Review: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (October 10, 1983)
Age Group: Adult
Pages (Paperback): 164
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780307950215
Genre: Horror/Historical

Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to Crythin Gifford—a faraway town in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway—to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow’s house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but Kipps is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind its sheltered windows. The routine business trip he anticipated quickly takes a horrifying turn when he finds himself haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and images—a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child’s scream in the fog, and, most terrifying of all, a ghostly woman dressed all in black. Psychologically terrifying and deliciously eerie, The Woman in Black is a remarkable thriller of the first rate.

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Overview: 

Don't go into this book expecting it to be the movie. Don't go into this book hoping for resolution. This book is extremely dense to read without any real events occurring. This book did not give enough of an experience for the effort that I put into sifting through the thickness of descriptors and historical atmosphere. A quick albeit disappointing selection.

Review:

There are times when we cannot remove the expectations that we have of something going into it and this book was an unfortunate victim of that scenario. I watched the movie for this book before even knowing it was a book and I kept the expectations of the relatively entertaining book when I went into this historical book. In a book to movie adaptation, we tend to think that the book is always better. In this instance, the movie should not only be given its own identity but I did find it better than the book.

Perhaps it is against my reading style but this book was written in a historical style that hinted at classic. This was the type of writing that focused on building atmosphere but instead makes the reading dense and heavy. This may or may not have effected the way that I experienced the haunting that this story focuses around.

The pacing that was used to setup the haunting was well done but there was an existing problem with the amount of actual events or action that kept the story propelled. I was also disappointed in the lack of resolution that came with the ending of the story. I wasn't looking for anything heroic or magnificent but the ghost story took some leaps in the end that were just ill placed.

Overall, this story was disappointing and not a fulfilling haunted story. It accomplished a historic and chilling tone but that was all that was successful about this selection.

Rating out of 5:

Adult Release Spotlight: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

Released yesterday is the new book in Stephen King's acclaimed series, The Dark Tower. This book, The Wind Through the Keyhole, hit the shelves yesterday, April 24 from Scribner. While the eighth book to be published in this series, this book is in retrospect and takes place as book 4 1/2 between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla.

Goodreads | Amazon

Stephen King returns to the rich landscape of Mid-World, the spectacular territory of the Dark Tower fantasy saga that stands as his most beguiling achievement. 

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet—Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler—encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two . . . and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past. 

In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother’s death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man” preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following day’s trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. “A person’s never too old for stories,” Roland says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them.” And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us. 

King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind Through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland’s world and testimony to the power of Stephen King’s storytelling magic.

EPIC GIVEAWAY: Signed Box Set of Song of Ice & Fire

As a contributor for Kentucky Geek Girl, I am proud to be able to announce to you a giveaway of epic proportions. As I just wrote, George R. R. Martin was doing a signing here in Lexington. As a gift to all geeks and "bookwyrms" we are very excited to announce that we have a signed box set of books 1-4 available!

What better way to prepare for winter than to get to take this wonderful opportunity to dive into the world that Martin has created. Whether you are a fan of the show or avid reader, these books will take you on a journey you are destined to remember!

As this is a promotion run by KGG and supported here at Within Pages, the Rafflecopter allows entries for following on twitter, comments, and more. Following on GFC and Facebook likes are in accordance with KGG and not this blog. You can however, answer the following question and comment on this blog for an entry. Also, following me on twitter gains an entry, so be sure to follow lostwithinpages!

Comment to answer**

Who is your favorite fantasy author?

**You must comment then report the entry on the rafflecopter form.

Contest Details:

• One (1) Winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter
• Contest ends August 10, 2011 @ 12:01 EST
• Entries in Rafflecopter are required
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond
• US & Canada Only (Sorry)
• Prize is one (1) paperback box set (box is signed) including:
• A Game of Thrones
• A Clash of Kings
• A Storm of Swords
• A Feast of Crows

(Click continue reading or click through to the site from your reader for the form!)

Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Ace (September 3, 2008)
Age Group: Adult 18+
Pages (Mass Paperback): 292
Series: Sookie Stackhouse* 1
Source: Bought
ISBN-13: 978-0-441-01699-0
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Mystery
*Originally: Southern Vampire Mysteries

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. Then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life...

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hands with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next...

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Having watched True Blood before reading this book, I struggled with interest in it because it was as if the show had been ripped right off the pages, most of it word for word. I pushed through the lack of interest to realize that there were elements of the show that I loved and the book left out the ones that I were uninteresting (Note: If you are going from the show to reading, there is no drug usage).

The first thing that stood out in Harris' writing was her ability to convey voice. The creation of Sookie Stackhouse's first person was done phenomenally well. It really gives the appropriate mood and draws you into the setting of the backwards Louisiana town it is set in. There was not a moment where Sookie's voice flawed.

Sookie is a solid character that is able to interact with slew of amazing support characters including Sam, Bill, and Eric Northman. Her "disability" is shut down with her interactions with them and she is really able to shine as her own person. Set in the first person, at the point in the series, we have not had the opportunity to really understand and construct ideas of the support characters other than Bill.

As an adult read, this book provides detailed, not obscenely graphic, but rather short adult love scenes, As a paranormal romance reader, I thought this book would take the turn the show takes and be heavy on the "romance" but rather, it is more geared as a mystery in the book setting. I was disappointed though; when it came to solving the clues and putting the pieces together of the murderer, Harris doesn't provide a lot of points to go on other than finger-pointing at Jason, Sookie's brother. This leads to an unbelievable end to the book because there was no reason to suspect who was really behind the idea. This left me feeling unfulfilled in terms of a suspenseful mystery.

If you are an adult fan of Twilight and paranormal romance, this book comes highly recommended due to the uncanny similarities of mind readers, "shields", human-vampire love, one of them fighting the weirdness of the relationship, the other "love" interest, etc.

Rating out of 5:

Please disregard any inconsistencies you may notice in the coming reviews.

I am working on a new template.

Adult Release Spotlight

Even though this blog, and the majority of what I read is YA, I still read and enjoy select adult books and there are some highlights, some precious gems, that need to be shared this week!

Dead Reckoning - Sookie Stackhouse #11
By Charlaine Harris

"With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . . ."

 Destined for an Early Grave - Night Huntress #4

by Jeaniene Frost

Okay this one isn't new, but somehow it was in my populated list!

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

 Waking the Witch - Women of the Otherworld #11

by Kelley Armstrong (Author of The Gathering and more YA) 

At twenty-one, Savannah Levine – orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer – considers herself to be a full-fledged member of the supernatural race that rules the Otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot tall, motorcycle-riding, jaw-dropper with a full arsenal of spells that she’s not afraid to use when she gets caught in a bind. There’s only one small problem – her adoptive parents. Paige and Lucas don’t always trust her. Of course, she’s given them plenty of reasons... but those are in the past. People can change, right?

When Paige and Lucas take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge of their detective agency, Savannah is presented with a case that she can’t turn down, and one she can finally call her own. Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington – a small, almost shell of a town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman is dead, and darker forces seem to be at play.

Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious – and far more dangerous – than she realizes. Caught up in a web of lust, false identities, and lies, Savannah must summon strength from her depths and fight like she’s never fought before.