural sense either because this is not one of his sci/fi books, this story was supposed to be beleivable to the reader and it was far from it.



4. Another great book by Pike. The first quarter of the book just dragged but after that I just couldn't put it down. It was pritty obvious who the killer was but still an all around great book.



5. So I picked up this book only because it was on my shelf, I had nothing better to do, and being the actress that I am, the title caught my eye. I'm so glad it did! This book was really great. I felt that all the charactors seemed real, like I almost new them. (Jeramie reminded me of about every boy that I know and love, and it didn't take me a long time to fall in love with him, but thats another story) I was impressed by Christopher Pike's ability to make the charactors so lifelike. Aside from that, it had great suspence, because at times, you think you know the solution, but Pike proves you wrong. This book has left me with the desire to read more books dealing with murder and mystery in the theater. A MUST READ FOR ALL HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA STUDENTS!

5 comments about The PARTY FINAL FRIENDS 1.

1. This was a good book, but it could be better. It took them 150 pages to get to Alices party. Nothing bad happened before that. We learned about people for 150 pages. Once it got to the end though, the book pcked up. A few other good books by Mr.Pike are Monster, Bury me Deep, Whisper of death, The Evil Heart, and Remember me.



2. Once again, Christopher Pike brings us into a world in which a roomful of attractive high schoolers have to figure out who among them is the murderer.
   
   At over 200 pages, this is a thicker book than most of what Pike writes, and that's probably because he's building a cast of characters to take us through a trilogy. As a stand-alone novel, though, the extra length isn't justified in supporting the formulaic plot.
   
   Not to say that this is a bad book; Pike does a good job of adapting the modern thriller and romance genres to a young teen audience in the same way that a slate of WB tv shows have mastered that sleek package.
   
   If you like Pike, you'll probably find this trilogy as good as his other novels. If you don't, this one won't change your mind any. If you're about to give this author your attention for the first time, I would recommend Chain Letter, which is a much better example of how good he can be.



3. I read the whole series Final Friends. This is the greatest book. I loved it. YOU MUST READ THIS!!



4. Whatever you do, don't buy it used from abebooks(1 star), because I got the whole trilogy directly from their online store and it arrived almost six months late and in a terrible condition.



5. I read these books a while back. I loved them. This books literally grabs your attention and holds your attention untill you finish them and are crying for more. The set of Final Friends that I read were my library's, they don't have them anymore. When I found out they were lost I got so ticked off. I'm planning on buying them from a used books store near where I live. If you ever see all three of them, even if there is only one GET IT. It will be worth it believe me. They are the best set of Pike books I've ever read.
   I loved every single character in this book. It's a great plot and soo funny too. I love every bit of these books soo much. You have to buy it you will not regret it.

   Other great Pike books are Last Vampire 1-6, I'll see you later, Last Act and The two chain letter books

5 comments about The Unspoken.

1. Bought as a Christmas present for my 15 yr. old son,he is an advanced reader and past the young teen material, but enjoys stories where the main characte(s) are in his age group. I took a shot with this title and story line and am happy that he enjoyed it as much as he did.



2. Ever read a book from cover to cover without setting it down? That was this book for me. It was a VERY suspensful story, the ending took me by surprise. I would recomment this book to anyone who likes suspense/thrillers/horror, though it was not "graphic" horror.



3. This book was suspenseful from start to finish. I liked the author's style, which made for a fast-paced read that kept me guessing throughout the book. The focus on the psychological torment and early brainwashing of the characters was especially disturbing, and it made me think about what kind of impact growing up in a cult would have on a person. Even the ending is more ambiguous than in most thrillers, though I was still satisfied. For anyone who enjoys a smart and scary thriller, I would definitely recommend this book.



4. "The Unspoken" has a good premise, but is not fully developed in this novel. I never really related to the characters. They come on stage for such a brief time, that the reader never gets a chance to know them. This left me with very little feeling as they died one by one. I was actually thinking "Good, there goes another one. Now let's get this story moving." There were also characters that were introduced for apparently no reason. The Sherriff's deputy and the witch are two. These are two characters that could have used more page time. And if I were in the Sherriff's office for the upteenth time, because yet another one of my friends was murdered and I was a suspect, I wouldn't be asking questions about a stupid painting. The end of the novel is set up for a sequel, but instead of being excited and wanting to pre-order, I just thought what a waste of paper. Too many questions were brought up, but not developed enough to make me interested.



