Alex Bell - The Haunting (Red Eye) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review

Some curses grow stronger with time...People say that all Cornish inns are haunted, but the Waterwitch's history is particularly chilling. Built from the salvaged timber of a cursed ship, the guest house's dark secrets go further back than anyone can remember. Emma is permanently confined to a wheelchair after an accident at the Waterwitch which took place when she was ten. Seven years later, she decides to return to the place where the awful event occurred. But the ancient inn still has its ghosts, and one particular spirit is more vengeful than ever...



Back in 2014, the Red Eye series by Stripes Publishing was born. This is a new home for horror genre with a fantastic contemporary makeover for a young adult audience. I've very much enjoyed ever book in this series and always look forward to the next read. This is the second outing for Alex Bell - the previous release was FROZEN CHARLOTTE, which kicked of the series. The Haunting will be the sixth title to be published 11th Feb 2016 and is another fantastic read.

We are indeed all in for another literary treat. Dare you read a Red Eye? It has all the fantastic trade mark characteristics of previous books and much more in my opinion.  Lovers of dark and scary books will enjoy flying down the path of this chilling plot. It will have you hooked on a fantasy path that teen readers will love. You'll find an original plot that explores the greater imagination and will transport you to the Waterwitch, and back, in the blink of a frog's eye.   

The book alternates between the three main characters perspective of Emma, Shell and Jem. It did take me a little time to warm to this type of narrative, after reading a lot of books told in first person. However, it was fantastic to follow Emma (and her narrative) and slightly refreshing to see how she struggled with daily life, and performing normal tasks that most abled bodied people take for granted. Having to cope with being confined to a wheelchair made this plot capture a great sense of realism and was really gripping. It will certainly pull at your heartstrings in an unpredictable way. 

This is a cracking bleak Cornish tale, which is based on a witches curse and traditional folklore. It will have you scared out of your whits, as you never really know what you are up against. It will pick you up and throw you head first into the spooky past and grizzly future. You'll have to be brave, or mad, to navigate the pages, as the chilling aura will morph around you unwittingly and suck you into a characters world. Unfortunately, this may not end in a traditionally happy way. 

The book will lead you to enter the Waterwitch building with it's dramatic history like no other. To me it is the biggest character in the book, as it takes on a mysterious nebulous persona of its own. I really loved visiting this spooky building and exploring its nooks and crannies. The author produced a really detailed account which was loosely inspired by a visit to Smugglers Cot Restaurant (an old historic building from 1420). This to me instilled an electric and foreboding energy that helped to develop a fantastic climatic and dramatic ending. This is another brilliant read that might just get you screaming for more....

Other Red Eye Books: 
Alex Bell - Frozen Charlotte -  5th Jan 2015
Lou Morgan - Sleepless - 5th Jan 2015
Simon Cheshire - Flesh and Blood - 2nd March 2015
Graham Marks - Bad Bones - 4th May 2015
Tom Becker - Dark Room - 10 Sept  2015
Alex Bell - The Haunting - 1st Feb 2016 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Lu Hersey - Deep Water - Book Review

As you plunge deep into the blue cover, it will set you off on a journey of discovery. This is a debut novel that will tantalise you with a story primarily set in a tiny Cornish fishing village. You will take a slow stroll into the history of the characters and be thrust into a spectacular mystery that has a dark feeling of foreboding. All in all this is a brilliant read full of twists, turns and a hatful of discoveries. 

Danni comes home one day to find that her mum has vanished and there appears to be a strange feeling in the house. No one has any idea what has happened to her; this leaves a mystery that will need unravelling. Danni soon finds herself living with her dad in a strange and remote village with a dark and disturbing past. Some of the locals treat Danni like a monster. However, she soon discovers a family past that will have the reader breathing in the salty air of the briny sea. 

I was fully immersed in the plot; a beautiful tale of the sea where the hidden dangerous depths of the ocean are fully explored through some wondrous encounters. The writing will make you feel like you are seeing it and experiencing it first-hand, through the eyes of nature itself, leading the reader to an exciting and imaginative place. 

The only way for Danni to save her family from the bitter curse is to embrace her incredible new gift. With the help of her best friend Levi, who is undeniably a character that has been written really well, she embarks on a journey of discovery. Levi's personality intensifies the feelings in the story and draws the plot together like a magnet. He makes this story work for me. 

I also liked Danni's new age hippy dad, who is brought to life through his interesting taste in t-shirts. In our first encounter with him, he is wearing a ripped Sex Pistols t-shirt. He is not your typical character in a book, but he works really well and adds an element of cool.  

The author has really stamped this book with her own personality and interests. The charm of Celtic myth and folklore is wrapped up tightly in the narrative through Lu's take on the ancient Celtic selkie myth, which has been inspired by belief and tradition for many generations. This to me gives the story an air of magic and surrealness that is enchanting.

This is a story of family secrets and teenage life, with a slight romantic angle running through the plot, which is subtle and not off putting for male readers. It is a great young adult experience which is reminiscent of Helen Dunmore's Ingo adventure books. Lu is a great new voice - I will be looking forward to reading more stories. 

Don’t judge too quickly or fear something just because you don’t understand it.

Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1st July 2015)

Charmian Hussey - Howl on the Wind - Book Post - Illustrated By Rose Forshall

                                              


The long-awaited second novel by Charmian Hussey, bestselling author of ‘The Valley of Secrets’ tells the dramatic story of Lizzie’s incredible courage and perseverance against all the odds, set on the rugged north Cornish coast.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” he cried out in a shrill voice, his face contorted, his eyes shining in the light from the glowing fire.
“’Tis a poor, tormented creature … huge and hairy … a savage beast …”
From somewhere at the back of the room, a horrible howling noise rose up.
“Howooooo … Hoooooooo … Howooooo … Hooooooo …”
… with stunning illustrations by Rose Forshall
Howl On The Wind follows the fortunes of wheelchair-bound Lizzie, who visits 
Cornwall on a quest to find answers about her long-dead
father.
Lizzie is a star sprinter who had high hopes to compete in the 2012 Olympics until an accident leaves her without the use of her legs. When she and her brother Tom uncover some previously unknown facts about their long-dead father they set out to find the truth. Their travels take them to a small island off the North Cornwall coast, home to the remains of a 13th century castle once occupied by an old Cornish family, the Tregarrows


Buying a copy of Howl on the Wind supports British Paralympians and people with physical disabilities, by donating half of the profits to the two charities 'Wheelpower' and 'Poppa Guttman Trust'.
Your support is greatly appreciated.


Published By Atlantic Press

At Atlantic Press, we create works of graphic literature which respect the illustrator’s personal voice: their ideas, their pictures and their words. We call this ‘authorial illustration’.

Our rare and collectable books present imaginative ideas or tell intriguing stories, and are often illustrated for an adult audience, or designed to appeal to an audience of all ages. We are an independent press, publishing limited edition first books by authorial illustrators. Associated with the Masters course in authorial illustration at University College Falmouth incorporating Dartington College of Arts, Atlantic Press seeks to promote new authorial illustration talent, as well as recognising existing practitioners in the illustration field. We work closely with talented illustrators, allowing them authorial freedom; our role being to support their personal imaginative vision. Atlantic Press is run by illustrators and educators and we aim to publish innovative picture books which display the highest literary and visual standards. In so doing, we want to encourage illustration to be a developing practice and not just a repetitive commodity. We want illustrators to be enterprising, and most importantly, we want to contribute to a cultural shift whereby intelligent illustrated books become popular with the general book-buying public. You can buy our rare and collectable books direct from this site. http://www.atlanticpressbooks.com/