Science Fiction Fantasy Books

This is a lovely series for young people - many adventures, but not too scary, and interesting characters.

I really liked this book. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Kindle version.

I loved this! The content was amazing, the idea of it was... Incredible! I really, really liked this book! I liked how the author spelt alot of the words diffrently than usaul. One of the most Magykal books I have ever read. Don't think it will be even CLOSE to Harry Potter! It is so far off! Good book! I enjoyed it very much!

I actually ended up enjoying this book quite a lot!
It took me a few more chapters than I would have liked to "get into" the story and the characters, but after a while I found that I did feel invested. I liked the distinct personalities of the characters, and how consistent they seemed to be.
It also took a while to understand the magical world. Two parts to this: one, being the good vs. evil statuses and people, how things came about, and what it all meant. I still feel ther...more I actually ended up enjoying this book quite a lot!
It took me a few more chapters than I would have liked to "get into" the story and the characters, but after a while I found that I did feel invested. I liked the distinct personalities of the characters, and how consistent they seemed to be.
It also took a while to understand the magical world. Two parts to this: one, being the good vs. evil statuses and people, how things came about, and what it all meant. I still feel there is more to it all though, and perhaps these areas will be explored in the later books. Enough came across, however, for the story to unfold as it should have. The second part is how magic works in Septimus Heap's world. I think I got a pretty good understanding by the middle of the book though, so again, it didn't bother me too much. (I still can't decide if the bolding of every magical word was cool or annoying).
All in all I thought the book was written pretty well, and the plot flow was good. It's told from multiple perspectives, which makes for a bit jumpy read sometimes, but pretty much the transitions are smooth. The ending was satisfying, and good. Though a few things were left unresolved, I'm assuming it's for the following books. Hopefully.
There were some things that very young children, or very sensitive children, might be upset about (mainly relating to cute woodland creatures who... we're not entirely sure what their fates end up being). But overall it's a very "G" read (or maybe PG). There is one part at the end that's pretty unsettling, but the fact it's rectified makes it less so.
A few character traits were somewhat irksome, but again, I'm hoping that the author delves into these in the next books (this book did a good job, so I'm trusting that the author will continue in a similar fashion).
Some things were predictable, but others surprising. And at the end of the book is an interesting collection of "whatever happened to" certain characters, "instructions" for various charms, etc.
I'd recommend this book to fans of other "young adult" fantasy, and while I'm not as in love with the book as certain others in this genre, I did find it a very fun read!

My son Ben (7 years old - about to be 8) is voraciously consuming all the kid mystery and fantasy books around. Potter was a huge hit (but we will not let him get beyond 3 until he's a bit older). We were looking for something that had mystery and suspense and magic but wasn't too scary or too heavy. Septimus Heap delivers in a huge way - and the whole family has now blown through Magyk and is well on through the series. My only disappointment is that my son consumed Magyk in less than two days and I was hoping for a week at least. It's a major page turner and manages the trick of having danger and suspense without inducing anxiety or nightmares.

Magyk - the first book in the growing series of Septimus Heap novels is situated in a Tolkien-style magical world of medieval technology humans and a vivid pantheon of light and dark magical creatures (witches, brownies, boggarts, wraiths, talking rats, dragons, enchanted insects, etc...) The society is dominated by a sort of bicameral government of wizards with magical power and a political power dimension of a queen/princess (although it's held by a corrupt tyranny through most of Magyk). I'm not going to give any spoilers but I will say that the protagonists are children (age 10) and various pre and barely adolescent siblings who are smarter than the parental figures who are supportive and avuncular without having enough initiative or insight to spare the kids the lions share of the action. The struggle is the ageless one between good and evil and those elemental forces are echoed in the magyk and the nature of landscapes flora and fauna. The story telling is brisk with great (relentless) pacing. Angie Sage has a great cinematic sense of action and a good ear for dialog. It's a real page turner well pitched for middle school grades. As an adult reading it I found it a tad tame, but basically couldn't put it down until its conclusion. Highly recommended for the right kids (you know who they are) - and well recommended for parents to read it too. Tons of fun.

My daughter recently turned 7 and she can't put these chapter books down. Great books to read over the summer for girls or any child interested in fairy fantasy. Definitely recommend.

