Quickie Review/Resenha Curta: O Desfiladeiro do Medo/Coldheart Canyon - Clive Barker

Surpreendente!!! 

Eu ganhei o volume em uma promoção no Twitter, então acabei começando a ler sem esperar muito, mas.... UAU!!! A história ficava cada vez melhor, e quando percebi já tinha passado da metade deste volume monstruoso. Mas nunca vi tantos erros gramaticais, de concordância e de digitação. O editor deve ter ficado com muita preguiça... Mas o que importa é o enredo!! Inédito, maluco, envolvente!

Um livro diferente, que mexe com as emoções, sensações, assusta e nos faz pensar em nossas ações. O primeiro que li deste autor, e estou seriamente inclinada a preferi-lo ao Stephen King. E eu AMO Stephen King.

Atualização: Reli em inglês e é ainda mais assustador! XD I <3 Barker.
Fiz minha mãe ler, ela é doida por terror, e acabei ficando sem meu livro! hehe. Tive que comprar outra edição, mas isso já diz tudo! Vá e frente e ache uma cópia.

Amazing!!! I won this book from a Twitter giveaway, so I began to read it without expecting much, but.... WOW!!!
This story just got better and better, and when I finally had to stop, I was already done with half of this monstrous volume.
Such an excellent plot !! Unprecedented, crazy and engaging! A different kind of book that stirs the emotions, scares you and makes you think about our own actions in certain situations.
This is the first I've read by this author, and I'm seriously inclined to say I like him better than Stephen King. And I LOVE Stephen King.

(Got my mom, a horror aficionado to try this, and she stole the book from me. So, yeah. Go read it!)

Early Review: The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

The Unquiet
by Jeannine Garsee

Expected publication: July 17th 2012 by Bloomsbury

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publication Date: July 17th 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: eARC, 388 pages 

Series: ?

Source: Netgalley

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My Review:

First line: Sometimes, when I dream, the deadliest moment in my life happens all over again.

Last line: I don't believe you. 

Favorite quote: As someone who's always drawn to the "bad boy" type, I can't explain my attraction to a certified band geek who'll probably major in animal husbandry and end up inseminating cows for a living.

Corinne Jacobs has been a good girl, taking all of her meds everyday, for 3 months and 13 days. Why she's being so careful and counting all the days like that? Because of what happened 3 months and 13 days ago. The time when she decided to stop with her bipolar meds and ended up killing her grandmother.

Now her stepfather hates her and her mother has dragged her from sunny California to chilling middle-of-nowhere Ohio, where she grew up. Rinn doesn't think that moving to this dinky little town will make anything better. But then she actually starts making friends. And the cute farmer boy next door is starting to look way too yummy. Oh, and she absolutely loves her new house and room up in the attic. Until she finds out that the previous owner killed herself up there, of course. Right after her granddaughter was found dead in the pool at Rinn's new school. Awwwwkward. 

And, as if that wasn't freaky enough, she finds out that very strange things have been happening to the people who cross the 'Tunnel' (the part of the gym with the pool where Annaliese's body was found). Weird things have always happened there before, but now another student is found dead by the pool and Rinn's new friends start to act very bizarre. Is it the ghost of Annaliese? Is she haunting the pool area? Is she haunting Corinne? If so, why?

This book had so much in it! So much mystery, so much drama, so much angst and romance!! It really had everything a good book should have. I especially liked knowing/seeing more about how bipolar people act, what they have to deal and fight with everyday, how they really feel about themselves and everyone else. The pressure. The fear. The regret. The desire to just let go. The strength needed not to. 

The Unquiet gives you very strange vibes throughout the book. You start to think that things are getting better, that Rinn herself is getting better and everything and everyone is going to be alright... then the creepiness starts and you have to control yourself not freak out over what's happening in a freaking book! LOL. Miss Garsee has such an engrossing, enrapturing and right-to-the-pont way of writing things that it sucks you right in and makes you feel comfortable... and that's when you should be careful. She makes you forget, repeatedly, that you're actually reading a ghost story, not an ordinary teenage tale. And it sneaks right up to you. Every. Single. Time. O.o

It's been a while since I've found a book's title that is as absolutely perfect or as fitting as this one is. Unquiet. That's exactly how you'll feel during the entire 'ride' that is Corinne's story. And afterwards. Yup. Even after you close the book and start to try to think of something else. It will stick with you. That unquiet feeling. That little chill behind your neck. And you'll love it.

