Showing posts with label Young Adult: Horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult: Horror. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Quick Review: The Benson (The Experiment in Terror #2.5) by Karina Halle

Title: The Benson (The Experiment in Terror #2.5)
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Format: eBook



This short story/novella sees amateur Youtube ghost-hunters, Perry Palomino and Dex Foray, investigating the real-life hauntings of Portland's infamous Benson Hotel. It occurs between books #2 (Red Fox) and #3 (Dead Sky Morning) and is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the EIT series.



Can't get enough of Dex & Perry in the Experiment in Terror Series



Karina Halle does it again. But this time, it's shorter, scarier and way too good. I can't get enough of The Experiment in Terror. Karina always have the drive to fuel our addiction to the series either with Novella's just like this or with full length novels.

No matter how short this novella was, it still had the creepiness and sweetness the full length books in the series have. I loved everything about it, from the scary ghosts in hotel and laundry rooms to the snarky remarks Dex always have for our protagonist Perry. Ghost-hunting can't get anymore fun and creepy when Dex and Perry is involved. I'm not one for Ghost-hunting for online tv shows or in tv shows in general. I'm one of those people who find them lame. But after reading this series, I don't anymore. *guilty*

As usual! Another 5-star rating for Karina Halle. I wonder what her other books outside of Perry and Dex are like. *contemplates*


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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Review: I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer



(Click image to go to the Goodreads Page)Title: I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It
Author: Adam Selzer
Started: 29/05/12
Finished: 31/05/12
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository



Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”

When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .


The first thing that came into my mind when I saw the cover and read the title was 'gross'. Why would anyone want to kiss a decaying dead body that probably wants to eat your brains? In this weird but interesting book, we have Alley, who is known for her mean music reviews and her snarky remarks. Her narration alone made me crack up more than once. BUT by mid-book, Alley became a disappointment to me. I did not like her drastic change in character after just 80-pages and all for what? A boy. A zombie boy. But she didn't know that. Okay, I get it, its hard for people in the books scenario to tell the difference between mortals and immortals since everyone basically dresses in goth gear. But how can you not notice his smell, face, clothes and the way he talks! It all screams ZOMBIE!

In the first few pages of the book, Alley Rhodes was cool, stubborn, mature and intelligent but when she changed into a love-dazed, stupid, naive 12-year-old, who did nothing but deny the fact that her boyfriend's a zombie during most of the book, everything I liked about the book just disappear and the storyline just began to drop quickly.

Plot was present, the characters are weak and disconnected from the reader. I just finished the book and I can't remember the names of any of the secondary characters. Sad, I know. As for the ending, all I can say about it, is that it was abrupt and lacking. The author could have written a lot more and made the ending more smooth but sadly, he just stuck to rushed and cut-short.

Despite all the negatives, I still enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and funny, how the writer portrayed  a zombie-human romance and the writing style was amazingly breezy and clean, which allows the reader to go through the book easily. If only the author wrote more differently, added more details, and made Alley less-intolerable, then maybe the book would have been amazing. Other than that, the book is an entertaining light read for the adventurous readers.


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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Review: Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4) by Karina Halle


(Click image to go to the Goodreads Page)
Title: Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4) 
Author: Karina Halle
Started: 20/04/12
Finished: 23/04/12
Genre: Young Adult: Horror, Young Adult: Paranormal
Publisher: Metal Blonde Books
Format: Paperback


Ama­teur ghost-hunter Perry Palomino has bat­tled ghosts, fought off skin­walk­ers and skirted the fine line between life and death. But can she sur­vive bunk­ing down in Seat­tle for a week with her partner (and man she secretly loves) Dex and his perfect girl­friend, Jennifer? And can she do so while being tor­mented by a mali­cious spirit from Dex’s increas­ingly shady past? With love and life in the bal­ance, Perry must dis­cover the truth among the lies or risk los­ing every­thing she's ever cared about.


Lying Season is probably my favorite installments of the Experiment in Terror. Why? Simple, I like angst and this book had its angst, which was all caused by Perry's short stay at Dex and his girlfriend's apartment. Yep, ouch. 

For those who have no idea what I'm on about. Go and pick up the first book NOW! Cause the series is simply amazing.

