Frozen Charlotte

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell 297 pages Hardback 

Reviewed by Rae C.

Had I known the “Frozen Charlotte” dolls were central to the story, I might not have read this!  Haunted dolls usually scare me, even though I am in my 50’s.  However, I am glad I read this book!  It was edge of the seat engaging, genuinely suspenseful, frightening, and well written and plotted.

The book begins with a bang.  Sophie’s friend Jay has an Oujia board app on his phone.  Sophie’s dead cousin Rebecca is summoned. Rebecca died in a mysterious accident years ago in Skye. Mayhem and tragedy occur during and after the app’s use.   (I’m leaving out a big spoiler.)

A few weeks later, Sophie goes to the Isle of Skye to visit her other cousins.  Sophie is seeking answers to the death of her cousin, and also the clues that her cousin’s spirit communicated through the app.  Sophie is a very strong willed and determined.  She has a strong sense of self, and facing things squarely.  

But she is also unable to navigate the conflicts in her cousin’s family: her uncle is a basket case; her absent aunt is in an asylum; cute cousin Cameron has a burned hand and strange, sometimes violent, behaviors; Lilias is afraid of her own bones, and believes that the Frozen Charlotte dolls are haunted; and then there is perfect Piper, the only normal member of the family.

From Sophie’s first night there are strange and unexplainable events.  Plot twists, while sometimes predictable, always take unseen turns, but Sophie remains strong.  She is a heroine a girl can feel good about rooting for!

I had a few problems with the story, but they were fairly easy to ignore.  The first was the Skye location.  The Frozen Charlotte dolls were wildly popular in North America, but not so much in Scotland.  And the author did nothing to illustrate the landscape, culture, language or customs of Skye or Scotland.  I’d actually have preferred to have the location be in North America, as all that was needed was the creepy, haunted former school and the gates, beach, etc. 

And at the end there is fire, but the author didn’t demonstrate a thorough understanding of the reality of smoke inhalation. However, it was so well written and suspenseful that it was easy to ignore.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes supernatural thrillers, especially if, like me, you are a fan of Lois Duncan.

The girl in the green silk gown

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown (Ghost Roads #2) by Seanan McGuire   325 pages

Once and twice and thrice around, 
Put your heart into the ground.
Four and five and six tears shed, 
Give your love unto the dead.
Seven shadows on the wall, 
Eight have come to watch your fall: 
One's for the gargoyle, one's for the grave, 
And the last is for the one you'll never save.

I love these rhymes that Seanan McGuire puts into her stories.

While the first book about Rose Marshall was mostly a bunch of stories tied together, this book is one continuous story. It definitely helps if you have read the first book, though, because this story assumes you have some familiarity with some characters and some of the worldbuilding/lore.  Rose has been 16 ever since Bobby Cross ran her off the road, leaving her to become a hitchhiking ghost. She's the Phantom Prom Date, the Girl in the Green Silk Gown. And she's done a good job of steering clear from Bobby ever since. However, thanks to a crossroads bargain that won't let him die, and a vendetta deep as the ocean, Bobby is out to get Rose and make her pay for eluding him the first time.  When he catches up with her, it's only a matter of time before he kills Rose completely . . . unless she can find a way to outwit him.

Rose is an interesting character and the way that McGuire weaves together ghost lore and stories here, it makes for a good story. There are layers of story, so it's not just a "bad guy trying to find the girl" story, but a story about love, loss, and finding your way back home again (even if that home is in the twilight because you're dead).

Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot             PlayAway 6 hours, 21 minutes   Paperback book: 336 pages                    Genre:   Adult Fiction Ghost Story,  Paranormal  Mediators

I liked this book so much!    Again, I found out this book is number four in the Mediator Series – I wish there was some way to note that on the covers or list it somehow so the reader knows before they jump in but I found that out at the very end.    However, this book totally stands on its own and anyone could read it and enjoy it for the story it tells without indulging in those prior.   GOOD BOOK.  If you are a fan of ghost stories, the paranormal in general this is right up your alley.    It has people who see ghosts, Suze in particular is the star mediator and main character.    She is one tough young lady fights toe to toe with ethereal beings and tells the reader that mediators (like herself) are hard to kill, but, they can be hurt apparently a lot.  Lots of action,  lots of ghosts, exorcisms – not sanctioned by the Catholic Church and one led by …well, I will let you read the story to find out – but it is awesome!     Suze has seen so many dead people by now she just takes it in her stride and when a young boy at the hotel she is working at starts having weird reactions, she knows he is a mediator, too.    The story soars from there.   The boy’s parents send him to psychotherapy thinking he is imagining all the horrors he tries to tell them about.   Suze knows better.   Suze sees them, too.    Such a great story.   I really liked it.   Now I must go back and catch up on all I have missed.   I highly recommend this one to anyone remotely interested in communication with the other plane.   Really well developed characters and really well told events.   Yes, I loved it.    Checking for the rest of the titles in this series right now.

The People In The Castle

The People In The Castle by Joan Aiken, 252 pages

These were all odd little stories and I loved them.  I like a lot of Aiken’s novels but I’d never read any of her short stories before.  Most of these stories at least border on fantasy, which is one of my favorite genres.  Several of the stories are a little creepy as well, and that adds to the fun.  This is cataloged adult and I think that adults would like it but I think that it is accessible to kids and teens and if I had kids who had liked other books by Aiken I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to them.  

