Vampire Kisses 4: Dance with a Vampire (Vampire Kisses)

Book Description

There's a new vampire in town. His name is Valentine Maxwell. Goth-girl Raven knows this latest intruder can only mean trouble—he's the younger sibling of two vampires she fought to drive out of Dullsville. But when her brother, Billy, befriends this dangerous tween night prowler, the stakes are suddenly higher. Though torn by the excitement of every teen girl's fantasy—attending the prom with her boyfriend—Raven must do everything she can to protect Billy.

Valentine's appearance may pose even further threats. Could he somehow know Raven's innermost feelings about becoming immortal for her true love, Alexander? The far-from-ordinary romance of these two teen outsiders takes another surprise-filled spin in the fourth book of Ellen Schreiber's applauded Vampire Kisses series.

Customer Reviews:

More Drivel.......2007-10-08

Ellen Schreiber's newest book-

I picked up and read the first "Vampire Kisses" novel thinking it was a joke, and enjoyed it as such. It's terrible writing and horridly cliched plot were hilarious parody on all the crappy vampire fan-fics online... then I realized that the woman was serious.

With the plot-outline too juvenile for a high-school creative writing class and skill with a pen to match, Schreiber created what I consider to be the best, bad novels I've ever read. Like the "Friday the 13th" series, she's beating to death a crappy concept with poor execution.

This fourth installment, however, is far less entertaining. While the first few are worth a quick read and a scoff, the third getting repetitious, and this fourth one is just tiresome. Maybe it'd be funnier still if it were actually a joke- unfortunately, she (and her fans) actually believe there's something profound here.

Left me hanging.......2007-09-06

Although the story was interesting, it was almost the same plot as book 2 + 3 (sinister aquaintances of Alexander stalk Dullsville). And Raven and Alexander went to another school dance. Trevor is still a loser with an attitude. Alexander leaves (end of story). "Insert Book 5 here"

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-09-05

DANCE WITH A VAMPIRE continues the tale of Raven, the outcast, and her hottie boyfriend, Alexander.

They have just defeated the two sibling vampires threatening both their town and their relationship. They're now ready to relax together when Valentine arrives.

Valentine befriends Raven's younger brother, Billy, and suddenly she's very protective of her little brother.

Valentine has the ability to read the innermost thoughts of someone's mind once he touches them. He knows that Raven's not ready to become a vampire.

Ellen Schreiber writes another great tale in this saga -- so well that readers will want to sink their teeth into the VAMPIRE KISSES series.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Fast paced vampire tale .......2007-08-29

There's a new vampire in town. His name is Valentine Maxwell and has his eyes set on Raven's brother, Billy. Raven knows Valentine is up to no good. Though torn between going to the prom with her vampire boyfriend Alexander, Raven does every she can to protect Billy.

But there's even more. Can Valentine read her most secret thoughts regarding her true feelings about becoming immortal for her true love, Alexander?

I'd give this book a three and a half star rating. Though not as good as the first book in the series, it still is a fun read.

This is a fast paced vampire tale that is perfect for tweens and those who aren't into the anguish of Bella and Edward of the Twilight series but still crave a good gothic tale.

I did feel that Alexander wasn't as developed as the other characters in this book. I wanted to feel some more chemistry between the two.

I felt the author did a good job showing Raven's struggle with what she thought she'd always wanted and the fear of what that dream would really mean not only to her but her loved ones as well.

Love of other Species.......2007-08-28

This Vampire Kissesis such an awesome book and Series! a must for young readers wanting to sink their teeth into something new!

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless

Average customer rating:

Delicious reading
Great Book! For all readers
disappointing
You love it or hate it, I guess!
fun

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless
Ahmet Zappa
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Monsters | Obsessions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0375832874
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

Beware! Only those who are McFearlessly brave may read from the pages of these monstrous memoirs. Crack open the “creature-skin” cover—if you dare—and enter the monsterminating world of 11-year-old Minerva McFearless, her brother Max, and their mysterious coyote friend, Mr. Devilstone, as they battle the evil army of the king of all monsters—the dreaded Zarmaglorg! This one-of-a-kind novel features full-color illustrations throughout and offers “scientific” data on all the terrifying things that go bump in the night, as well as recipes for keeping the bloodthirsty beasts at bay. First-time author Ahmet Zappa delivers a horrifying and hysterical tale that will be sure to bewitch readers of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Delicious reading .......2007-09-01

A book choice for children to read for clever and creative writing stills that use advance descriptive language that is so very engaging. An excellent choice t to interest children with authors.

