Paranormal – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Chilling with Ghosts

Title: Chilling with Ghosts
Author: Insha Fitzpatrick, Lilla Bölecz
Genre: Children’s, Nonfiction
Publisher: Quirk Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 15, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Discover everything about ghosts in this fun handbook packed with spooky tales, engrossing science, and fascinating history–perfect for middle grade readers and mythology fans!

Boo! Do you believe in ghosts? What’s up with haunted houses? And how exactly do you bust a ghost? Uncover the spooky and spectacular world of ghosts in Chilling with Ghosts, a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Step into the unknown—if you dare!—and discover:

Scary ghost stories of all kinds! Learn how to tell your very own ghost story.
Terrifying tales from history and weird science! Find out what ghost fungus is and meet a couple of Shakespearean ghosts.
A globe-trotting tour of haunted spots! Travel all around the world, from the Catacombs of Paris to the Stanley Hotel.

Chilling with Ghosts is the second book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Get to know ghost lore with enchanting illustrations and hands-on activities, like brewing homemade ectoslime. It’s a spooky world out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!

Review:

This was such a fun book about ghosts! There were sections on how to interact with ghosts, the history of ghosts, and stories about ghosts. There were some fun activities at the end of the chapters too, such as how to make ectoslime, a recipe for a graveyard parfait, and a library scavenger hunt. This book is perfect for kids who are interested in ghosts!

Chilling with Ghosts is a fun book about ghosts!

Thank you Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read Chilling with Ghosts? What did you think of it?

Review: Third Shift Society, Vol. 2

Title: Third Shift Society, Vol. 2
Author: Meredith Moriarty
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Publisher: Webtoon Unscrolled
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 29, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Eisner-nominated WEBTOON Third Shift Society is a story about stumbling head-first into a world of magic and mystery. Financially challenged Ellie discovers she has strong psychic powers and gets a job working for Ichabod, a paranormal detective with the head of a Jack-o-Lantern.

Life’s funny. One minute you’re jobless, deep in debt, and on the verge of eviction; the next you’re in a fight with a monster and getting a job working for a paranormal detective with the head of a Jack-o-Lantern. It’s an age-old story.

Now the clumsy but determined Ellie (who’s recently discovered she has strong psychic powers) and her pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

Ellie and Ichabod have some supernatural solves under their belts and Ellie has her psychic powers more (or less) under control. All they’re up against now are cryptic witches, sinister demons, and some ancient monsters hellbent on escaping their psychic prison. What could possibly go wrong?

This volume collects Season 2 of the bewitching WEBTOON comic.

Review:

Ellie, who has just discovered her supernatural powers, works with Ichabod, a man with a pumpkin head, to investigate the paranormal. Ellie must confess her dream of Alice, who left her with a real mark on her hand. Ichabod enlists the help of a witch to figure out what Alice’s plan is, while also investigating other paranormal creatures.

This was a fun second book in the series. There were a lot of fight scenes that made the story go by quickly. I love the mystery around Ichabod. There was some of his origin story in this story, but he is still secretive and a mystery. I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

Third Shift Society, Vol. 2 is a great spooky graphic novel!

Thank you Wattpad Books for providing a digital copy of this book.

Other books in the series:

Third Shift Society, Vol. 1

Have you read Third Shift Society, Vol. 2? What did you think of it?

Review: Third Shift Society, Vol. 1

Title: Third Shift Society, Vol. 1
Author: Meredith Moriarty
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Publisher: Webtoon Unscrolled
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Life’s funny. One minute you’re jobless, deep in debt and on the verge of eviction; the next you’re in a fight with a monster and getting a job working for a Paranormal Detective with the head of a Jack-o-Lantern. It’s an age-old story.

In one afternoon, Ellie discovers that monsters are real, she has latent psychic powers, and a well dressed man with a pumpkin for a head wants her to be his partner. It’s a lot to take in. Now the clumsy but determined Ellie and her Pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

Before she can say “boo,” Ellie finds herself tangled up in a magical world where monsters are real, demons tend bar, and psychic conversations take place in a super unsettling mystical void. And there are even more dangerous forces at work, just out of sight.

This volume collects Season 1 of the bewitching WEBTOON comic Third Shift Society .

Review:

After suddenly losing her job, Ellie discovers that paranormal creatures are real and she has magic powers. She meets Icabod, a man with a pumpkin head, who invites her to work with him as a detective at Third Shift Society. They must fight paranormal creatures to make the world a safer place.