P.S.: And Nate was so adorable!!! *-* It makes me want to move to Ohio, too. Like, right now.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: The Prophet by Amanda Stevens

The Prophet (Graveyard Queen #3)
by Amanda Stevens

Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by Mira

My name is Amelia Gray.I am the Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door has opened and evil wants me back.In order to protect myself, I've vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of Charleston—where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still flourish—and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should only love from afar.Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the rules or follow my heart.

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: April 24th 2012

Publisher: Mira

Format: eARC, 352 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

In this exciting new stallment of the thrilling paranormal series, our Graveyard Queen, Amelia Gray, returns to Charleston, home of her love, John Devlin and all of his ghosts. 

The ghost of Shani, Devlin's daughter continues to follow Amelia around, like she started in the last book, but this time more insistently, begging to be found and to be helped.... but every time Amelia comes even a bit close to finding answers, Mariama's ghost pushes her away. And now Darius, a master of the dark arts and Mariama's cousin, is also in the picture, ready to terrorize  and confuse Amelia.

But his time the ghost Prophet needs her help as well. Robert Fremont, a murdered cop and an old friend of Devlin's, wants Amelia to find his killer. Except that with his memory loss and erratic prophetic powers in the way, the investigation promises to be not only difficult, but very dangerous.

Amelia has broken all of her father's rules. Rules she's been raised with, created to keep her safe from the darkness and evil creatures that walk between worlds. Now she's being followed by something. Something very strong and very dark. And this murder investigation involves much more than she first thought it would. Dark magic, blackmail, betrayal and even more murders threaten to be unveiled...

Surrounded and bothered by ghosts most of the time, Amelia sometimes forget that the living can be just as frightening as the dead... and she's just about to discover that when they work together, things can get very, very ugly.

I can't believe I forgot how mysterious and exciting Amanda Stevens' writing can be! She drives us crazy with curiosity over every small detail that is slowly unearthed throughout the story, tempting us to join in the investigating process, making us writhe with the urge to discover everything that is going on as quickly as possible. Nothing is as simple as we first thought, nobody is completely innocent and everything is somehow interconnected. Really, this author has the gift of writing the best thrillers! With such a thick cloud of mystery over every case, it should become a tiring, even repetitive read, but it's not! It's always powerful, provoking and stimulating tales! She surprises us at every page. With this one you can be sure you'll NEVER guess the ending before you should. And that is such a relief, let me tell you.

It probably sounds a bit like over-gushing, but this series deserve every praise. As soon as we finish one volume we start to think that there's no way the next one will be as good... but then the author comes and hits us over the head with the awesomeness that is her new story. Every single one turns out even better than the next. I have no idea how she does it, but I'm glad her already fantastic writing always manages to improve!

Amelia is such a smart, gifted, independent character. I just love her. And her feelings for Devlin? Gods, they are almost palpable! Their awareness is so strong, their physical link so intense that you almost expect them to slip off the pages. It's almost unsettling, stirring and compelling, all at the same time. I especially like this romance because it didn't just spring up from nowhere. It slowly built up. It was violently ended. It built up again, was denied, tried to be ignored... but they still can't stay away from each other! Even when everything and everyone seems to be against them. Pretty much themselves included, most of the time. That is real, powerful love. Not the instant, fleeting, weak thing that wants to be called real that we get from most books these days.

But, obviously, the book is not all about romance. It is just a part of it, a very important part, sure, but the story is so much more complex than just that. You get horrified over the haunting ghosts and creepy entities and their actions, you get intrigued over the clues and old secrets that are slowly discovered, you get suspicious over new odd characters we are introduced to and very surprised over the actions of old characters you thought you knew. There is never a boring moment with Amelia, that's for sure. That ending was supposed to make us readers feel better, to have some sort of completion... but it only managed to make us even more distressed and desperate to read the next volume! LOL. Way to go, Miss Stevens.

