ghosts

REVIEW:  The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

REVIEW: The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Dear Ms. West, I loved reading teen horror novels when I was younger. Old school Christopher Pike? Fear Street? Sign me up! Despite the explosion of YA novels in recent years, however, I haven’t seen many fall into the horror genre. So when I read the premise of your novel, The Murmurings, I was excited.(…)

REVIEW:  Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James

REVIEW: Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James

Dear Ms. St. James: I didn’t read, although I always intended to, your first book The Haunting of Maddy Clare. Janine included it in a reading roundup. Janine commented that one of the stand out parts of the book was how atmospheric it is. I found the same to be true with An Inquiry into(…)

REVIEW:  Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

REVIEW: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Dear Brenna Yovanoff: I read your debut novel, The Replacement, a couple years ago and loved it. I put your sophomore effort, The Space Between, on my list of books to check out but it never quite happened. Whoops. There are so many books out there; sometimes I lose track. But when I was offered(…)

REVIEW:  The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

REVIEW: The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

Dear Ms. Cox, The title of your novel caught my eye right away. It’s catchy and I admit the idea of an afterlife detective agency was interesting. The reality, however, was a bit more cute than I think I was expecting. Charlotte is just your average NYC private high school student. She was just minding(…)

REVIEW:  Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

REVIEW: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Dear Ms. Blake, Last year I read your debut, Anna Dressed in Blood. I loved it. It was a creepy ghost story about a ghost hunter on a mission to track down a violent, bloodthirsty ghost but ends up falling in love with her instead. Sometimes I think the urban fantasy subgenre has made us(…)

MANGA REVIEW:  Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

MANGA REVIEW: Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

It's the return of the manga review! I know it's been a while. While we can't promise that these will become a regular feature at Dear Author, I will try to review a couple titles occasionally. Story & Art: MakikoPublisher: JMangaRating: M for MatureLength: 1/1+ volumes (14 volumes currently available in Japan) Dear readers, Dear(…)

REVIEW: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

REVIEW: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Dear Ms. Stevens, I enjoyed your previous novel, The Restorer, about the self-styled Graveyard Queen, Amelia Gray. It’s a morbid name but a fitting one. Amelia is a cemetery restorer, as well as the owner of a niche, but popular, blog. What few people know, however, is that she can also see ghosts. Because I(…)

REVIEW: Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by Z.A. Maxfield

REVIEW: Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by Z.A. Maxfield

Dear Ms. Maxfield: This was a fascinating novel. I’m still not sure what to make of it, but I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed reading it. Fitz is a musical prodigy — a pianist since he was six. But he’s been utterly sheltered his whole life. His mother marries Husband #8 and goes to(…)

REVIEW: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

REVIEW: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Dear Ms. Cach, You are an author I keep an eye out for and when I saw that there would be a new novel from you after a bit of a wait, I felt a frisson of anticipation. I’ve loved to liked several of your previous books and have admired the risks you’ve taken and(…)

REVIEW: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

REVIEW: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Dear Ms. Stevens, I don’t often read many thrillers, but I picked up a previous novel of yours a couple years back. In fact, I think I may have reviewed it here on DA! (Yup, I did.) Although the details of the book have long since become fuzzy, I do remember having a generally positive(…)

REVIEW: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

REVIEW: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I’ve been meaning to read this book since forever. Wuthering Heights may not be the first Gothic novel, but it’s definitely one of the most famous. From what I knew of the book, I always assumed that I would like it a lot – what’s not to like about a brooding hero, doomed love, and(…)

REVIEW: The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum

REVIEW: The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum

Dear Ms. Downum, I snatched up your debut novel, The Drowning City, when it was published last year. I’d been anticipating its release since the acquisition announcement. Traditional fantasy books about female necromancers? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the reality didn’t live up to my hopes and I found myself unable to get into it at(…)

REVIEW: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

REVIEW: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Dear Ms. Kane, I am not a big horror fan. I don’t find movies like Paranormal Activity, Resident Evil or 28 Days Later enjoyable. And for clarifcation purposes, I love Blade Runner, 12 Monkeys and Serenity. I nearly got thrown out of business class once when I kept yelping aloud during Signs and I was(…)

REVIEW: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

REVIEW: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Dear Ms. Niffenegger, I was one of the many readers positively enthralled by your debut novel, The Time-Traveler’s Wife. Here was a book that was smart, funny, romantic and tragic. It was one of my favorite reads of 2004 (it would probably rate fairly high on my all-time favorite novels list, actually). I have waited(…)

Friday Film Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Friday Film Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991) Genre: Romance Grade: B+ This is a film that I had loved in the past yet hadn’t watched in years. I think I was almost afraid to watch it again. Like when you have a favorite book you haven’t read in ages and you don’t want to risk the magic being(…)