Perry is staying in Settle for a few days for a work Christmas party and she's finally shown off amongst her colleagues by Dex and Jenn (Dex's girlfriend). Before that Dex and Perry have to explore and shoot their new "Experiment in Terror" episode at a Mental Institute (creepy, I know). 

Once again, I love the narration, and the constant creepiness mixed with romance/unrequited love. The only thing I hated was the abrupt end to the book! Maybe I'm just being impatient because I want to read more but seriously! I can't wait for the fifth book to come out. I absolutely need to get it! 

Karina has done it again. The series is impossible to put down and extremely easy to go through. Another five out of five stars for Karina Halle! 





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Monday, March 26, 2012

Review: Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina Halle

(Click image for goodreads page)
Title: Dead Sky Morning (The Experiment in Terror #3)
Author: Karina Halle
Started: 25/3/12
Finished: 26/3/12
Medium: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult: Horror, Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

With the Experiment in Terror show finding some success, amateur ghost hunters Perry Palomino and Dex Foray embark on their most terrifying investigation yet. A tiny, fog-shrouded island in the rough strait between British Columbia and Washington State has held a dark secret for decades: It was a former leper colony where over forty souls were left to rot, die and bury each other. Now a functioning campground, Perry and Dex spend an isolated weekend there to investigate potential hauntings but as the duo quickly find out, there is more to fear on D’Arcy Island than just ghosts. The island quickly pits partner against partner, spiraling the pair into madness that serves to destroy their sanity, their relationship and their very lives.


This is by far the scariest installment of the Experiment in Terror. I don't know what scared me the most, being on an isolated island filled with killer chinese leper ghosts, or the story behind it all. It terrifies me to no ends. The book kept me on my toes, and sent chills all over. I might be a little bit more easily to scare but it still almost kept me up at night. 

Everything expected and unexpected from the series were present. You've got the drama, the chilling frights and even some "loveee". I can't get over how addicting this series is. I just finished book two yesterday only to finish the third one not even a day later. I can't go any further cause I still have to get book four. :( 

Dead Sky Morning is an amazing installment to the series. Karina manages to write a better book each time. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series and I'm hoping they'll be as addictive as the last three. A guaranteed unputdownable book from Karina Halle.



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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Review: Red Fox by Karina Halle

(Click image for goodreads page)
Title: Red Fox (The Experiment in Terror #2)
Author: Karina Halle
Started: 23/3/12
Finished: 25/3/12
Medium:
Paperback
Genre: Young Adult: Horror, Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

The Experiment of Terror show just went live with its first episode online. Now, Dex and Perry are off to their new "Experiment" in Red Fox, New Mexico, where a Navajo couple are being tormented by things that aren't really there. Random strange animals start coming into their home late at night when the doors are locked and stones are being thrown at their windows by an unknown creature. Dex and Perry's first thought was a poltergeist but they're wrong. The truth of it all lies in an old Navajo myth that seems almost too unreal to be believable. But Dex and Perry has no choice but to trust each other and believe the unbelievable to stay alive.


Once again Karina Halle blows me away with her terrifyingly light horror series. I just can't get enough of it.

Perry Palomino is an amazing character. She's flawed and a bit crazy but she's fun and sometimes hilarious kind of girl. And the way Karina writes Perry's narration is beyond awesome. She really knows how to construct a character that any reader can connect to. To me Perry is like a big sister, the kind of big sister that has trouble getting a proper footing in life (reminds me of my own sister). The best thing about Perry is that she's not one of those whiny, awkward, strong and ridiculous protagonists we sometimes read about in the Young Adult (YA) genre. Perry is normal and incredibly realistic.

As for Declan Foray (Dex), you can say he is almost as normal as Perry. They're both almost alike. And no, hes not one of those extremely exaggerated hot men usually discussed in other paranormal books. This is definitely not your normal paranormal book.

My ultimate favorite parts of this book revolves around Dex and Perry's romance. I love how they both don't realize how they feel about each other until they're thrown into a situation where they had to act like a fake married couple. Thanks for that Karina!

Red Fox is the second installment to the Experiment of Terror series. It is not your normal supernatural book. Its horror at its lightest (almost) with the most real characters I've ever read. They're flawed and yet so entertaining. The Experiment of Terror Series is addictive and unbelievably unputdownable. A perfect mix of creepy, supernatural, originality and realism all rolled into a perfect blend of Dex and Perry! Red Fox was even better than the first book (Darkhouse).




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