Adam Slater

This review will be posted on my blog on September 11. I really enjoyed this book. It was dark and creepy with beings that come straight from horror movies. Callum of course is your typical loner teen with abilities that he keeps hidden from everyone. He sees ghosts but that's not the only strange thing about him. Callum is a lot more special than he thought and when a strange creature begins to hunt him and other children around the area, Callum has to confide in someone. He picks Melissa, a girl that's interested in all things dark; ghosts, vampires and witches. To his surprise, she's not shocked, she becomes a willing battle partner. I liked their relationship and for once I was quite glad to see that these two characters didn't have a rushed kissing scene, neither declared their undying love for each other. They just were. They were two characters caught up in something neither can control and neither want to be involved in. That alone made this novel a very refreshing read.It's also refreshing to see a boy have to deal with mystical powers and strange otherworldly beings because usually, we read about females that must deal with these things, females and a boy that wants to desperately protect her because he loves her so much. This book is just a refreshing read and not to mention, quite creepy. Overall a great read. I am really looking forward to the next! I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.… (mehr)

This review will be posted on my blog on September 11. I really enjoyed this book. It was dark and creepy with beings that come straight from horror movies. Callum of course is your typical loner teen with abilities that he keeps hidden from everyone. He sees ghosts but that's not the only strange thing about him. Callum is a lot more special than he thought and when a strange creature begins to hunt him and other children around the area, Callum has to confide in someone. He picks Melissa, a girl that's interested in all things dark; ghosts, vampires and witches. To his surprise, she's not shocked, she becomes a willing battle partner. I liked their relationship and for once I was quite glad to see that these two characters didn't have a rushed kissing scene, neither declared their undying love for each other. They just were. They were two characters caught up in something neither can control and neither want to be involved in. That alone made this novel a very refreshing read.It's also refreshing to see a boy have to deal with mystical powers and strange otherworldly beings because usually, we read about females that must deal with these things, females and a boy that wants to desperately protect her because he loves her so much. This book is just a refreshing read and not to mention, quite creepy. Overall a great read. I am really looking forward to the next! I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.… (mehr)

Reviewed at http://www.mandikayereads.com/archives/148

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did I found I enjoyed it. The story of chime children and the Shadowing is a new one to me, and I found it a refreshing break to read a paranormal book that isn’t about vampires or werewolves. Chime children are those who are born in the chime hours – the hours between midnight on Friday and dawn on Saturday under a full moon. Callum Scott is a chime child and can see ghosts and has visions of future evils. The Shadowing is a time that comes only once a century and is when the boundaries between the mortal world and the Netherworld are weakened. It is the duty of the chime children to protect this boundary. It is Callum’s duty to protect this boundary.

My only serious quarrel with the book is that it was so short! It’s the first installment of a new series, and I will be impatiently awaiting the next.… (mehr)

This is a YA Horror and I am a mature reader – a grandma, in fact. I loved this book! Callum is an orphan who lives in a very rural area with his Gran. They are happy in their snug cottage at the edge of the Marlock Woods. For as long as he can remember, Callum has been able to see ghosts. It is bothersome to Callum who just wants to be a normal kid. He has kept this ability hidden worried that his no-nonsense Gran would not believe him – Sometimes Callum himself thinks he might be crazy.

Suddenly, though, Callum is seeing and being stalked by something much worse and when his powers intensify, Callum finds out that some things are not as they seem.

The author did a phenomenal job describing the small hamlet and the surrounding area. Beautiful, yet eerie; there is such an ethereal feel to the countryside, as if, like a ghost, one could just float through to a different place, another dimension. The ancient Marlock Woods seems like it marks a sort of boundary to the Netherworld. The tiny cottage, in contrast, feels like a safe fortress, standing strong, unyielding against the coming tempest.

This book easily captured my imagination and held me in its thrall. The spooky story, the mystery, the atmosphere, and a handful of unusual characters all conspire to make this an auspicious beginning to what I am sure will be an amazing new series.

Thanks so much to Egmont publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this novella.… (mehr)