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Supernatural Freak #1
Supernatural Freak
When paranormal expert Robyn Wise is offered an outrageous sum of money to cure a boy who is turning into a dead tree, she's very sceptical. A politician ready to pay that much to make his son stop growing branches instead of hair? Come on! She's more likely to be abducted by aliens. This is a trap. Or much worse. And, of course, it's much worse.
The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland's power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.
Robyn'd rather stick a pencil in her own eye but, to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of her.
There, she discovers a terrible secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland's enemies for good, but puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.
The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland's power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.
Robyn'd rather stick a pencil in her own eye but, to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of her.
There, she discovers a terrible secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland's enemies for good, but puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2012
19 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Louisa Klein
63 books320 followersHi everyone! I'm a hard-core nerd who loves books, Latin and all kind of fiction. I spend my day writing fiction while worshipping Joss Whedon and mourning David Bowie.
At night, I put on a mask and fight British crime. I get very little sleep.
At night, I put on a mask and fight British crime. I get very little sleep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 31, 2013
Copy provided by the author in exchange of a honest review
This is a DNF.
I admit that i only read about 40% of the story...
I applaud the author's enthusiasm and imagination, but i can't help feeling that this book would be better placed in the hands of someone quite younger...you see, i was expecting some dark urban/paranormal fantasy book.
I can't help feeling that this story would be better described as a parody on the supernatural genre, than a urban fantasy or a paranormal romance.
A parody that plays with cliches and who tries to have quirky and insane characters in the story: the ghost, the geeks, the uncle, the mother, the werewolf, black genies and so on and on...
Also the book could undergo another editing..there's some mistakes, and some confusion regarding singular and plural in certain sentences: The news this time is so damn bad...
Then the main character who should come out as someone assertive and....bright, i'm afraid that she sounds little like a spoiled brat, always recurring to others to fix her problems...
The characters didn't feel properly characterized. They were a little too insane, without substance.
Regarding the Ghost, for instance, Robyn calls him: His Grace, The Duke, William and Will....what is it?
The uncle always calling her niece...in every single sentence was a little too much....
The amazing long description regarding the usual process of opening a new box of cereals...was too much. In this i also include the smurfs comments....
Then i lost count on the number of times that the expression "British aplomb" was used...and what's with the "mate" thing? Is she British, Australian, or a British who saw Crocodile Dundee one too many times?
Bottom line: I like quirkiness in a story, but it has to have a plot.
This is a DNF.
I admit that i only read about 40% of the story...
I applaud the author's enthusiasm and imagination, but i can't help feeling that this book would be better placed in the hands of someone quite younger...you see, i was expecting some dark urban/paranormal fantasy book.
I can't help feeling that this story would be better described as a parody on the supernatural genre, than a urban fantasy or a paranormal romance.
A parody that plays with cliches and who tries to have quirky and insane characters in the story: the ghost, the geeks, the uncle, the mother, the werewolf, black genies and so on and on...
Also the book could undergo another editing..there's some mistakes, and some confusion regarding singular and plural in certain sentences: The news this time is so damn bad...
Then the main character who should come out as someone assertive and....bright, i'm afraid that she sounds little like a spoiled brat, always recurring to others to fix her problems...
The characters didn't feel properly characterized. They were a little too insane, without substance.
Regarding the Ghost, for instance, Robyn calls him: His Grace, The Duke, William and Will....what is it?
The uncle always calling her niece...in every single sentence was a little too much....
The amazing long description regarding the usual process of opening a new box of cereals...was too much. In this i also include the smurfs comments....
Then i lost count on the number of times that the expression "British aplomb" was used...and what's with the "mate" thing? Is she British, Australian, or a British who saw Crocodile Dundee one too many times?
Bottom line: I like quirkiness in a story, but it has to have a plot.
October 10, 2013
I read this book after the author requested an honest review of me. This did not change my opinion of the book or the contents of this review.
Supernatural Freak is the debut of indie author Louisa Klein, about a girl who solves magical crimes. There's a lot more than that - and I mean, a lot more - but there's not enough time to really get into it. I wanted to like it, but it fell unfortunately flat for me, for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, the writing. There's no nice way to say this: the writing was constantly, unbelievably, overwhelmingly awful. Klein has done a very bad job of editing, a very bad job of catching all the typos and errors that plague her dialogue and prose. Some of the more frequent problems include run-on sentences...
...poorly formatted dialogue...
...and general and obvious grammar and punctuation errors.
All of that and more were constant issues throughout the book. None of what I showed you above were isolated incidents; hardly a page went by without some sort of obvious error. It was honestly distracting how bad the writing was - it was hard to focus on the story when I was too busy being frustrated at the writing.
And the story requires a lot of focus, because really, there was too much of it. This was a teeny book - only 170 pages - but Klein tried to stuff a lot of story into it. The book needed to be more than twice the length to tell a story like this well. As it was, the pacing was rushed, but more importantly, the worldbuilding suffered. The slim length of the book forced Klein to give us the world in lengthy infodumps that got boring quickly. She also tried to give us all of the world at once, rather than spread it out throughout the series. All this meant that the mythology was confusing, and when it played a major role in the story, I had no idea what was going on.