M is for Magic

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman     260 pages    

This book is a collection of fantasy/supernatural stories that Gaiman wrote for various magazines and in other published places that he then compiled in this volume as a tribute to Ray Bradbury (in the same vein as Bradbury's "R is for Rocket" collection of short stories). Each story features a different tale of mischief, magic, and a small amount of, if not horror, some creepiness.

I highly enjoyed this read. The stories were unique, fairytale-like, and imaginative. I particularly liked the stories "Chivalry," which was about an old lady who buys the Holy Grail from a pawn shop and is subsequently visited by Sir Galahad, and "October in the Chair" which is a story about stories, with each month of the year taking turns to tell a story to the rest.

Gaiman's writing is always sure to delight me. He is a brilliant storyteller and I particularly liked reading his short stories. He crafted them so well, it was the perfect amount of plot, character building, and scene setting. I would highly recommend this book to adults as well as teens - but not to any younger readers as adult themes are explored.

I Liked My Life

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi               Audio Book:  9 hours, 47 minutes     Paperback Book:  288 pages            

Good story.     I was intrigued by the fact that the person telling the story is dead and her ghost is observing what is going on with her husband and daughter in her absence.    The ghost is trying to figure out why she is still around.    The family is coming to terms with the huge tragedy of losing this bigger than life person in their lives who did everything for them,  put up with their neglect and guff but who come to realize what a hole is left in their lives now and how really ineffectual they are at keeping their world in tact without her.    A good story, very good development of the emotions one goes through in dealing with the death of someone close to them.    Well written.  It will keep you questioning the when, where, why, who and how of occurences all the way to the last page.    Ghostly perspective is so enlightening.   I don’t want to give too much away here but this is a good book.

Trigger Warning

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman, 308 pages

“Multiple award winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman returns to dazzle, captivate, haunt, and entertain with this third collection of short fiction following Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things--which includes a never-before published American Gods story, "Black Dog," written exclusively for this volume. In this new anthology, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction--stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013--as well "Black Dog," a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods, exclusive to this collection. Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, fabulism and poetry that explore the realm of experience and emotion. In Adventure Story--a thematic companion to The Ocean at the End of the Lane--Gaiman ponders death and the way people take their stories with them when they die. His social media experience A Calendar of Tales are short takes inspired by replies to fan tweets about the months of the year--stories of pirates and the March winds, an igloo made of books, and a Mother's Day card that portends disturbances in the universe. Gaiman offers his own ingenious spin on Sherlock Holmes in his award-nominated mystery tale The Case of Death and Honey. And Click-Clack the Rattlebag explains the creaks and clatter we hear when we're all alone in the darkness. A sophisticated writer whose creative genius is unparalleled, Gaiman entrances with his literary alchemy, transporting us deep into the realm of imagination, where the fantastical becomes real and the everyday incandescent. Full of wonder and terror, surprises and amusements, Trigger Warning is a treasury of delights that engage the mind, stir the heart, and shake the soul from one of the most unique and popular literary artists of our day.”  I really liked most of these stories.  Gaiman is a little hit or miss for me.  I really love some of his stuff and some of it is just too obscure and weird for me.  I really don’t like his picture books, for example.  However, most of the stories worked for me and I would recommend it to people who like fantasy and science fiction.

Of Metal and Wishes

Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine, 321 pages

“This love story for the ages, set in a reimagined industrial Asia, is a little dark, a bit breathless, and completely compelling.  Sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic, housed in a slaughterhouse staffed by the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor. Wen often hears the whisper of a ghost in the slaughterhouse, a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. And after one of the Noor humiliates Wen, the ghost grants an impulsive wish of hers--brutally.  Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including the outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the ghost. As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen is torn between her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen's, and her need to appease the ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat--real or imagined. Will she determine whom to trust before the factory explodes, taking her down with it?”  I really liked this story.  I think that this would appeal to teens who like dystopian fiction as well as realistic fiction, romance, scary stories, and even fantasy, as there is a little bit of all of that going on in this book.

The Bone Gatherer

The Bone Gatherer by Jennifer Adele, 318 pages

This is the story of Kat, having recently graduated from college, who is thrilled to have found a job as a hostess at the Bixby Estate.  It’s in her field and pays enough for her to live on, especially since room and board are included and allows her to keep her two dogs.  She hopes to stay there long enough to establish a good reputation in her field, despite the rumors about the estate.  What she doesn’t know is that some of the rumor may be true.  Tobias, the caretaker, is descended from the original caretakers of the estate and his grandmother and father were practitioners of voodoo, the knowledge of which has been passed on to him.  Despite his lack of social graces, Kat finds Tobias charming, and the two of them are soon embroiled in a relationship, although she is also attracted to the local sheriff, Leo, who is clearly interested in her as well.  The biggest problem is that, although Kat believes she and Tobias are alone on the property, there is another person there as well.  Although Victoria has been dead for many years, she is still in the house and has been Tobias’s lover for some time and Victoria is determined to keep what’s hers.  This is a good story.  I had a few issues with the writing, which distracted me a little in a few parts of the story, but overall, I thought this was a good read.  People that like a little supernatural horror in their romance will like this book.

The Elevator Ghost

The Elevator Ghost by Glen Huser, 166 pages

When Carolina Giddle comes to live at the Blatchford Arms, she starts to babysit all of the children in the building and she tells them stories.  Carolina is an excellent storyteller and an excellent cook as well, because she always brings the best snacks and treats.  She often tells ghost stories and somehow always seems to bring out the best in the kids.  Nobody knows exactly how Carolina is tied to the Blatchford Arms and nobody knows that there are ghosts in the building.  Carolina knows, and that’s enough.  This is a good story for kids who like ghost stories but don’t like them to be too scary.