We own all of this series! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

My daughter loves the Disney fairies and she is learning how to read. Because of the topic, she is having a great time reading these and learning faster than she would with other books. Great books!

Its a lovely set of books for beginners to fairies land. Great for grade schoolers. Beautiful pictures easy to read.

We purchased these books for my 6-year old daughter. We read them together and love the stories. We also enjoy the life learning that can be extracted from them.

A good next episodes, but felt the book was a little thin (some of the other volumes are much thicker). THe artwork continues to be excellent.

I think this was my favorite volume in the series so far. The first two were fun and entertaining, but in this one the plot becomes thicker, more complicated, and we start to see glimpses of a rich backstory behind the characters Grandma Ben and Thorn. People who liked the first two books will be sure to like this one, too.

This is my 1st Graphic Novel that I have read. Jeff Smith is a great author and illustrator. The words along with the pictures tell a great story. Jeff uses many story elements in his book Eyes of the storm. His plot has several conflicts in it. He uses mainly person-against-person, with it being the Bone cousins and village people against the rat creatures. Jeff Smith uses flashbacks and foreshadowing in dreams to let Thorn know what her past was like. He uses cliff hangers to make the story more suspenseful. Amongst all of this, Jeff Smith knows how to lighten the atmosphere by putting humor in the right places. This book kept me wanting more. I can't wait to get a hold of the next volume. This will not be my last graphic novel that I read.

The Bone books are the gratest comics I have Ever read

check em' out ;)

This book I just read is about a boy named Bone. Bone's friend started a cow race, and convinced everyone to bet on a cow that didn't even exist. So now they have to wash dishes at a bar to pay back what they destroyed. They have weird dreams about their past. So they spend days trying to figure out what their dreams were about. There are furry creatures in the woods trying to kill them.
Bone was the main character in the story he is the coolest and funniest in the book. There grandma reminds me of my grandma from when I was 3. She told me that there as no such thing as ghosts. I figured out that there was such thing as ghosts when I was 5. My favorite part in the story is when Bone realized that their dreams where real. If you like comic books then you will like the Bone series. This book was made to be read by kids 11 and older.

These books are fantastic! I have two 7yr old boys that cry if I don't read this book to them at night.

Parents:
Imagine using, I won't read to you tonight if you don't stop right now, and it works...that's how good this series is. At first I thought the book might be a little too scary for them but they were hooked and it wasn't until book 4 that I had to consider sensoring some of the language (things like "idiot"). Any book that brings kids back to the well again and again is worth purchasing.

Somehow when I bought this book I assumed that it would contain the complete written works of OSC's IGMS up to this point - 8 issues. (There's 9 now, but there was 8 when the book was published.) Excluding the audio stories, essays, and interviews (which requires subscribing to the IGMS to get) this is what I expected to get in a bound paperback book:
issue #1 - 10 written stories
issue #2 - 9 written stories
issue #3 - 10 written stories
issue #4 - 10 written stories
issue #5 - 10 written stories
issue #6 - 10 written stories
issue #7 - 11 written stories
issue #8 - 10 written stories
(80 in all)

Instead I got 18 select stories out of the first 4 issues:
5 from issue #1
4 from issue #2
5 from issue #3
4 from issue #4

The book includes the artwork for each story. It also contains the new Ender stories from each of the first 4 issues. And it's 432 pages. I suspect it'd be somewhere around 2000 pages if it included all of the stories up to issue 8.
Despite my disappointment in the book's lack of completeness, I'm still glad I bought it. It's a solid collection of great stories that I can hold in my hand and read, without having to stare at a computer screen. And I'm thinking it might be worth paying an extra $2.50 to get the rest of the stories from his website.

The eighteen stories selected for this anthology were first published in the online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show in 2006 and were considered the best from the four IGMS issues. Mr. Card provides four fine Enderverse short stories not seen in printed form before. Although some of the contributors are acclaimed talents like David Lubar and David Farland (Camelot never looked so fresh) fans will also appreciate the entries by less famous authors as Mr. Card and Mr. Schubert introduce Enders readers to endless possibility of meeting talented writers. There are no losers as all the tales are entertaining. Especially fascinating are the Rapture tale "To Know All Things That Are in the Earth" by James Maxey, a pair by Eric James Stone, and Tom Barlow's satirical Pollyanna "Call Me Mr. Positive". Also adding to the freshness is Aaron Johnston's comic book style "Fat Farm" based on a story by Mr. Card. This compilation is superb and should send the audience to the OSCIGMS website.