It's times like this when I'm thankful for Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Her books are around the length of this one - never longer than 250 pages - but she handles her plots and worldbuilding far better with her length. Her plots are much simpler than this one, meaning that the pacing is more relaxed, if still brisk. But more importantly, Atwater-Rhodes spreads out her mythology throughout her many books. The first book gives you enough of the world to understand the plot, but each proceeding book expands on it more and more, until the world feels full, and once that happens, then she can really have fun. It takes patience, sure, but nearly every good fantasy author does it. J.K. Rowling does not give us Sirius Black and Dumbledore's backstory in the first book. Cassandra Clare does not reveal all the rules of her vampires, warlocks, and demons in City of Bones. In comparison to those, this book feels over-stuffed, rushed, and altogether unsatisfying.
The characters were no better. Robyn was a very bland heroine - I think she was supposed to be quirky and fun, but she came off as just another cliche, a less interesting version of Buffy. Robyn's quips were also similar to something you might see on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but they weren't nearly as funny. Joss Whedon's snark was much funnier and more original than what you'll find here - the humour in this novel was bland and uninteresting. None of the side characters were given even a superficial personality - apart from a differing catchphrase or two, none of them were original or interesting.
And, finally, we get to Derek. Derek was gay, and that's pretty much all I know about him. I won't say his homosexuality was handled with homophobia, but it was very, very obvious that he was only there for tokenism. This is how he's introduced:
Saying that 'he's not one of those looks-obsessed gays' is stereotyping, even if Derek isn't one of the ones that's looks-obsessed. I mean, what if I said, "Nadia wasn't one of those ghetto-stripper blacks." That would be very offensive, right? This is the same way.
The annoyance goes on when Derek first appears in a scene:
Klein writes that like it's a physical description, and a very important one at that. She's making his sexuality into a big deal, like it defines him as a person.
This is written like commenting on jewelry is an inherently gay quality, as if a a personality trait can be such a thing. It only made me more offended, the more I read. Klein doesn't honestly think this is how diversity is, does she? Does she truly think that diversity should be including a gay character and treating him like he comes from a different species? Of course it's not. Diversity would have been including a gay character and treating him just like any other character. That's the priority: seeing the character as a real person. Derek isn't a real person - he's a caricature of a gay character, nothing more than a cartoon. Homophobia comes from seeing people as gay first and a person second - I'm not saying that this is no better than homophobia, but it's certainly not good.
I'm finding it unfortunately difficult to recommend this book. Parts of it aren't bad, I suppose - once you get passed all the technical errors, Klein's prose isn't stylistically bad, and the plot has some potential for enjoyability. But this was nevertheless a very, very bad book, one that I wouldn't recommend.
Supernatural Freak is the debut of indie author Louisa Klein, about a girl who solves magical crimes. There's a lot more than that - and I mean, a lot more - but there's not enough time to really get into it. I wanted to like it, but it fell unfortunately flat for me, for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, the writing. There's no nice way to say this: the writing was constantly, unbelievably, overwhelmingly awful. Klein has done a very bad job of editing, a very bad job of catching all the typos and errors that plague her dialogue and prose. Some of the more frequent problems include run-on sentences...
I look up at Eros, I always do this, I have a thing for him you see, so gloriously handsome and precariously balanced, with that naughty expression of someone planning something mischievous.
I can work things out for myself, I have been facing monsters for as long as I can remember, my problem is the geeks, and Uncle Terry.
...poorly formatted dialogue...
"You bet you deserve a drink, uncle![sic]" I erupt. "As I deserve a lot of rest, at least a couple days of sleep, maybe three... Yes, I think three would do..." my stomach groans.
"Wow, what a service! I even get the tray with the cats!" My friend exclaims, as soon as I enter the room.
...and general and obvious grammar and punctuation errors.
"I thought you knew about that, considering that ... You speak their language.
"God, it hurts ..."I manage to exhale.
All of that and more were constant issues throughout the book. None of what I showed you above were isolated incidents; hardly a page went by without some sort of obvious error. It was honestly distracting how bad the writing was - it was hard to focus on the story when I was too busy being frustrated at the writing.
And the story requires a lot of focus, because really, there was too much of it. This was a teeny book - only 170 pages - but Klein tried to stuff a lot of story into it. The book needed to be more than twice the length to tell a story like this well. As it was, the pacing was rushed, but more importantly, the worldbuilding suffered. The slim length of the book forced Klein to give us the world in lengthy infodumps that got boring quickly. She also tried to give us all of the world at once, rather than spread it out throughout the series. All this meant that the mythology was confusing, and when it played a major role in the story, I had no idea what was going on.
It's times like this when I'm thankful for Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Her books are around the length of this one - never longer than 250 pages - but she handles her plots and worldbuilding far better with her length. Her plots are much simpler than this one, meaning that the pacing is more relaxed, if still brisk. But more importantly, Atwater-Rhodes spreads out her mythology throughout her many books. The first book gives you enough of the world to understand the plot, but each proceeding book expands on it more and more, until the world feels full, and once that happens, then she can really have fun. It takes patience, sure, but nearly every good fantasy author does it. J.K. Rowling does not give us Sirius Black and Dumbledore's backstory in the first book. Cassandra Clare does not reveal all the rules of her vampires, warlocks, and demons in City of Bones. In comparison to those, this book feels over-stuffed, rushed, and altogether unsatisfying.
