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Dreadful Beginnings
When you think of home, you probably think of chilling out in front of the TV or hanging with friends on the latest social media hotspot. What you probably don’t think about are killer hairdryers and murderous stuffed bunnies that want to make sure you don’t wake up from your blissful slumber. These are the kinds of things that might happen when you accidentally release a demon while playing witch. Hey! Don’t look at me that way. My friend was doing the spellcasting. I was just there.
Demon-killing isn’t something I considered as an actual profession until a guy named Doctor Horror showed up and asked for my help in dealing with this supernatural pest. Once I got over his strange name, it seemed like a pretty good deal. Killing demons definitely sounded better than telemarketing. Ugh! More importantly, this thing was trying to kill me and my friends… and that just doesn’t work for me.
Now, armed with Doc’s little suitcase of goodies and a special bracelet that has a mind of its own, I’m going to show this demon why he would’ve been better off staying in Hell.
Demon-killing isn’t something I considered as an actual profession until a guy named Doctor Horror showed up and asked for my help in dealing with this supernatural pest. Once I got over his strange name, it seemed like a pretty good deal. Killing demons definitely sounded better than telemarketing. Ugh! More importantly, this thing was trying to kill me and my friends… and that just doesn’t work for me.
Now, armed with Doc’s little suitcase of goodies and a special bracelet that has a mind of its own, I’m going to show this demon why he would’ve been better off staying in Hell.
- GenresYoung Adult
66 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2012
6 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Marty Shaw
9 books26 followersI came crawling from the primordial ooze when the light of the first full moon fell upon me.
Okay, not really, but that sounds totally awesome, doesn't it?
Actually, I'm the author of the Voodoo Zombie series, currently consisting of Dead Man Walking and Zombie Queen, the urban fantasy adventure, Dreadful Beginnings, and the upcoming horror-paranormal story, The Farmer's Daughter, which was inspired by an earlier work called Little Demons.
When I'm not busy writing, I can usually be found on Twitter under the ever-so-creative ID of @ItsJustMarty.
Okay, not really, but that sounds totally awesome, doesn't it?
Actually, I'm the author of the Voodoo Zombie series, currently consisting of Dead Man Walking and Zombie Queen, the urban fantasy adventure, Dreadful Beginnings, and the upcoming horror-paranormal story, The Farmer's Daughter, which was inspired by an earlier work called Little Demons.
When I'm not busy writing, I can usually be found on Twitter under the ever-so-creative ID of @ItsJustMarty.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2012
I received this book directly from the author, in exchange of an honest review for it. So here goes:
The novella’s length is perfect- it isn’t too long or short.
The story caught me up in it from the very beginning and kept my interest throughout.
I loved how instances of humor were interwoven into the story and they made it a quick light read.
What surprised me the most was how amazingly Marty was able to write from a teenage girl’s POV and make it sound so accurate.
My favorite character in the book was, of course, Doctor Horror and I can’t wait to read more about him.
And I loved the name Dr. H gave to Penny-Penny Dreadful!
The novella’s length is perfect- it isn’t too long or short.
The story caught me up in it from the very beginning and kept my interest throughout.
I loved how instances of humor were interwoven into the story and they made it a quick light read.
What surprised me the most was how amazingly Marty was able to write from a teenage girl’s POV and make it sound so accurate.
My favorite character in the book was, of course, Doctor Horror and I can’t wait to read more about him.
And I loved the name Dr. H gave to Penny-Penny Dreadful!
May 17, 2012
This review was originally posted on my blog http://bajanrosabooks.blogspot.com
"What's that?"
"the ultimate weapon for killing demons"
"It's a suitcase ."
"Well, yes, it is but it holds the ultimate weapon against killing demons"
First of all the cover is off the chain!
I say I feel like a dog with a bone! oh my gosh!!!!!
WARNING! this book is much to short, it will rile you up and have you begging for more! The adventures of Penny Dreadful and Doctor Horror is bound to be a best selling series.
The story begins with a girl right out of school in a crappy telemarketers job. The last thing she wants is a boring desk job little does she know what awaits her. a prosperity spell gone wrong and a demon released now Penny Dire must help Doctor Horror slay it but can a girl with pink highlights really slay a demon?
It has all the elements that make a great story a great storyline, a bad-ass chick a strange a mysterious Doctor a nifty suitcase! great writing, great pacing and wait for it...A HEARSE!
Can some one say spiffy! now I have to say this was a great book my only complaint being it was much to short. this is why I don't usually read novellas. However if I did not read this I would have missed out on a great book!
I was given an copy of this book in return for an honest review.
"What's that?"
"the ultimate weapon for killing demons"
"It's a suitcase ."
"Well, yes, it is but it holds the ultimate weapon against killing demons"
First of all the cover is off the chain!
