R. Fulleman's Blog
June 3, 2023
Kirkus Review-Heart of the Castle: A Ghost Styory
HEART OF THE CASTLE
A GHOST STORY
BY R. FULLEMAN ‧ RELEASE DATE: FEB. 22, 2023
In Fulleman’s YA follow-up to Faces in the Flames (2018), a group of teens investigates a haunted castle.
Fifteen-year-old Katie (described as “a good person to have as a friend, always there for whoever needed her”) and her friends Cam Lund (the main character of the previous novel), John, and Ruth are spending the summer studying abroad in Eastern Europe. They find themselves in Romania at Bran Castle, which at one point in its history imprisoned the infamous Vlad the Impaler and later housed the country’s king and queen. The teens adventures involving enigmatic state operatives, strange ancient objects, and a tall pale gentleman who bears a strong resemblance to a certain supernatural count. Most of this pleasingly complex plot revolves around the fact that, for years, the preserved heart of the Queen Marie of Romania was kept in the castle: “It still sounds kind of gross,” Cam deadpans, “but I guess if you love a place so much....” As the plot accelerates, the teenage heroes find themselves caught between mystical and real-world forces. Fulleman is a spirited writer who carefully pitches his narrative at a teen audience. The straightforward text feels unadorned, and his descriptions are clean and minimalist. Even during dramatic high points, the prose is simple and staccato, as when Katie confronts a mysterious stranger who tries to grab a strange pendant she’s found: “The man made one quick step backwards. His face twisted. He looked down at the pendant and then dropped it as though it was on fire. A burning pain stung his fingers. Loudly, he said, ‘Vrăjitoare!’ ” Apart from Katie, Fulleman’s characters feel largely interchangeable, but each gets some snappy dialogue, and the pace never flags.
A fast-paced and delightfully readable teen adventure set in vampire territory.
Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2023
ISBN: 978-0988643437
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2023
Review Program: KIRKUS INDIE
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT GENERAL TEEN | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION
A GHOST STORY
BY R. FULLEMAN ‧ RELEASE DATE: FEB. 22, 2023
In Fulleman’s YA follow-up to Faces in the Flames (2018), a group of teens investigates a haunted castle.
Fifteen-year-old Katie (described as “a good person to have as a friend, always there for whoever needed her”) and her friends Cam Lund (the main character of the previous novel), John, and Ruth are spending the summer studying abroad in Eastern Europe. They find themselves in Romania at Bran Castle, which at one point in its history imprisoned the infamous Vlad the Impaler and later housed the country’s king and queen. The teens adventures involving enigmatic state operatives, strange ancient objects, and a tall pale gentleman who bears a strong resemblance to a certain supernatural count. Most of this pleasingly complex plot revolves around the fact that, for years, the preserved heart of the Queen Marie of Romania was kept in the castle: “It still sounds kind of gross,” Cam deadpans, “but I guess if you love a place so much....” As the plot accelerates, the teenage heroes find themselves caught between mystical and real-world forces. Fulleman is a spirited writer who carefully pitches his narrative at a teen audience. The straightforward text feels unadorned, and his descriptions are clean and minimalist. Even during dramatic high points, the prose is simple and staccato, as when Katie confronts a mysterious stranger who tries to grab a strange pendant she’s found: “The man made one quick step backwards. His face twisted. He looked down at the pendant and then dropped it as though it was on fire. A burning pain stung his fingers. Loudly, he said, ‘Vrăjitoare!’ ” Apart from Katie, Fulleman’s characters feel largely interchangeable, but each gets some snappy dialogue, and the pace never flags.
A fast-paced and delightfully readable teen adventure set in vampire territory.
Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2023
ISBN: 978-0988643437
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2023
Review Program: KIRKUS INDIE
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT GENERAL TEEN | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION
February 24, 2022
Kirkus Review for Faces in the Flames: A Ghost Story & The True Story
TITLE INFORMATION:
FACES IN THE FLAMES:
A Ghost Story & The True Story
by Ronald Fulleman
Illus. by David Pascal
Putnam & Smith Publishing Company (248 pp.) $16.95 paperback
ISBN: 978-1-939986-23-8
August 14, 2018
BOOK REVIEW:
A novel offers a ghost story inspired by World War II naval history.