The characters were no better. Robyn was a very bland heroine - I think she was supposed to be quirky and fun, but she came off as just another cliche, a less interesting version of Buffy. Robyn's quips were also similar to something you might see on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but they weren't nearly as funny. Joss Whedon's snark was much funnier and more original than what you'll find here - the humour in this novel was bland and uninteresting. None of the side characters were given even a superficial personality - apart from a differing catchphrase or two, none of them were original or interesting.
And, finally, we get to Derek. Derek was gay, and that's pretty much all I know about him. I won't say his homosexuality was handled with homophobia, but it was very, very obvious that he was only there for tokenism. This is how he's introduced:
I don't usually bother coifing [sic] my hair when preparing to visit a crime scene, but Derek happens to be gay, and although he's not one of those looks-obsessed gays, he once told me my shabbiness 'stressed him'.
Saying that 'he's not one of those looks-obsessed gays' is stereotyping, even if Derek isn't one of the ones that's looks-obsessed. I mean, what if I said, "Nadia wasn't one of those ghetto-stripper blacks." That would be very offensive, right? This is the same way.
The annoyance goes on when Derek first appears in a scene:
[Derek is] in his early forties, dark, tall and handsome, as they say, with a hint of grey hair which makes him even more interesting. And of course, he's gay.
Klein writes that like it's a physical description, and a very important one at that. She's making his sexuality into a big deal, like it defines him as a person.
[Derek said,] "Yeah, I still can't believe you made him swallow your necklace, I mean, such a fine piece of jewellery [sic] ... I wonder what your mother will say..."
"Dude, keep your gay side at bay and focus!"
This is written like commenting on jewelry is an inherently gay quality, as if a a personality trait can be such a thing. It only made me more offended, the more I read. Klein doesn't honestly think this is how diversity is, does she? Does she truly think that diversity should be including a gay character and treating him like he comes from a different species? Of course it's not. Diversity would have been including a gay character and treating him just like any other character. That's the priority: seeing the character as a real person. Derek isn't a real person - he's a caricature of a gay character, nothing more than a cartoon. Homophobia comes from seeing people as gay first and a person second - I'm not saying that this is no better than homophobia, but it's certainly not good.
I'm finding it unfortunately difficult to recommend this book. Parts of it aren't bad, I suppose - once you get passed all the technical errors, Klein's prose isn't stylistically bad, and the plot has some potential for enjoyability. But this was nevertheless a very, very bad book, one that I wouldn't recommend.
September 21, 2014
The author gave me a free kindle copy of this book. This has not impacted on my ability to review it critically and honestly.
20/07 - I'm 3.5 pages into the first chapter, so all I know so far is that there are werewolves, there is a woman who is a self-proclaimed paranormal expert and the narrator of the story and it's set in London. Within the first couple of paragraphs I notice some clumsy phrasing and figures of speech written the wrong way around. A few examples: "...is for sure a scary situation." would probably flow off the tongue better if it were "...is a scary situation for sure.", "It takes what looks like ages to cross the sand..." should definitely be "It takes what seems like ages to cross the sand..." and I find the fact that the author uses the words "Gnaaarl!" and "Growwl" to describe the noises the werewolf makes a little silly - it kind of reminds me of the scene when the Cowardly Lion is introduced in The Wizard of Oz movie and instead of actually growling, the actor says the words "Ruff" and "Growl". On a high note, I did think that Klein's description of the dead body with the heart ripped out was very good, it easily created a gruesome picture in my mind.
24/07 - I'm finding the main character's (don't know her name yet) frequent use of the phrase "For sure" a little irritating. I'm even less sure about William the ghost using the same expression. Even after the very detailed description of William (I see a Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise Interview with a Vampire lookalike), when he says "For sure" in my head he suddenly turns into a green-felt clad leprechaun.
The main character's inner voice is a little wordy for my taste, I think this book would have worked better, flowed better in my head if it were written in 3rd person. Then we wouldn't have to have a running commentary on what the main character is thinking in order to know where the story is going and what the other characters are doing. The story is promising, but complicated - we've got werewolves, shamans, time travel/visions, ghosts, magic fire and bathwater - who knows what I'll find on the next page.
10/08 - As you can tell by the length of time that has elapsed since my last review I have been a bit naughty regarding the reading of this book (especially since it's a requested review), but I have been having problems finding motivation to get back to it. I have just finished a reasonable length paragraph about the background behind a particular toy that can be found in Robyn's favourite cereal box. When I got to the end of the monologue regarding Captain Zap, I asked myself "Why do we need to know so much about Captain Zap? Surely we could have simply been told that he's a figurine from a cartoon series that Robyn loves and has spent weeks/months/whatever collecting all the different characters. Does it matter to the story that direct quote"He's a brave twelve year old living in the year 3000 in the super-technological Futurecity. He is aided by Bold, his faithful dog, a master of telekinesis. He protects his defenceless fellow citizens from the evil Red Frog, an enormous alien frog from planet Pond, who seeks to conquer the Earth."? I don't think it was necessary to the story and I think it, and a few other passages like it, distract and, well, slightly bore the reader. At the moment I want to know what happened, as well as 'give it a good go because the author personally asked me to review it', but if I come across other similarly overly descriptive passages, I confess, I will probably skip them.
