Review: Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Author: Sean Cummings

Genre:  paranormal

Pages: 320

Published: October 2nd, 2012

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. 
In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life."~Goodreads

I've been trying for several days to write a review for this book.  I added it to my list of Halloween reads because, well, it has witches and ghosts.  It also came out earlier this month.  The last book that I read from Strange Chemistry, Blackwood was lots of fun and full of quirk, which seems to be a staple for the publisher.  I jumped in expecting a fun, spooky read (if maybe a little cheesy).  Unfortunately Poltergeeks failed to deliver, even on the cheese. Of course I didn't hate everything about it or I wouldn't be giving it the two stars that I have, so let's start this off on a positive note shall we?

LIKES:

• Marcus is not your normal heartthrob: Our main character and resident witch, Julie, starts to develop a crush throughout this book.  While I was disappointed that there was a love story since I was hoping for a YA novel free of romantic entanglements for a change, I was happy that Marcus was not your stereotypical YA man candy.  He is not a brooding vampire/angel/demon, he doesn't spend his weekends working on cars or tossing footballs and he isn't the adorably aloof new guy who may or may not have killed someone.  Marcus spends most of his time working on science homework and getting shoved into lockers.  Sure, I love large, hulking broody types just as much as the next girl, but pocket protectors can be cute too right?  Well, sort of.  While I was relieved that the author chose to go in a different direction with the leading man, I didn't find myself all that compelled by Marcus and I certainly won't be ordering any Team Geek t-shirts in the near future.  Sorry.
• Ghosts: I walked into this story thinking that it was mostly about ghosts.  It turned out to be mostly about a witch.  I wasn't too disappointed though, because when the ghosts were present they were done right.  So good on you Sean Cummings for writing actually creepy ghosts!  Ten points to Gryffindor!

DISLIKES:   

•  Julie:  Things start to go downhill quickly when you don't like the main character.  This is definitely the case for Poltergeeks. Julie is supposed to be a take-charge, kick ass heroine, but to me she comes off as whiny, inconsistent and overly-aggressive.  She spends half the book having an inner-dialogue about whether or not Marcus likes her, whether she should get involved with magic, how much trouble she's going to be in if she gets involved with magic, etc.  It's tedious and it really distracts from the plot.
• Show, don't tell: This one's pretty self explanatory.  Much of the bulk of this book is Julie describing how she's feeling, what's going on or what the consequences will be if she does magic (see above).  Again, this makes the story tedious and frankly made me want to put the book down about half way through.
• Predictability: One of my biggest problems with this book is that I wasn't surprised by anything.  Even the twist at the end I could see coming a mile away.  

Overall, this book just bored me.  I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it.  Then again, I've talked to others who really loved it so, as always, the choice is up to you, but I can't recommend it.

Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Author: Gwenda Bond

Genre: Paranormal, Thriller

Pages: 416

Published: September 4, 2012

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received a copy for review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other." ~Goodreads

I have always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the lost colony of Roanoke.  The idea that over 100 people could vanish without a trace is terrifying and a great jumping off place for a novel.  Thus, I was super excited to read Blackwood.  To make things even better this is a ghost story, which we all know is my very favorite thing.   I think I played it up so much in my head that it would have been hard for Bond's novel to live up to my expectations and, unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my self-inflicted hype.  Don't get me wrong, it was a very enjoyable read, but I wish it would have gone in a different direction.  I'll stop being evasive now and just get on with.

LIKES:

Great setting and plot line:  This book takes place almost entirely on Roanoke Island and there couldn't be a better setting for a ghost story.  Gwenda Bond does an impeccable job of creating an atmosphere of terror and really makes great use of her setting.  Roanoke is both a famous tourist destination and a slow-moving small town.  Therefore everyone is sort of tied together.  When 114 modern day citizens disappear into thin air the town is whipped up into a panic and a mass exodus begins, leaving just the permanent citizens of Roanoke to deal with the mystery.  The reader can feel the isolation and this only adds to the creep-factor.  I also just love that it takes place on Roanoke and tries to tie the events of the original disappearance to the modern day.

Multiple stories:  The book revolves around multiple plotlines and multiple characters.  Sometimes the book focuses on Miranda, other times on Phillips (the police chief's wayward son) and there are even portions that focus on the people who vanished.  This makes for a much more interesting story and moves the plot along.

No insta-love! : Like most YA books, there is romance in this story.  However, it doesn't take center stage and it is a friendship that develops into romance during a traumatic event and then has to be slowed down and re-evaluated at the end of the book.  It's less "happily ever after" and more "maybe we should give this a shot".

Pop culture nerd references: Any book that repeatedly references Joss Whedon and Vampire Diaries is fine with me!

DISLIKES:

I got sooooo confused:  okay so it is entirely possible that this one is on me, but about half way through the book I was getting so lost.  The plot just got over-complex and went in a totally different direction.  It was a bit frustrating and I would have liked it if this was just a simple ghost story.  Sure add in some twists and turns but don't leave me down the street.

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The resolution came way too quickly:  One minute we're fighting off mindless drones and crazy energy ribbons and then its just sort of over.  Plus the way that Miranda had to end it was super duper effed up.  I just didn't care for the ending, but again maybe that's because I wasn't 100% on how everything was working.

Overall, this was a quick read and it was really pretty fun.  I think it bodes well for Gwenda Bond's future endeavors.  I would recommend this if you are into imaginative thrillers, not so much if you are looking for an old-fashioned ghost story.