Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn

Book Info:
Title:  When Life Gives You Demons
Author:  Jennifer Honeybourn
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 17th, 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Some people have school spirit.

Shelby Black has real ones.

Shelby Black has spent the past six months training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy―a Catholic priest―has put her through exorcist boot camp hell, hoping to develop her talent, but ohmygod, he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.

High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what she does in her off time.

But Shelby knows how to keep a secret―even a big one. Like the fact that her mom left under mysterious circumstances and it’s all her fault. Shelby is hellbent on finding her mom, no matter what it costs her―even if what it ends up costing her is her soul AND a relationship with Spencer.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

My Review:
My rating:  4 stars

This book is really exactly what it sounds like.  A humorous story about exorcisms.  LOL.  No, really.  In a good way!  It reminded me quite a bit of one of my all time favorite TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I really think this would be kind of a fun series if that was ever a possibility.  I would enjoy getting to follow Shelby as she works on her exorcism skills.  And then there is her crush Spencer, and what his family does, they would be interesting to get to know more about as well.  I feel like there is even a lot more history of Shelby's mother and Uncle Roy that would be fun to throw in to another story.

Besides the fact that I could see it as a series, I will tell you it was a very quick and easy read.  I was just turning pages to get to see what was going to happen. Where was Shelby's mom?  What was Spencer up to, because there was obviously something going on with him and his family?  Then, when we got about 80% in, the story really took off, and it just dove right into the heart of the action and trying to save the town and those they loved.  There were definitely your normal exorcism details:  heads turning around, crawling on the ceiling, and super-human strength. But then there were some funny bits to go along with them, including a possessed dog, and a teenage boy who really was just being a teenage boy even if his mom thought he was possessed.

A quick, fun, read, check it out! 

Author Bio:

Jennifer Honeybourn works in corporate communications in Vancouver, British Columbia. She’s a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she’d have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books. Wesley James Ruined My Life is her first novel.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can't Wait Wednesday #31: When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  My pick this week is one that I found on Edelweiss last week that just sounds like a really fun read!  I mean, just look at the title!  Here is the synopsis from Edelweiss:

In this smart and funny YA novel, Shelby Black tries to juggle school, love, and exorcism.

Shelby Black has spent the past six months training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy—a Catholic priest—has put her through exorcist boot camp hell, hoping to develop her talent, but ohmygod, he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own. 

High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what she does in her off time. 

But Shelby knows how to keep a secret—even a big one. Like the fact that her mom left under mysterious circumstances and it’s all her fault. Shelby is hellbent on finding her mom, no matter what it costs her—even if what it ends up costing her is her soul AND a relationship with Spencer.

Sounds like fun, don't you think?  Does this sound like one you'd add to your TBR?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

5 True Ghost Stories - Promo Post and Giveaway: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

 Book info:

Title:  The Women in the Walls   
Author:  Amy Lukavics
Genre:  YA Horror/Paranormal
Publish Date:  September 27th, 2016
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

ABOUT THE WOMEN IN THE WALLS:
Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family. 

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

ABOUT AMY LUKAVICS:

Ever since she was little, Amy was especially intrigued by horror books and movies. Raised in a small mountain town in Arizona, she sustained herself on a steady diet of Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books before discovering Stephen King in her mother's bookshelf.

Amy lives with her husband, their two precious squidlings, and an old gentleman cat by the name of Frodo. When she isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and playing games across many platforms. 

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Tumblr




I was so excited to get to be a part of the tour for what sounded like an extremely scary story.  I have always been fascinated with ghosts and the paranormal.  I remember going to the public library when I was in middle school and checking out all the books on true poltergeist and ghost stories that I could find. As I got older, I enjoyed fiction books, as well as movies on the same topics.  In more recent years I have been a fan of the tv show Paranormal State, even getting to meet some of the crew, such as Ryan Buell and Sergey Poberezhny.  I've also gone and stayed at a haunted bed and breakfast, the Mason House Inn, where I learned more about research and contacting spirits and other paranormal activity from Chris Moon.  For my stop on the tour, I've gathered five real ghost stories, or other evidence people use for paranormal activity, such as EVP, since today's book that I'm promoting is about spirits speaking to the characters.