Great Book! For all readers.......2007-07-04

I thought this was a great, fun, funny book especially for my 10 year old boy. We both loved it-we listened to it on CD. The music was great and especially the final song- "So you want to be McFearless." We both laughed out loud thoughtout, and I loved the recipes. I would think anyone who loved Harry Potter would like this book. Monsters, magic, legends, and kids discovering who they are- what fun. I look forward to new books by this fun author to share with my kids.

disappointing.......2007-06-11

I purchased this book after reading about the author in Reader's Digest. I have an 8 yr old grandson with a reading problem and hoped that this book, having been written by a man who also had this reading disability as a child, would have produced something to help him.
The book was riddled with adjectives that would confuse an English professor, certainly did an 8 yr old struggling through them to make some sense of the story.

Nowhere in the description of this book did it suggest an age range, which would have helped.

I have returned the book.

You love it or hate it, I guess!.......2007-04-29

I read Zappa's book to my fifth grade class while using my document camera to project the pages onto a screen so they could also enjoy the doodles and artwork throughout the book. The kids adored this book and as soon as we finished it, begged me to see if he had written a sequel...please say there will be one! The names were tongue twisters, that's for sure, but very funny...kids love it when a teacher has to say "Doominstinkinfart". I was impressed by this book - loved the Harry Potter books - loved this one! I use some of the passages to teach my writing classes.

fun.......2007-04-26

The monsters are silly, not scary. Many adjectves and adverbs could have been omitted. The plot does have some suspense. There are aome laughs. Funny illustrations.

The Ghost at the Table: A Novel (Shannon Ravenel Books)

Average customer rating:

a bit fizzly
Great family dysfunction novel; so-so historical novel
Intelligent Dysfunctional Family Story................
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AT THE HOLIDAYS
Wonderful, insightful book

The Ghost at the Table: A Novel (Shannon Ravenel Books)
Suzanne Berne
Manufacturer: A Shannon Ravenel Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1565123344

Book Description

Strikingly different since childhood and leading very dissimilar lives now, sisters Frances and Cynthia have nevertheless managed to remain "devoted"—so long as they stay on opposite coasts. But with the reappearance of their elderly, long-estranged father they find themselves reunited for a cold, snowy Thanksgiving week—a reunion that awakens sleeping tensions and old sorrows.

Frances envisions a happy family holiday with her husband and daughters in her lovely old New England farmhouse. Cynthia, a writer of historical fiction, doesn't understand how Frances can ignore the past their father's presence revives, a past that includes suspicions about their mother's death twenty-five years earlier. Adding to her uneasiness is her research for a book on Mark Twain's daughters, whose lives she thinks eerily mirror her own and Frances's.

As Thanksgiving day arrives, with a houseful of guests looking forward to dinner, the sisters continue to struggle with different versions of their shared past, until a warning issued by Cynthia's friend Carita, that "families are toxic" and "blood is bloody," proves prophetically true.

The Ghost at the Table reveals what happens when one person tries to rewrite another's history and explores the mystery of why families try to stay together even when it may be in their best interests to stay apart.

Customer Reviews:

a bit fizzly.......2007-06-10

This book begins with a very engaging premise, and seems very cleverly written. There are many red flags raised about the condition of the narrator's sister, whom she is persuaded to visit for Thanksgiving, but ultimately, fewer are resolved. The plot takes some strange turns getting to the end. Some interesting parallels between the narrator's family and Mark Twain's are alluded to, of whom the narrater is writing an historical fiction novel for young readers, but those are not totally thought out either. For me, an unsatisfying resolution.

Great family dysfunction novel; so-so historical novel.......2007-05-28

The part of this novel I loved was the family-dysfunction-at-Thanksgiving stuff. The domestic dramas, the interplay between the two adult sisters, the mother and teenage daughter, the husband and wife, etc. That was fun, interesting, and we can all relate.

The part of this novel I liked less was when she veered off into Mark Twain history. Huh??

Got the feeling that, after Ms. Berne had spent ALL THAT TIME researching Mark Twain for this book, she was not going to waste all that work, so--into the book went every single obscure fact she had learned. Zzz. (Sometimes facts are obscure for a reason.)

I paged through those Mark Twain history sections, skimming. And it took nothing away from my enjoyment of the novel, which was considerable. I think a more tightly edited book--leaving most of the Mark Twain stuff on the cutting room floor--would have been a better book.