5. Set in rural North Carolina, right in the middle of the "bible-belt" region, "The Unspoken" has a ring of truth to it. Six teenagers are brought back together five years after surviving a fire that destroyed the religious compound they lived in ... as well as all the adults that lived there. The six young adults are now afraid a prophecy that foretold their deaths is coming true. Thomas Fahy has written this book on a 12 year old and up level but it is very readable and entertaining for adults as well. The story also relays a serious message to our young people today... extreme religious fantasist that exert total control over people's lives are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

5 comments about Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge: A Ghost Story.

1. This book is geared to "young adults" - that's an oxymoron. There are toddlers, pre-teens and teens. None of them are adults and none should read about the murder of an adult by a child, the murder of a brother by a sister, the murder of a wife by a jealous woman, the burning of a school, the haunting of children and the possession of children to kill their stepfather. YES - that's the story line of this book and is totally unsuitable for kids or teens. Miss Reiss is mentally unstable and shouldn't be writing books for "young adults". She should be making baskets and amends for pretending to like children. Do not buy this author.



2. I've had this book for a year now and never had an interest to read it until I ran out of books. Boy was I missing out. Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge deserves an A+. I couldn't but the book down. Every word, Every Sentence, Every Chapter gives out new information about the mystery surrounding Zibby and her four friends. When an unlikely ghost arrives Zibby has to pull out all her detective skills and will. She battles raging ghosts. Some good and some bad. And to think that it all started with a little girl named Primrose along with her governess Miss Honeywell. By the way, thats Sweet Miss Honeywell to you!
   
   ;)



3. Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge
   By Kathryn Reiss
   
   "Jude was standing rigid, staring at the corner by the desk. Zibby stared, too. The dollhouse stood intact, unburnt, complete as before."
   
   Poor Zibby, when she unwillingly buys a mysterious dollhouse, everything seems to go haywire. The dollhouse doesn't seem to want to leave, even after she burns it to the ground. From dreams of fires, to a mystery of ghosts, each striving for something different, Zibby must get these ghosts to move on before Miss Honeywell takes over her mom! Luckily, Zibby has help from her new friends and family to complete this feat.
   
   I thought that this was a great book, and definitely worth buying. I thought it was nice how unlikely friendships form and combine to ultimately solve their ghost problems. It was an interesting ending, and I probably wouldn't have thought of it. The book was long enough to keep you occupied for at least a little while. The story had a light and mysterious ghost story with it's own surprises, and a unique style. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read mystery or ghost stories.



4. Zibby has been wanting a new pair of rollerblades for a long time. She's saved up her money and can finally get them. But when she goes to buy them something else forces her to instead buy a dollhouse that she does not want. After she gets the house wierd things start to happen. Anything that she plays out in the dollhouse happens in real life but with a bad twist to it. When people start to get hurt, Zibby finds the woman who sold the dollhouse to her. As it turns out the dollhouse is haunted by a ghost of Miss Honeywell. She was a mean old lady who was a governess. The day after Zibby talks to the woman she finds out that she has died. Thats when Zibby starts to hear voices in her head and have nightmares. She soon figures out that this means Miss Honeywell is talking to her. Miss Honeywell becomes hungry for power and wants to take over a body. Zibbys mom, Nell, is getting married to a man named Ned in a couple of days. Miss Honeywells plan is to take over Nells body and finally fulfill her dreams of becoming a bride. The worst thing is, Zibby is the one in charge of killing her own mother. Against her will, and with her powers Miss Honeywell can make Zibby do anything she wants her to. This story is very exiting. To find out what happens, read Sweet Miss Honeywell's revenge.



5. When her birthday comes around, all 12 year old Zibby wants are a pair of rollerblades, but she is stuck at a miniature convention with her mom and aunt and cousin. She starts to wander and meets a woman in a gray dress. She leads Zibby over to a table where there is a beautiful dollhouse. All of sudden she wants that that. Although, when she takes it over to her aunt's car she doesn't want it. She doesn't even recall buying it. Soon several bizarre "accidents" start to happen. Zibby and her friends soon discover that it is actually haunted! As the story unfolds, more and more strange things happen; dolls becoming pocessed and ghosts inside people's heads. The reader will be captivated from beginning to end!!! That's SWEET Miss Honeywell to you. "Young ladies should be obiedent."

5 comments about Magic Fire.