1.  EVP - Electronic Voice Phenomenon:

EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon are sounds found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices that have been either unintentionally recorded or intentionally requested and recorded.  One website that has several samples of recordings of these voices is the Association TransCommunication.  If you go to their website HERE, you can click on some of those recordings and listen to them and see what you think!

2.  The Spirit Phone:

I mentioned a paranormal research class I took with Chris Moon above.  Chris uses something he calls for short, "Frank's Box", or more technically, the Spirit Phone, to communicate with spirits.  According to Chris's website HERE, this is a device made based on Thomas Edison's telephone to the dead that can be used by someone who is a psychic medium for two way conversation with the spirits.  I have been present at one of his sessions.  While I don't know for sure what I heard, there were definitely some things that were pretty creepy and sounded like they could be what he suggested.  This is not necessarily the same as EVP, as you hear the voices as it goes for the most part, instead of going back and hearing them on a recording later on.

 3.  The Sallie House - Atchison, Kansas:

No, it doesn't look that scary from the picture, but the Sallie House in Kansas is well-known among the American paranormal community.  When I met Ryan Buell from the Paranormal Research Society, he told me of having visited the house, and having been scratched and knowing that it was not a "friendly" spirit in the house.  There is one website that is run by a couple that rented and lived in the house at one time.  It is called the Official Sallie House website, and does have lots of information, both history of the house, as well as evidence of investigators - including some EVPs.  If you are brave enough after reading about the activity there that you would still like to go visit the home yourself, the Atchison Tourist group has a way you can sign up for self-guided or guided tours, or even overnight stays HERE!

4.  Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum:

 
Okay, if you are a scary movie lover like I am, then you've probably seen the two Conjuring movies about Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Or if you wanted Paranormal State, then you saw Lorraine working with those investigators several times.  In the first The Conjuring movie, at the beginning you learned about a possessed doll named Annabelle, which then got it's own movie, which I don't believe that was based on any true story though.  While in the movie the doll is what you'd think of for a scary movie's creepy doll, in real life it is the Raggedy Ann doll that you see in the picture above.  The Warrens have worked on many big name cases besides the ones that have been shown in the movies, and they put most of the items that came from those cases kept in a museum that is basically in a room off of their house.  You are able to go visit that museum, and even participate in different events to learn more about their different cases, including the infamous Annabelle.  If you're interested in learning more about the Warrens, their cases, or their museum, you can go that website HERE.

5.  Exorcists/Exorcisms:

One thing you also see in a lot of movies is exorcisms when a priest will try to get a demon out of a person that they are possessing.  There are many famous movies about this, and many of those are actually based on true stories.  Examples are The Exorcist (which has more than one supposed story it is based on, see other one HERE), The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and now there is even a documentary about more modern day situations called The Exorcist in the 21st Century.  Exorcisms are not widely practiced, and the Vatican doesn't really publicize that they are something they condone.  I haven't watched the documentary I listed above, but am definitely interested in seeing it now that I've found out about it through my research for this post.

So, are you interested in reading this book now?  How about hopping along to some of the other posts on the tour for some other interesting posts:

Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
9/5: Adventures of a Book Junkie - Review
9/6: The Forest of Words and Pages - Q&A
9/7: No BS Book Reviews - Review
9/8: Fiction Fare - Guest Post
9/9: Fangirl Confessions - Review

Week 2:
9/12: The Fake Steph - Inspiration Board
9/13: Bookish Lifestyles - Review
9/14: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5
9/15: In Wonderland - Review
9/16: Lisa Loves Literature - Ghost Stories - YOU ARE HERE  

GIVEAWAY:

• 3 Finished Copies of THE WOMEN IN THE WALLS (US Only) 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Exorcising Aaron Nguyen (The Millroad Academy Exorcists #1) by Lauren Harris

First I have to apologize to the author because I was late getting to this. And it is my own fault.  I forgot to put it in my reading schedule and didn't get to it until I remember in June.  I had emailed the author back in April about wanting to review the book, and she returned my email and said yes, and sent me an e-copy to read it.  The synopsis made it sound like a very good story.  It is just a novella, only like 68 pages, but it really tells as much of a story in that short number of pages as some books tell in much longer I think.  It was a very thorough and complete story.  I got to know so much about the main characters and even the side characters that it felt like I'd read a full length novel, in a good way!  I don't know when there might be more in the series, but I'm looking forward to finding out more about these characters and more ghosts!