Harriet Klausner

I first read this when I was about 9. My dad was (and still is) a hot-air balloon pilot, which is why I probably found it in my parents' room one day. I don't know what made me start to read it, but once I started I couldn't put it down. Recently I found that it's still in print. Hooray! It's just as good now as it was then; a very stimulating and imaginative story that makes you long to be there!

The Twenty One Balloons

In the book, The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois a professor crashes on the island of Krakatoa in a hot-air-balloon then to discover hidden treasures on the island. I think this book was very exiting and interesting and I would read it again if I could.

A professor named William Waterman Sherman sets off on a journey around the world in a hot-air-balloon from San Francisco. He then crash-lands on the island of Krakatoa then discovering a huge diamond mine and villagers hidden on the island.

I very much enjoyed the book because I love adventure books and there is always something new to find on the island. And the only thing that was a little boring was the beginning but once he landed on the island it got much more exiting. I would recommend this book to anybody looking for an exciting and adventurous book

This was a really great book and I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to read it.

This book is sort of a "Jules Vern-lite" sort of thing. And while it's more of a travelogue than a story but it's still very captivating and quite a page-turner. I recommend it to readers 10 and over, or to be read to children as young as 7 or 8 (so certain concepts could be explained). Adults looking for an enchanting and pleasant diversion will enjoy it too.

I first read this book when I was in grade school. I am now almost 40 years old, and this is still my favourite book. It's a fantastical tale of adventure, diamonds, food, etiquette, and hot air balloons! It will not dissapoint...I didn't love to read until I read 21 Balloons. The author does a magnificant job of illustrating as well.

The 21 Balloons,
By William Pene Du Bois

A man wants to stay up in the air a year in a balloon, but he crash lands on the island Krakatoa where he meets nice and civilized people. This is a very good book that is very unpredictable
William Waterman Sherman wants to stay up in the air a year in a balloon. The wind blows him in to a flock of seagulls and sadly for him one of the seagulls pops his balloon and he comes crash landing down on to the Island Krakatoa. Professor Sherman meets odd civilized people. The main person that helps him is called Mr. F. Mr. F, shows him around the island, where there is a diamond mine. Professor Sherman is astonished by what he sees, diamonds everywhere, in the size of even a human. However, through out the Island there were a few shakings, kind of like an earthquake, but no damage done. The island also has incredible technology considering they have been on the island for over 5 years. Professor Sherman enjoys many good dinners. One day, there was a huge rumbling in the island. The volcano had started to erupt! They narrowly escape.
This book is very good. It has many examples of foreshadowing, like when he landed on the island you could tell that something bad was going to happen. The 21 Balloons is also very unpredictable. Something that you think will happen will most likely not, such as the diamond mine in the middle of the island. One of the bad things in this book is that it takes a few chapters until the exciting parts come.
I would say that this is one of the best books that I have ever read. Hope you enjoy! =D

"Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep is a novel I greatly enjoyed reading. I just finished it and highly recommend it because it was a believable book about the conflicts between the T'ang and Americans, with exciting but historical events. A young Chinese boy named Moon Shadow moves to San Francisco to meet his father for the first time. His father dreams of flying and building a glider, and Moon Shadow must find the courage to stand up and not be afraid of the demons, who greatly influence him and the book.
In this novel, Laurence writes of a boy who moves to San Francisco to meet the father he's never seen but heard about from his mother and grandmother. His father, Windrider, is very interested in flying and so he begins to build small-scale glider models. Moon Shadow befriends the "Company" who his father works for, and gets to know the friendly Chinese men among them. Later his father and him move out of "China Town", and come to live with an especially nice pair of demonesses who welcome them to their town, and learn to become friends with the strange "Chinamen". Robin and Moon Shadow become companions, and Miss Whitlaw learns about the dragons she believed to be terrible, while teaching Moon Shadow how to read and write. With the help of his new acquaintances friends, he learns that despite the stereotype he believes all demons are, most are actually friendly and not willing to beat him up, every chance they get. In the end, a seemingly impossible dream is accomplished, and feuding friends overcome their differences for the chance to see "Dragonwings" fly.
Some well-thought out choices the author made in this book, changed the paperback for the better, like characters personalities and setting and time period. In this publication, Windrider has a dream in which he realizes that he was a dragon in his former life. Because of this, he decides to build glider models and when he tests them out, Robin and Moon Shadow bond and become closer playmates. His new attitude and name changes him because, he becomes bolder and eventually gets himself kicked out of his own town, by killing a man. He also acquires a knack for fixing and repairing things, and ends up getting a job as a repairman. Moon Shadow's fear of demons also influences the book too because, becomes skittish, nervous, and afraid to even step outside when it gets dark. He misses opportunities to either get ridiculed or praised by another person. Uncle's stubborn characteristic affects many of the people around him, for sometimes the better, but mostly the worse. He never apologizes, leaving people unhappy and frustrated with his attitude. He refuses to believe that a demon could be nice until he meets Miss Whitlaw and he changes his mind. Refusing to leave the house when the earthquake starts, almost kills him (literally) and he puts the rest of the "Company" in peril for a while. Because the novel is slow at the beginning, it is hard to get into and many people may put it back on the shelf right away. DON'T DO THAT! It is a superb novel that deservers to be read and I warn you that despite the informative and boring intro, it gets WAY better. The absence of dialogue and action leaves many snoring, but don't despair! It gets a lot more exciting late on, even though back then its farming, and talking all about China. The time period and setting in San Francisco, really improved the book for the better. If it wasn't set in 1906, there would have been no earthquake or fire, or a China town for the T'ang to live in. they feel much more comfortable in their familiar surroundings. Since they're in America, Windrider is able to write to the Wright Brothers and ask for model dimensions. Also, the prejudice between Americans and Chinese back then, really develops an exciting plot with historical conflicts as well. The author's choices, really improve the book for the better.
Even though the beginning was slow and boring, the time and setting enhanced the novel and made the events more exciting. The characters' moods and personalities made them very believable and realistic, and because the events were actual historical facts, it made the story even more believable. I really enjoyed this book and believe that it's a fabulous read with all the believable events, conflicts, and characters (which is understandable since it is a realistic fiction). Overall, great book!

In the book "Dragonwings" it takes place during the early years of immigration. The setting takes place in San Francisco, in the small town where the "Tang" live. From there, Moon Shadow's family face poverty and the fear of the "demons". They also have to deal with the debts Black Dog gives them. Luckily, there are some demons that are kind, like Robin and Ms.Whitlaw.

I was honestly upset with this book not as good as i thought it would be, I mean the story was just boring overall.The only thing I thought was interesting that they used kites and I would be curious to ask the author why.

Dragonwings is a good book to read because you have a good feeling to know someone's dream came true, like Moonshadow's father's dream. Moonshadow is a young man. When he was just eight years old, he had a chance to join his father who he had never seen before in the United States. He went through a difficult time passing immigration. This book talks about how Chinese people settled down in Chinatown and the experience in 1906 with the big earthquake in San Francisco, and then how Moonshadow and his father relocated to Oakland. Moonshadow's father is a good kite maker, and he has a fabulous dream to make a flying machine. Moon Shadow writes a letter to the Wrights telling them how his father likes to fly too, and wishes they can help him. The father's dream came true when he made a flying machine in 1909. Lawrence Yep's historical novels shows rich traditions and the culture of the Chinese community. I will recommend this book to people who are American born Chinese because they can learn from this book about how difficult it was for their ancesters to get into this country, and how they worked so hard and how they survived in white society, so they will appreciate them. Overall it is a good book to read, I just have some words that were hard to understand for me, maybe because they are too old fashioned.

horrible
I am 13 years old and I hate this book
we read it in english class this year. About two people actually fell asleep reading it in 5th period. Really boring. There was one exciting part to the story. The names are hard to keep track of. I also don't like the fact that all throughout this book the boy refers to the white men as "demons". At first I thought the book was suposed to teach a lesson. But in the end it didn't
don't buy this book

When John and Philippa first see their father after returning from an adventure in Nepal and India, they are shocked to find him changed into a very old man. Mr. Gaunt had been a normal human until his wife Layla --- one of the most powerful djinns in the world --- put him under a Methuselah spell. She hopes this will keep her children by his side and prevent the djinn twins from following her to Babylon, where she is going to assume the position of "Blue Djinn of Babylon."

