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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Star Rating: 4 stars
If any of you are avid e-book readers or even if you own an e-reader and don’t use it that often, then you know that Kindle then to release free e-books every once in a while. Since I don’t have ready access to funds, I tend to snap these up when they become available. I never really know what they are about until I read them. Gravity by Abigail Boyd was one of these free e-books and recently, I decided to pick it up since it was one of the last un-read e-books on my e-reader. Gravity tells the story of Ariel Donovan, a high school sophomore in the town of Hell, Michigan. The summer before sophomore year starts, Ariel’s friend, Jenna, goes out on the town one night and never returns, and as a result, Ariel sinks in a deep depression until the day she meets her new art teacher’s daughter who also happens to be her neighbor, Theo. Her budding friendship with Theo starts to pull her out of her funk until other young girls start to disappear as well. Ariel starts to wonder whether all the disappearances are connected, but she doesn’t know how to prove it. As she becomes more invested in these girl’s cases, strange things start to happen- there is a rhythmic thudding on the wall of her basement bedroom- the wall that borders on an empty utility closet, the lights at her house and school start flickering like crazy, she starts having strange, terrifying nightmares, and all the lockers in the hallway at school slam at once and then reopen themselves. If that wasn’t enough, she is seeing what she believes is the young girl’s spirits, although at first, she doesn’t realize that they are dead, there is a creepy abandoned and supposedly haunted orphanage on the outskirts of town that Ariel feels drawn to, and there are rumors that the reason why her town is called Hell is because there is a gateway to the underworld within its borders. Is Ariel going crazy or does she has the supposed physic gift that lead to her grandmother being locked up in a mental asylum? If the disappearances are connected, who killed these girls? Does it have anything to do with the orphanage on the outskirts of town called Dexter where there was supposedly child sacrifice or the supposed gateway to the underworld that is said to exist somewhere within city limits?
The best thing about this book is the atmosphere that the author creates with her encapsulating prose and evocative setting. This story is set in a town in Michigan called Hell, and to start with, isn’t Hell the prefect name for the town in which a ghost story takes place. Very Crimson Peak, if I do say so myself! Also, Michigan is naturally cloudy, dreary, and foggy due to the multiple lakes that grace the countryside, which adds to the mystic. The main character fits the atmosphere as well, with her dark hair, person, and personality. Finally, the story is set around Halloween, which is the time when the veil is supposedly very thin. Although the author does make mistakes, she succeeds in creating the ambiance that a story like this deserves.
Her pacing for this story was also good as she spread her jump-scares throughout the entire story, instead of squishing them into the end of the story. Our main character spends most of the book wondering whether she is developing abilities or merely going crazy, and the pace and the steady jump-scare really help with this character development because it makes you wonder along with Ariel. The events usually happen when she is really stressed out or worried about something. If the pacing was any faster or slower, it would ruin the effect of that journey.
Although this book was successful with a lot of the fundamentals, it wasn’t perfect. First off, the author brings a love interest into the story-Henry Rhodes. I don’t think that element was necessary, especially with all the turmoil that the main character is going through. The last thing that she needs is a relationship and all the drama that goes along with it, and the funny thing is in the story the main character says as much so I don’t really understand why the author choose to include it unless she was trying to keep with the YA trends. This is the reason that it didn’t get a perfect 5 stars from me..
All in all, when it comes to ghost/cult stories, this is one of the better ones so if you are interested, I would say that it is definitely deserves a read. It kept me entertained for a few hours, and I think it will you too. A solid 4 stars!!!