The main character is Georgia.  She attends a private Catholic school.  She switched to that school after something big happened, but we don't know quite what it was, just that it has something to do probably with her being bullied maybe.  She doesn't have many friends, she's been teased for being overweight as long as she can remember.  Her best friend is a boy named Hiroki.  He has been friends with her since he first moved there.  He doesn't talk to many other people, and oh yeah, he sees ghosts.  In fact, a boy from the school, Aaron Nguyen, was found murdered.  He had his head bashed in among other things.  And since then, he's been haunting the school.  His hauntings have included setting a teacher on fire at one point.  While the priests at the school plan to exorcise Aaron, Hiroki knows that probably won't work, as Aaron wasn't actually Catholic.  Of course he and Georgia must figure out what or who caused his death, because as everyone knows who reads ghost stories, or watches ghost movies, that is usually why ghosts stay behind.  But to do this it will require skipping classes, dealing with an angry ghost, as well as with whoever might be responsible, who is obviously dangerous as well. 

I liked how flat out unapologetic Georgia was.  I feel like her attitude and way of behaving was very realistic for many teens that I have known as a teacher.  It was humorous as well.  As a chubby girl myself, I love that she knew to make use of her best feature(s) by wearing v-necked shirts, and she wasn't shy about it.  I also like how she grew by the end of the story, figuring out what kind of feelings she really had for Hiroki.  It was done in such a perfect, genuine, realistic way.  I look forward to reading more by this author.

Review: The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

First, thanks to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an egalley of this title.  I was very excited to read it as I love the books that I've read so far in another series by the author, the Soul Screamers series.  This was a different sort of story.  Still had some of the same sense of humor though for the characters as seen in the other books I've read.

The main character is a 16 year old girl named Nina.  In her world, a future for us, demons have tried to take over, and so the Church has had to kind of take over everything to keep us safe.  It all started when babies were being born, and almost every one of them would die within a day or two of being born, with no reason.  It turns out that there were no souls left, no new souls, and without a soul the babies or any human for that matter, would die.  So they had to have exorcists start taking care of the demons, which led to a war. And then they had to have people die in order for new babies to be born and live.  So someone would have to apply for a parent license first, in order to get a soul.  Usually, if you were lucky, you had a family member that would donate it to their grandchild.  If you didn't have anyone like that, there is a public registry.  Nina and her younger sister live with their mother, who is not a very good mother.  They go to the Church school, and learn all about what life should be.  But because their mother doesn't earn money like she should, the girls have to steal, well Nina does for her sister and herself.  One early morning when Nina is on her way home from getting some food, money, and uniforms for them, she is attacked by a degenerate, which is someone who is possessed by a demon. Without a soul their body degrades. She is saved by a cute boy, but she runs off before anyone can find her or that she has been out somewhere she isn't supposed to. 

This boy will end up being a part of what she will have to turn to for help when things start to just go wrong.  When her sister has a secret that could destroy all of their lives, and their mother turns out to be an even worse mother than they'd originally thought.  And they learn that the Church may not be telling them the truth, and there may be more demons, and less exorcists to help than they had thought.  And when Nina finds out that she may actually be an exorcist herself, things get really weird.

I like the story, it's a different one.  It didn't quite grab me as much as the other series did. But it did leave off in a manner that I will be eager to get the next one and find out what happens next.  I'm not sure about the romance in the story.  It's got a bit of insta-love, but it's a strange one, not sure quite how it will end up working.  When you learn about the boy, Finn, you'll understand my qualms about him.  The author does do a good story though, so it was a very interesting read, one that will hook you in so that you have to know what is going on.

Review: Be Not Afraid by Celilia Galante

First, thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  Obviously the cover is pretty creepy looking.  This is a great horror story, much better than I was expecting, which I know is horrible to say, but I'd never heard of the author, so wasn't sure.  I was definitely pleasantly surprised.  I could totally see this as a movie, in fact I'd be very excited to go see it.  If you know someone who can get it turned into a movie, get it to them!