Intelligent Dysfunctional Family Story.......................2007-04-20

Suzanne Berne is a gifted writer and THE GHOST AT THE TABLE is a good read of much higher quality than the usual "chick lit". Her characters and the situations they find themselves in are believable but like some other reviewers have said by the end of the story it felt like some vital piece(s) of information had been left out and I too paged back to see if I had just been a sloppy reader. I did enjoy the author's device of comparing the fictional contemporary family with the real life historical sisters from famous families. The book misses being five star from me because the first part of the book led me to believe I would get a more satisfying conclusion than was provided.

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AT THE HOLIDAYS.......2007-01-26

I liked the idea of setting the story in my old haunts. Massachussets, especially the Cape, and West Hartford were well related in text. I especially liked the insights into Mark Twain and his family's secrets. BUT, the parallels with the family in the novel hit you over the head. No subtle references there!However, I expected to have some sort of resolution to who really killed momma. The housekeeper? The dad thought the middle daughter did it. The middle daughter thought the youngest sister did it. The daughter thought the dad did it. I really wanted to like this book.But, it fell short.Depressing as anything.

Wonderful, insightful book.......2007-01-10

Suzanne Berne's novel, "The Ghost at the Table" is a sensitive and honest portrayal of family. She writes with humor sharp edged observation. The book is engaging and has stayed with me in the many months after I read it.

Average customer rating:

interesting, a good read, a bit predictable but with a twist
A fun, scary, ghost story!
Great Plot and Story
A Good, Creepy Ghost Story
The Old Willis Place

The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story
Mary Downing Hahn
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0618430180

Book Description

Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren't allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. But when a new caretaker comes to live there with his young daughter, Lissa, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules they live by and reveal herself so she can finally have a friend. Somehow, Diana must get Lissa's help if she and Georgie ever hope to release themselves from the secret that has bound them to the old Willis place for so long. Mary Downing Hahn has written a chilling ghost story in the tradition of her most successful spine-tingling novels. The intriguing characters, frightening secrets, and plot twists will delight her many fans.

Customer Reviews:

interesting, a good read, a bit predictable but with a twist.......2007-10-05

I read this book along with my son who is age 8. There were a couple of kind of scary parts but my son didn't mind. It was a good read. And the secret of the book can kind of be guessed about half way or so but it is still good. The end is a twist and also turns out to be teaching and happy in a way. I am glad I bought this book.

A fun, scary, ghost story!.......2007-07-31

The Old Willis Place is a great beginning mystery/ghost story. There are parts in the book that make you shiver and parts that make you feel like you know the charactors personaly. Mary Hahn does a fantastic job of creating the plot so that you can feel, smell, hear and see the setting as though you were in the woods right there with the kids. It is a great book to use as a read aloud. Not too scary, but just enough to keep kids (ages 9-12) interested!

Great Plot and Story.......2007-07-30

This book held you from the "get-go" and kept you caught in it's magical web of double-mirrors and fun-house antics. This is like the "I see dead people" film but in book form and not as guesome but more age appropriate. It would also make a great movie--one of the few childrens books I found complete and fully closed once it ended, and left feeling satified that I had made a good choice in purchasing it. Great book for those who like ghost stories with a twist.

A Good, Creepy Ghost Story.......2007-04-30

For years something has been running the caretakers off from the Old Willis Place, so when Lissa and her father move in, she's a little curioius about what might be going on. And well she should be; right from the start, we discover that two children, Diana and Georgie, are watching her every move, trying to decide how and if they should interact with her. Do they hold the key to what's going on? Or are they part of the problem?

Hahn has created a wonderfully creepy tale that reveals itself in carefully distributed layers. What seems to be happening at first shifts as the story progresses, and the story becomes darker with each turn of the page. Will Lissa be able to help the children or will the children become victims of a more sinister force? Hahn does an excellent job of pulling the reader along and making one question what is going on. A good, haunting read that is not overly scary. Recommended for children around ages 9 and up.