I say I feel like a dog with a bone! oh my gosh!!!!!
WARNING! this book is much to short, it will rile you up and have you begging for more! The adventures of Penny Dreadful and Doctor Horror is bound to be a best selling series.
The story begins with a girl right out of school in a crappy telemarketers job. The last thing she wants is a boring desk job little does she know what awaits her. a prosperity spell gone wrong and a demon released now Penny Dire must help Doctor Horror slay it but can a girl with pink highlights really slay a demon?
It has all the elements that make a great story a great storyline, a bad-ass chick a strange a mysterious Doctor a nifty suitcase! great writing, great pacing and wait for it...A HEARSE!
Can some one say spiffy! now I have to say this was a great book my only complaint being it was much to short. this is why I don't usually read novellas. However if I did not read this I would have missed out on a great book!
I was given an copy of this book in return for an honest review.
June 9, 2012
Title: Dreadful Beginnings
Author: Marty Shaw
Rating: 5/5
Summary: ~There are things out there. Dark and scary things that will kill you in strange and terrible ways. They live in shadows and feast on blood. They don’t belong in our world, but they’re here. You don’t have to freak out, though, because there’s this guy out there too. He calls himself Doctor Horror and he fights those bad things, but he needs help in his fight against the darkness.
Lucky for him, I’m the right girl for the job.~ (Taken from goodreads.com)
Review: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Written in a teenage girl’s POV this story is absolutely wonderful.
One of my favorite set of quotes from this book:
"What's that?"
"the ultimate weapon for killing demons"
"It's a suitcase ."
"Well, yes, it is but it holds the ultimate weapon against killing demons"
Yeah, it actually happens, and yes it is actually a suitcase that is filled with all sorts of interesting things that will help Penelope fight demons.
The cover of this book completely got my attention, like no joke, it is one of the best covers and so completely fits this story and series. Dog. Bone. Enough said. This book is SHORT, but not super short. It will have you most definitely begging for more by the time you get to the last page. This series is bound to do well.
It begins with Penelope Dire, just out of high school, working a crappy telemarketing job, she doesn’t want a boring desk job, and can’t really conform to the “office life style” and thus quits. However, she really doesn’t know what was waiting for her when she left that desk job and met Dr. Horror. A spell for prosperity and love kinda goes wrong and releases a rather nasty demon, and Penny must now help Dr. Horror slay it.
Teenage girl with pink highlights – just the image you want for a demon slayer right? Oh, and seriously, you’ve got a kick-butt heroine, strange and mysterious Doctor complete with NIFTY suitcase, fantastic writing, the pacing was just perfect, oh yeah, and Penny’s new company car, a HEARSE! Because that’s just the ride for the demon slayer right?! Come on now? You know you love it.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords Profile
Author: Marty Shaw
Rating: 5/5
Summary: ~There are things out there. Dark and scary things that will kill you in strange and terrible ways. They live in shadows and feast on blood. They don’t belong in our world, but they’re here. You don’t have to freak out, though, because there’s this guy out there too. He calls himself Doctor Horror and he fights those bad things, but he needs help in his fight against the darkness.
Lucky for him, I’m the right girl for the job.~ (Taken from goodreads.com)
Review: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Written in a teenage girl’s POV this story is absolutely wonderful.
One of my favorite set of quotes from this book:
"What's that?"
"the ultimate weapon for killing demons"
"It's a suitcase ."
"Well, yes, it is but it holds the ultimate weapon against killing demons"
Yeah, it actually happens, and yes it is actually a suitcase that is filled with all sorts of interesting things that will help Penelope fight demons.
The cover of this book completely got my attention, like no joke, it is one of the best covers and so completely fits this story and series. Dog. Bone. Enough said. This book is SHORT, but not super short. It will have you most definitely begging for more by the time you get to the last page. This series is bound to do well.
It begins with Penelope Dire, just out of high school, working a crappy telemarketing job, she doesn’t want a boring desk job, and can’t really conform to the “office life style” and thus quits. However, she really doesn’t know what was waiting for her when she left that desk job and met Dr. Horror. A spell for prosperity and love kinda goes wrong and releases a rather nasty demon, and Penny must now help Dr. Horror slay it.
Teenage girl with pink highlights – just the image you want for a demon slayer right? Oh, and seriously, you’ve got a kick-butt heroine, strange and mysterious Doctor complete with NIFTY suitcase, fantastic writing, the pacing was just perfect, oh yeah, and Penny’s new company car, a HEARSE! Because that’s just the ride for the demon slayer right?! Come on now? You know you love it.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords Profile
May 23, 2012
A small bite of what I hope will be a bigger series, DREADFUL BEGINNINGS is an urban fantasy novella with a very young adult feel to it. The main character, Penny, just graduated high school and is having a heck of a time finding and keeping a job. She likes hanging out in cemeteries, drinking cappuccino at the mall, and basically being a slack teenager. Telemarketing? Working in real estate with her mother? Not so much.