If any of you are avid e-book readers or even if you own an e-reader and don’t use it that often, then you know that Kindle then to release free e-books every once in a while. Since I don’t have ready access to funds, I tend to snap these up when they become available. I never really know what they are about until I read them. Gravity by Abigail Boyd was one of these free e-books and recently, I decided to pick it up since it was one of the last un-read e-books on my e-reader. Gravity tells the story of Ariel Donovan, a high school sophomore in the town of Hell, Michigan. The summer before sophomore year starts, Ariel’s friend, Jenna, goes out on the town one night and never returns, and as a result, Ariel sinks in a deep depression until the day she meets her new art teacher’s daughter who also happens to be her neighbor, Theo. Her budding friendship with Theo starts to pull her out of her funk until other young girls start to disappear as well. Ariel starts to wonder whether all the disappearances are connected, but she doesn’t know how to prove it. As she becomes more invested in these girl’s cases, strange things start to happen- there is a rhythmic thudding on the wall of her basement bedroom- the wall that borders on an empty utility closet, the lights at her house and school start flickering like crazy, she starts having strange, terrifying nightmares, and all the lockers in the hallway at school slam at once and then reopen themselves. If that wasn’t enough, she is seeing what she believes is the young girl’s spirits, although at first, she doesn’t realize that they are dead, there is a creepy abandoned and supposedly haunted orphanage on the outskirts of town that Ariel feels drawn to, and there are rumors that the reason why her town is called Hell is because there is a gateway to the underworld within its borders. Is Ariel going crazy or does she has the supposed physic gift that lead to her grandmother being locked up in a mental asylum? If the disappearances are connected, who killed these girls? Does it have anything to do with the orphanage on the outskirts of town called Dexter where there was supposedly child sacrifice or the supposed gateway to the underworld that is said to exist somewhere within city limits?
The best thing about this book is the atmosphere that the author creates with her encapsulating prose and evocative setting. This story is set in a town in Michigan called Hell, and to start with, isn’t Hell the prefect name for the town in which a ghost story takes place. Very Crimson Peak, if I do say so myself! Also, Michigan is naturally cloudy, dreary, and foggy due to the multiple lakes that grace the countryside, which adds to the mystic. The main character fits the atmosphere as well, with her dark hair, person, and personality. Finally, the story is set around Halloween, which is the time when the veil is supposedly very thin. Although the author does make mistakes, she succeeds in creating the ambiance that a story like this deserves.
Her pacing for this story was also good as she spread her jump-scares throughout the entire story, instead of squishing them into the end of the story. Our main character spends most of the book wondering whether she is developing abilities or merely going crazy, and the pace and the steady jump-scare really help with this character development because it makes you wonder along with Ariel. The events usually happen when she is really stressed out or worried about something. If the pacing was any faster or slower, it would ruin the effect of that journey.
Although this book was successful with a lot of the fundamentals, it wasn’t perfect. First off, the author brings a love interest into the story-Henry Rhodes. I don’t think that element was necessary, especially with all the turmoil that the main character is going through. The last thing that she needs is a relationship and all the drama that goes along with it, and the funny thing is in the story the main character says as much so I don’t really understand why the author choose to include it unless she was trying to keep with the YA trends. This is the reason that it didn’t get a perfect 5 stars from me..
All in all, when it comes to ghost/cult stories, this is one of the better ones so if you are interested, I would say that it is definitely deserves a read. It kept me entertained for a few hours, and I think it will you too. A solid 4 stars!!!
For full review & thoughts, see original post here
Summary:
In a town called Hell, Michigan, Ariel is coping with the loss of her best friend Jenna, whom she believes to be dead but everyone else is convinced she has run away. As a result of Jenna's disappearance, Ariel is given little freedom in an attempt to keep her safe.
Then enter the mysterious Henry Rhodes who chases after Ariel and soon befriends her. But meanwhile Ariel is being haunted by nightmares and disturbed by paranormal events and believes there is more to discover about Jenna's disappearance.
Ariel befriends Theo, a girl who lives next door and the daughter of her art teacher, and together they investigate the haunted house and plan to delve into the supernatural world. Other girls are beginning to go missing and Ariel wonders if it's related to Jenna's incident.
All the while Henry has secrets of his own and Ariel gets swept up into his drama whilst trying to save herself from dangers she never knew even existed.