The Old Willis Place.......2007-03-15

The Old Willis Place is an interesting book that you should read. It starts out fun and funny but at the end it gets so misleading, disturbing, frightening, and unexpected. Can you really say why the children died? Or what happened to Mrs. Willis, or even who she really was? It all ties up in the ending and that's what got me hooked to this wonderful book.
This book, The Old Willis Place, is a creepy mysterious book that ties up in the end. This book takes place on Mrs.Willis' farm. Diana and Georgie have many rules they must obey and they try to figure out their own cause of death. During this process they meet a friend, Lissa, and her father Mr. Morrison. This was a problem because in the rules no one was allowed to see them. But Diana and Georgie were so lonely they have been with each other and only each other for such along time. Their friend found Diana and Georgie to be very suspicious but at the same time trustworthy. This was misleading and not understandable but Lissa wanted a friend too so much that she would do anything. Besides she thought that is what made them interesting.
Diana was dying to tell who she really was, where she really lived, and how she got here in the first place to Lissa but she couldn't that was against the rules. The two girls ended up to be close friends and for that matter they called themselves," Friends forever". But Lissa didn't know that soon Diana would be going far away. Since she had no idea of who Diana and Georgie really were, she just concluded whatever she wanted them to be. For example a strange religion because she acted so strange and had so many rules. She also made up that she was a vegetarian since she was never hungry nor thirsty. Diana would just say," Oh yes" or "Sure" to whatever Lissa said.
An interesting, frightening conflict they had that kept popping up was that Mrs. Willis was haunting Diana and Georgie. The way she got up from her death sleep was that Lissa opened the door she died. She did not want Lissa she wanted Diana and Georgie because of what they done in the past. They disobeyed all the rules possible. Disobeying is a very big risk but Diana took it all for a friend.
Mary Downing Hahn is a great author to read your first mystery book. Especially this book, I could never put this book down. The Old Willis Place is also very descriptive and gets you hooked the first paragraph you read. I loved this book and I bet you will too!

Eight Modern Plays: Authoritative Texts of the Wild Duck, Three Sisters, Candida, the Ghost Sonata, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Long Day' (Norton Critical Editions)

Average customer rating:

A Perfect Collection

Eight Modern Plays: Authoritative Texts of the Wild Duck, Three Sisters, Candida, the Ghost Sonata, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Long Day' (Norton Critical Editions)

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0393960153

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Collection.......2000-04-10

This collection defines modern drama. From Ibsen's realistic masterpiece The Wild Duck, to Pirandello's brilliant and revolutionary Six Characters in Search of an Author, to Eugene O'Neill's pitch-perfect character study Long Day's Journey Into Night, this collection is the epitome of modern dramatic literature in all its variations. Even the criticism for each play is brilliant. A definite recommendation for serious readers who haven't read any of these, but want to.

Dark Sister: Sorcerer's Love Story, A (Medicine Woman Series , No 10)

Average customer rating:

Lynn Andrews' books and work
Passionate Betrayal
Find love, find the light.

Dark Sister: Sorcerer's Love Story, A (Medicine Woman Series , No 10)
Lynn V. Andrews
Manufacturer: HarperPerennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Women | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060927658

Book Description

In Dark Sister, Lynn V. Andrews sheds brilliant light on the dangerous, destructive aspects of women's power by following the remarkable story of Sin Corazn, an initiate in the Sisterhood of the Shields. As she begins her apprenticeship, Corazn is encouraged to explore and confront her fascination with the dark mysteries of the soul in order to overcome them. When her husband abandons her for another woman, however, she succumbs to her dark side and unleashes the full extent of her rage. It is only through love that she is able to find peace.

Using the shamanistic themes and language that have formed the core of Andrews' work, Dark Sister offers a timely lesson that helps women accept -- and harness -- their sexual power and capacity for aggression. It is an eloquent, empowering parable that ultimately teaches readers an essential key to achieveing greater self-knowledge and inner tranquillity.

Customer Reviews:

Lynn Andrews' books and work.......2000-04-14

I am a 4th year student at Lynn Andrews' school and I am living in Germany. I read all of Lynn's books that are very precious and important to me. The books and the school led me to a completely new and sacred vision of life. I am very grateful for my experiences with Lynn's and the Sisterhood of the Shields' work.

Passionate Betrayal.......1999-12-14

This book was an amazing discovery of spiritual forces which even though can commence from the place of power and wisdom can if not vigilant become a force of darkness and sorcery. It is a lesson in forgiveness and the importance of protecting your spirit self from the dangers of evil forces which disguise themselves well. This book was particularly relevant in my work with others and a timely reminder that sometimes not all things are as they seem and that spirituality has two directions and not all spiritual people are working towards light. I found the writing visionary as are all Lynn's books but also show us her vulnerable and sometimes niave nature in her belief that we are all here to serve for the greater goodness. Could not put the book down until it was finished and recommend it to anyone who is in the healing or spiritual realm.