The author did a great job capturing the "voice" of a teenage girl without making her irritating or whiny. My hat is off to Mr. Shaw for pulling that off.
When Penny and her friends accidentally set a demon free while casting a spell which is supposed to bring them luck, wackiness ensues. The demon is pretty freaky, and I had a momentary flashback to one of the R.L. Stine Fear Street novels when the demon trapped Penny in the shower.
The story is fast-paced, the Big Bad is suitably evil, and the Doc remains a mystery. If you're looking for a shorter, self-contained urban fantasy story with a young adult feel, this is a good one, though I didn't find myself emotionally involved during certain scenes. Penny's reaction to the death of her best friend did feel a bit glossed over, and the talk with her mom at the end didn't move me at all, but it still packs a punch considering the length of the story.
In short, this was a tasty treat and I do want more. Hopefully the next installment will be a full length novel!
The author did a great job capturing the "voice" of a teenage girl without making her irritating or whiny. My hat is off to Mr. Shaw for pulling that off.
When Penny and her friends accidentally set a demon free while casting a spell which is supposed to bring them luck, wackiness ensues. The demon is pretty freaky, and I had a momentary flashback to one of the R.L. Stine Fear Street novels when the demon trapped Penny in the shower.
The story is fast-paced, the Big Bad is suitably evil, and the Doc remains a mystery. If you're looking for a shorter, self-contained urban fantasy story with a young adult feel, this is a good one, though I didn't find myself emotionally involved during certain scenes. Penny's reaction to the death of her best friend did feel a bit glossed over, and the talk with her mom at the end didn't move me at all, but it still packs a punch considering the length of the story.
In short, this was a tasty treat and I do want more. Hopefully the next installment will be a full length novel!
June 22, 2012
Shaw's earlier stories turned out to be wildly entertaining and full of action, so when asked if I wanted to read and review this novella I jumped at the chance.
And Dreadful Beginnings doesn't disappoint.
Lead character Penny is a likeable teenager who's confronted with a demon and has to fight for her life and the lives of those close to her. Luckily she gets help from the totally cool and mysterious Doctor Horror.
I very much enjoyed the action and Penny's interactions with Doctor Horror. I liked how there were a couple of hints about who and what Doctor Horror is, adding more mystery to the man. I would have liked to see a bit more interaction between Penny and her friends though, it felt as if Shaw cut some corners on the friendship front to get to the good stuff: Doctor Horror and the demon fighting action.
All in all I very much enjoyed Dreadful Beginnings and I hope Shaw will write more stories about Penny and Doctor Horror. I certainly wouldn't mind if those were novel sized instead of novella sized either.
And Dreadful Beginnings doesn't disappoint.
Lead character Penny is a likeable teenager who's confronted with a demon and has to fight for her life and the lives of those close to her. Luckily she gets help from the totally cool and mysterious Doctor Horror.
I very much enjoyed the action and Penny's interactions with Doctor Horror. I liked how there were a couple of hints about who and what Doctor Horror is, adding more mystery to the man. I would have liked to see a bit more interaction between Penny and her friends though, it felt as if Shaw cut some corners on the friendship front to get to the good stuff: Doctor Horror and the demon fighting action.
All in all I very much enjoyed Dreadful Beginnings and I hope Shaw will write more stories about Penny and Doctor Horror. I certainly wouldn't mind if those were novel sized instead of novella sized either.
May 15, 2012
I usually don't read novellas, I am series reader. So when Marty posted on Facebook about a Dreadful Beginings giveaway I was kinda reluctant to give it a try. I am so glad I did! This is a great story and left me wanting more. I am looking forward to more excitment with Penny and Dr. H. The story is short enouph to read in a small amount of time but it is full of action and suspence that keeps you wanting more. Good work Marty Shaw and get to work on me another Penny Dreadful story.
August 19, 2012
I got this e-book as a freebie here on Goodreads -- and I can't deny that free e-books tend to make me a bit nervous. But, this was a fun, interesting story told from the perspective of a relateable "outcast" type girl (with pink streaks in her hair ... jealous!) who hates her string of dead-end jobs, has a slightly unhealthly obsession with graveyards, and who ends up with a sort-of career as a demon hunter. This novella was a good length -- not too short, not too long -- and it makes me curious to know if there are (or will be) more tales of Penny Dreadful in the future. It was an enjoyable, fairly quick read that's great for paranormal fans -- teen and adult alike. I'm glad I stumbled across DREADFUL BEGINNINGS here on Goodreads and I look forward to seeing how the story is expanded in the future.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews