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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
4.5 The only complaint I have is that this was a shorter read than the first book in the series. This is fast becoming my favourite series.
dark
funny
mysterious
Enjoyable enough. It'd been quite a long time since I read book one in this series. I honestly didn't remember much beyond the bare bones. But I was able to pick this one up without trouble. It suffers from a bit of the "we did this" and then "we did this" writing, Ellie seems to take beating after beating without effect, and honestly I couldn't figure out how the homeowner kept sleeping through all the racket she and the ghosts must have been making. But it was a fun little ghost mystery.
I 100% approve of seeing a paraplegic, wheelchair using business owner. He may not play a big part in the book, page-wise, but he is an important character. (I'm sure he was in book one too, but as I'd forgotten, it got to be a new surprise again.) Similarly, there are characters who are "plump," but no issue is made of it.
All in all, Ellie Jordon is just as advertised, a ghost-hunter. And the book is thus exactly as you would expect, a story of hunting ghosts. There isn't yet a lot more depth to the plotting (though there seem to be some hints of a deeper mystery in the future). I'd be willing to read it.
I 100% approve of seeing a paraplegic, wheelchair using business owner. He may not play a big part in the book, page-wise, but he is an important character. (I'm sure he was in book one too, but as I'd forgotten, it got to be a new surprise again.) Similarly, there are characters who are "plump," but no issue is made of it.
All in all, Ellie Jordon is just as advertised, a ghost-hunter. And the book is thus exactly as you would expect, a story of hunting ghosts. There isn't yet a lot more depth to the plotting (though there seem to be some hints of a deeper mystery in the future). I'd be willing to read it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Solid second book in the series. I cared for the characters and liked the inclusions
Cold Shadows is a great follow up to the first Ellie Jordan book. J.L. Bryan has created an interesting team in Ellie and Stacey Rae. Calvin and Jacob (and Grant) are solid peripheral characters (though I'm really hoping the romance thread doesn't continue too strongly in later books). Seriously, if the romance thing heads the way its already looking, I'll stop reading the series. Ergh. Anyways, the interaction and relationships between all the characters are believable and mostly enjoyable. I'd love to see a flashback bit dealing with Calvin and Ellie's initial team-up.
The situation that Ellie and Stacey face in Cold Shadows was, again, not your typical ghost story set up. J.L. Bryan is good at putting unexpected twists on set-ups that look fairly straight forward. There was definitely a scene in here that made me sit up a bit straighter and go "What the ??" He kept everything moving along at a decent pace with plenty of action. The otherworldly presences have a few appearances that will definitely spook a gleeful scaredy-cat reader. The Paulding House was described just enough that you got a sense of the layout without having a clear cut picture of everything in your head. I think this actually works to make it creepier, because you can see it happening in a house you know easier.
The Ghost Trapper series is a solid paranormal fantasy with creepy overtones. If the books were made into films, those would most likely be skewed towards the horror genre. They're fast reads that will delight any readers who like their monsters to go bump in the night. Also, not to be forgotten, so far this series has been 'clean'. No cursing, no smoochies, no guts and gore. While I wouldn't recommend them for the under 13 age group, I'd have no problem recommending them to teenage readers. (Interest may vary depending on maturity level.)
Overall, Cold Shadows was a good read that thoroughly entertained me. Well worth what I paid for it!
The situation that Ellie and Stacey face in Cold Shadows was, again, not your typical ghost story set up. J.L. Bryan is good at putting unexpected twists on set-ups that look fairly straight forward. There was definitely a scene in here that made me sit up a bit straighter and go "What the ??" He kept everything moving along at a decent pace with plenty of action. The otherworldly presences have a few appearances that will definitely spook a gleeful scaredy-cat reader. The Paulding House was described just enough that you got a sense of the layout without having a clear cut picture of everything in your head. I think this actually works to make it creepier, because you can see it happening in a house you know easier.
The Ghost Trapper series is a solid paranormal fantasy with creepy overtones. If the books were made into films, those would most likely be skewed towards the horror genre. They're fast reads that will delight any readers who like their monsters to go bump in the night. Also, not to be forgotten, so far this series has been 'clean'. No cursing, no smoochies, no guts and gore. While I wouldn't recommend them for the under 13 age group, I'd have no problem recommending them to teenage readers. (Interest may vary depending on maturity level.)
Overall, Cold Shadows was a good read that thoroughly entertained me. Well worth what I paid for it!
I read the first three books as part of an Amazon freebie deal. As with most Amazon freebies, I opened my Kindle expecting the reading to be awful. But something happened: It wasn't. In fact, as I finished the last of the three books in the bundle, I then went on to buy the remaining books in the series--that's how sold I was on the books.
Why? The Ellie Jordan books aren't literary fiction. What they are, however, is a combo of fun and spooky. There is a horror element, but this isn't "Saw" in book form by any means.
So what are we getting here? These books are the investigations of Ellie Jordan, a ghost hunter who works for an agency run by a man named Calvin. Ellie and later a temp named Stacey are sent out on missions to review ghost claims, research the houses involved, and then remove the entity. Along the way, you'll laugh, you'll get your fair share of the heebie-jeebies, and you'll find the effort at paranormal professionalism interesting. (And creative.) While character building isn't the foremost goal of the books, it is there, and the further you go in the books, the better your grasp on the individuals involved. (I want to be Stacey and Ellie's friend.) Each book forms a separate case/set of adventures for Ellie and crew. Honestly, I'm having a hard time summarizing the genre here--a lighthanded ghost story that mixes adventure, humor, thrills, and even a wink at romance. Maybe beach reads for people who like to stay inside?
Ultimately, in all, the books I read (1-3) were a romp, and I enjoyed them tremendously. Two thumbs' up for pure entertainment value!
Why? The Ellie Jordan books aren't literary fiction. What they are, however, is a combo of fun and spooky. There is a horror element, but this isn't "Saw" in book form by any means.
So what are we getting here? These books are the investigations of Ellie Jordan, a ghost hunter who works for an agency run by a man named Calvin. Ellie and later a temp named Stacey are sent out on missions to review ghost claims, research the houses involved, and then remove the entity. Along the way, you'll laugh, you'll get your fair share of the heebie-jeebies, and you'll find the effort at paranormal professionalism interesting. (And creative.) While character building isn't the foremost goal of the books, it is there, and the further you go in the books, the better your grasp on the individuals involved. (I want to be Stacey and Ellie's friend.) Each book forms a separate case/set of adventures for Ellie and crew. Honestly, I'm having a hard time summarizing the genre here--a lighthanded ghost story that mixes adventure, humor, thrills, and even a wink at romance. Maybe beach reads for people who like to stay inside?
Ultimately, in all, the books I read (1-3) were a romp, and I enjoyed them tremendously. Two thumbs' up for pure entertainment value!