Unbeknownst to Layla, however, John and Philippa temporarily had been replaced by imitations so they could pursue other adventures. To reverse the aging process, they must get help and are faced with some very serious decisions: How will they be able to leave their father under such circumstances? And how can they get their mother back home and prevent her from becoming the Blue Djinn of Babylon?

Djinns cannot be discouraged easily. And before you know it, after a few setbacks --- such as a terrible accident in which their beloved housekeeper ends up unconscious in the hospital --- help arrives on a whirlwind, in the person of the strange magical djinn Marion Morrison. Nurse Marion wears cowboy boots and has "two beady gray eyes that she was able to control so that she could look in two different directions at the same time."

In a complicated and wild story, the twins embark on yet another adventure as they try to find the true Blue Djinn of Babylon (Faustina, who has lost her body somewhere in England) and help her brother Dybbuk (who is on the brink of joining forces with the dark side after he discovers that his father is none other than Iblis, the most evil djinn in the world). Their Uncle John, the butler Mr. Groanin and the kindly old djinn Mr. Rakshasas join them. Using their abilities to go in and out of bodies, make transformations and other magical djinn skills, they find themselves in a series of mysterious mishaps involving disappearing people, ancient Chinese terracotta warriors who are being controlled by evil forces, haunted museums, robberies and even some unexpected help from none other than Marco Polo!

Readers will be surprised to see what happens to John and Philippa's mother, how the abilities of a little nun help them, and how an erupting volcano changes everything. The twins have their work cut out for them in yet another exciting tale from P. B. Kerr's bestselling Children of the Lamp series.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

Middle school into high school readers and many an advanced elementary grade level reader will relish CHILDREN OF THE LAMP's 4th book DAY OF THE DJINN WARRIORS, which has the twins on a journey to save their mother from her destiny as the Blue Djinn of Babylon, and their father from a dangerous curse. A worldwide journey leads to discovery of an evil force which has awakened a new breed of warrior to the world in this find blend of mystery and fantasy.

I absolutely love P.B. Kerr's series about these children! This is another book in a refreshing series. I have recommended it to both students and adults!

The kids were happy that it arrived in only 6 days so they could continue reading the series.

The fourth novel in the Children of the Lamp series features the terracotta warriors, thousands of six foot tall clay statues buried with the Chinese Emperor of Qin, somewhere back in 210 BC. These statues were for protection as well as to ensure that the Emperor had a full army at his disposal in the afterlife. As the story goes, someone is reanimating these ancient warriors, and possessing them with evil spirits.

Meanwhile, on the good Djinn side, Djinn twins John and Phillipa Gaunt, their Uncle Nimrod and the crew head off to find Faustina Sachertorte (who is in the Djinn equivalent of suspended animation) in the hopes of reviving her to take the place of the twins' mother as the hard-hearted and extremely logical Blue Djinn of Babylon. This requires careful planning, because their father is under a Methusaleh binding that makes him age rapidly once the twins aren't at home, which of course they aren't.

Back on the other side, Faustina's brother Dybbuk is acting up, misusing his powers in exchange for fifteen minutes of fame as the next (and much improved) David Copperfield. Unfortunately his antics are noticed by his father, Iblis, the leader of the Ifrit (a.k.a. the really bad Djinn) and before he realizes it, Dybbuk is being used to set up a really big scam that could change the balance of good and evil.

Better than book three, Cobra King Of Kathmandu (Children Of The Lamp), this one takes the reader to exotic locations with exotic food, contains a lot of surprises, and features two very famous gentlemen from the past. The action-packed adventure comes to a dramatic pause at the end, which is clearly not the end of the story, but the way forward to the next book. Fans of the series won't be disappointed with this one.