Ok, you got a smirk out of me with direct quote "You brute! That was my favourite tie!", but you got numerous grimaces with Robyn's insistence on describing pyjamas in the singular instead of the plural as in the following sentence direct quote"Guido, a fat guy with thick glasses wearing a teddy bears pyjama,". Also, whose uncle calls their niece, "Niece", at all times? Why doesn't he use her name? It just doesn't sound right and interrupts the flow of the narrative. The following sentence is a perfect example of my confusion over the use of the "niece" direct quote"Besides, I’ve been drunk a thousand times since I learned who niece really was", in that sentence, if I didn't know better, I would have begun to believe that "Niece" was her name, not just a familial title like sister or cousin. Also I believe that in England (as in Australia) CSIs are actually known as Scenes of Crime Officers or SOCOs. To be continued...
14/09 - I'm sorry Louisa, I really tried to have this read and enjoyed by mid to late August (as requested), but I just couldn't get into it. There were no glaring problems, just lots of little niggly ones that combined to irritate and put me off the story (I think I gave enough examples above). Another reviewer said that they liked the way the characters addressed each other formally (maybe that's why Robyn's uncle constantly called her "Niece" instead of Robyn), but that didn't work for me. I didn't feel like the characters were being formal with each other, I felt like the author was reminding us of what the characters names were, over and over again, in case we forgot (or something). I think William, the ghost, is the most promising character, with a lot of scope for LOL one-liners. Once again, Louisa I'm sorry I didn't enjoy this as much as we both had hoped. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.
20/07 - I'm 3.5 pages into the first chapter, so all I know so far is that there are werewolves, there is a woman who is a self-proclaimed paranormal expert and the narrator of the story and it's set in London. Within the first couple of paragraphs I notice some clumsy phrasing and figures of speech written the wrong way around. A few examples: "...is for sure a scary situation." would probably flow off the tongue better if it were "...is a scary situation for sure.", "It takes what looks like ages to cross the sand..." should definitely be "It takes what seems like ages to cross the sand..." and I find the fact that the author uses the words "Gnaaarl!" and "Growwl" to describe the noises the werewolf makes a little silly - it kind of reminds me of the scene when the Cowardly Lion is introduced in The Wizard of Oz movie and instead of actually growling, the actor says the words "Ruff" and "Growl". On a high note, I did think that Klein's description of the dead body with the heart ripped out was very good, it easily created a gruesome picture in my mind.
24/07 - I'm finding the main character's (don't know her name yet) frequent use of the phrase "For sure" a little irritating. I'm even less sure about William the ghost using the same expression. Even after the very detailed description of William (I see a Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise Interview with a Vampire lookalike), when he says "For sure" in my head he suddenly turns into a green-felt clad leprechaun.
The main character's inner voice is a little wordy for my taste, I think this book would have worked better, flowed better in my head if it were written in 3rd person. Then we wouldn't have to have a running commentary on what the main character is thinking in order to know where the story is going and what the other characters are doing. The story is promising, but complicated - we've got werewolves, shamans, time travel/visions, ghosts, magic fire and bathwater - who knows what I'll find on the next page.
10/08 - As you can tell by the length of time that has elapsed since my last review I have been a bit naughty regarding the reading of this book (especially since it's a requested review), but I have been having problems finding motivation to get back to it. I have just finished a reasonable length paragraph about the background behind a particular toy that can be found in Robyn's favourite cereal box. When I got to the end of the monologue regarding Captain Zap, I asked myself "Why do we need to know so much about Captain Zap? Surely we could have simply been told that he's a figurine from a cartoon series that Robyn loves and has spent weeks/months/whatever collecting all the different characters. Does it matter to the story that direct quote"He's a brave twelve year old living in the year 3000 in the super-technological Futurecity. He is aided by Bold, his faithful dog, a master of telekinesis. He protects his defenceless fellow citizens from the evil Red Frog, an enormous alien frog from planet Pond, who seeks to conquer the Earth."? I don't think it was necessary to the story and I think it, and a few other passages like it, distract and, well, slightly bore the reader. At the moment I want to know what happened, as well as 'give it a good go because the author personally asked me to review it', but if I come across other similarly overly descriptive passages, I confess, I will probably skip them.
Ok, you got a smirk out of me with direct quote "You brute! That was my favourite tie!", but you got numerous grimaces with Robyn's insistence on describing pyjamas in the singular instead of the plural as in the following sentence direct quote"Guido, a fat guy with thick glasses wearing a teddy bears pyjama,". Also, whose uncle calls their niece, "Niece", at all times? Why doesn't he use her name? It just doesn't sound right and interrupts the flow of the narrative. The following sentence is a perfect example of my confusion over the use of the "niece" direct quote"Besides, I’ve been drunk a thousand times since I learned who niece really was", in that sentence, if I didn't know better, I would have begun to believe that "Niece" was her name, not just a familial title like sister or cousin. Also I believe that in England (as in Australia) CSIs are actually known as Scenes of Crime Officers or SOCOs. To be continued...
