Today I am excited to be participating in a Book Blitz promotion hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, featuring The Haunting Season, by one of my favorite indie authors, Michelle Muto. You might recall a couple of days ago, I gave you a teaser from the book, and today I'm going to share with you more goodies about the book, my review, and an international giveaway for an eBook copy of The Haunting Season!
Pub Date: December 2012, Dreamscapes, Ink
Genre: NA Paranormal/Ghosts
Source/FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book. I was in no way compensated for this review and my opinions are my own. This Book Blitz & Giveaway are sponsored by XPresso Book Tours and the author.
Source/FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book. I was in no way compensated for this review and my opinions are my own. This Book Blitz & Giveaway are sponsored by XPresso Book Tours and the author.
Be careful what you let in…
Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Jess, who talks to ghosts, quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects. One is a girl possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who really knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate…when he’s not resurrecting the dead.
The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. In order to escape, Jess and the others will have to open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that has welcomed them all.
Earlier this year, I became acquainted with Michelle Muto's books thanks to an indie author event that I attended in a nearby city. I read one of her books before going and it was such a pleasure to meet and talk with her -- she was very generous with her time and so sweet. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you might recall that I really enjoyed her YA books, The Book of Lost Souls and Don't Fear The Reaper -- you can click on the titles to see those reviews. When the opportunity presented itself to be a part of a Book Blitz for The Haunting Season, naturally I jumped at it! This book is very different from Muto's other works... For one thing, it is classified as New Adult, not to mention it is in the Horror genre -- much, much darker and creepier than her other paranormal stories.
I'm actually kind of torn with this review. On the one hand, I loved the horror aspect -- the story was deliciously creepy. I've actually not read a lot in the genre, though I've seen a few horror movies over the years. I love the adrenaline rush of being scared and believe me, this was a book that I could not read in the dark. Seriously, I actually read a good portion of it during the day because of the major creep-factor. The setting in Savannah is just perfect for a haunted house story, as well. But then on the other hand, I was kind of turned off by the romance storyline. I didn't find it particularly believable and was surprised at how much it overtook the story. A large part of the focus is on Jess and Gage, not to mention the story is told from their points of view, but I found Allison to be a much more interesting character and wish that Bryan had been developed a little bit more than he was. Even the strange Dr. Brandt and the role he played would have benefited from a little more time in the spotlight. Nevertheless, the story moves right along and I found myself on the edge of my seat (literally AND figuratively speaking) watching the shocking events unfold.
Though classified as New Adult (which I knew going in), in many ways The Haunting Season read more like YA. I'm not sure how to elaborate other than to say it simply had a YA feel to it. And truly, even with the sex scene (which wasn't overly graphic) and some occasional strong language, I would probably consider this a mature YA read at most. Recalling my reading tastes at the time, I think this is a book that I would have really enjoyed when I was in high school, though I can certainly appreciate the horror element now, as well. Fans of the horror/haunted house genre will love this book for what it is, but for me, the romance served as more of a distraction to the story, rather than adding to it. I confess I prefer Ms. Muto's aforementioned YA books to The Haunting Season, but there are many out there who love this one, so I encourage you to check out the book's Goodreads page for more reviews, and be sure to enter my giveaway for an eBook copy below!
I'm excited to be able to host a giveaway for one (1) ebook copy of The Haunting Season. The contest is open internationally and ends at midnight on Thursday, May 16th! There are lots of ways to enter -- just use the Rafflecopter form below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Muto lives in northeast Georgia with her husband and two dogs. She loves changes of season, dogs, and all things geeky. Currently, she’s hard at work on her next book.Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
Here's something fun -- the playlist Michelle Muto created for The Haunting Season!
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It sounds pretty scary and good.
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