Rated: 4.5 stars


Children Of The Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure (Children Of The Lamp)

Blue Djinn of Babylon (Children of the Lamp (Paperback))



Amanda Richards, April 23, 2008

Ray Bradbury'
s book was something that I've wanted to read for quite some time. Unfortunately, I had already seen the film so I had a plot in mind as well as a mood. Bradbury as always strings metaphores together like we do popcorn on the Christmas tree. It's his main setup for atmosphere and that is the books great strength. Unfortunately for me, the characters of Will, Jim and Will's Dad are flat, underdeveloped and dull. Without a back story, I really don't have a sense of caring for the characters and as hard as I tried that didn't change. This was typical of Dickens at times. He created characters and then threw them into the story for development. I never found this technique particularly inviting for me.
The story is simple enough -- a carnival comes to town creating strange and bizarre situations that invite temptation. Jim wants to be older -- but we aren't given a good enough reason why. Will's Dad wants to be younger and the idea feels more universal than centered on the character in question and it falls short. The carnival can do this of course but at a price. That alone feels as rundown an idea as I've ever read. Everyone has that statement. The ending feels more of a fable than anything else and perhaps that's what Ray wanted out of the story. Perhaps he would have put 'once upon a time' and 'happily ever after' were it a different time.
The message -- don't fall into temptation and don't let misery eat away your soul. I don't know, the book has great mood and atmosphere but had the same feel for me as 'Tale of Two Cities' -- I couldn't want to finish it and move on to something else.

Usually I connect Ray Bradbury with weird enough stories that always seem to have plenty of heart. And I am not saying that this does not have plenty of heart, but rather than the usual strange sci-fi Ray Bradbury makes something truly horrific that has actually caused me nightmares. Through the innocence of children and a traveling carnival Bradbury makes an intelligent and creative story that deals with the hidden desires of humanity itself. It's weird, terrifying, and altogether Bradbury classic.

I read this book for the first time about 16 years ago, when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was so impressed by the book, which had gripped me with its enchanting prose, that I immediately re-read it. Over the next couple years, I read several other works by Ray Bradbury and I periodically tried to imitate his style for school projects. I loved the book.

I just re-read it for the third time, and I was still bewitched. Ray Bradbury's writing is impressive! He is poetic, and his writing perfectly fits the spooky subject of the book. In the book, there are dark characters whose bodies are covered with tattooed illustrations or who have been squashed down to resemble dwarves, and Ray Bradbury's writing, which is full of images, metaphors, and poetry, captured these characters and provided a great accompaniment for the book's story.

Rereading it, now, after many years, I understood the book in a different way. The book's repeated discussion of immortality stuck with me, and has a different significance for me now. Also, between the first reading and this third, I had learned a bit more about Ray Bradbury's life. Did you know that Bradbury claims that, at a young age, he met a circus performer called Mr. Electrico? According to Bradbury, this performer, who had electric current pumped through him in front of a crowd of people, pointed his sword at Bradbury and declared: "You will live forever!" Knowing this story had a significant, and I think positive, impact on my reading!

Finally, I'm glad that so many reviewers have liked this book. That's great. At times, I wondered whether other people would like Bradbury's wild writing, which jumps around, and calls forth images, and which captures the dark magic of the performing freaks. On a few rare instances, the prose felt forced, or seemed vaguely pretentious, or felt too overdrawn . . . But, when the writing seemed like this, the sour impression would only last for a moment before the story once again swallowed me whole.

I was very glad that so many readers have found Bradbury's prose appealing.

This is Bradbury's finest novel, in my opinion. All of Bradbury's fiction is lyrical in nature, but in this work his prose flows quickly and magically from the first page to the last.

The book is closer to horror than sci-fi, but I regard it as simply a great novel and believe that its universal theme of good vs. evil qualify it as literary fiction of the highest order. It is a book I read every few years to remind me of what language is capable of doing and to listen to the voices of Bradbury's unique small town characters as they attempt to deal with the mystifying forces of Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Show, a traveling carnival.

The one-star reviews appear to be from the usual students who were forced to read the book. Don't be deterred. If you like a scary tale that also examines love and the human heart, you can't go wrong with SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.

Thirty-five years after its initial release, this magical and mesmerizing story still carries a punch. The opening pages are more like a thriller where you know something is out there...waiting. You can hear it; you can feel it getting closer. And it's not going to be pleasant.