My Thoughts:
I ultimately have mixed thoughts about this novel; I found it hard to even settle on a star rating between 3 or 4.
Overall though, despite there being a few negative points, Gravity was an enjoyable read but it just felt a little unpolished. The pacing needed some more ironing out to not be so dragged out at certain times but then at pivotal points not be so rushed. As a paranormal read though it was so well executed and I am intrigued as to how the story continues in the next installments.
Summary:
In a town called Hell, Michigan, Ariel is coping with the loss of her best friend Jenna, whom she believes to be dead but everyone else is convinced she has run away. As a result of Jenna's disappearance, Ariel is given little freedom in an attempt to keep her safe.
Then enter the mysterious Henry Rhodes who chases after Ariel and soon befriends her. But meanwhile Ariel is being haunted by nightmares and disturbed by paranormal events and believes there is more to discover about Jenna's disappearance.
Ariel befriends Theo, a girl who lives next door and the daughter of her art teacher, and together they investigate the haunted house and plan to delve into the supernatural world. Other girls are beginning to go missing and Ariel wonders if it's related to Jenna's incident.
All the while Henry has secrets of his own and Ariel gets swept up into his drama whilst trying to save herself from dangers she never knew even existed.
My Thoughts:
I ultimately have mixed thoughts about this novel; I found it hard to even settle on a star rating between 3 or 4.
Overall though, despite there being a few negative points, Gravity was an enjoyable read but it just felt a little unpolished. The pacing needed some more ironing out to not be so dragged out at certain times but then at pivotal points not be so rushed. As a paranormal read though it was so well executed and I am intrigued as to how the story continues in the next installments.
This book turned out to be awesome! Not that I was expecting it to fall short of my expectations, but I wasn't expecting my heart to be erraticaly beating either. This book is paranormally delightful. It was a little slow to start with, but I was with Ariel the entire way. All the feelings of terror, confusion, guilt, etc were transferred to me as the reader. Seriously, I was feeling the spine tingling sensations and on more than one occasion, was expecting to hear thuds on my wall and disembodied voices calling my name. I did enjoy the plotline and I thought it was clever to employ an orphanage because ghost children are the creepiest. I definitely want to know more about that orphanage and Dexter himself and what the hell went down there. And the question surrounding Jenna is still unanswered and the freaking bombshell/realization at the end of the book was pretty big. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book and devour it.
The characters themselves were well written and acted as I would expect them to: teenagers, spoilt, naive, and all that good stuff. Ariel seemed like a level headed girl, but she definitely did tend to follow her impulses before fully understanding what the consequences may be. I do feel for her especially concerning her missing best friend. It must be very hard to go on when you have no idea what happened and whether your friend is dead or alive somewhere or is dying somewhere. Henry was a total @$$! I thought he could have been a good one, but unfortunately that fell flat. But who knows, maybe he might turn around in the later books. I'm not exactly holding my breath though. I would have to say that my favorite character is Theo. She is absolutely lovely. She is quirky and goes at her own pace and she doesn't lie to herself. I love how she is usually up for anything and she can also be the voice of reason that Ariel should listen to more often. I want to see whatever development there is between her and Alex too. Alex the meathead that has a surprisingly deep and soft side that only Theo seems to know.
I'm excited to read the next installment and I hope that the hair raising, spine tingling sensations will stay present in the following books. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal stories.
The characters themselves were well written and acted as I would expect them to: teenagers, spoilt, naive, and all that good stuff. Ariel seemed like a level headed girl, but she definitely did tend to follow her impulses before fully understanding what the consequences may be. I do feel for her especially concerning her missing best friend. It must be very hard to go on when you have no idea what happened and whether your friend is dead or alive somewhere or is dying somewhere. Henry was a total @$$! I thought he could have been a good one, but unfortunately that fell flat. But who knows, maybe he might turn around in the later books. I'm not exactly holding my breath though. I would have to say that my favorite character is Theo. She is absolutely lovely. She is quirky and goes at her own pace and she doesn't lie to herself. I love how she is usually up for anything and she can also be the voice of reason that Ariel should listen to more often. I want to see whatever development there is between her and Alex too. Alex the meathead that has a surprisingly deep and soft side that only Theo seems to know.
