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October Girls #1

October Girls

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Note: Alternate/new cover edition for ASIN# B00433TD0I.

OCTOBER GIRLS: CRYSTAL & BONE

Five days until Halloween and all hell is about to break loose.

And it’s all Crystal’s fault.

Momma warned her not to consort with the dead and tried to teach her the magic spells that would close the portal to the afterlife. But Crystal doesn’t want to be a trailer-trash witch like Momma. She has dreams of going to community college and escaping the Appalachian town of Parson’s Ford.

Her best friend Bone is only too happy to escape the afterlife and help Crystal break the rules. Bone died too young, and she’ll do whatever it takes to remain among the living.

Then a teen movie maker comes to Parson’s Ford, and he has a very special project in mind: a horror movie starring a real ghost. The kids who watch his movies turn into brainwashed zombies. And to totally complicate matters, Crystal thinks he’s kind of a hunk, and she’s afraid her boyfriend Pettigrew only loves her because of Momma’s magic spells.

Now it’s Halloween, the night when the portal to the afterlife is widest, and somebody’s been messing with Momma’s potions. The fate of the world is in Crystal’s hands, but she hasn’t been paying attention to her lessons. And a mysterious figure in the afterlife is urging Bone to stay loyal to her own kind instead of to Crystal.

The movie is rolling, the creatures are stirring, and the brainwashed teenagers are ready to welcome a new star from the other side of the grave.

Crystal and Bone must overcome drama queens, coffin cuties, and mangled magic if they want to remain best friends forever—but at this rate, forever may not last much longer.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2010

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520 people want to read

About the author

Scott Nicholson

211 books767 followers
With more than 800,000 books sold worldwide, Scott Nicholson is an international bestselling thriller writer. He won the Writers of the Future Award in 1999 and was a Stoker Award finalist in 2003. His Fear series was published by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint and 47North released the supernatural thriller McFALL.

He's also published a number of supernatural, paranormal, and fantasy books and stories, including the AFTER, NEXT, and ARIZE post-apocalyptic series, as well as children's books, comics, and screenplays. His 2006 novel The Home is in development as a feature film.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Victoria Limbert.
Author 3 books159 followers
April 14, 2012
Scott Nicholson is exactly my cup of tea when it comes to story telling, description, creating great characters and setting the scene. His writing style is brillient. He makes me laugh out loud, even while being completely engrossed in the story. Admittedly it did not take long for me to finish this book. I have not read anything by L.C Glazebrook but whatever she brings to this book makes me want to read more from her.

I love the story, I love the way the plot unfolds, the humour was great and I connected well with the characters...even the undead ones, spookily. You instantly care for Bone and see the friendship between the girls and want to protect it.

Laced with naughtiness, teen angst and paranormal romance its perfect for any young adult (and older adult)who wants to relax with a book.

Because of October Girls I am currently reading more Scott Nicholson books and fast becoming a fan!
Profile Image for Laura.
460 reviews53 followers
October 20, 2017
As Halloween approaches, Crystal Aldridge is set to inherit the job of protecting the world from the things that can come through the orifice. Only problem is that Crystal has no interest in growing into that role. Instead, she studies for her GED, works at the video store, and dreams of a life somewhere far from where she is.

Her best friend Bonnie, aka Bone, is dead and comes back through the orifice from time to time to visit Crystal. Crystal isn't supposed to consort with the dead. And it looks like other things might be able to come through too.

Things become complicated when a guy named Dempsey comes to town with visions of filming a B-movie. Things go from bad to worse as he runs around town talking to the teens and spreading the word about his other films.