14/09 - I'm sorry Louisa, I really tried to have this read and enjoyed by mid to late August (as requested), but I just couldn't get into it. There were no glaring problems, just lots of little niggly ones that combined to irritate and put me off the story (I think I gave enough examples above). Another reviewer said that they liked the way the characters addressed each other formally (maybe that's why Robyn's uncle constantly called her "Niece" instead of Robyn), but that didn't work for me. I didn't feel like the characters were being formal with each other, I felt like the author was reminding us of what the characters names were, over and over again, in case we forgot (or something). I think William, the ghost, is the most promising character, with a lot of scope for LOL one-liners. Once again, Louisa I'm sorry I didn't enjoy this as much as we both had hoped. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.
March 4, 2013
(note: I received an advance review copy from the publisher)
As Gock would say, "Please Gods," let "Supernatural Freak" be the start of a paranormal series. (Don't worry--you'll meet the kind, friendly, powerful, and vulture-looking Gock along the way)
At the novel's center is the "supernatural freak" herself, Robyn Wise. Robyn is a self-employed paranormal consultant, working odd jobs, using her pluck and various supernatural skills--including being one of only six people who can read Fairish--to assist those in need.
When we meet her, Robyn is working a job. A Mr. Wilson has hired her to help cure his lycanthropy (a fancy word for "the condition that turns one into a werewolf every full moon). Robyn has contracted with a powerful shaman to assist her, and the shaman has bailed on her. This leaves Robyn alone with Mr. Wilson, just as the moon rises.
Not good.
As she runs away from the Mr. Wilson-wolf, she slips on a giant puddle of blood, which was drained from a freshly killed Chinese man. Robin notes this fresh horror, then resumes fighting and fleeing.
Mr. Wilson didn't get his cure that night, but the newly killed corpse...that turns out to be a harbinger of bad things to come.
It's time for the once-every-120-year fairy migration, which brings all manner of malevolence to London, and Robyn soon finds herself right in the middle of it.
She's not alone, though. She has her friends James and Susan, brother and sister wizard and witch, respectively. One of James's best friends is the aforementioned Gock, who comes from another dimension. Sir William, the ghost who lives in Robyn's house, brings a great deal of magical power to the team. Then there's Robyn's Uncle Terry, a former stage actor, who now treads only the boards of pubs and homes of easy women.
Even funny, frequently drunk Uncle Terry can lend a hand when the time comes.
As "Supernatural Freak" moves on, the action picks up, as Robyn and her friends fight aligned evil forces to save a young boy's soul, each team member finding new powers and strength along the way.
"Supernatural Freak" as a book in many ways parallels the story it tells. It begins interestingly enough, starts to pick up even more momentum, till finally racing toward its climax, and a satisfying conclusion. Along the way, we're introduced to the book's mythology--the various Fairies, demons, trolls, werewolves, Chinese Zodiacal Animals, etc--and how various magical races interact with one another.
This novel feels designed more for adults than young teens, and frankly, it's nice to read a novel with post-pubescent characters, none of whom begin the novel by moving to a new high school. It was a pleasant change.
Underlying "Supernatural Freak" is a wry sense of humor. When you have a prim and proper ghost of a Duke rubbing elbows with a frequently drunk former actor, you can only imagine some of the comedic sparks that fly (the funniest clashes are still between Robyn and her fussy, French mother).
The novel is set in London, and there is a definite British twist to many of the proceedings, even a dream guide wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella.
In many ways, it's hard to describe "Supernatural Freak" in a few hundred words--many things happen, people change, interpersonal dynamics shift. Probably the best way to sum things up is with Robyn's own self-description:
I was born a supernatural freak. My whole life I've been running away from and fighting against paranormal creatures and monsters. For me there were no sleepovers, no parties, I was always the weird kid, the one who actually knew for sure that there were monsters in her wardrobe.
In many ways, Robyn is still the weird kid. The difference now, is that she's made peace with her uniqueness. And she's learned how to party.
Recommended
As Gock would say, "Please Gods," let "Supernatural Freak" be the start of a paranormal series. (Don't worry--you'll meet the kind, friendly, powerful, and vulture-looking Gock along the way)
At the novel's center is the "supernatural freak" herself, Robyn Wise. Robyn is a self-employed paranormal consultant, working odd jobs, using her pluck and various supernatural skills--including being one of only six people who can read Fairish--to assist those in need.
When we meet her, Robyn is working a job. A Mr. Wilson has hired her to help cure his lycanthropy (a fancy word for "the condition that turns one into a werewolf every full moon). Robyn has contracted with a powerful shaman to assist her, and the shaman has bailed on her. This leaves Robyn alone with Mr. Wilson, just as the moon rises.
Not good.
As she runs away from the Mr. Wilson-wolf, she slips on a giant puddle of blood, which was drained from a freshly killed Chinese man. Robin notes this fresh horror, then resumes fighting and fleeing.