You follow a pair of young boys on their pre-Halloween adventure until you realize there is a lot more at stake than just going to the carnival. And the father of one of the boys, a meek and beaten down man, has a great decision to make. Others in the town face a temptation that could and does change each person's life.

A small town story with universal truths about life and what you make of it. This is a true masterpiece using Bradbury's poetic phrasing and the hypnotic pictures he paints with words.

Read it again.

Eve Levine is a dead witch. Because she has broken all the rules, she expected to end up in a Hell for witches. But, to her surprise she finds herself in a supernatural holding place, if it is not heaven... it is definitely not hell.

Of course, Eve needs to be a superpower. She thwarts the Fates whenever she can... In the process, she finds herself indebted to them (the Fates). That is when the real story begins. Eve as supernatural bounty hunter for evil supernaturals.

Anyway, the story and the character are enjoyable. I started keeping Armstrong's books so that when I am out of reading material, I can re-read them. So sad. LOL

Eve Levine is a ghost. In "Industrial Magic" she makes a deal with The Fates and, if Paige and Lucas are returned to life, she'll owe The Fates a favor. In "Haunted," they've decided to call it in.

What they want seems to be impossible. The Nix, a demi-demon, has accidentally been let loose in the world. For, oh, several hundred years. She's been nearly caught but has escaped. Eve's task is to track her down and bring her in, so to speak. She's scared witless but she isn't alone: she has the help of Kris (who is her daughter's father and the love of her life) and Tsriel, an angel.

The Afterlife, according to these books, is very different from what most of us think of as "Heaven." Eve encounters various things: a pirate's enclave and a school for poltergeists, for example. There is a version of what hell must be like but, in this case, was reserved for the worst among us: serial killers and like that.

The story goes back and forth between Nix and Eve, which can get confusing. I had to look back a few times to remember who this person or that person was. I have to say, as you can probably tell by the lackluster thoughts here, I didn't really care for this book. I am a big fan of Armstrong's but this one just didn't thrill me.

On the plus side, we see more of Savannah, of Paige and Lucas (who got married between Industrial Magic and Haunted) and Jaime. Since Jaime is going to have her own book coming up, that's a good thing.

I have enjoyed the Women of the Otherworld series thus far. I read them as quickly as I can so I can pass them off to our nanny, who is also a big fan. However, this book was a chore to read. The ideas were so far fetched and bizarre. Child ghosts being raised by ghost parents who couldn't conceive? Ghost hockey leagues? Magic being used in the afterlife? I realize that it's a bit contradictory to love books about werewolves, witches and vampires and call this far fetched, but it was just so hard to do much more than roll my eyes and trudge through.

I would have skipped it if I weren't concerned I'd miss something from the other story lines. This was just such a disappointment from an author I have been very impressed with. I have moved on to Broken and am already back in love again, though.

I am new to this author and this series. However, I have blown through five books in about a month (which is AMAZING as I have a 1-year-old at home) which means I gave valuable SLEEP TIME up to read them. The book was a great easy read with characters that you can't help but root for and villians you can't wait to see fail. Although I have a few more to read, I am already missing all the characters when I am done...

When Eve Levine (while alive, a witch not afraid of using Dark Magic to reach her goals and protect herself and her daughter Savannah) is called by the Fates to do them the favor owed (see Industrial Magic (Women of the Otherworld, Book 4)), she is taken by surprise. It seems that there is a nasty spirit out there - a demi-demon called the Nix - who has escaped from her hell dimension and is periodically possessing murderous young women, who only need a little encouragement to get their lethal tendencies going. Even more surprising, Eve finds herself teamed with an angel (Trsiel) to accomplish this.

While Eve and Trsiel race the clock to try to find the Nix before she causes more havoc, Eve also struggles with her feelings for Kris Nast, who is in the same Afterlife dimension and who is doing his best to convince her to try starting over with him. Kris is, however, concerned with her obsessive need to watch over Savannah and often calls her on this.

A fast-paced and fun read, "Haunted" is just kind of book that book-lovers can devour in a few hours. Eve's restlessness, impatience and dark sense of humor is balanced out by Kris' patience and the need Eve has to complete what she has started.

This series of books continues to be a joy to read. I do hope Ms. Armstrong keeps 'em coming for a good long while.