1. I don't know if its just me, but i didn't understand much of this book. I don't see how aliens, fire, MAZE, and advanced space stations connect. The story starts out with a teen who enjoys burning things to vent his feelings, but then it turns into aliens taking over the planet and space stations and killing all the people on the planet (?). I'm 13, and I didn't see any connection. The plot was confusing, and many aspects were left unexplained. What was with the MAZE at the end and that Mexican clinic and Mark's sister? What's with killing all of the people on the planet? The whole brains floating in tanks? It just wasn't a very clear book compared to Christopher Pike's other novels.



2. Magic Fire is one of my favorite Christopher Pike books. It is great young adult novel, just like all the rest of Christopher Pikes novel. This is a great chiller for everyone who loves Christopher Pike.



3. The main problem with this story was that it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be about. But if you like surprises and twists and turns, this is the book for you. Think of it as Wild Things in print. At first I thought it would be more like one of Christopher Pike's other novels, The Wicked Heart. On the back, they play up the whole idea of Mark being a pyromaniac, but that is only a small portion of what this book is about. .
   This does not stop this book from being entertaining though, although it dragged in parts. The ending is totally unexpected, you are barely given a clue, but that does not stop it from being a good ending, and it does make sense. This book, like the grave has strong science fiction overtones. The characters are maybe not as interesting as Shari, Julia or Roxanne and Pepper, but they are still far above most young adult characters. I would give it maybe three and a half stars, but I can't bring myself to give it just three.



4. Pike often mixes the themes of sci-fi and horror. 'Magic Fire' is not what you would expect by reading the back cover. The story progresses rapdily a few chapters into the book and takes on a very strong sci-fi twist. It does, at times, feel like the caracter development has suffered because of this. But at the same time, the elements of horror and suspense that Pike is famous for are still there and as effective as ever. 'Magic Fire' isn't one of his best books, but still a great read nonetheless. The ending will really get you thinking!



5. All my friends read Christopher Pike and I'm like what is so good about all his books? Well, did I just answer my own question. I picked up this book yesterday and I'm already done. it was great! It got a little confusing at times but if you stayed with it, it all turned out in the end. I would reccommend this to anyone. I hope the more I read his books, the more I enjoy.

5 comments about Midnight Predator.

1. Midnight Predator should have and could have been better. The idea was interesting and the writing was simple yet engaging. Turquoise is a assassin hired to kill a very bad vampire. In order to gain access to her, she has to return to Midnight, a place where vampires live with their human pets, which she once was.
   
   My main issue with this book seems frivolous. The character names border on ridiculous. Turquoise, Jeshikah, Ravyn, Jaguar. Reading these names is distracting. In my head, Jeshikah sounds like Jessica, with a lisp. The evilest vampire to ever have lived shouldn't have a name that makes me think of speech impediments. This is a glaring issue that prevents me from staying engrossed in the plot and action.
   
   At this point in her writing career, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was a teenager. While her stories are entertaining and her writing is decent, the fact of the matter is that she was writing like a teenager. Had these books been written by an adult, they wouldn't have been published. I don't dislike these books, but everything about them is average at best.



2. Amelia's fourth vampire-themed book doesn't disappoint. This time, the story follows a human vampire hunter named Turquoise Draka, which is a great contrast to the previous books. Anyway, Turquoise is hired to take down Jeshikah, an inhabitant of Midnight, a secret vampire powerhouse which practices human slavery. Having once been a slave herself, Turquoise doesn't have many fond memories of the place. She and another hunter decide to enter the place disguised as human slaves. Eventually, through the course of all that occurs, she comes to question her current life as a hunter, and if she wishes to continue down this path. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the story, but there you go.
   
   I've heard some complaints that the story doesn't end satisfactorily or that the ending is too non-conclusive. I personally don't think that's the case, as the book has much more to do with Turquoise coming to terms with her past and opening up choices for her future than it has to do with killing Jeshikah and concluding with a pat ending. In fact, I like the ending because it leaves her future open to her decision, which is kind of what this whole book is about. I'd really be interested in a sequel to this book to see exactly what she decides. Anyway, enough about that.
   
   As for the people who thought that this book was worse in quality than her previous works, I don't see that at all. To me, it's about on the same level, if not even better. I found the book engaging and entertaining the whole way through, even if Atwater-Rhodes is admittedly not going to win any awards for her writing. And that's fine, not everyone can (or should) win awards. To me, her books are kind of like the popcorn of fiction--a light enjoyable snack among heavier, denser offerings. I really enjoy the fact that her books are short and can be easily finished in a day, and I also enjoy her fast-paced writing style.
   