Teenager Cam Lund is named for his deceased grandfather Cameron, who served on the USS Mississinewa in the 1940s. One fateful night in 1944, a Japanese “suicide sub” deliberately crashed into the naval ship, resulting in a fire and the vessel’s sinking. In an effort to learn more about his heroic grandfather’s history, Cam and his father trek to Ulithi Atoll—the ship’s final resting place—to dive to the wreck.While underwater, Cam spots a shiny object “calling” him and dives beneath the vessel to retrieve it. He later learns that it is a dog tag that belonged to Mike Bowers, a crew member who did not survive the attack. This realization coincides with a dose of spookiness when Cam wakes one morning to find salty seaweed on the floor. Strange occurrences follow him home, where he sees a ghost and smells oil in his bedroom. Cam links the spirit to the dog tag, and quickly begins researching Mike and the ship, leading to connections he never imagined. With two books in one (the second half is a brief, nonfiction overview of the events that inspired the story as well as information on the actual sailors and photographs of the ship), Fulleman presents an authentic tale about an episode that is perhaps not widely known. The story seems intended for younger readers, which explains the more rudimentary prose as well as the glossary. But the writing is sometimes repetitive, which hampers the tale’s flow: “The colors on the fish were bright, happy colors. It looked like a living wall of color...Then, the distinct gray color of the ship stood out...The color of the fish stood in stark contrast to the gray ship.” Though the prose is sometimes a bit too simplistic, the author succeeds in achieving the delicate balance of faithfully detailing a tragedy while making the story enjoyable and heartwarming. Fulleman clearly has a great deal of respect for his father (who was on the real ship during the attack) and the men who sailed with him. His work will enlighten readers about a historical event while honoring the sailors lost in the assault.
An engaging and educational supernatural tale.
(https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...)
FACES IN THE FLAMES:
A Ghost Story & The True Story
by Ronald Fulleman
Illus. by David Pascal
Putnam & Smith Publishing Company (248 pp.) $16.95 paperback
ISBN: 978-1-939986-23-8
August 14, 2018
BOOK REVIEW:
A novel offers a ghost story inspired by World War II naval history.
Teenager Cam Lund is named for his deceased grandfather Cameron, who served on the USS Mississinewa in the 1940s. One fateful night in 1944, a Japanese “suicide sub” deliberately crashed into the naval ship, resulting in a fire and the vessel’s sinking. In an effort to learn more about his heroic grandfather’s history, Cam and his father trek to Ulithi Atoll—the ship’s final resting place—to dive to the wreck.While underwater, Cam spots a shiny object “calling” him and dives beneath the vessel to retrieve it. He later learns that it is a dog tag that belonged to Mike Bowers, a crew member who did not survive the attack. This realization coincides with a dose of spookiness when Cam wakes one morning to find salty seaweed on the floor. Strange occurrences follow him home, where he sees a ghost and smells oil in his bedroom. Cam links the spirit to the dog tag, and quickly begins researching Mike and the ship, leading to connections he never imagined. With two books in one (the second half is a brief, nonfiction overview of the events that inspired the story as well as information on the actual sailors and photographs of the ship), Fulleman presents an authentic tale about an episode that is perhaps not widely known. The story seems intended for younger readers, which explains the more rudimentary prose as well as the glossary. But the writing is sometimes repetitive, which hampers the tale’s flow: “The colors on the fish were bright, happy colors. It looked like a living wall of color...Then, the distinct gray color of the ship stood out...The color of the fish stood in stark contrast to the gray ship.” Though the prose is sometimes a bit too simplistic, the author succeeds in achieving the delicate balance of faithfully detailing a tragedy while making the story enjoyable and heartwarming. Fulleman clearly has a great deal of respect for his father (who was on the real ship during the attack) and the men who sailed with him. His work will enlighten readers about a historical event while honoring the sailors lost in the assault.
An engaging and educational supernatural tale.
(https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...)
