Review: The Uninvited by Cat Winters

Title: The Uninvited 

Author:  Cat Winters
Publisher:  William Morrow

Publishing Date: August 11th 2015

Pages: 343
Genre: Adult Psychological Horror

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audio

 

Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains. For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother Billy in the Great War.

Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

Another Cat Winters book to fall in love with. I have this thing with Cat Winters. I love her books, I enjoy her books, I get excited for her books. But for some reason, it takes me forever to get to her books. Cat Winters never dissappoints. This is my favorite read of hers yet. I loved loved loved it. I was thrown into the adventure very close to the beginning of the book and I  just couldn't stop it. I was very sad to see it end. Wonderful writing, amazing story telling, lovable and admirable characters, and yes of course a bit of the supernatural. 

Ivy has had a pretty hard year, lost her brother in the war, contracted the flu, and now she overhears her father and brother have committed a horrible crime. She is now recovered from the flu and her mother tells her.... this is not yours to worry about its time for you to find a life of your own... so Ivy moves out and finds her way. She makes friends, finds freedom in all that she does, helps the sick, falls in love with jazz, and everything seems to be going good. Ivy has this one issue. She sees dead people and when all the ghosts from her past start showing up, she knows something bad is about to happen and she must figure out how to protect those she cares deeply for. In the process,... well her world falls apart, 

Loved this book. I really didn't know what I was getting into at first except for the fact there are ghosts, its during the flu epidemic. and well that was it. The synopsis doesn't give much away and I won't either. It was to help Ivy pull at this one thread that unravels everything. Now the only complaint I have... which really isn't. I did figure it out before it was revealed. Now I don't know if i started to figured it out when I was supposed to or earlier on. I think we are supposed to figure it all out before Ivy does but I am not sure if I figured out earlier than intended. It felt like it. At anyrate... me figuring it all out did not matter. It did not take away from the story. It was still superb and wonderful. 

There were so many things to love about this book. The jazz atmosphere. I could hear it, I could feel it, Winters really brought the beginning of this era to life. It was a great addition to the story. 
The romance... yes there was romance and it was just perfect. It was more of a need than a love in this story but it was still romantic. The flu epidemic brought out so many good little stories. Th war and all those lost was also a great little addition the story. All these things were very important and brought so much into the big picture. It was pieced together wonderfully. 

Ivy was one of my all time favorite characters ever. I just adored her. Smart, strong, brave, persistant, good, She was so good. Huge heart. But she was also so strong. She did everything she could for others and hardly ever took time to think about herself. When she did, she felt guilty. She really came out in this story too. All those good qualities were just magnified when she came into her own. She truly was an admirable characters. 

I also loved loved loved Daniel. I couldn't have loved another character more in this book. Oh he was just perfect for the story. He was hurt, he was angry, he was broken, but yet he was the one that "fixed" what was broken. Yes I just loved him. 

This truly was an amazing read and a lovely story. I love that word lovely. I really don't think anyone could have told this story better. If you haven't read a Cat Winters book yet. Do it NOW. She is just spectacular and story telling. 

This book did have a great Halloween read quality to it. Very creepy at times and very suspensful. It had my blood a going. So yes a great October read but it can be enjoyed any time of year. So read it. 

On my favorites for this year. A++++

Cat Winters is an award-winning author of YA and adult fiction. Her YA works include IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, THE CURE FOR DREAMING, and the upcoming HAMLET-inspired 1920s novel, THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY (March 2016). Her debut adult novel, THE UNINVITED, released in 2015, and her second book for adults, YESTERNIGHT, is scheduled for 2016.

Winters was born and raised in Southern California, just a short drive down the freeway from Disneyland, which may explain her love of haunted mansions, bygone eras, and fantasylands. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. Visit her online at www.catwinters.com.

Review: The House by Christina Lauren

Title: The House 

Author:  Christina Lauren
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: October 9th 2015

Pages: 384
Genre:  YA Psychological Horror

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audio

 

Gavin tells Delilah he’s hers—completely—but whatever lives inside that house with him disagrees.

After seven years tucked away at an East coast boarding school, Delilah Blue returns to her small Kansas hometown to find that not much has changed. Her parents are still uptight and disinterested, her bedroom is exactly the way she left it, and the outcast Gavin Timothy still looks like he’s crawled out of one of her dark, twisted drawings.

Delilah is instantly smitten.

Gavin has always lived in the strange house: an odd building isolated in a stand of trees where the town gives in to mild wilderness. The house is an irresistible lure for Delilah, but the tall fence surrounding it exists for good reason, and Gavin urges Delilah to be careful. Whatever lives with him there isn’t human, and isn’t afraid of hurting her to keep her away.

I was so super excited when I saws this book. I remember as a kid sneaking a few peeks at a horror movie called House and the book synopsis reminded of that movie.  So I grabbed it and read it and loved it. The story lacked in a few things for me.... but really not really. I enjoyed this read. I did get what I was looking for.

Delilah has been away at a boarding school for seven years. When she left seven years ago, she had a crush. The entire seven years she has had the same crush. When unforeseen circumstances brings her home... she comes home with said crush. 

Gavin is a loner, sticks to himself. Everyone thinks he is strange and creepy... everyone but Delilah who happens to have been crushing on his for seven years. 

Delilah comes home gets involved with Gavin to find out Gavin lives in a freak house and has no parents. Hasn't had any since he was very little and he just barely remembers having a mother. House takes care of him. Feeds him, makes sure he is provided for, healthy and even that he goes to school. 

