Stillwell by Michael Phillip Cash

Genre: Adult , Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense, Ghost Story

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

My Thoughts:

There are many types of ghost stories. Not all of them have to be horrifying.  This is probably my favorite type. I love a story that is wrapped around a romance.  In this case we have Paul, who is dealing with the recent death of his wife from brain cancer.  He is trying hard to get his life back together for the sake of his children; twins Jesse and Veronica and the youngest, Stella Luna.  Paul, who has always made a living selling houses, has been asked by friends of his to sell their place, Stillwell Manor.  Paul has all the confidence in the world he can sell this place, even though it is known to be haunted.  Paul finds himself seeing things, including his wife.  Is it his imagination or is there something, or someone that needs his help?  Things are tied up neatly as Paul learns more of the history of the house and finds connections.  The question is, will he make those connections before it is too late for him and his children?  I love it. I especially love Hannah’s story.  I think this historical aspect made the difference for me.  This is definitely one of my favorites among the books I have read by this author.  I look forward to reading more by him.

The Battle For Darracia Series by Michael Phillip Cash

Genre: Adult,  Science Fiction

Source: I purchased the first book and was sent the second and third in the series for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Schism

From Goodreads:

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? After the success of his first three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael is fulfilling a dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. Schism: The Battle for Darracia is the first book in a planned series.

My Thoughts:

I loved the idea of this world that faces the same problems we face when it comes to placing people into classes.  We know that not everyone feels this way, but it does still happen.  When the King of Darracia marries a woman of another race a split occurs. His own brother leads it.  With Prince V’sair having traits from both sides he is not seen as the warrior he wants to be, but is looked down on.  He wants to find the fireblade that can only be used by someone with a true warrior’s heart. He knows he can’t just leave the kingdom to do this. Yet, when his uncle tries to overthrow the throne, this may be the only thing that will keep his kingdom together.  I have to say that I purchased the first book, as I was gifted copies of the next two in the series.  The thing that makes this author’s books different for me is that as science fiction goes, they were not too long. I love long books. For me I was able to get into this world quickly and progress through the book at a pace that made it possible for me to finish it to start the next.

Collision

From Goodreads:

The Darracia saga continues with all the key players spread out and searching for answers throughout the solar system. Prince V'sair struggles to hold his fractured kingdom together without help from his family. His stepbrother Zayden is on a vengeful hunt for his evil uncle Staf Nuen. Tulani navigates her two worlds trying to bring them together. Staf Nuen, the orchestrator of the original coup, is making unholy alliances with nefarious new allies. Like the comet zipping across the horizon, all the different factions are heading for a collision course that will test both their faith and power.

My Thoughts:

This one was full of emotions.  For me, any book that can bring out the emotions in me is excellent.  I really wanted to hate Staf Nuen for what he had put Prince V’sair through as well as Zayden.  I felt the anger and hatred Zayden felt. He and Prince V’sair carried the same emotions, but handled them differently.  I felt  sorry for V’sair as he was stuck, unable to do the things he really wanted due to his position.  Tulani is facing some of the same things Prince V’sair faces.  She is not Darracian, yet she has lived there and is now trying to learn all about her own culture.  Some of the people do not want to trust her.  The author has done an excellent job of taking the suspense and questions we have and bringing it up a notch.  Just when you think you know what is going to happen the author throws in a twist that brings hope. The tension is left taught enough that you can’t wait for the next book, which I didn’t.  I read them all back to back.

Risen

From Goodreads:

Imprisoned on the dead moon of Bina, trapped at the bottom of the cold Hixom Sea, locked in a cell in the flooded Desa and blinded & defeated in the Eastern Provinces, the ruling class of Darracia is defeated without hope.

In the stunning conclusion of the Darracia saga, V’sair, Tulani, Zayden and Reminda must dig deep and find both strength and faith to rise from the depths of the impossible and restore order to their home planet from Lothen, Staf Nuen and the evil armies of Geva.

My Thoughts

The author has done an excellent job of bringing everything to fruition the way it should be. Each of the characters are forced to face themselves and the adversity they face. They must find a way to overcome that adversity if they are to save themselves, their people, and the issues they fought so hard for. We see things come full circle.  The author made sure we saw how flawed each of the characters were. This is what made them so realistic to us.  I’m not sure many of my middle school students would enjoy this series. It is maybe a little too mature for them. However, I have a friend who teaches at the high school level. I am sure she and her friends would definitely enjoy this series and so it will be sent her way. I can think of nothing better to do than to share a series when you find one you really think is top notch.  I definitely feel that way about this book.  

About the Author:

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with ghosts, horror and fantasy writing. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

Hit by Lorie Ann Grover

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received the book as part of the BlinkYA book tour.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

About the Book:

After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah's future is all laid out before her … but then she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Mr. Haddings. And she becomes convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back. As she sets off for school in the rain, she slips a poem in her back pocket—one that will declare her feelings once and for all. Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah's attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning. But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels the thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  I was reminded of my senior year in high school. We had a student intern come to our school.  All of the students liked him.  He crossed the line when he invited students to come to his apartment.  He was trying to be friendly and let them see what college life was like.  There was one girl who was infatuated with him the way Sarah was with Mr. Haddings. It almost cost him his internship. He was lucky. The parents had already talked to him about their daughter’s infatuation with him.  He did everything he could to avoid her and never be alone with her.  Unfortunately she showed up at his apartment with a few other students and a rumor got started.  It was completely unclear how much Haddings made clear his feelings for Sarah.  I felt from his writing he definitely liked her.  However, I am not sure if a lot of it was from guilt. Having someone injured to the point that you have to help them recover is tough.  So many friends leave because they really don’t know what to say.  I found this book to be so realistic and true to life in so many ways.  The anger felt by everyone in the family, even when they tried to deny there was anger was spot on.  I have to mention the father’s faith.  He was shocked by how angry he felt when he met Haddings.  Most people believe that having faith means you never get angry. For me seeing the father react was what really made this feel so real.  Families try to pretend things are one way and then they try to hide feelings only to lose control at some point.  There were so many ways to connect to this book.  My cousin was involved in a terrible accident, the night she got engaged. When she finally regained consciousness a few weeks later, she overheard her fiancé make a comment that he could never marry a retard or someone who looked like a monster.  Luke reminded me of him in his inability to hold his tongue.  I think that teens can definitely benefit from reading this book.  I think it would be of benefit for teachers to read this as well.

I am careful every day how I speak to my students because I never want to put myself in the position that we find so any teachers in.  This was an excellent book and one I will gladly share with my students.

About Lorie Ann Grover: 

Lorie Ann Grover is a co-founder of the influential site readergirlz, where she is a visible advocate for teen literacy and activism. In addition, she is the author of four acclaimed novels: Firstborn, Hold Me Tight, a VOYA pick; On Pointe, a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year; and Loose Threads, a Booklist Top 10 Youth First Novel and a 2003 Washington state Book Award Finalist. Lorie Ann lives in Washington State with her husband. Read more at www.lorieanngrover.com