Find love, find the light........1998-09-27

Dark Sister is another winner for Lynne Andrews. Lynne and her teachers, Agnes and Ruby, explore the dark mysteries of the soul. I enjoyed this tale of a fallen sister, Sin Corazon and her powerful journey from the dark side of sorcery to the light of the Sisterhood of the Shields. Lynne has shown us that through love a person can conquer the darkness we all carry within us. Lynne also explains that we all can find and peace and tranquillity we search for through love. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for the key that will open the door that leads to greater self knowledge and inner tranquillity.

Average customer rating:

Ghost are for real!
The Scariest Battlefield
Ghost Soldier
-Awesome-
Ghost soldier

Ghost Soldier
Elaine Marie Alphin
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Divorce | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Horror | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0805061584

Amazon.com

Alexander has always been able to see ghosts, but no one except his mom--who left suddenly three years ago--has ever believed his stories. So when his dad drags him off on a trip to North Carolina to visit the woman he intends to marry, and Alexander begins to see visions of Civil War soldiers, he tells nobody--not his father, nor his hostess Paige, and certainly not her teenage daughter, Nicole. Instead he devotes himself to being unpleasant, clinging desperately to the belief that his mother will return.

The visions grow more and more real. Alexander even finds himself participating in a battle in the trenches, with mortars whizzing overhead. In the midst of his own terror, he witnesses the death of a young Confederate soldier his own age. Later that evening Richeson, the dead boy, appears again to Alexander, appealing to him for help in finding his sister, who was driven from their farm by Sherman's Marauders, but who has left a message for her brother in a metal box hidden in a tree trunk--a box that a ghost cannot open. In the course of solving Richeson's mystery, Alexander finds answers to his own problems. Middle-grade readers will enjoy this story that straddles three genres, and teachers will find its grounding in the actual events of the Battle of Fort Stedman a useful curriculum tie-in. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

The ghost of a young soldier from the Civil War haunts a troubled teen.

"I sat up. The jagged trenches were only soft grassy depressions in the sunny battlefield park. I felt tears burn my eyes, the relief was so strong, and then the misery of losing the ghost hit me."

Alexander has the ability to see ghosts. But it's been several years since his last encounter. When he reluctantly joins his father on a long trip away from home, a surprise awaits him. In the unfamiliar territory of North Carolina, Alexander is confronted by the ghost of a young soldier who lost his life in the Civil War. As an unusual friendship develops between the two, Alexander is drawn into a new reality where he comes face to face with the haunting past of his soldier friend. But can Alexander help this troubled ghost, and can he, finally, come to terms with his own disturbing past? With deftness and insight, Elaine Marie Alphin tells a gripping story that weaves the supernatural with the historical. Ghost story fans and Civil War buffs alike are in for a real treat.

Customer Reviews:

Ghost are for real!.......2006-04-24

In this book a boy named Alexander, from Indiana, and his dad go to North Carolina to met Mrs. Hambrick. They live with her and daughter Nicole and son, Charleton. While Alexander is down there they all go to a Civil War, or what the south called it The War between the States, battlefield. It is Fort Stedman, which the north took and won the war. While Alexander was there, he fell and woke up to a battle. There was a young man there named Richeson Francis Chamblee or Rich for short. Rich kept telling Alexander to help him. When Alexander gets back to the real world, he meets the ghost of Rich. Only Alexander can see, and talk to him. Rich needs him to trace his family so he knows that his family survived. If you want to know if his family survived, and Alexander helps, Rich you will have to read the book.
There is hardly anything in a book I did not like. It has all of my favorite kinds of stories put into one. It also goes to different things, and is not caught up in one thing.
In a book there is a battle so, if you like action books this would be a good book for you. If you like, mystery books this is a good book for you because new things always pop up, or things happen when you do not expect them to.

The Scariest Battlefield.......2005-09-28

Ghost Soldier

By: Elaine Marie Alphin

4 out of 5 stars
THE SCARIEST BATTLEFIELD
In the book Ghost Soldier a boy named Alexander lives in Indiana and is on a trip with his dad to North Carolina to visit a woman that his dad wants to marry. Alex's real mom just picked up and left many years ago. A couple of days into the trip they go to see a battlefield, and Alex falls into the past and experience something that you could never even imagine! When Alex gets back into his time there is a ghost that just won't leave Alex alone! This Ghost name is Rich, and he insists that Alexander must help him or he will haunt him in a way for the rest of his life. Rich also starts to haunt the people around Alex.
I thought that this was a pretty good book. A reason that I liked it is, because it was always right there keeping me on edge convincing me to keep on reeding. The main reason that I liked this book so much, is because it was about the Civil War, and I have always found books about wars to be quiet interesting. There was also a lot of action in this book.
If you like books about action adventure and a ghost every now and then this is the book for you! Gary Paulsen is a great writer, and I enjoy his books, I liked this book even more, so if you Like Gary Paulsen books you'll love this book.