Mr. Wilson didn't get his cure that night, but the newly killed corpse...that turns out to be a harbinger of bad things to come.
It's time for the once-every-120-year fairy migration, which brings all manner of malevolence to London, and Robyn soon finds herself right in the middle of it.
She's not alone, though. She has her friends James and Susan, brother and sister wizard and witch, respectively. One of James's best friends is the aforementioned Gock, who comes from another dimension. Sir William, the ghost who lives in Robyn's house, brings a great deal of magical power to the team. Then there's Robyn's Uncle Terry, a former stage actor, who now treads only the boards of pubs and homes of easy women.
Even funny, frequently drunk Uncle Terry can lend a hand when the time comes.
As "Supernatural Freak" moves on, the action picks up, as Robyn and her friends fight aligned evil forces to save a young boy's soul, each team member finding new powers and strength along the way.
"Supernatural Freak" as a book in many ways parallels the story it tells. It begins interestingly enough, starts to pick up even more momentum, till finally racing toward its climax, and a satisfying conclusion. Along the way, we're introduced to the book's mythology--the various Fairies, demons, trolls, werewolves, Chinese Zodiacal Animals, etc--and how various magical races interact with one another.
This novel feels designed more for adults than young teens, and frankly, it's nice to read a novel with post-pubescent characters, none of whom begin the novel by moving to a new high school. It was a pleasant change.
Underlying "Supernatural Freak" is a wry sense of humor. When you have a prim and proper ghost of a Duke rubbing elbows with a frequently drunk former actor, you can only imagine some of the comedic sparks that fly (the funniest clashes are still between Robyn and her fussy, French mother).
The novel is set in London, and there is a definite British twist to many of the proceedings, even a dream guide wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella.
In many ways, it's hard to describe "Supernatural Freak" in a few hundred words--many things happen, people change, interpersonal dynamics shift. Probably the best way to sum things up is with Robyn's own self-description:
I was born a supernatural freak. My whole life I've been running away from and fighting against paranormal creatures and monsters. For me there were no sleepovers, no parties, I was always the weird kid, the one who actually knew for sure that there were monsters in her wardrobe.
In many ways, Robyn is still the weird kid. The difference now, is that she's made peace with her uniqueness. And she's learned how to party.
Recommended
March 22, 2013
Bear with me as this is my first honest to goodness review of a book besides "it was good", or "didn't like it".
Supernatural Freak is a story unlike any I had ever read before. With action that never stops I found it very hard to find a stopping point to put the book down!
Klein creates a mystical lore that incorporates our own beliefs and intertwines them with magic and wonder. Her Characters are instantly likable and she does a superb job of investing you into their well being.
When Robyn (the main character) first starts this book she isn't your typical 20 something girl. She is dealing with a lot of supernatural stuff that would make most people turn and run. Yet she is also very naive when it comes to the big picture. Throughout the story her world and understanding broadens and she grows. As a reader you can see the changes and it is a good thing.
I was told that if I liked "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" I would like this story. I agree with that statement wholeheartedly. I could definitely see the style of action, magic and humor between friends in this story being portrayed on screen in a television show and I would absolutely watch it.
With ghosts, wizards, werewolves, fairies, dark elves, and monsters galore lurking in this book the action never has much time to slow down. Learning of the wizards council and "the 12" mixed in with everyday life is a treat.
There were only 2 points in the book that made this story less than perfect but still remain quite enjoyable. The first point was only a problem for me as an american reader that I didn't understand some of the UK language like "cut a caper" or wearing "jumpers". These phrases were used in a context that was able to be figured out but it took me out of the story briefly to have to figure them out. Again UK readers will have no such qualms.
The second point of contention I had was that the book ended too soon for me. I know all people say that when they enjoy a book but it seemed truer this time around. We spend a long time building up to an epic battle against Sebastian, yet the battle happens "offstage". I would have preferred to see that encounter.
Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and even though the ending didn't go the way I would have liked it was still a very entertaining read. There was several nail biting moments when you didn't know what was going to happen next, and more than one narrow escape at death. The author kept the story light yet engaging and it works very well for it. It could easily have been turned into a much more serious and darker type of story, but I don't think it would have flowed as well.
The author contacted me and gave me a copy of this book to review and I am very glad she did. This book is a lot of fun and I look forward to more from this author. Louisa Klein, you are on my radar now. I will be watching!
Supernatural Freak is a story unlike any I had ever read before. With action that never stops I found it very hard to find a stopping point to put the book down!
Klein creates a mystical lore that incorporates our own beliefs and intertwines them with magic and wonder. Her Characters are instantly likable and she does a superb job of investing you into their well being.
When Robyn (the main character) first starts this book she isn't your typical 20 something girl. She is dealing with a lot of supernatural stuff that would make most people turn and run. Yet she is also very naive when it comes to the big picture. Throughout the story her world and understanding broadens and she grows. As a reader you can see the changes and it is a good thing.
I was told that if I liked "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" I would like this story. I agree with that statement wholeheartedly. I could definitely see the style of action, magic and humor between friends in this story being portrayed on screen in a television show and I would absolutely watch it.