   My only real complaint about this book is the cover art. Who is that? Seriously? I first thought it was supposed to be Turquoise when I first saw it, but the author's website says it's supposed to be Jaguar. Huh?! Even the author admits that she doesn't like the cover art, which may be why she changed it for the re-release of this book (I own the original version). Oh well, I think I'll just continue to think of the cover person as being Turquoise, it makes me happier to think so since that person looks nothing like Jaguar.
   
   Well, anyway, what else do you need to know? Ah yes, if you are new to the series, you should know that you don't have to read them in order for them to make sense, although there are small references here and there that would make it helpful. "Midnight Predator" specifically seems to lack a lot of these references to past characters, so if you're new to the series, you can read this one and not really be lost. Overall, I highly recommend this book to fans of vampires who are teens (and who are not teens anymore, like myself) and to anyone who enjoys books that are in short bite-sized lengths (this one's about 248 pages long). Anyway, happy reading!



3. So this is strange story...
   I'm at the gas station on Thursday and as I was driving away I see something in the road (It was this book, strange huh?) So of course, I pick it up and take it home. I call Chris (book guru) and she tells me it's one on our list...
   The list consists of all the books and authors who we want to read but are having difficultly getting a hold of b/c we're broke, or there hard to find, or we're broke,
   So after I devoured the Jenna Solitaire novels this weekend I began this book last night and finished it last night (couldn't put it down or go to sleep until I was finished, man I really had a lot of stuff to do this weekend but I spent it reading) I'm not complaining really but my family is,
   The main character is Turquoise (formally known as Cathy) she was a blood slave turned vampire hunter in a world like today (where vamps are fiction). She poses as a blood slave to enter Midnight (a large house that holds humans as slaves) and meets Jaguar (a shape shifter turned Vamp) on a mission to kill the head vamp. I like the book and the characters but the thing I can't rap my mind around is that this is considered teen novels (man I will NEVER let my teenager read this) I think it should be considered adult fiction.
   I love story don't get me wrong and am now looking for the next one in this series or any other by this author but now I know why they were so hard to find (teen section, huh??)



4. Basic Summary: Turquoise Draka is a vampire hunter from the renowned Bruja guild, hired by an unknown employer with member Ravyn to infiltrate the newly created vampire empire Midnight and assassinate its old founder Jeshikah. In order to this, they are sold into Midnight as slaves. But Turquoise was once a slave to the vampire Lord Darryl and there is contrast to her new master-the leader of the new Midnight, Jaguar.
   
   So not only does she have to deal with her past as a slave as she reunites with Lord Darryl, she also deals with her developing relationship Jaguar though has the ability to be brutal and harsh is gentle toward her and another human servant, Erc on top of her mission.
   
   First of all, I am into Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books because of some of her ideas--such as the world she created. And too be honest, she's not a very good writer though in my opinion, Midnight Predator was decent written. But I don't really like most of the characters. I find Turquoise rather annoying and the villain (Lord Darryl) not very effective. I couldn't feel the pain Turquoise went through. She could have developed it more--she could have tried to make Lord Darryl this scary horrible person and have you slowly realized that he really pathetic--but you know early on. I think that would have been a more effective route. Some characters were seriously underdeveloped such as Ravyn, which is why I didn't care for her. That was the same with Nathaniel.
   
   Though there are characters that she had developed phenomenally or at least made interesting. Gabriel is an interesting character because although he is sadistic there was that fondness toward Ravyn as well as something else I won't reveal. But it could have been nice if it were explored. And unlike Darryl, Jeshikah was much more effective as a villain and it would be nice if she was delved deeper as well. But I think the best character in this book is Jaguar. There is so much dimension and history toward him. He was once this powerful, harsh and genius at breaking human slaves but you come to see him in a gentle and kind light. I loved how she explained and explored his history as well as all aspect of his personality. It was what made his character interesting because there was so much aspects of his personality that contrasted so well against each other. But that's all I can say as far as positives go and it is the only reason why it got as high a rating it did. The ending was horrible and not substantial enough. It did not feel "completed" and may be one day she will explore it further. But other than that, it was OK.



5. I've read all these books to this set,and I have to say it was my fav. You never know whats going to happen to the characters. This is true about the others, but this one gets me.