Ghost Soldier.......2005-02-12

Ghost soldier
By: Elain Alphin

The book Ghost soldier is about a boy named Alexander. Him and his dad are going to North Caroline. They going there because Alexander's dad is wanting to meet a lady he likes, Paige. During this trip Alexander finds himself going through time windows. In one part of the book he goes into a time window. Alexander doesn't know if it is real or if he is imagining it. He meets a ghost who needs his help. While trying to decide if he wants to help he realizes he is has a problem of his own.
The parts I really like that Alexander becomes closer to his dad. This story reminded me of how I felt growing up with out a dad. This book almost mad my cry. The book isn't just sad it is funny too. This book is for children or adults who like fun and interesting facts about history. The book would be perfect for ages 9-14.

-Awesome-.......2004-10-04

Ghost Soldier was definitely among my favorite novels I have read in my freetime. Alexander, a somewhat lost thirteen-year-old, is forced to spend his Spring Break with the Hambricks, a family consisting of a hyper seven-year-old boy, a stubborn teenage girl who can't seem to cooperate at any costs, and a mom who is deeply admired by Alex's dad. Alexander's vacation takes a turn when he ends up in Petersburg, an old Civil War battlefield, expecting to see nothing more than a few trenches and a historical reenactment--when he finds himself witnessing the famous battle in the very time period it took place. Richeson Francis Chamblee, a ghost drummer boy and persistent soldier who died for his country, won't seem to leave Alexander be, until he finally gives in to help the ghost solve the mystery of his century-old family. As time goes on, Alexander learns the meaning of teamwork when he makes some pretty unexpected friends, and realizing sometimes, the answer to a problem could be right under your nose.

I found this as an excellent book because of the time period that the story refers to (I believe I'm the only twelve-year-old girl that obsesses over the eighteen-hundreds), and the part of the story that relates to the main character's supernatural powers to see and communicate with ghosts. If you're interested in the Civil War, paranormal, or are just looking for a good kid's read, Ghost Soldier is a perfect match.

Ghost soldier.......2004-05-07

Ghost Soldier

Book Description

When last we saw them, the Shluffmuffin twins were running for their lives. In this, the second installment, they run right into the arms of their long-lost father. But he's not quite as they remember him . . . Of course, who would be after a tragic Porta Potti accident? Instead, he has become something frightening, something far too horrifying to explain.

No, no, we can't do it, you'll just have to buck up and read the book yourself. When things get creepy, you try to cover your eyes, but you peek through anyway, don't you? Well, then, you'll get what you deserve--a laugh attack you'll never recover from. Serves you right.

Customer Reviews:

Jolly Good Fun.......2007-04-06

Having barely escaped from the Onts (really two giant ants who wanted to kill them), Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin have no choice but to hitchhike their way back to Jolly Days Orphanage. After catching a ride with a truck driver who claims to keep a brain in his trunk, Wally and Cheyenne are happy to be back at Jolly Days but Hortense Jolly is less pleased to see them and rats them out to the Onts. Wally and Cheyenne are soon on the run again with the Onts hot on their trail. Wally and Cheyenne have to deal with getting lost in a swamp, quicksand, no food, police, and a giant spider. As if that wasn't enough, just why does that zombie look like their late father?

Taking place right after "The Onts", the first book in Dan Greenburg's Secrets of Dripping Fang series, ended, "Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days" is great fun. There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book which is full of odd ball characters like Verne the brain touting truck driver; Hortense Jolly; the Onts; the Zombie; a bus driver who insists on exact change because it's the law; the orphans of Jolly Days; and Edgar Spydelle who just happens to be married to a giant spider. There are also some laugh out loud gross moments, mostly dealing with the zombie. While this is a children's book and therefore most of the humor is aimed at children, there are also some especially funny moments that adults will love: the full page ad for the Jolly Days Orphanage that is in the yellow pages; policemen named Beckett and Kafka; and a small diner with an amazing menu that includes filet mignon and coq au vin. The illustrations by Scott Fischer are also very funny and readers should look closely at them for hidden jokes. At 124 pages, the book is just the right length for young readers.

"Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days" is jolly good fun.