If you like surprises, a romantic and mysterious thriller with a fast pace and very creepy moments, then you'll go insane over this series. I know I did.


* I was lucky enough to receive an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

The Kingdom 
(Graveyard Queen #2)

by Amanda Stevens

Expected publication: March 27th 2012 by Mira


Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town...


My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I’ve been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I’m coming to think I have another purpose here.


Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I’ve discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: March 27th 2012

Publisher: Mira

Format: eARC, 400 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

I'm so glad I had the chance to review this book in advance! I had just finished The Restorer and was dying to read the next book when I saw it available on Netgalley. It was fate, surely. *-* LOL. Well, The Kingdom picks up right where The Restorer ended, but this time, unfortunately, there's no Devlin in sight. There is, however, a much darker story for Amelia Gray to get caught into.

Amelia needs some time away from Charleston and John Devlin, so it was a very good thing she got a job to restore the Thorngate Cemetery in Asher Falls, a small town located in the lush Blue Ridge foothills of South Carolina. Even if the money to bring her there was donated anonymously and the woman who contacted her, Luna Kemper, turns out to be a very strange woman. Oh, and the city is almost deserted. A real ghost town. Literally.

On her way there, Amelia meets the charming Thane Asher, the 'apparent heir' of the Ashers, the family who has ruled Asher Falls for years. He's the one who tells her about the other Thorngate Cemetery. The one that was submerged in the flood that destroyed part of the town in the past. The one now residing under Bell Lake, which graces the view from the house Luna has chosen for her to stay during the restoration process. A house built on hallowed ground, very secluded and almost hidden by the forest. At night, the place is surrounded by the ghosts of the people buried in the flooded cemetery. But a ghost in special seems to be haunting her. And something more, something bigger, something even more dangerous, haunts the forest close by. And it wants her.

Very soon, Amelia realizes that Asher Falls hides many, many secrets. Hidden grave, murders unsolved, dog fights, dark magic, possessions and Evil unleashed. And most of these secrets have something to do with her. But  the people from Asher Falls want to leave the past in the past, and will do anything to stop her from investigating it.

The Kingdom was so beautifully written! Amanda Stevens doesn't disappoint us at all! She still has such a fantastic way with words and descriptions, she really makes you feel like you're there. The story has a very mysterious setting, a plot that thickens but doesn't tire and some passages are downright creepy! Really, this sequel is even darker than The Restorer, and it completely sucks you into a very complicated web of mystery and the Unknown. You can't put it down. Even if you try. LOL. Oh, Amelia is, no doubt about it, one of my favorite main characters ever.

I loved to meet Angus, a 'bait dog' used in dog fights that was left to starve in the forest, only to be rescued by Amelia. Their relationship was very heart-warming and it was so interesting to see how he reacted to the ghosts and how much he helped her throughout the book. Another fascinating character was Sidra, a young teen who happens to share Amelia's burden. Both of them had been behind 'The Veil', and now walk the paths of the living and the dead. 

Thane, the momentary love interest, was very intense and made for great moments in the book, but he's just wasn't for Amelia. And, oh, dear!!! It was SO very satisfying to finally find out about Amelia's past and origins! I can't say the whole thing wasn't predictable, but how   the murder and hidden grave came to be... WOW. It was very eery. Seriouly, it made my skin crawl. Even after I finished the book, it still took me a while to finally quit thinking about it and actually go to bed. (BTW, you might not want to end this book before bedtime. LOL). The secondary characters were all very bizarre, but so very curious! I really wanted to read more about them and their past actions. I hope to see more of some of them in the future.

The book ends with a huge cliffhanger!!! I can't wait to see what happens in The Prophet! And I can't wait to see more of Devlin!! :) Let's just hope the book comes out in the promised date this time. :P

If you like ghost stories with A LOT of mystery, a great, strong main character and generous touches of horror and creepiness (don't you just love this word?), go and devour this book right now!!! And if you haven't started the series yet, what are you waiting for? You're totally missing out!

*I was very lucky to receive an advanced e-copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*