Review: Spirits Rising

Spirits Rising by Krista D. Ball

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult to Adult
Recommended for: Fans of urban fantasy, paranormal-based stories, those interested in the Native traditions and people of Newfoundland
Trigger Warnings: extremist Christian beliefs

My Thoughts: I must say that Mrs. Saunders was a hoot! I just loved her. I was also very interested in the Newfoundland history that was hinted at in the story. I was also amused by the sort of us vs. them attitudes expressed in this story, and by the narrator's wry assessment of the Pentecostal preacher, who kept calling her a witch. “For a person who believed in demon possession, angels of mercy, a guiding Holy Spirit, and a guy who was raised from the dead, he was rather closed-minded.” I've always sort of thought it was silly, too, the sorts of arbitrary lines that so many religious people draw between the possible and impossible in their minds.

This is mostly fairly well edited, but I noticed some fairly major typos, such as “anthame” for “athame”. Of course, that's a sort of specialized knowledge, so perhaps the person doing the editing just wasn't aware that it was a real word in the community of pagans, so maybe it wasn't a typo so much as someone who didn't realize it was a real word. At least the misspelling is consistent through the book.

This is the first book in a series, but it felt like somewhere in the middle, as a lot of the buildup and background is interspersed through the story like reminders, rather than the book providing a setup for the series by introducing us to the character at the beginning; it's more like we're dropped into the middle somewhere and just have to keep up until we figure it out. Fortunately it's fairly easy, but some people might feel a little lose when they first start reading. I enjoyed it so much that I will definitely be checking out the other available titles by this author, and watching for new stories in this series. You should too, if you like urban fantasy or paranormal stories. There's even a little romance, for those who like that sort of thing. Recommended!

Series Information: This is the first book in the Spirit Caller series. Book 2, Dark Whispers, came out February 23, 2013.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book from the author through the LibraryThing Member's Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Rachel Mills has one wish in life: for the spirit world to shut up and leave her alone. She thought her move to a remote fishing village in Northern Newfoundland would help.

Population: Twenty. What could go wrong?

Instead of peace, however, she relocates to a land of superstition, the air alive with the presence of others.

When a local teenager accidentally summons the spirits of the area, including those from a thousand-year-old Viking settlement, all supernatural breaks loose. As the spirits stalk her and each other, Rachel finds herself in over her head. With the help of Mrs. Saunders, her 93-year-old neighbour, Rachel has to put aside her own prejudices long enough to send the spirits back to rest, or risk being caught in the midst of a spirit war.



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