With ghosts, wizards, werewolves, fairies, dark elves, and monsters galore lurking in this book the action never has much time to slow down. Learning of the wizards council and "the 12" mixed in with everyday life is a treat.
There were only 2 points in the book that made this story less than perfect but still remain quite enjoyable. The first point was only a problem for me as an american reader that I didn't understand some of the UK language like "cut a caper" or wearing "jumpers". These phrases were used in a context that was able to be figured out but it took me out of the story briefly to have to figure them out. Again UK readers will have no such qualms.
The second point of contention I had was that the book ended too soon for me. I know all people say that when they enjoy a book but it seemed truer this time around. We spend a long time building up to an epic battle against Sebastian, yet the battle happens "offstage". I would have preferred to see that encounter.
Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and even though the ending didn't go the way I would have liked it was still a very entertaining read. There was several nail biting moments when you didn't know what was going to happen next, and more than one narrow escape at death. The author kept the story light yet engaging and it works very well for it. It could easily have been turned into a much more serious and darker type of story, but I don't think it would have flowed as well.
The author contacted me and gave me a copy of this book to review and I am very glad she did. This book is a lot of fun and I look forward to more from this author. Louisa Klein, you are on my radar now. I will be watching!
January 10, 2013
Supernatural Freak is a fast paced, action adventure novel that all has it all. This is a unique story involving a lot of different kinds of paranormal creatures and the imagination of Louisa Klein is just awesome. The creatures are so strange, but their descriptions so vivid that you can picture them so clearly in your mind.
Robyn (Rob) Wise is a “Supernatural Freak”. She has the ability to see ghosts, werewolves, faeries and witches and she can secretly speak the Faerie’s language (but don’t tell anyone). Strange things start to happen to Rob after she is booked to help heal a werewolf. From that night on, she is attacked non-stop and doesn’t know why. Opening a cereal box, 3 dark genies pop out, not granting wishes, but trying to kill her.
Walking to meet a Detective friend, she is awoken on the footpath by a stranger asking if she’s alright. Apparently she passed out; Rob has been having visions and strange dreams and this is another one in broad daylight. A strange man in a bowler hat keeps appearing in her “dreams” and trying to show her things, puzzling them out, Rob is annoyed that she can’t piece everything together.
Rob receives a mysterious briefcase from a very famous politician; it contains strange items and an even stranger request. His son is in trouble and his hand is turning into a tree. Not sure what is happening, Rob is going to investigate and this all seems to be part of the mysterious attempts on her life.
With the help of her friends, a witch, a wizard, a shapeshifter, a ghost and her Uncle Terry, plus Rob herself, the Supernatural Freak, they start their adventure into the unknown and to find out who is behind the killings, kidnappings and attempts on Rob’s life.
Will this motley group be able to solve the mystery? Save Rob from being killed? Save the little boy from turning into a tree?
This was a fantastic read that has everything, action, adventure, humour, fantasy and paranormal creatures. There is a touch, just a tiny one, of romance, but it’s certainly not the centrepiece. Robyn is such a strong woman heroine and the hilarious way she carry’s on with her friends, is fantastic. The colloquial conversations used are such fun and so enjoyable to read that it is a definite page turner. I am extremely excited about this being a 4 book series and cannot wait for Supernatural Fog to be released.
One of my favourite passages from the book:
“Good Lord darling! How on earth do you manage to get yourself in such embarrassing situations?” Hey says, destroying with a ghostly spell an arrow on its way to sticking in my head.
~ loc 417
Robyn (Rob) Wise is a “Supernatural Freak”. She has the ability to see ghosts, werewolves, faeries and witches and she can secretly speak the Faerie’s language (but don’t tell anyone). Strange things start to happen to Rob after she is booked to help heal a werewolf. From that night on, she is attacked non-stop and doesn’t know why. Opening a cereal box, 3 dark genies pop out, not granting wishes, but trying to kill her.
Walking to meet a Detective friend, she is awoken on the footpath by a stranger asking if she’s alright. Apparently she passed out; Rob has been having visions and strange dreams and this is another one in broad daylight. A strange man in a bowler hat keeps appearing in her “dreams” and trying to show her things, puzzling them out, Rob is annoyed that she can’t piece everything together.
Rob receives a mysterious briefcase from a very famous politician; it contains strange items and an even stranger request. His son is in trouble and his hand is turning into a tree. Not sure what is happening, Rob is going to investigate and this all seems to be part of the mysterious attempts on her life.
With the help of her friends, a witch, a wizard, a shapeshifter, a ghost and her Uncle Terry, plus Rob herself, the Supernatural Freak, they start their adventure into the unknown and to find out who is behind the killings, kidnappings and attempts on Rob’s life.
Will this motley group be able to solve the mystery? Save Rob from being killed? Save the little boy from turning into a tree?
This was a fantastic read that has everything, action, adventure, humour, fantasy and paranormal creatures. There is a touch, just a tiny one, of romance, but it’s certainly not the centrepiece. Robyn is such a strong woman heroine and the hilarious way she carry’s on with her friends, is fantastic. The colloquial conversations used are such fun and so enjoyable to read that it is a definite page turner. I am extremely excited about this being a 4 book series and cannot wait for Supernatural Fog to be released.