I'm excited to read the next installment and I hope that the hair raising, spine tingling sensations will stay present in the following books. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal stories.
RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing for Review
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living in the town of Hell, Michigan. Well she’s normal if you discount the fact that she calls her parents by their first names. And you don’t mention that her best friend has been missing for three months and without Jenna she’s a social zero. Also if we’re calling her normal we probably shouldn’t mention that she might be seeing ghost and there appears to be something sinister going on beneath the surface of the small town of Hell. Okay so she’s probably not all that normal, but who needs normal when you live in Hell right? Ariel is the girl who’s been left behind in their close friendship, the one with all the questions that no one else is asking. But will she find the answers before it’s too late?
I’ll start this review by telling you that mature part of me is telling me that I’m not being fair in my rating of this book. Logically I know it’s a four star novel, well written with strong character development and good pacing. But have you ever read a book where you got to the end and just thought wtf? You found yourself so angry you wanted to call up the author and ask her that exact question? Emotionally however I can’t give it higher than a three stars because I finished this book and I’m just plain MAD. That leaves something to be said about my maturity as a reviewer, but at least I’m admitting that I’m letting my anger at the ending dictate my final rating for the book.
Each scene within this novel is described so completely it’s like you’re there living it and the characters as so multifaceted that at times they’re confusing, just as real people are. Do you remember those people in high school, especially the teenage boys where you’d think you know them and then they’d do something that left you going huh? Afterward you’d go on and on to your friends about how boys made no sense whatsoever and it’s no wonder that most of the girls had higher grades because boys clearly weren’t born with brains. While as an adult I can claim a slightly better understanding of the opposite sex than I could as a teen, this book brought me right back to that adolescent phase where boys and their actions just made you go huh? By making them not completely make sense at points she makes her characters seem completely real.
The book overall is hard to describe, it’s like Veronica Mars meets Ghost Whisper with a hint of something else thrown into the mix, maybe some Charmed, I’m not really sure what that extra element is that makes this story so original.
One of the things I loved about Ariel is that it’s not just stated that she’s fifteen, followed by her being whisked away into some surreal world. She’s living the life of a fifteen year old complete with over protective, though strange parents. The books is filled with paranormal elements which Ariel has to deal with or at least attempt to comprehend, but she’s also dealing with teenage crushes, hot and cold boys, teacher boredom and embarrassment. She attends classes, gets sent to the principal’s office, and deals with teenage rejection from the popular crowd who like in every school seem to get away with everything. By being a part of all these mundane portions of her life she’s more real as a character because real teenagers have to go to school and suffer through classes they’d rather not take and agonize over the one subject in school that doesn’t make sense.
While there were a few things that seemed off to me which is why I state that it was more deserving four stars than three, like calling parents by first names and other little things I couldn’t comprehend like that. The main thing that upset me about the book was being left with more questions than answers. Is Ariel really seeing ghosts? What was it about the necklace? What’s really happening with the town and how is Henry involved? What does her family seem to know that she doesn’t? And the ending while I guess enlightening in some ways is more frustrating than anything else because it looks like everything has gone wrong, nothing has gone right and no one is getting answers. Additionally, the villain revealed in the novel was completely unexpected and there was no foreshadowing whatsoever that he might be guilty or involved in anything so that was kind of a major huh moment for me. I hope to god this is part of a series because if that is then end of Ariel’s story I’m thinking this writer might be kind of sadistic. To get the reader so involved and weaving the world and characters so intricately to end in the manner she did seems all sorts of wrong to me. Overall I’m hesitant about recommending it. On one hand it’s extremely well written and an engaging story. On the other since I didn’t get hardly any answers but was left instead with a ton of questions and a burning anger I have a hard time recommending someone else step on an emotional roller coaster ride only to be left stuck at the top of the drop at the end wondering if the writer will let them down. I will say this, if there is a sequel to this novel I’d like to preorder it because I am highly involved with the characters she’s presented to me. As a standalone title I couldn’t recommend it only because of the things I’ve stated above, but if this novel opens a new series I highly recommend jumping on for the ride because I can guarantee she will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living in the town of Hell, Michigan. Well she’s normal if you discount the fact that she calls her parents by their first names. And you don’t mention that her best friend has been missing for three months and without Jenna she’s a social zero. Also if we’re calling her normal we probably shouldn’t mention that she might be seeing ghost and there appears to be something sinister going on beneath the surface of the small town of Hell. Okay so she’s probably not all that normal, but who needs normal when you live in Hell right? Ariel is the girl who’s been left behind in their close friendship, the one with all the questions that no one else is asking. But will she find the answers before it’s too late?
I’ll start this review by telling you that mature part of me is telling me that I’m not being fair in my rating of this book. Logically I know it’s a four star novel, well written with strong character development and good pacing. But have you ever read a book where you got to the end and just thought wtf? You found yourself so angry you wanted to call up the author and ask her that exact question? Emotionally however I can’t give it higher than a three stars because I finished this book and I’m just plain MAD. That leaves something to be said about my maturity as a reviewer, but at least I’m admitting that I’m letting my anger at the ending dictate my final rating for the book.
Each scene within this novel is described so completely it’s like you’re there living it and the characters as so multifaceted that at times they’re confusing, just as real people are. Do you remember those people in high school, especially the teenage boys where you’d think you know them and then they’d do something that left you going huh? Afterward you’d go on and on to your friends about how boys made no sense whatsoever and it’s no wonder that most of the girls had higher grades because boys clearly weren’t born with brains. While as an adult I can claim a slightly better understanding of the opposite sex than I could as a teen, this book brought me right back to that adolescent phase where boys and their actions just made you go huh? By making them not completely make sense at points she makes her characters seem completely real.
The book overall is hard to describe, it’s like Veronica Mars meets Ghost Whisper with a hint of something else thrown into the mix, maybe some Charmed, I’m not really sure what that extra element is that makes this story so original.
One of the things I loved about Ariel is that it’s not just stated that she’s fifteen, followed by her being whisked away into some surreal world. She’s living the life of a fifteen year old complete with over protective, though strange parents. The books is filled with paranormal elements which Ariel has to deal with or at least attempt to comprehend, but she’s also dealing with teenage crushes, hot and cold boys, teacher boredom and embarrassment. She attends classes, gets sent to the principal’s office, and deals with teenage rejection from the popular crowd who like in every school seem to get away with everything. By being a part of all these mundane portions of her life she’s more real as a character because real teenagers have to go to school and suffer through classes they’d rather not take and agonize over the one subject in school that doesn’t make sense.
While there were a few things that seemed off to me which is why I state that it was more deserving four stars than three, like calling parents by first names and other little things I couldn’t comprehend like that. The main thing that upset me about the book was being left with more questions than answers. Is Ariel really seeing ghosts? What was it about the necklace? What’s really happening with the town and how is Henry involved? What does her family seem to know that she doesn’t? And the ending while I guess enlightening in some ways is more frustrating than anything else because it looks like everything has gone wrong, nothing has gone right and no one is getting answers. Additionally, the villain revealed in the novel was completely unexpected and there was no foreshadowing whatsoever that he might be guilty or involved in anything so that was kind of a major huh moment for me. I hope to god this is part of a series because if that is then end of Ariel’s story I’m thinking this writer might be kind of sadistic. To get the reader so involved and weaving the world and characters so intricately to end in the manner she did seems all sorts of wrong to me. Overall I’m hesitant about recommending it. On one hand it’s extremely well written and an engaging story. On the other since I didn’t get hardly any answers but was left instead with a ton of questions and a burning anger I have a hard time recommending someone else step on an emotional roller coaster ride only to be left stuck at the top of the drop at the end wondering if the writer will let them down. I will say this, if there is a sequel to this novel I’d like to preorder it because I am highly involved with the characters she’s presented to me. As a standalone title I couldn’t recommend it only because of the things I’ve stated above, but if this novel opens a new series I highly recommend jumping on for the ride because I can guarantee she will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
I'm not 100% sure how this book gets such good reviews.
I don't get nor have I ever got calling your parents by their first name.
Nor do I get their protectiveness if they're all quirky and want her to call them by their first name
I just don't like anyone in this book, they're all boring.
I don't get nor have I ever got calling your parents by their first name.
Nor do I get their protectiveness if they're all quirky and want her to call them by their first name
I just don't like anyone in this book, they're all boring.
This is a young adult novel. The writing is good but I was not at first drawn in to the story. As I moved along and suspected interesting things to come I was not disappointed. The story moved along and then ENDED! It has a resolution but I have unanswered questions. Thank goodness there is another on the way. It is great for teens and if your teen wants to read join them, stay in the loop!
I received this book free, so I didn't have high expectations. It was really good, especially for young adults. The story, equipped with ghosts and mystery had believable characters. I bought the rest of the series!
This started off strong, but then seemed to go so many different directions. I was frustrated when it ended, and only one of the 20 or so unanswered questions had been addressed. I realize it's the first book in the series, and that the sequels will more than likely tell more ... but I just don't know that I care enough to continue.
I found a few typos in my Kindle copy.
I found a few typos in my Kindle copy.
ITS AMAZING! i love how the main character, Ariel, is almost exactly the same as me. Right down to loving horror films. I never had that before and I love it! This books is more suspense then anything but it keeps building and building with each book, making you want to know what happens next. I've been a hermit for the past 3 days because of this books series. I need sun light, but I need to know what happens next. See my dilemma?
Great book, Great series. Now when is the fourth book coming out?????
I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great book, Great series. Now when is the fourth book coming out?????
I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought Gravity because I won a copy of Uncertainty, and didnt want to be lost. I was pleasantly surprised! The concept is new and fresh, and I kept thinking "what's going to happen next? Where's this going?"
Ariel is starting her sophomore year, minus her best friend Jenna, who disappeared at the beginning of summer break. Ariel is lost and confused and can't stop obsessing over what happened to Jenna, but meets and befriends the new girl Theo, who helps her feel like she's not such an outcast in Hell. Oh, yeah, Hell is the name of the town they live in. Can you say creepy? Along comes Henry, the new boy that seems to have a thing for Ariel, but they're from 2 different social classes, which ends up causing problems, of course. Soon Ariel starts seeing ghosts and hearing things, little girls start disappearing, and Ariel and her friends are trying to find out what's going on in Hell.
I got a little spooked while reading this, and a little miffed at the unfairness between social classes, which is good for Abigail Boyd, since she was able to keep and hold my attention while leaving me wanting more! I can't wait to start Uncertainty!
Ariel is starting her sophomore year, minus her best friend Jenna, who disappeared at the beginning of summer break. Ariel is lost and confused and can't stop obsessing over what happened to Jenna, but meets and befriends the new girl Theo, who helps her feel like she's not such an outcast in Hell. Oh, yeah, Hell is the name of the town they live in. Can you say creepy? Along comes Henry, the new boy that seems to have a thing for Ariel, but they're from 2 different social classes, which ends up causing problems, of course. Soon Ariel starts seeing ghosts and hearing things, little girls start disappearing, and Ariel and her friends are trying to find out what's going on in Hell.
I got a little spooked while reading this, and a little miffed at the unfairness between social classes, which is good for Abigail Boyd, since she was able to keep and hold my attention while leaving me wanting more! I can't wait to start Uncertainty!