The main character is Marin.  Her mother committed suicide about a year or so ago, and right at that time she started seeing colors and shapes inside of people.  She soon figured out she was seeing their pain.  No one believed her though, even after she went and saw many therapists and even regular medical doctors.  Her father moved the two of them to live with his mother.  She's got one friend, Lucy.  She thought maybe she'd have another, when one of the really popular girls invited her over shortly after she started the new school.  Instead that visit ended up in Marin being locked in the closet by the girl, Cassie, and screaming and yelling to be let out until Cassie's older brother Dominic heard her and let her out. 

All the different pain colors that Marin sees are so bright sometimes that she has to wear sunglasses, or in chapel she tries to read a book, until one of the nuns takes it away.  It is while they are in this mass that all of a sudden Cassie stands up and starts yelling that the communion wafer is hurting her and screaming and having almost a seizure. And as she goes down the aisle she stops right in front of Marin's row and points at Marin and says something about "It's You!"  Then she does fall on the floor and have a major seizure.  Everyone is freaked out of course, including Marin, who gets sent home early because of being traumatized.  When Marin decides to go see her friend Lucy, who has been calling and texting constantly, she is waylaid along the way when Dominic shows up.  He says that Cassie has been asking for Marin, and he's hoping that maybe if she sees her, it will help her feel better or at least calm her down.

For some reason having Marin around helps Cassie, when it's not sending her into major fits.  There seems to be something inside Cassie though.  Marin sees a black shadow inside her, something she's never seen before.  And this black thing moves around, and hides at times.  Soon Dominic and Marin will begin to think that Cassie is possessed by a demon.  And Dominic will feel it is up to him to try to save his sister.  He and Marin will grow close in their trials with this.  In the end there will be evidence to where the demon came from, and Marin and Dominic will even ask the priest from their school to help with an exorcism. 

A great story.  All the normal things you expect with possessions, and even a lot of the tings for exorcisms.  I really liked it.  I really mean that I could see it as a horror movie.  It definitely reads perfectly like many that I've seen.  If you like stories of exorcisms and demon possession, this is a good one!  

Misfit by Jon Skovron

This is another egalley I received from Abrams Publishing on Netgalley.com. This book will not be published till August 1st, but it will be on my staff recommendations as soon as it is. The main character is Jael. Jael has never really fit in at any school, but she's moved all her life, almost every two years if not more often, so it hasn't been that big of a deal. She lives with just her father because her mother is dead. Her father is a bitter ex-priest who used to perform exorcisms. Her mother was a demon. So Jael is a half breed. Because of her father's days of being a priest, she has always gone to Catholic schools. Because of being a half breed, her life is in danger from demons who believe in pureblood only, kind of like Voldemort and his hate of mudbloods. But here, it seems that the few half breeds in the past actually could cause problems for demons. Some of them may sound familiar to you, Perseus, and Merlin. The Perseus connection will draw in some Lightning Thief fans I think. So until she's turned 16, and her father gives her a necklace from her mother, Jael doesn't know much about her mother, her father has kept it from her in an effort to save her, as well as out of his feelings of betrayal and sadness of the death of his wife. He tells Jael not to put the necklace on. But even having the necklace, Jael begins to have vivid dreams which are actually flashbacks to the history of her mom and father. And she begins to learn about her past, and what it means to be half demon.

As with all of these types of books, all Jael really wants is to be a normal teen, which she's been unable to do with all the moving they've done throughout her life. She'd finally felt like she was somewhere she fit in, and now it seems she may have to move again to stay alive. I won't give away anymore of the book, except for the first demon she meets, well, let's say you'll really like his character, I did.

I really liked this book. I love the different look at ancient demons and how they weren't necessarily "evil" in what they were doing. I like the change in the view of hell, even how they go so far as to say it is not actually like Dante's version. (That could be because I was unable to get through Dante's Inferno I hated it so much). I really liked the story, liked the characters, and the look back at history. There was even a retake on the story of Samson, and I really liked it! I feel like the story really leaves off for a series of sequels. I don't know if there will be, and I guess the fact that it hasn't even been published means there are no hints about a sequel yet, but I'm hoping for it! I even sent a question to the author on his website asking him about this.

Great book! Read it when it comes out!