Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Occult

REQUIEM For A QUEEN by Kaylin McFarren – Paranormal Suspense, Action & Adventure, Occult Fiction

To what lengths will a person go when ultimate power is within reach? Requiem For A Queen by Kaylin McFarren explores the depths of greed that propel a daughter to defy her father, the Devil himself.

Lucinda uses evil means to pursue an equally dark end, the crown of Hell. How can this woman be stopped, and an innocent child she’s stolen away be saved? Is there anyone willing to step forward, and muster the strength to stand up against the destructive battle between the Devil and his daughter?

Samara, a hybrid between angel and demon, can only save her abducted son by stepping into that battle.

Though she feels alone and powerless, Samara is determined. She refuses to reveal her location or seek help after escaping brutal imprisonment by the Devil, who raped her. Pregnant, and now in labor, Samara secretly delivers the Devil’s son and remains in hiding. Her baby is the most precious being to her; she’ll do anything to protect him, and she celebrates him as he grows. As she finds happiness, Samara becomes interested in an intriguing, handsome being who rescued her from drowning.

That joy is torn apart the day her son disappears. Lucinda has found him and decides to eliminate the only other living heir to their father’s throne.

Samara has now lost all she loves. She cannot seek help from her own family, or the Devil will execute his threats against them. So, she begins an anguished search alone, but Lucinda is devious and cunning, keeping a step ahead of her.

Samara has a terrible decision to make. Will she return to the Devil, seeking his help to find their son? What life will that leave for them both? Or, as a half-demon herself, she could try to stoke her powers, in defense of her family. Can she find her son and win him back before he is destroyed? Or will he manage to break free on his own?

Author Kaylin McFarren has created an emotional clash of wills in this third installment of the Gehenna series.

In this book, the three fervent opponents fight to win regardless of the consequences. They utilize every weapon available, unwilling to back down, in this incredible fight to discover the true value of family devotion and personal redemption. The reader is thrust into the midst of a page-turning journey, examining the darkest crevices of the nature of evil, particularly in the Devil’s actions.

Yet, Samara is part demon, and Lucinda is the Devil’s daughter. Both women struggle with their emotions, and their choices to act on the powers available to them. McFarren artfully creates a Lucifer who struggles as well, in his case, against glimpses of sweeter desires that do not fit his devilish and demonic self. These characters do not fight only external foes, but also internal forces, creating a compelling story of good versus evil that springs from within as well as from without.

November 9, 2022
SOUL SEEKER by Kaylin McFarren – Occult Horror, Paranormal Romance, Occult Fiction

The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.

But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.

McFarren leads us into Hell through the mechanisms of secret societies and across the earth’s crust, ever raising the stakes for her leading duo. Crighton and Ariel discover what a union between angel and demon truly means, and what has been conveniently left out of their histories.

Soul Seeker paints an intimate view of a supernatural world, seen through the eyes of characters who know it well—though not so well that there aren’t mysteries to yet uncover. In McFarren’s world, demons are more than just evil beings, but as those who suffer, desire, and ones with whom we empathize. More than any character, Crighton embodies the conflict between cruelty and mercy. Angels aren’t monolithic either. Indeed, McFarren portrays her cast of heavenly dwellers with their own doubts and failures that make them real and emotionally affecting characters, especially as Ariel learns that Crighton isn’t quite the monster she first sees him as.

Ariel and Crighton run through a thrilling and fast-paced narrative, full of ever-present tension and half-victories. The story keeps a brisk pace, and Kaylin McFarren builds on this momentum as the pages seem to turn by themselves, creating a sophisticated and remarkable otherworldly conclusion.

At its heart, this story is concerned with the personal thoughts and feelings of its characters. Crighton and Ariel become the emotional heart of the story as they slowly try to grow to accept each other, and change to meet their new challenges, but many of the characters are given space to grow and understand one another, providing a heartwarming journey alongside the fighting of demons, the family turmoil, and the enticing mysteries of Soul Seeker. In short, Kaylin McFarren has done it again! Those looking for a new, otherworldly thriller series, need look no further than Soul Seeker.

Order here.

October 7, 2020
SECRETS of INNOCENCE, Book Two of The Perils of a Reluctant Psychic by V. & D. Povall – Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal, Occult

Learning about girls, boys, and love is a part of growing up. It’s these lessons that shape a person’s future and mold the soul. Authors V. & D. Povall show that even when forgotten, the Secrets of Innocence have an astounding way of making themselves known. And, what do these secrets reveal? In this second book of the suspense-mystery series, The Perils of a Reluctant Psychic, Sarah’s psychic powers reveal clues that weave a gripping story of discovery.