Great Book.......2005-12-11

I would recomend this book to anybody who likes Dan Greenburg. I even e-mailed Scott M. Fischer (the illasrtator)! He is a great guy. He said he even liked these books so anybody who likes things that are a tiny bit scary in a funny way you should defenetly get this.

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable read....but
No words..
A promising novella maybe but not a full length book
A tedious text.
Has Yarbro read Stoker's text?

Sisters of the Night : The Angry Angel
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0380974002

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable read....but.......1999-11-06

This is my first novel from this particular writer so I was a bit weary....especially all my vampire reading have been from Anne Rice novels.

This novel I thought was beautifully written and had such great detail. I could clearly see the Kelene's family and could relate to them on many levels. The father and mother to me ver yvery well thoughtout and described, along with the other minor characters. Kelene's character throughout most of the book was rather sad/tragic and interesting.

But one problem I did have with the book was it's treatment of Dracula's and Kelene's relationship. I thought the character of Dracula was well done...he was ominous and tragically sad at the same time, and it left me wanting more about him throughout the book. Iknow this is the first of the series so I will eargly await more info. But for his relationship with Kelene.....during the first couple parts of the book..it was very good...and griping, but towards the end it just became repetitive. During the whole journey to his castle it seems to me that thye were repeating the same scene over and over again. I felt these last couple of chapters could have been cut short.

Overall, I was pleased with this book and look forward to the next installment.

No words.........1999-04-11

I am still reading this book, but I would like it to never end.... Only few books are capable of touching divinity...and here is one.. M.

A promising novella maybe but not a full length book.......1999-03-09

When I first received this book, I looked forward with anticipation to reading it. 20 pages into it, my enthusiasm was dampened mainly by the use of the phrase "Militant Angel" in every other sentence (are there no editors anymore?). However, I thought if I persevered, it was bound to get better and it did for the most part. This book has so much promise, so much potential that is lurking just below the surface, you just want to scream at the author to keep working on it, to reach for those hidden details and fleshed out storylines. As it stands now, "The Angry Angel" could be shortened by a third or more and be a very good novella but as a book it loses some of its punch in the padding. This is probably due to the publisher making a trilogy out of this but I'm going to bet the story of all three "sisters" could be told in one longer book. I will probably check out the next one but from a library before I buy. To summarize, not a bad book but one that disappoints as much as it entertains.

A tedious text........1999-01-19

The promise of this book was great. It was so tedious to get past the first 150 pages that I almost gave up repeatedly. Finally, it improved and Dracula entered the scene. I thought I would scream in the beginning while the book dribbled on about the "militant angels". A little of that went a long way.

Has Yarbro read Stoker's text?.......1998-12-05

While at the 1997 Vampire Con in Los Angeles, I was very interested to learn of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's pending series Sisters of the Night consisting of three books which would provide voices for Dracula's brides. Yarbro would tell readers how the three brides came to be turned and their stories would be told. I was excited at this prospect despite that I usually dislike such vaults into poetic license (such as Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind from Mass Market Paperback 1992 and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea 1996 from W.W. Norton & Company). I find they do not represent the vision of the original text, and, rather, operate in a direct affront to it (namely Marie Kiraly's Mina: the Dracula Story Continues from Mass Market Paperback 1996-who, when I asked her what she did to prepare to write Mina, responded that she simply "thought" and did not even have the respect for Stoker or the character of Mina to read the original text. For shame, Ms. Kiraly! But, as we know, is reflected in the mediocre work that she produced). I had hopes that Yarbro, based on her Saint-Germaine series, would have a bit more panache than other similarly assuming writers.

The first of the series, The Angry Angel (Avon, 1998) is an interesting work. The writing is fantastic, with gorgeous landscapes and interesting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the Romanian proverbs and quotes Yarboro offered at each chapter opening. However, to cast Dracula as a psychic, sadistic pedophile? Yarbro completely misses her mark in representing Dracula, and instead writes a fetish text with nice scenery. While I come to care about Kelene and her family, I am too distracted by the ill formation of Dracula to much care for the text as an elaboration of Stoker's story. One of the most detracting, annoying plot points that gives Yarbro away as having not truly read the text from where she hopes to leap is that she makes Dracula fatally vulnerable to sunlight. Dear readers, vampires withering into dust when struck by sunlight originated in our collective conscious in 1937 when Mr. Bela Lugosi penetrated to our hearts' darkest corners as The Count to which all others would be compared. Stoker's Dracula, as emulated in Francis Ford Coppola's film representation, does not die when exposed to the sun. Vampires, according to Stoker, merely lose their superhuman powers during the daylight hours (they are weakest at noon and strongest at midnight). Vampires, during the day, are just regular Joes.

