The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder

The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder 5 of 5 stars
 A POSSESSIONS NOVEL

IF A GIRL SCREAMS IN THE WOODS 
AND NO ONE IS AROUND TO HEAR HER,
DOES SHE MAKE A SOUND?

Lindsay wakes to find herself strapped down in the Marlwood Academy infirmary. She had a breakdown and might have tried to kill her nemesis Mandy or Mandy's boyfriend, Troy--or both. The details are hazy, but one thing is certain: she is possessed by a spirit and cannot trust.

Her disbelieving friends refuse to see the ghosts that haunt them, and Lindsay soon realizes that nowhere on campus is safe. Then, she finds a surprising ally in a former rival. Together, they must figure out who can be trusted--and who wants them dead. (Book blurb)

Think you have the mysteries of Marlwood figured out? Think again. As new characters come into play and old ones are thrown into a new light, you will question everything you thought you knew about the creepy boarding school, its bloody past, and the terrors that haunt poor Lindsay. Nothing is as it seems in this ever-twisting horror series.

Let's go ahead and clear the air. I am not a fan of scary movies. Ghosts have always given me the creeps, and I had no expectations of liking The Evil Within when I first read it a little over a year ago. Still and yet, Nancy Holder managed to blow me out of the water completely. I loved the second novel in the possessions series, despite the fact that it made the hair on my arms stand up and I was tempted to scream a time or two while reading it.

The Screaming Season was exactly the same... only better. The characters I thought I knew, I didn't. Everything I thought I had figured out was wrong. It was so surprising and full of suspense, I didn't put it down til I'd read it cover-to-cover.

I'm not going to get into all of the details about what I liked about who, because with a story like this it is much too easy to have spoilers. But I will say that while the plot was amazing and wonderful I didn't like the end. I felt like Lindsay ended up with the wrong guy completely, and I really wanted there to be another book. But I guess I'll just have to pout because I don't think that's going to happen.

If you're a fan of horror or just love a really good and slightly terrifying novel this time of year (hey, Halloween is just around the corner!) you should most definitely pick up a copy of The Screaming Season. Just make sure you've read the rest of the Possessions novels first. Otherwise you won't get the whole affect.

To order The Screaming Season from Amazon.com, please click here.

Book Tour: Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbi Viguie 5 of 5 stars.
Second book in the Crusade Trilogy.

There is a fine line between love and sacrifice. . .

Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner, Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire craving to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team, and his loyalty--his love--is called into question.

Jenn, the newly appointed Hunter, aches for revenge against the Cursed One who converted her sister. And with an even more sinister power on the rise, she must overcome her personal vendettas to lead her team into battle.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity's fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness. . . or die trying. (Book blurb)

Jenn has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Between being named the leader in a team of "Hunters" trying to save the world by ridding it of the vampires that threaten to suck it dry, the desperate need to see her newly converted sister turned into a "good" vampire like Antonio, and, worst of all, the doubt about Antonio's humanity that grows stronger and stronger as she battles the blood lust and destruction of his kind.

New characters join the fray, adding even more diversity to the already colorful Salamanca team. Love is tested and allegiances questioned. Will the Salamanca hunters survive this war? Or will the few underground hunters be destroyed and all of humanity fall prey to the unquenchable thirst of the CO's?

I adored Crusade, and I am tempted to say that I liked Damned even more. It is definitely a close call. Action, suspense, romance, and betrayal; everything one could want in an epic paranormal series. There is hardly ever a dull moment, but as with the last book, I found myself wanting to see more of certain things and certain people and a bit less of some of the rest.

The new characters Noah and Taamir were an awesome surprise. The almost instant bond between Noah and Jenn was so sweet, and I couldn't help myself but hope that Jenn would end up with him and not Antonio. Sorry. I'm a bit biased when it comes to vampires.

The bigger glimpses into Holgar's past and his life in the werewolf pack were very entertaining. He became one of my favorite characters in this book. His sweet demeanor and unwavering loyalty are positively endearing.

I think the thing that really sets the Crusade trilogy apart from other books of its kind is the staggering amount of diversity between the characters in the books. Catholics, Jews, Witches, Muslims, etc. all thrown together and fighting under the same flag, bound by their heartache and need to save their world from an enemy that threatens to destroy it. I can't help but wonder how much research went into this series to create such a believable and amazing story.

Overall, its definitely worth reading for anyone who loves supernatural creatures or just a good, action-packed story. I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy myself.

To order Damned from Amazon.com, please click here.

Check out the rest of the Damned book tour here!

((My apologies to Nancy, Debbie, and all of the awesome people who put together the Damned book tour and allowed A Sea of Pages to be featured in it. I was not able to have my post up on time due to emergencies at home, but NOT due to a lack of enthusiasm toward the series.))