When Gavin and Delilah turn serious.... House has an issue with it. It does not want Gavin to have a life outside of House and not with anything else especially Delilah. So House fights to keep Gavin and Gavin and Delilah fight back. 

t was pretty darn good. I wouldn't say it was as creepy or horrific as I was hoping for but it was really good. It was a slow burn kind of intensity. What is House going to do and when and how bad will it be. It was a pretty big build up. There were some instances where House really shows its true colors for the most part though it was the build up to the when and how not as much as the right now. 

I liked the characters. They were both strange in their own way. Delilah was a bit off. She liked to read about death and liked to be scared. Of course this changed when it was happening for real but she was just a tad on the morbidly strange side. 

Gavin seemed very strange and creepy on the outside but he wasn't as much as Delilah was on the inside. He did have his darker side but mostly he was just trying to keep people away, hide the fact he was living alone, without parents, under 18, and his house was a living thing., That is a lot to deal with and he did with good grades too. He was a very decent kid for not having parents. 

The trouble all started when Gavin brought Delilah home and at first it didn't seem it was going to be an issue. Of course what kind of story would that be. The creepiest part for me was that House could reach them anywhere. It could stowaway on Gavin's clothes, or in the ground, through the power lines. I mean stalker house. It was very strange and gave me the heebie jeebies for sure. 

This book had a lot of romance. It felt fast because it happened fast in the book, but story wise. They knew each other a long time and they talked for a bit before all the touch feely and sweet murmurs started. So not too fast. I liked their romance. It was a bit intense and strange but sweet too. Normal teenage stuff... you are my world,can't live without you stuff... but not to bad and didn't cause any eye rolls. So I liked it. It was a big part (not as big as the creepy stalker house story ) of the story... so yes its a romance too. 

The ending wrapped everything up, explained it all, made sense and was good. Nothing  unexplained.... nothing left for the imagination. I did like that. So many of my reads lately have been...well lets let the reader figure out what they want to think and leave it at that. I hate those . I need definites in my life and this one was definite. 

I really really enjoyed it. Great October Read 

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced eleven New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 23+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)

We don't respond to private messages here, so please contact us via twitter (@seeCwrite for Christina and @LolaShoes for Lauren) or our site. Thank you!!

Cover up: Ominious Fog and Storm

The Creepy Covers of Horror.... Of course fog and stormy skies always scary...... 

Its Monday What are you Reading: Halloween Reads

Here are my favorite reads so far this season. I have tried to cram as many as I could and most were pretty good. There were some that stood out. Still need to get my reviews out on these... 

Ghost Files was more than I expected. I have had it on my list for a while and never grabbed it. I really would love to get the next book asap. It was good. 4 Hearts.

Not quite as creepy as I had expected but was a very good read. Really enjoyed it. 4 Hearts 

Currently reading this one... almost finished, and I am so loving it. 

What have been your great Halloween reads this year?

Delightful Discoveries: Thrills and Chills II

Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

Dead Girls Don't by Mags Storey

Liv might be in love with a serial killer. You d think the fact she can talk to the dead would make it easier to figure out who s slicing up the creeps at Rosewood Academy. But it turns out some people are even more dangerous dead than alive. All clues lead back to Adam the highly tempting fugitive she s been hiding in a coffin. But her best friend Gabriel s got some twisted secrets of his own, and if you cross some lines there s just no coming back. Was the guy with the wicked grin really framed for murder? Or will Liv end up another bloody victim of the high school serial killer? Dead Girls Don t is a paranormal love story about stalkers, psycho killers, and why you should never trust your date s dead ex. Life s complicated that way."

Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers
 

Trick or treat—and murder—are on the menu in this first in a new culinary mystery series

Life couldn't be sweeter for Tres Amigas Café chef Rita Lafitte, decorating sugar skulls and taste-testing rich, buttery pan de muerto in anticipation of Santa Fe's Day of the Dead bread-baking contest. That is, until her friendly landlord, Victor, is found dead next door.

Although the police deem Victor's death a suicide, Rita knows something is amiss. To uncover the truth, she teams up with her octogenarian boss, Flori, the town's most celebrated snoop. The duo begins to sift through long-buried secrets and to take full measure of duplicitous neighbors, but the clock is ticking and their list of suspects is growing ever longer. Just as the clues get hotter than a New Mexican chili, one of their main suspects winds up dead. Rita fears that the killer is dishing out seconds—and her order might be up.

Shade Me by Jennifer Brown 

Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

Nightstruck by Jenna Black

The start of a spooky yet romantic dark paranormal horror series from Glimmerglass author Jenna Black

The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon.

Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents' divorce. Her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents' ambitious expectations of her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend's boyfriend. That all changes the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds. As dark magic trickles into Philadelphia, strange creatures roam the streets and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises each morning. The moment the sun sets, most citizens shut themselves in their houses and stay there no matter what they hear.

The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off her responsibilities and join them.

Burning by Danielle Rollins

After three years in juvie, Angela Davis is just a few months shy of release, and she'll finally be free from the hole that is Brunesfield Correctional Facility. Then Jessica arrives. Only ten years old and under the highest security possible, this girl has to be dangerous, even if no one knows what she did to land in juvie. As strange things begin happening to Angela and her friends that can only be traced to the new girl's arrival, it becomes clear that Brunesfield is no longer safe. They must find a way to get out, but how can they save themselves when the world has forgotten them?

Readers will be rooting for Angela and her friends to find the truth and save themselves in this spine-tingling story rich with secrets and conspiracies.