As for Kelene as a character, I'm not terribly impressed, either. She is marked as the blond vampire bride, about which Stoker's Jonathan remarks, "I seemed to somehow know her face, and to know it in connection with some dreamy fear, but I could not recollect at the moment how or where" (p. 38, Bantam edition). She is the first female vampire who will approach Jonathon and lick "her lips like an animal" after she finishes gloating over him. I am to believe that Jonathon Harker will find this slip of a woman-child "deliberate[ly] voluptuous"? (p. 39). Are we then to see Harker as the same pedophile Yarbro casts for Dracula? I think not.

Book Description

Young and beautiful, Fenice Zucchar lives in opulent splendor on the world's richest island. The pampered daughter of a wealthy and powerful owner of ocean-going merchant vessels, Fenice's soul yearns for the freedom of the sea--for the adventures and breathtaking sights and sounds that await her far from Venice, her velvet prison. Determined to flee, she feigns an audacious kidnapping and stows away on one of her brother's ships on the very eve of her own arranged wedding.

But her plans are dashed to bits when, upon discovery, her brother refuses to offer her safe quarter--and abandons the young noblewoman in the teeming port of Varna, just as panic is descending upon the city. For death has come to this place, spawning stories told in hushed, frightened whispers in the night--a being of strange, alluring power and dark sensuality who has chosen Fenice, offering her more freedom than she could know in a hundred lifetimes.

Subjugation is the price this mesmirizing creature demands fro the exquisite renegade's eternal pleasure, as Fenice follows her Dark Lord to his mountain domain, where she is to live...and die. But another is waiting there already, lurking in the shadows of the imposing castle keep: a lovely and crazed consort already corrupted by Dracula's terrible passion...a once-mortal girl named Kelene, late of a distant realm called Greece who could prove to be Fenice's staunchest ally and sister, or her most fearsome adversary.

Customer Reviews:

great series-but when's the third one comming out?!.......2006-05-16

i loved the first novel in this series when i was seventeen...i loved this one almost as much when i was 19, now i'm 25 and dying to read the third and final novel in this series which she seems to have choosen not to write, which is a shame, beacause these novels are fluid and beautiful....

not as good as the first one...but worth reading.......2002-09-22

I have to agree with one of the other reviews. This was a good book, but not as interesting as the first and certainly not of the caliber you'd expect if you're a CQY fan.

So-so..........2002-07-15

I was really looking forward to this book, having enjoyed "The Angry Angel" quite a bit. However, this second volume in the series defintely lags behind Yarbo's initial offering.

She spends the first several chapters telling us in many different ways what we already know: that the heroine, Fenice, is bored and frustrated with her life of Venetian privilege and yearning for adventure on the high seas and elsewhere. Enough, already! Let's cut to the chase! But no - these points are belaboured for a while longer; her disapproving family, her boring fiance, her desire to postpone marriage for as long as possible, etc. etc. etc.

In contrast to "The Angry Angel," for most of this book Dracula is basically absent. There seems to be little real connection between him and Fenice, and little reason for one. Unlike Kelene who was trapped in a situation of dire poverty and physical danger, Fenice is in the lap of luxury. How many people in real life are desperate to flee lives of privilege for the squalor and "adventure" of street-life? This motivation is not realistic.

Finally over halfway through the book things begin to pick up, but by this time finishing the book is an act of will. My ennui was completed by the discovery that Kelene, the heroine of the first novel, has somehow morphed from a wise-beyond-her-years, interesting teenager to a spoiled, petulant brat. What?!

Let's hope the heroine of book 3, whoever she might be, realizes there's more than enough of Dracula to go around.

The Soul of an Angel.......2002-03-03

Am reading the first and second books in this trilogy for about the third time. They both get better with every read. When will the third one be out? I anxiously await it. Quinn Yarbro looks at vampirism from a different angle than Ann Rice. Excellent read no matter how many times you read them.

NUMBER TWO / A Success.......2000-06-02

Fenice is the second virgin that Dracula decides to seduce and bring back to his castle for companionship or maybe for the amusement that the rivalry between her and the first virgin Kelene produces. Fenice having been brought up as a wealthy young maid has had a different background than Kelene, but after the initial battles for Draculas favor, Kelene uses her superior mind to form a truce with Kelene. Very good book. Can't wait for number three. Despite the need for feeding, for blood, a true rivalry and believable relationships ring true.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books