This is a very humorous story. It's told with a lot of sarcasm and one-liners. It's still horror, but it's funny. For me, that was the best part of the book.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It's a fun YA horror story along the lines of a B-movie with lots of humor. And while it can be read anytime, it makes a perfect October read.
Profile Image for Debra Barstad.
1,388 reviews13 followers
October 28, 2020
The story was ok for me I liked the character of Bones better than crystal, she just fell flat for me. The comedy in this was a nice touch nothing heavy but was a light read.
Profile Image for Julie.
195 reviews458 followers
January 1, 2011
Review written by Leisha for A Tale of Many Reviews

L.C. Glazebrook’s October Girls is a YA novel that proved to be quite an enjoyable read and well worth the time devoted to it! You can’t help but get involved from the beginning. Glazebrook introduces her two main characters, Crystal and Bone with the line “Crystal loved her best friend Bone, but sometimes she wished Bone was just a little bit deader.” I had no idea you could be a little bit dead – I have always pictured dead as an all or nothing kind of deal – I stand corrected and am quite glad to be so. Oh, and I laughed out loud TWICE at the opener!

Glazebrook takes the reader on a well-paced and fully developed ride through the lives of Crystal Aldridge and her kind of dead best friend Bone. The two girls, along with a whole host of minor characters must find a way to stop the end of the world from occurring on Halloween night. Everything occurs in the small town of Parson’s Ford where Crystal works at the local video store, pursues her dreams of attending community college at night, and generally tries to avoid the “how to be a witch” lessons offered by her mother. The Aldridge family has long been practicing witches and has always been tasked with keeping the portals to the other side in check. Crystal however has other plans and those plans certainly don’t involve living in her mother’s trailer and keeping the things that go bump in the night from sneaking over into the land of the living. While I generally liked Crystal as a character, something about her doesn’t quite ring true for me.

Glazebrook’s second and much more robust main character is Bone who is what is known as a Tweener, or one who can move back and forth between the land of the living and the dead. Bone died at age 16 when she was hit by a UPS truck and although she is not technically allowed to move between the two worlds, she does. We find out later why she is able to move between the worlds unchecked. It’s quite intriguing. Bone’s status as a Tweener proves to be, at times, quite helpful and generally very funny. Bone could have easily become an angst ridden character constantly moaning about her almost completely dead status. Instead, Glazebrook uses Bone’s character to weave a wonderful thread of dark humor throughout the entire novel. After all, it is kind of tacky for the living to make fun of the dead so Glazebrook allows the dead to rather snarkily make fun of themselves. Excellent decision!

While the two main characters provide a great deal of entertainment, there is also a nicely developed cast of secondary characters. Glazebrook in no way ran out of steam when it came to the personalities of secondary characters. Standouts include: the Ray Ban wearing, Milk Dud-loving Judge who both helps and hinders Bone’s movements between the two worlds; Tim, the fiercely loyal little boy who died of cancer and has a serious crush on Bone; Fatback Bob, the greedy and slightly creepy owner of the video store; and Royce Dean, the completely ridiculous lost twin of James Dean who will do anything to become a bigger and brighter star than his Rebel Without a Cause brother ever was. I found myself becoming just as involved with these characters as I was with Crystal and Bone. It is so nice to read a book where all the characters, no matter their overall status, are something more than just fillers. I actually found myself looking forward to Crystal and Bone interacting with these secondary characters, particularly young Tim and the Judge.

Overall, I found Glazebrook’s October Girls to be a very easy and enjoyable read. The novel has a strong plot that is played out to completion with no unanswered questions at the end. I am hopeful this will be a continuing series; I’m not quite sure I’ve had enough of Glazebrook’s dark sense of humor and rather intriguing characters. October Girls: Dead and Unfriended, is slated to be released early 2011.

Note: October Girls was written by Scott Nicholson under the name LC Glazebrook
Profile Image for RoloPoloBookBlog.
1,102 reviews34 followers
April 10, 2011
L.C. Glazebrook’s October Girls is a YA novel that proved to be quite an enjoyable read and well worth the time devoted to it! You can’t help but get involved from the beginning. Glazebrook introduces his two main characters, Crystal and Bone with the line “Crystal loved her best friend Bone, but sometimes she wished Bone was just a little bit deader.” I had no idea you could be a little bit dead –I have always pictured dead as an all or nothing kind of deal – I stand corrected and am quite glad to be so. Oh, and I laughed out loud TWICE at the opener!
Glazebrook takes the reader on a well-paced and fully developed ride through the lives of Crystal Aldridge and her kind of dead best friend Bone. The two girls, along with a whole host of minor characters must find a way to stop the end of the world from occurring on Halloween night. Everything occurs in the small town of Parson’s Ford where Crystal works at the local video store, pursues her dreams of attending community college at night, & generally tries to avoid the “how to be a witch” lessons offered by her mother. The Aldridge family has long been practicing witches & has always been tasked with keeping the portals to the other side in check. Crystal however has other plans and those plans certainly don’t involve living in her mother’s trailer and keeping the things that go bump in the night from sneaking over into the land of the living. While I generally liked Crystal as a character, something about her doesn’t quite ring true.
Glazebrook’s second & much more robust main character is Bone who is what is known as a Tweener, or one who can move back and forth between the land of the living and the dead. Bone died at age 16 when she was hit by a UPS truck and although she is not technically allowed to move between the two worlds, she does. We find out later that Bone’s ability to move unchecked between the two worlds is really a part of a devious & rather nefarious plan hatched by the evil that lives on the other side. Bone’s status as a Tweener proves to be, at times, quite helpful and generally very funny. Bone could have easily become an angst ridden character constantly moaning about her almost completely dead status. Instead, Glazebrook uses Bone’s character to weave a wonderful thread of dark humor throughout the entire novel. After all, it is kind of tacky for the living to make fun of the dead so Glazebrook allows the dead to rather snarkily make fun of themselves. Excellent decision!
While the two main characters provide a great deal of entertainment, there is also a nicely developed cast of secondary characters. Glazebrook in no way ran out of steam when it came to the personalities of his secondary characters. Standouts include: the Ray Ban wearing, Milk Dud-loving Judge who both helps & hinders Bone’s movements between the two worlds; Tim, the fiercely loyal little boy who died of cancer and has a serious crush on Bone; Fatback Bob, the greedy and slightly creepy owner of the video store; and Royce Dean, the completely ridiculous lost twin of James Dean who will do anything to become a bigger and brighter star than his Rebel Without a Cause brother ever was. I found myself becoming just as involved with these characters as I was with Crystal and Bone. It is so nice to read a book where all the characters, no matter their overall status, are something more than just fillers. I actually found myself looking forward to Crystal and Bone interacting with these secondary characters, particularly young Tim and the Judge.
Overall, I found Glazebrook’s October Girls to be a very easy and enjoyable read. His novel has a strong plot that is played out to completion with no unanswered questions at the end. He has noted that this is Book One in what I hope will be a continuing series; I’m not quite sure I’ve had enough of Glazebrook’s dark sense of humor and rather intriguing characters.
Profile Image for L.A..
Author 14 books57 followers
February 19, 2012
Article first published as Book Review: October Girls: Book I Crystal & Bone by L. C. Glazebrook on Blogcritics.



As a youth I often wondered at my parents decisions. Did they make the right choices, were they the only ones available, or did they even think about it. I would not have questioned them but that was a different age then the one we live in today.

As a teenager Crystal Aldridge is full of questions. In October Girls: Book I Crystal & Bone by L.C. Glazebrook, we follow the strange and bizarre, and get a peep into the life and decisions that put Crystal in the situation she finds herself. Her family has a responsibility that has been handed down through the ages. They are the guardians of the gate into another realm. Her best friend is killed in an accident and is now a ghost. Bone (Bonnie) is still her best friend though, and Crystal can see the doorway into these other realms. The doorways are becoming more active, yet Crystal does not want her mother to know what she is up to. There are some scary things in those doorways, and Crystal understands there is a good chance that what is behind them is even worse.

Chrystal’s family comes from a long line of witches and it is their responsibility to keep evil at bay. Her mom has been trying to teach her the ropes, but Crystal is your average teen. She does not want the added responsibility. Besides her mom had to dedicate her life, and give up any thoughts of leisure. She lives in a trailer park and lives the life of the trailer trash brigade. Crystal is not sure where to turn, she has not even told her mom about her recent new friendship with Bone. Her mother would lecture her; you do not become friends with the dead.

Crystal’s boyfriend is stable, not real exciting but someone she knows she can rely on. However, now she is being tempted by some strangely charismatic young men that work at turning her head. Will they be able to woo her from her destiny? One of the men is a producer of B-grade movies, he is looking to make his mark in her town. The other seems to be an actor, but he is from beyond her realm. Can she stop this strange and uncanny duo before they do further damage to her world? She will need her mothers’ help, but is it already too late?

Glazebrook has written some exceedingly fun characters from our teenage years. I can picture many of the faces superimposed over those I went to high school with. The description and attitudes ring a bell and make the story both fun and frivolous. Yet the danger encountered is creepy, as is the realm on the other side. Ms. Glazebrooks worlds are both interesting and dangerous. The antics of her characters keep it fun, and the hormones of the teenage girls keep you guessing.

If you are looking for a young adult read, one that will entertain and hold attention, this will fill the bill. It is fun and a bit spooky, with both humor and danger. The author builds tension and a typical interaction between a teen girl and her mother, and then ends with a satisfying conclusion.

This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
232 reviews9 followers
April 17, 2015
October Girls was an enjoyable read. It was well written and funny. The only part that didn't completely sell me on it was the ending. I will explain further in the review, however I'm going to try to do it without any spoilers. I'd also like to say that while I had some issues with it, those issues wouldn't stop me from reading the next book in the series or anything else from the author.

Let's go through what I really liked about October Girls.

The biggest thing I liked about the whole book was the sarcastic wit and pop culture comedy running throughout the book. Yes, I enjoyed the characters, the story and the setting. But I liked all these things because of the authors use of humor. In how they characters relate to each other, in the descriptions of the characters and Parson's Ford, in how the story itself progresses and is resolved. The humor can be dark, but it sometimes is less dark and more observational. A look beneath the blanket that society uses to hide underneath. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. It's not that serious a novel. But a perfect example of what I'm talking about is when near the end of the book one of the extras, a not so popular kid, is described as looking as if he's been in the hot popular girls room before. Another is how the entire story is a commentary on how death is viewed by the young and how it effects them, along with how destiny isn't all it's cracked up to be. Please don't put too much pressure on the book based on this review. It's not overly serious though it discussing some serious things. It makes you think without realizing that you're doing it.

Then there are the characters themselves. While a few of the supporting characters seem more one sided then others, they are all fun in their own way. Yes, characters like Royce can seem stereotypical in their obsession with stardom. But they're supposed to be, that's what makes it funny. As for the main characters, like Bone and Crystal. They are besties whose friendship is definitely put to the test by the deaths divide. However I do have to say I think that Crystal is a better friend to Bone than vice versa. But Bone's choices and actions make sense when put in the perspective of a teenage girl. Especially a dead teenage girl.

As for my issue with the ending.... It's mainly that I wanted to find out more about Bone's life after death. I hoping that, since this is book one, that book two will provide more information on what is actually going on there. The author does reveal some facts about the other side, but there are questions left unanswered. Again, this didn't kill the book for me, if anything it only made me more interested in picking up the next one. But it was a big enough deal that I felt mentioning it was important.

Overall the book was fun. There's some interesting twists. There are also some interesting twists, as well as some scenes that were really moving. I hope to be able to read more from this author in the future.


I got this book from Amazon because it was on sale and decided to review it for this event. All opinions in this fair and honest review are my own.
Profile Image for Matt Schiariti.
Author 8 books152 followers
November 16, 2012
There's a reason why Scott Nicholson is one of my favorite authors (although I'm, as usual, late to the party): his ability to write in an abundance of genres. October Girls is another example of that.

Crystal is just your average 18 year old living in a trailer park. Except that she's a witch. And she's been talking to her dead BFF for the past two years.

Crystal stems from a long line of Aldridge's, witches one and all. They've been tasked with keeping portals to 'the other side' closed for hundreds of years. Usually the portals are pretty quiet. Until Halloween. When halloween comes around the portals are their weakest and it's then that they have to be the most vigilant. This has been drilled into her head by her mother Minerva for years. Problem is she just wants a normal life. She just wants to study for her GED, having dropped out of highschool due to her BFF's death. But it's hard to be normal when the orifices to the other side threaten to open spilling out all types of vile evil dead, your dead BFF pops up at the most inopportune times and a trashy horror movie director pushes you to spread his tripe on the unsuspecting teens of your town in order to bring forth the apocalypse. Well, he DID sell his soul to the other side after all. Can you blame a guy for trying?

Scott Nicholson's head must be a strange place to be, but I couldn't be any happier for it. His imagination and lightning wit come through on every page. Possum familiars, rulers of the other side addicted to candy, potions gone awry, a ghostly BFF that seems to have her own agenda, a boyfriend forced on Crystal by her mother's love potion hoping to keep their line of witchy orifice guardians alive and ever vigilant.

October Girls isn't your typical 'YA' urban fantasy/paranormal romance. It's a wild rollercoaster ride of strange happenings, vivid visuals and hysterical dialogue. I would be remiss if I didn't say at one point the dialogue was so funny I had to put the book down from having a fit of laughter. I honestly don't know where this guy comes up with his stories but if he could bottle it he'd make a hefty profit. He's never at a loss for ideas and characters.

I will say that frustratingly, one plot thread didn't seem to get explained or resolved but it seems that there's to be another one in the series. It was supposed to come out in 2011 and I hope he's still working on it because these are characters I'd like to revisit again soon! And, author willing, often.

Great fun!
Profile Image for Kristen.
230 reviews4 followers
December 27, 2015
Crystal is best friends with a ghost named Bone. Yep, her name is Bone. This is an interesting book. Crystal is a witch who really doesn't want to be a witch and she's in love or maybe "love" with her boyfriend who is definitely under a love spell. Meanwhile, in the other side, where Bone resides when she has to go "home," weird things are happening. She starts to wonder if there's a sinister plot but goes along with it. She's jealous of Crystal and would betray her if it made her alive again.

Yep it's all screwed up. I thought that it was an interesting book. But at the same time, I felt like it was lacking in some areas. Like the poor boyfriend, dumb boyfriend who thinks he loves Crystal, but doesn't know that he's spelled to love her. And the ghostly best friend who's willing to betray Crystal.

I didn't feel satisfied with the ending. It didn't tie up anything except yea that crazy situation about the other side trying to take over the real world in their attempt to become alive again got resolved. I mean, the poor boyfriend, will she grow up and let him go? I mean that's just lame. And my god, Bone needs to be slapped. How selfish is she? I mean I understand she wants to be alive again, but to go so far that she would betray her best friend. Poor Crystal for having a friend like her. And the mother who is pretty much forcing Crystal to be a witch because it's her "duty." Honestly I didn't like a lot of characters in this book. They pretty much pissed me off.

Don't get me wrong, the story is just fine. But the characters are just so screwed up. I felt like screaming at Crystal to get some balls and grow up. Dump the boy, scream at the best friend and tell her mom off. I mean really what the eff?

But I did like James Dean's twin and the movie director/producer wanna be. I thought that they were interesting. Not only that, the poor ghost boy who is crushing on Bone. I mean aww, what a sweetheart. I don't know why Bone ignores him. He's so sweet.

I sure hope that there's gonna be a second book in this series where Crystal will have a chance to do what's right. If not, sheesh, what a shame.
Profile Image for Melissa (thereaderandthechef).
536 reviews189 followers
April 13, 2012
Crystal and Bone, best friends until death do us part?
Never.

That's the strong line in this cute horror/paranormal book about witches, ghosts and well, Royce Dean.
I believe the characters were really funny and unique. Bizarre, actually.
A witch in training, who has been consorting with her dead best friend, killed by a UPS truck at the age of 16, Bone still struggles with the fact that she can never be a part of the living world, but gets to "live" by crossing over the portals of the afterlife that leads straight to Crystal's room, even if she has to be a spider once in a while. Only, don't let Crystal's mother know about that, it's forbidden to consort with the dead. Whoops. Nothing good can come out of it, even if it is the hottie and sort of dead Royce Dean.

Royce. Never born, never known. Could he have been even more famous than his brother James Dean? Probably, he sure had his ego sky high and hey, he had the looks too.

I have to admit that him and Pettigrew were one of my favorites characters. They were too full of themselves and they never realized that they were only pawns of the Judge's game, who had this weird and crazy addiction to sweets... and to rule the world.

The October Girls is a very light read, with good characters though sometimes hard to follow their trail of thoughts and reasons behind their actions. I wished there would've been more action, focus less on certain details and more on the actual day were the end of the world would take place.

I'm a little curious for what happens in the second installment, but I sure hope we get a bit less of dull moments and more magic, funny lines and specks of love.
Profile Image for Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime.
5,639 reviews329 followers
January 25, 2012

It isn’t often readers can laugh while engrossed in the Supernatural, but when it does happen, often it’s due to Scott Nicholson. October Girls is a laugh-out loud pleasure, geared perhaps to YA readers, but equally hilarious to adults-who can, after all, remember being young! Of course, most adults do NOT recall being adolescent and friends with the Dead, as is young Crystal, growing up in a tiny Appalachian hamlet, where her best friend has been deceased-quite a long time. If that premise isn’t enough to captivate you, well, jump on in and try this book anyway. There’s more going for you than just that.:)

Crystal has the ordinary teen angst, and some troubles not so ordinary: her best friend is dead, an eternal sixteen; her steady boyfriend is reliable, but not as hunky as the French-dropping amateur horror director who shops the video store where she works; and even though she descends from a generational heritage of proven magical abilities, Crystal’s paranormal talents just don’t cut it. Oh-and Darkmeet (the Other Side) is opening extra portals in town now. As Crystal’s magical Momma suspects, Armageddon is edging ever closer-and the end of the world could come this October-on Halloween. Toss in an unborn movie-star wannabe, a misguided amateur filmmaker, the lonely dead (and the controlling dead), and all the horrors and spookies poised to spill out of Darkeet-and you have a roller-coaster spin-dry ride both horrifying and hilarious-think “Twilight Eyes” with laugh track. Read and enjoy!
Profile Image for Laura.
1,229 reviews17 followers
October 27, 2010
I wanted to like this book. I feel like I'm writing that in a lot of my reviews lately. Good idea, but something about the execution of that idea just didn't quite work for me.

The entire book revolves around the relationship between best friends Crystal (a trailer trash witch who is alive) and Bone (who happens to be dead). I think the main aspect of the story that didn't work for me is that I didn't really "believe" in the relationship between the two girls. Supposedly they're best friends, but we never get to see what their relationship was like before Bone got hit by a truck and died. I feel like we were plopped into the story too soon without enough background on the girls and their relationship before Bone was dead. They just don't act like best friends. Bone seems to sell Crystal out awful fast if it's in her best interest to do so. In the end, she helps Crystal fight the bad guys, but their friendship just seemed kind of shallow.

I also felt bad for Crystal's boyfriend, Pettigrew. Crystal didn't treat him very nicely, and yet he always went back to her (probably because of the love spell Crystal's mom put on him). He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he seemed like a good guy who deserved someone who actually cared more about him than Crystal seemed to.
Profile Image for Missie.
270 reviews103 followers
June 19, 2011
I had this book on my reading list for October, but the month passed by so fast, and I never got around to it. Sad, because it would have been perfect timing for this snarky story.

Best friends Bone and Crystal have a lot in common, like the fact that Bone is a ghost and Crystal is a witch (in training). And while they both secretly love to hate each other while they chase after boys, they can't deny that even a little thing like getting hit by a UPS truck can kill a friendship like theirs.

Funny and witty, the writing style very much reminded me of Christopher Moore, one of my favorite authors. It was very dialogue heavy and snarky, which I enjoyed to a point. Many lines had me laughing out loud, then it started to feel like overkill. Think Dawson's Creek for Snarks. Do people really talk that way all the time? Scene after scene featured so many things happening at once with the characters all jabbering at the same time, usually off topic topic.

Still, randomness has its way of amusing me. And the heart of the story was about an enduring, off beat friendship, one which I found myself appreciating. There were quite a few lulls in the story, and most times, I couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but once everything came together at the end, all the wacky finally made sense, well at least somewhat.

http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/1...
Profile Image for Sharon Stevenson.
Author 47 books303 followers
January 9, 2013
Crystal is an eighteen-year-old witch, in training by her mother to keep the nasty things lurking in interdimensional portals contained. Bone is her best friend, who died 2 years before and insists on hanging around. Halloween is coming up, and there's a film maker in town with a stock pile of movies that are having a strange effect on the locals.

There's a lot to like about 'October Girls'. I thought the characters were brilliant and Nicholson's writing style keeps things fresh and entertaining. The plot was interesting too. There was an abundance of odd names - Crystal's boyfriend is called Pettigrew, the film maker's name is Dempsey - which I personally found mildly irritating, but there is actually a bit later on in the book that sort of pokes fun at this. I like books to have a good sense of humour, and a sense of fun, and this has both.

The only thing that really felt a little odd about this book was at times it read like something aimed at say thirteen-year-olds, while at other times it seemed more directed at older teens. This didn't effect my overall enjoyment and was only noticeable a couple of times. All in all I'd say this was a really entertaining, quirky & fun read. If you're into YA Fantasy I'd say give it a go, it's something a bit different.
Profile Image for Megan.
3,606 reviews45 followers
July 6, 2017
I have been trying with this book, tonight however I am giving in.

The characters are really quite ok. I want to gush over them but really they are not that great. Averagely one dimentional characters.

Its just so slow and really so boring. When it comes to witches and the dead I read books very quickly because usually theres things happening, this book just can't bring that feeling. It plods along at some slow pace with something happening very rarely and if im honest what does happen?

I am on chapter 21 and I give up, so far people are going into zombies which everyone knows about because its in the description so I wasnt holding onto my seat in shock there.

To conclude basically this book is a waste of publication and I am glad I only have a copy from a bundle off books otherwise I would be asking for a digital refund. Honestly guys do not even bother. There are plenty books out there that are exciting and page turners, this is NOT one.

**Edit (3 minutes later)**
Apparently this author is an author of 20 thrillers.. REALLY?! I MEAN REALLY?! AND YOU CAME UP WITH THAT?! Makes me mad. Best selling author released that, what was he letting his evil twin who is unpublished write this? Best selling really what a load of twaddle.
Profile Image for Scott.
Author 33 books30 followers
September 27, 2013
"I liked it" is a good rating for this book. (Though 3 stars feels like a "C" in school, very average, and I think this book was above average, though not as good as many of the other books I've rated "4-stars".)

It tells the story of two high school girls and their quest to save their town (and the world) from an influx of bad things from the "other side". Oh, and one of the girls is dead, and the other's a witch-in-training.

There are many interesting characters to be found in this story, but I had this sense that it could have been more than it was, with the characters, setting and storyline. Maybe loose ends are tied up in other "Crystal and Bone" stories, but I haven't read them. Obviously Scott Nicholson is a very good writer. In some ways the subject matter reminds me of Sean Hayden's MY SOUL TO KEEP young adult paranormal/horror novel (but I preferred Hayden's book).

