Welcome to my 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills!
I’ll be sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to
get those scares on for the 31st!
And welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share books that, well, make you scream!
I had such fun with Michael’s fantasy horror series Legacy Of The Gods so I had to check out this series.
Cinema Of Shadows
A Harmony, Indiana Novel
by Michael West
Genre: Horror / Paranormal
My Review
Ooh. what better setting for a haunting than a derelict movie theatre. Woodfield Movie Palace hasn’t projected a film onto it’s large screen in many many years. Dust motes float in abandoned rooms. Birds and critters make nests in it’s empty shell. And something else moves about in its darkest places. This is its home. It will never leave. So you best stay away or it will make you pay. And the price for admission is death.
I’ll admit that spectacular cover was the first reason I chose to read these book. It being a paranormal investigation plot just added to my interest. And I’ve read another series by this author and knew the writing would be solid, with genuine characters.
At first, it felt like many other books with this idea. A team goes into a building purported to be haunted and all kinds of nasty stuff starts happening. But this is where Michael builds his own idea, giving background filler to suggest how and why it might be truly haunted. As to who or what is doing it, you don’t know that until you get close to the end.
There’s a mixed bag of characters for the paranormal investigation team. The snarky gal, the over emoting jock, the lost girl with an unwanted ability, a few others for the casualty list, and one with a hidden agenda. Michael shines at bringing them to life. He even throws in a bit of romance. It’s almost insta love, but I felt it was more like two lonely people being in the right place at the right time. It could happen.
And then there’s the town of Harmony, Indiana. The place where it all goes down. This is the second book in the Harmony series. Each stands alone. The setting is the same but the characters and stories are different. Kind of like Stephen King and Derry, Maine. Harmony could have been built on bad ground. I wonder if the author will eventually explain why so many horrible things happen there.
This isn’t a fast moving story. The action is spread out. Those in between times are just as good. I like getting to know some of the history of the theatre and becoming more knowledgeable about the characters. I need to connect to them somewhat in order to care what happens to them. things start moving fast when it gets crazy and dark. I’d suggest you sit back, enjoy the ride, but don’t let your guard down. If you do, that’s when Michael will put the boo on you.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
Welcome to the Woodfield Movie Palace. The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business…and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana’s most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight…until now. Tonight, Professor Geoffrey Burke and his Parapsychology students have come to the Woodfield in search of evidence, hoping to find irrefutable proof of a haunting. Instead, they will discover that, in this theater, the terrors are not confined to the screen.
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Stop back by tomorrow when I’ll be sharing the next Harmony, Indiana book.
Spook House
A Harmony, Indiana Novel
by Michael West
Genre: Horror / Paranormal
Synopsis
There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.
It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.
Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!
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