Sarah Thompson, although still learning how to manage her powerful psychic abilities, emerged stronger after her adventures in The Gift of the Twin Houses. She opened her heart to her new family and left behind the fear of being different. It’s when she finds an unconscious man on the side of the road that the peaceful life she yearns for is sorely tested. This man has been severely beaten and cannot remember anything, not even his name. The victim finds a friend in Sarah, and in a volunteer nurse who names him Daniel after a character in the stories she reads to comfort him during his recovery.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s supernatural abilities conjure up a movie in her subconscious. It shows clues to an intriguing puzzle. Does this story tie in with the man she saved? Who is this movie spirit that is communicating with her, and why? Despite the impromptu scenes playing out sans warning, she is determined to help Daniel discover who he is and what has happened to him.

Sheriff Williams is investigating Daniel’s assault case, and refuses any help from Sarah. He is suspicious of her powers. Undeterred, Sarah and her husband Conrad pursue their own independent search for the truth. When Sarah discovers and confronts the Sheriff about his own disturbing secret, he is stunned that she could possibly know what he has successfully kept hidden for so many years. Even more surprising is that through her powers he sees a glimmer of hope in the truth to his Secrets of Innocence.

The authors are a husband and wife writing team that has also authored screenplays, science fiction and murder-mystery novels, in addition to this suspense mystery series. Their background in different cultures and experiences leap off the pages of this sophisticated, character study that is set within a spellbinding puzzle. The writing is imaginative, vibrant, and exciting. The anticipation of what may come binds you to the story, as it builds to final revelations which are breathtaking.

A compelling examination of the depths of deception, regret, and violence that can motivate a person’s actions, whether for noble or ignoble purposes. Secrets of Innocence reveals the profound impact people have on each other.

Secrets of Innocence won 1st Place in the 2018 CIBAs, Somerset Awards for Literary Fiction.

This book is also available at Barnes & Nobles and on iTunes.

January 19, 2019
Dracul by J.D. Barker, Dacre Stoker – Vampires, Gothic, Occult, #Dracul

The brilliant gothic horror story, Dracul, awaits those who crave novels that quicken hearts and cause sleepless nights. One would swear it is from the horror master himself, Bram Stoker, who penned the legendary Dracula.

Dracul is ripped from the pages of Bram Stoker’s diary, along with those of his sister Matilda’s, and brother Thornley’s. Much like Dracula, multiple narrators push the story forward with their individual perspectives and points of view. Inch by inch the reader is pulled in until it is impossible to go back. Such is the lure of Dracul by J. D. Barker, and Dacre Stoker

The story opens with a sickly, seven-year-old Bram, who has been chronically ill since birth and frequently near death. He is confined to an attic room under the care of his nanny, Ellen Crone. His nanny dotes on Bram, but she has a disturbing habit of disappearing frequently, sometimes for days on end without explanation or apologies upon return.

During one of her absences, Bram’s health takes a downward turn. Near death, his desperate parents summon the family doctor who bleeds a barely conscious Bram with leeches. When Nanny Ellen returns and sees Bram pale and fading fast, she shoos everyone from the room and shuts the door. In the morning, the leeches are gone, the illness has passed, and Bram feels a vigor and strength he has never known.

Afterward, a conversation between Bram and his sister turns to Nanny Ellen and her odd absences, how her appearance seems to change dramatically from day to day, and how neither one of them have seen her eat or drink⸺anything. Soon their curiosity overtakes them, and they begin to snoop. The next day, Nanny Ellen is gone along with all of her possessions.

To discover what happened to their beloved nanny, and who she really is, sets the Stokers on a path to encounter the sanguinary Dracula. Their lives are forever changed.

This harrowing pursuit of the truth is beautifully rendered horror with palpable tension and suspense, drawing the reader ever closer to the edge of terrifying darkness.

Deftly written in a classic 19th-century gothic style, Dracul resonates with power-rich prose that adds to the atmosphere and the construct of the story. A modern masterpiece, Dracul is everything horror can and should be. It doesn’t rely on gore, but rather captivating storytelling. And yet, the terror and intrigue are unrelenting.

This novel belongs in the lexicon of all things vampire.