I will likely read more by Nicholson, though I'm not sure I'll follow up on Crystal and Bone.
Profile Image for Mary.
455 reviews9 followers
August 6, 2016
October Girls
This is not my typical read, but I really enjoyed it. The book is really about a friendship about two teen girls and how even death can’t break them apart. Plus, it is filled with some Halloween fun when Crystal and her mother get some spells mixed up and all Hell, literally, is about to bust loose on Halloween, lead on by the adorable, wanna-be-famous Royce Dean, the unborn twin of James Dean. Little town Parson’s Ford is in for a real-life monster movie and only Crystal and her dead friend Bone can stop the show. Romance, friendship, humor and all around fun in this YA read that even adults would enjoy.
Profile Image for Christa.
Author 14 books77 followers
October 9, 2010
Great read for YA and the Young at Heart

It's rare to see a book, written by two authors (Scott Nicholson and L. C. Glazebrook), with such a distinct, unified voice. It's almost as if the two authors were one! (Ha, ha!) I loved this book. It vividly portrays the trials and tribulations of two teenage girls, which are made even more problematic, since one of them is a witch and the other one dead (or is she?) Plenty of Halloween fun, craziness, dangerous creatures from the Dark side, interesting characters--didn't know that James Dean had an unborn twin. This is a totally fun book to read!
Profile Image for Nicole C..
1,275 reviews40 followers
February 24, 2013
Crystal is a teenage witch. Her best friend, known as Bone, is dead. Together, they have to save the town from dark forces on Halloween.

It's not a bad concept for a story, but I had to force myself to finish it. It wasn't as engaging as some of Nicholson's other work. The plot jumped around a bit too abruptly at times. I would have liked a bit more backstory to the girls and their friendship before Bone died. One gets dropped in the middle of that story, so it didn't seem as realistic to me.
Profile Image for Vicki (The Wolf's Den).
437 reviews9 followers
February 11, 2022
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

I didn't hate the story, but I can't see any reason to read it again. The characters weren't charming, the magic/afterlife mumbo jumbo had no explanation given, and thus the overall plot fell flat. Fine if you're looking for Halloweeny fluff with a lot of snark, but I'll just pop in Hocus Pocus.
Profile Image for Jon-david Mafia Hairdresser.
83 reviews44 followers
July 9, 2012
I read this YA book because I liked the author. I can't rave about it because it is a young adult book and not my regular reading genre.
It was so much fun for me to read though. L.C. Glazebrook has a knack for young dialogue and has a fun with his oohy-goohy characters as well as the best-friends main characters, one dead and one alive.
I'll certainly read more October Girls when I have time.
Profile Image for Brandy Hope.
34 reviews8 followers
October 11, 2013
I loved this book, it was fun, and I think my 13 year old niece would love it. A witch is trying to save the world, with the help of her dead best friend, and her mother...to an extent. But there are some getting in the way...the dead best friend's clueless dead crush, the dead, gorgeous, unborn brother of James Dean...oh the list is endless. Very entertaining.
Profile Image for Blaise.
65 reviews14 followers
August 29, 2011
A fun read. I really liked Bone and Crystals relationship and can't wait for book two to be released! Nicholson is a master of many genres, I never know what to expect with his books except that I know I will always come away with a smile.
Profile Image for Amy.
9 reviews
February 9, 2012
I had a hard time choosing between 1 and 2 stars. The story could have been ok but I'm just coming off of reading the Hunger Games trilogy and was looking for something a little faster. I finally just gave up on the story - I may come back to it one day.
Profile Image for Ashley.
103 reviews
January 16, 2013
This was kind of a cute book. Two best friends, but one of them is dead...cute new guy in town trying to bring on the apocolypse...ghosts, witches, video stores...reminds me a little of a juvenile Christopher Moore.
Profile Image for Chelsea.
224 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2013
Not a very good read. There wasn't much character development or depth to create much fondness for any of the characters. On it's own, that made it difficult to care about much of anything that happened.
Profile Image for Joseph.
30 reviews
December 30, 2014
it was strange and definitely ridiculous at times but even though it wasn't my kind of book and I wouldn't read it again it was still a good story. It did get a bit stale with the Ups truck though I understand why it still felt played out.
Profile Image for Lauralynn Elliott.
Author 23 books32 followers
January 30, 2011
This book was definitely "different". There was a little bit of snark and a little bit of angst. It was also a book about friendship with a lot of paranormal thrown in. I enjoyed this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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