jbronderbookreviews

The Girl Who Saved Ghosts (The Unbelievables – 2) by KC Tansley

She tried to ignore them. Now she might risk everything to save them.

After a summer spent in a haunted castle—a summer in which she traveled through time to solve a murder mystery—Kat is looking forward to a totally normal senior year at McTernan Academy. Then the ghost of a little girl appears and begs Kat for help, and more unquiet apparitions follow. All of them are terrified by the Dark One, and it soon becomes clear that that this evil force wants Kat dead.

Searching for help, Kat leaves school for the ancestral home she’s only just discovered. Her friend Evan, whose family is joined to her own by an arcane history, accompanies her. With the assistance of her eccentric great aunts and a loyal family ghost, Kat soon learns that she and Evan can only fix the present by traveling into the past.

As Kat and Evan make their way through nineteenth-century Vienna, the Dark One stalks them, and Kat must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to save a ghost.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble     Goodreads

Author’s Bio

K.C Tansley lives with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and two quirky golden retrievers on a hill somewhere in Connecticut. She tends to believe in the unbelievables—spells, ghosts, time travel—and writes about them.

Never one to say no to a road trip, she’s climbed the Great Wall twice, hopped on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and danced the night away in the dunes of Cape Hatteras. She loves the ocean and hates the sun, which makes for interesting beach days. The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is the first book in her YA time-travel murder mystery series.

As Kourtney Heintz, she also writes award winning cross-genre fiction for adults.

Website     Facebook     Twitter

My Review

5 stars

Kat Preston is hoping for a quiet school year after her adventures during the summer. But she quickly has the ghost of a little girl and others needing her help and telling her that the Dark One is after her. Kat if off with Evan back to her ancestral home. There she learns about the four families and about her own father. Evan and Kat are going to have to go back in time and correct a murder. Even also has to get an artifact that will be needed to keep Kat safe.

I have not read book one, The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts. I was not really lost as I read this book but I do think that reading the first would have made the second more enjoyable. I liked Kat, you can tell that she just wants some peace and quiet but that is not going to happen. I really enjoy how well she works with Evan and I just loved how their families were related.

This is a great story that was full of action and adventure. I just loved it and can’t wait to see what I missed with book one.

I received The Girl Who Saved Ghosts from Sage’s Reading Room for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

Read Full Post »

Transfixion by J. Giambrone

A mysterious weapon invades every screen, and society is instantly thrown into chaos. Kaylee Colton’s life is devastated when her brother is infected by the mind weapon and he attempts to kill her, after stabbing their mother.

Kaylee flees from her house but finds that she too has been damaged by the mind weapon. She can no longer speak. Her once peaceful neighborhood explodes into total war.

Escaping the bloodshed, Kaylee slowly loses her mind as she hides out in an abandoned home. She then learns that a resistance has formed at a local high school, and she accompanies a strange boy to join in the fight.

Transfixion tells the struggle between militarism and pacifism, war and peace, as Kaylee Colton becomes the key to unlocking the secret of the hypnosis weapon.

Amazon     Goodreads

Author’s Bio

American author, freelance writer and filmmaker

• Author of Wrecking Balls, a tale of friendship and its discontents.
• His science fiction thriller Transfixion is published through Solstice.
• Hell of a Deal: A Supernatural Satire is up at Amazon, B&N & Smashwords.
• His 2011 short film The Container won the one-minute juried prize at the Sundial Film Festival.
• In 2016, he again won in the one-minute category with The Real Reason You Should Recycle.
• Journalism appears at International Policy Digest, WhoWhatWhy, Counterpunch, Globalresearch, Foreign Policy Journal, High Times, OpedNews and other outlets.

He writes, films and adapts works across media.

Website     Blog     Facebook     Twitter

My Review

4 stars

After watching a television broadcast people are turning into killing machines. Kaylee Colton narrowly escapes after her brothers kills their mother then comes after her. But Kaylee did not escape the broadcast, she manages to escape and finds Dustin who takes her to local high school with other survivors. There they train to defend themselves as the ‘dupes’ start changing their murderous tactics.

Kaylee seems like a younger teen, it’s never mentioned, and all she wants to do is finish her ghost hunter story. But she is forced to participate in the real world if she doesn’t want to be another person killed by the dupes. I liked watching her grow and thought the idea of her unable to talk an interesting twist. It was interesting watching her grow through the story but I don’t know what to feel at the very end.

You don’t learn much about what caused the broadcast although I loved the concept of the television turning people into crazed, zombie like killers. You don’t have a lot of closure on this but you can take that one of two ways. Most people I see are disappointed but in real life it’s not like you would get much closure either.

I liked this story and think it’s a fresh take on YA stories. I like how it focused on reality instead of forcing a teen romance. I can’t wait to read more books from J. Giambrone.

I received Transfixion from the author for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

Read Full Post »