 Are you interested in the latest book by Peter Gray? "Far from Home: Book One" is now free on Google Play! That's right, entirely for FREE. Click on the link below to download the first instalment of this Gothic horror trilogy.
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 The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel HawthorneMy rating: 2 of 5 stars If one of the family did but gurgle in his throat, a bystander would be likely enough to whisper, between jest and earnest, “He has Maule’s blood to drink!” "The House of the Seven Gables" is supposedly a classic read, but a highly forgettable one. The story is narrated in third person, told by a rather abstracted and somewhat indifferent narrator that describes in detail the history of the house and its occupants. Hawthorne is unquestionably a talented writer with a wide array of vocabulary that corresponds well with the Gothic genre, however, the author is guilty of overwriting. The first chapter alone describes the layout of the house and its history, it was unnecessarily descriptive to the point that I wondered when the reader would be introduced to a single character in the story. It is not until the final few pages of the first chapter that the reader encounters dialogue, and it is so unaccountably short that the reader is hardly acquainted with the house's founder, Colonel Pyncheon, before his life takes a tragic turn. Admittedly, I did not finish the entire novel. I was disinterested from the start, but this long-drawn out narrative dissipated into nothingness once the reader is finally acquainted with the main character of the present day, Hepzibah Pyncheon, a decrepit old sinister that is resentful towards the plebeians that continually snub her after she opens up a shop in her patrimonial estate. It was at this point that I closed the book and decided there is hardly anything scary or truly Gothic to entice me further. Indeed, this is a classic novel, but it's not the one for me. I was looking forward to reading Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," but after this novel I might just put it towards the end of my tbr list. All in all, I applaud the efforts of this author, but I find Seven Gables is a far-cry from the classic pieces of literature that belong to the Gothic genre of that time period. View all my reviews I have received an amazing review for "Awakening." I wanted to share these awfully kind words from a reader with all of you. Thank you again to everyone for your continual support!  Love, Hate, Passion, Trickery…. What do you look for in a story? Is It the love between two characters, people who face all the odds in their lives to find their perfect partner? Is it the suspense, that thing that keeps you going no matter what? I love the passion that a good story can stir up. It’s that thing inside me that makes me forgo everything during the day to know what will happen next. In this book, Peter Gray manages to bring something to the audience, something that has been missing in this genre for a long time. True Suspension. In this book, Peter tells the story of a young girl who is caught in the web of a dangerous individual, someone with a hidden agenda, and the reader has the opportunity to see how it folds out. For any reader, this is a scintillating story about passion, love, hate and the ultimate surprise for the main characters in the final act of the book.
Another aspect of the Awakening that Peter has excelled at is the creation of the characters. For any story to flow, there needs to have characters integral to the story, characters. The character of Ava, and her relationships with her parents, and her spouse take centerstage, as Peter addresses one of the most familiar cases in family issues, but manages to add several twists to each of the characters making them unpredictable and shocking. This story will take you through the life of Ava, her arguments with herself, and people around her about her next steps in life. It will take you from her thoughts as a young woman, right to her just as she is about to be bitten by the wolf, the one that was in a sheep’s clothing. Be prepared to be wowed, be prepared to spend hours on the couch, procrastinating other activities to know what will happen next. Hours of your life which will be full of suspense, intrigue and passion.  The Viy by Nikolai GogolMy rating: 5 of 5 stars As soon as he found himself alone, he began to feel in the grip of his fears. He again saw the dark pictures of the saints in their gilt frames, and the black coffin, which stood menacing and silent in the middle of the church. - Nikolai Gogol "The Viy" is a short horror story which possesses a singularly rare quality to stay in the reader's mind forevermore. This is the first story that I have read by Nikolai Gogol, but it will most certainly not be my last. The story recounts the brief adventure of three travellers, all university students that wander from one town to the next in the blaring heat of the summer's sun in search of food and lodging. When they encounter a small town in the dead of night, the three university students part their separate ways and accept their lodging by a strange old lady that allows them to spend the night at her house. Thomas, the main character, is forcibly separated from his friends Khalava (the theologian) and Tiberius Gorobetz (the philosopher), and is taken into a corner of a barn where he is expected to sleep with the animals. Exhausted by his tireless wandering throughout the day, he is nearly asleep when he is startled by the presence of the same old lady. Her appearance is very much the same, but there is something distrusting about her eyes and the way them gleam at him under the faint reflection of the moonlight. Immediately he distrusts her presence, but it is too late- he has fallen into the hands of a witch and not even Thomas can stop the fateful ties that has strung their two souls together. Will Thomas ever be able to break the unholy bond between them? For even in death the witch haunts him still! And can Thomas' desperate prayers of exorcism stop her scheming spells, or is the witch's powers to great for even Thomas to break free from them? View all my reviews |
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