Dracul is the inception of the iconic dark love story that compels and terrifies us. Our advice? Close your windows. Lock your doors. Turn the lights on. Place a silver crucifix around your neck, and make sure to have a few sharp wooden stakes nearby. In other words, prepare yourself for a transfixing journey into the diabolically delicious world of Dracul ⸺ if you dare.

Dracul is also available in hardcover and audiobook.

#Dracul

October 2, 2018
DARK SIGHT by Christopher Allan Poe – YA Thriller, Horror, Occult

A strong-willed, gutsy teenager, Monique is one of two African American students in her white, uppity high school. Victoria, Monique’s white bestie since Kindergarten, may come from wealthy means, but her life is riddled with her own set of familial issues. All in all, the girls get along like sisters. They attend rally revival at Awakeners, a cult compound, and an argument ensues, leading to a car accident that leaves Victoria comatose and on life support. Ethan, the cult group’s son, gives Monique a talisman-looking necklace, which she uses to spark Victoria back to life.

Victoria, who is an artist savant, may be riddled with quirks, but her resurrection proves differently: she is not herself, especially when she feeds off the critters in the neighborhood. Based on “the new Victoria,” her friends deduce Victoria now bears the characteristics of a psychic vampire, or in layman’s terms—an energy-sucker.

Monique believes there’s a connection between Victoria’s altered condition and the cult group and seeks out Ethan for answers. Ethan responds with enough chilling information to indicate that Victoria’s life may be in danger. The only problem is, Victoria doesn’t see it that way—at all. To her, dead is just the beginning.

Rising paranormal author Christopher Allan Poe spins a wickedly twisted tale in his YA horror novel. Front and center of his tightly knit and well-rounded cast is a middle-class gal with plenty of moxie.

Besides creating a host of colorful characters—many of which are teens, Poe is a superb raconteur. He not only has a firm handle on defining his characters but also relaying a chilling tale. Poe’s writing style, which is both crisp and punchy, provides him the opportunity to state what he has to say, and at the same time suggestively highlight the plight of women, children, and racism.

Edgy dialogue scenes are the driving force behind Poe’s non-stop tension-filled chapters. Scenes are replete with a continual string of twists and turns, teen angst, and sexual lust. Poe provides light relief with Monique’s waggish tongue-in-cheek comments, as well as her sexually-laced similes and metaphors punctuated with infamous factual and fictional figures (i.e., Caligula, Jason Voorhees) and horror movies (i.e., Nightmare on Elm Street, Dark City).

Offering high appeal for YA and adult audiences, Dark Sight is a first-rate paranormal thriller with enormous Silver Screen potential.

May 2, 2018
RETURN to MATEGUAS ISLAND by Linda Watkins – Literary Thriller/Paranormal/Occult

Return to Mateguas Island picks right up with the same intrigue, suspense, drama and mystery that Mateguas Island contained. A page turner from the beginning, this is a tale you will not want to walk away from. The story begins years later with, Karen Anderson along with her new husband Dex and her two teenage daughters returning to the island. Karen goes quite reluctantly, but daughters, Sophie and Terri, are on a mission to find out the truth about their father who went missing and subsequently declared dead.

Return to Mateguas Island would fit nicely in the supernatural genre but has enough suspense throughout to lean toward this genre as well. This mixture of the two genres makes the story more complex and holds the reader’s interest throughout.

In this second novel, author Linda Watkins has already established and developed her characters and yet goes deeper into development within these pages. The books do stand alone, but to get a full picture, it is advised to start at the beginning with Mateguas Island to fill in backstory and ascertain each character’s story arch as the tale continues.

This story answers many of the questions from the first book. By the end of Return to Mateguas Island, however, you are left with just as many new questions and just as hungry for a third installment.

Upon their return, Karen and the girls find the island relatively unchanged from the day they had left it behind. A day Karen hoped would have been the last they would see of this mysterious venue. The memories were too painful and too jarring for Karen and this quickly bubbled to the surface. As with the previous book, there is something just beneath the surface of things that happen on the island, subsequently, as readers dig into the second book, they will find themselves in a familiar environment.

The story unfolds rather quickly as Karen once again displays odd behavior as the family returns to their old home. The intense story continues as a well-paced read with many twists and turns. The book holds its own next to the first novel and carries the tale, skillfully and smartly weaving in events that serve to whet readers appetites for the third book.

High suspense and flashes of horror beckon American Gothic readers to Return to Mateguas Island, the second book in Linda Watkins trilogy –a stunning success leaving readers posed in anticipation for the next installment.

April 21, 2017