This is such a fun graphic novel! I loved the way paranormal creatures were hiding in plain sight in the world of this story. I was surprised that people didn’t have a stronger response to seeing Icabod with a pumpkin head, but he was so charming, it was easy to forget that he didn’t look like a human.

Third Shift Society, Vol. 1 is a fun start to this graphic novel series!

Other books in the series:

Third Shift Society, Vol. 2

Have you read Third Shift Society, Vol. 2? What did you think of it?

Review: Running From Roswell

Title: Running From Roswell
Author: D.A. Busby
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Contemporary
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 25, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

Twenty years to the day after insisting aliens abducted his girlfriend, the number one suspect in her disappearance vanishes in the same spot outside Roswell, New Mexico. It’s up to an unlikely duo – Oliver, a disgraced and jaded FBI agent, and Amity, a rookie on the Roswell Police Department and the missing man’s niece – to follow the clues left behind in his journals and solve both missing persons cases. The closer Oliver and Amity get to the truth, a much more earthbound question arises: where do you turn when the love of your life does the unthinkable?

Review:

Twenty years after his girlfriend disappeared without a trace in Roswell, New Mexico, David Van Horn vanishes too. He disappeared on a military base, which made FBI agent Oliver Reagan travel there to investigate. He’s partnered with local officer Amity Rogers, who is the daughter of the chief of police. Amity has a personal connection to the case because Van was her uncle, the brother to her father who left her when she was a baby. Oliver and Amity must figure out what happened to Van, while also grappling with the trauma from their pasts.

This was such a great crime story! There was the question of what happened to Van and his girlfriend Jolene since they vanished from a town that is known for suspected alien abductions. Even though they were investigating for the police, there was always a question of the paranormal hanging over their heads. I was hooked on this story from the beginning, and I couldn’t put it down. There were a few heartbreaking scenes towards the end that did bring tears to my eyes.

I highly recommend checking out Running From Roswell!

Thank you D.A. Busby and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book for a paid campaign!

Content warnings: death, missing person, death of parent, parental abandonment

Have you read Running From Roswell? What did you think of it?

Review: The Ghostkeeper

Title: The Ghostkeeper
Author: Johanna Taylor
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 23, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of everything from Lockwood & Co to The Haunting of Hill House, this gothic graphic novel follows a young medium with the gift—or curse, as some might say—to communicate with the dead.

Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.

Then one day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.

As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own….

Review:

After a brush with death as a child, Dorian Leith could see and speak to ghosts. He listens to their problems and helps send them to the afterlife. However, this gift has made him an outcast in town. There are plague doctors who want to get rid of the ghosts using potions, rather than helping them find peace like Dorian does. The local bookshop owner is the only person in town willing to help Dorian. One day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen by the ghost of a young girl, which prevents any ghosts from passing through to the afterlife. Dorian must find a way to retrieve the key before the ghosts rise up and destroy everyone in town.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I love stories about people who can communicate with ghosts. This story had a Victorian style setting, which is one of my favourite book settings. There was a lot of tension and heartbreak around the ghosts. Some had quite tragic endings, such as the little girl who stole the key. There were some positives with the ghosts, though, like Dorian spending time with his grandmother’s ghost since he didn’t know her when she was alive.

The Ghostkeeper is a great paranormal graphic novel!

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: death, death of child, death of parent

Have you read The Ghostkeeper? What did you think of it?

Review: Bride

Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Review:

Vampyre Misery Lark has spent most of her life living away from her powerful father, in the human world. When her best friend goes missing, she only has one clue to go on: the name L.E. Moreland written in her diary. Her father tells Misery that she must marry the Werewolf Alpha, Lowe Moreland, as part of a Were/Vampyre alliance, and Misery agrees since he must be connected to her best friend’s disappearance. However, Misery must move into the enemy’s territory, where she’s viewed as a threat. Lowe doesn’t trust her so he tracks every move she makes, until she can prove that she’s only there to find her best friend. Lowe and Misery must work together to figure out what’s happening in their territories, until their undeniable attraction gets in the way.

This is my first Ali Hazelwood book and I loved it! I really enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Misery’s best friend that went along with the romance. I was surprised at the twists that subplot took. The romance got pretty spicy towards the end. There was the possibility for a sequel at the end of the story, so I’d love to see two other characters explored in another book!

Bride is a great paranormal romance!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), poisoning, parental abandonment

Have you read Bride? What did you think of it?