One of my favourite passages from the book:
“Good Lord darling! How on earth do you manage to get yourself in such embarrassing situations?” Hey says, destroying with a ghostly spell an arrow on its way to sticking in my head.
~ loc 417
January 28, 2013
I really enjoyed Supernatural Freak. The plot was full of action and magic, but Robyn’s character made the book absolutely spectacular. I loved her immediately for her sense of humor and quirkiness and courage. While Robyn herself is only 1/4 British, she resides in London and the story has a British style to it and I found it absolutely delightful to read. Robyn reminded me of a British Sookie Stackhouse (from the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris) without the vampires. She was set in her ways, quirky, unafraid, and finds herself thrown into a world of a magic, while she herself possesses just a few magical qualities. The writing does a wonderful job of expressing Robyn’s personality well and I couldn’t help but connect with her character in the first few sentences of the book.
The supporting characters were also quite enjoyable. A proper British ghost and Duke, William, a couple of geeks, a drunk uncle, a sly and comical friend James and his adorable sister, Susan were all awesome characters full of so much personality. And of course, the romance-that-isn’t-a-romance between James and Robyn was entertaining, too. If Robyn is similar to the quirky Sookie Stackhouse, the banter between all the of the friends reminded me of the banter between the characters in the show Being Human (the U.S. version as I’ve not yet seen the U.K one). It was obvious that all of the characters had their own lives and issues and maybe even secrets, but they were all strongly connected friends who loved each other and made fun of each other. I can't wait to read more adventures involving the same cast of characters in the next books. I also felt like they are the kind that would translate well into a TV series of some sort.
The plot had a lot of paranormal aspects to it. Werewolves, faeries, witches, elves, ghosts, flying creatures, and more made an appearance in the book, all wrapped up in a unique conflict that required Robyn’s assistance. I honestly haven’t read a book quite so entertaining and action packed at the same time in awhile. I truly enjoyed the British humor and I laughed out loud multiple times. It was serious and thrilling, but also funny, which I find to be true of many British comedies.
I definitely recommend this book. It was a fun and interesting story and the humor added a refreshing element to the paranormal plot. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!
The supporting characters were also quite enjoyable. A proper British ghost and Duke, William, a couple of geeks, a drunk uncle, a sly and comical friend James and his adorable sister, Susan were all awesome characters full of so much personality. And of course, the romance-that-isn’t-a-romance between James and Robyn was entertaining, too. If Robyn is similar to the quirky Sookie Stackhouse, the banter between all the of the friends reminded me of the banter between the characters in the show Being Human (the U.S. version as I’ve not yet seen the U.K one). It was obvious that all of the characters had their own lives and issues and maybe even secrets, but they were all strongly connected friends who loved each other and made fun of each other. I can't wait to read more adventures involving the same cast of characters in the next books. I also felt like they are the kind that would translate well into a TV series of some sort.
The plot had a lot of paranormal aspects to it. Werewolves, faeries, witches, elves, ghosts, flying creatures, and more made an appearance in the book, all wrapped up in a unique conflict that required Robyn’s assistance. I honestly haven’t read a book quite so entertaining and action packed at the same time in awhile. I truly enjoyed the British humor and I laughed out loud multiple times. It was serious and thrilling, but also funny, which I find to be true of many British comedies.
I definitely recommend this book. It was a fun and interesting story and the humor added a refreshing element to the paranormal plot. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!
January 19, 2013
Whew! There is a lot going on in Supernatural Freak. If you like paranormal adventure mysteries, you are in the right place. Supernatural Freak drops you right in the middle of action and the main character has to fend off a werewolf attack within the first 5% of the book, and it doesn't stop afterwards. That is action packed!
Robyn seemed like she was getting attacked left and right throughout the story. She is a tough cookie though, that's for sure. She would not give up. I admired that about her. I also loved her sense of humor. It was perfect to break of up some of the more action packed scenes. Along with Robyn we meet her eclectic group of friends. I really liked them too, especially William.
My favorite thing about Supernatural Freak was the variety of paranormal/supernatural creatures. It kind of reminded me of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White in that regard. I love it when a book is not a pure vampire or witch book. If the world can incorporate a bunch of different creatures and have them make sense in the story, that is a lot better in my opinion. And Louisa Klein did a great job of not only including a bunch of different creatures, but also giving them all their own little role or place in the world. Those details really added to the story.
The writing style was a little off for me at times. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first person. It was kind of jarring for me and I found myself getting confused early on in the story. Once the mysterious "tree handed kid" came into the story, I found myself getting more interested and the first person didn't throw me off as much. And now this is a small point but I caught myself thinking it a bunch of times while reading. There are a lot of really long paragraphs(some multiple pages long) that I would have liked to seen broken up a bit more. It was kind of hard on my eyes to read one huge block of works on the page.
I think Supernatural Freak would appeal to both guys and girl readers because the romance is not a big element in this story at all. There is a little bit of romance but this is a paranormal book, not a paranormal romance.
Robyn seemed like she was getting attacked left and right throughout the story. She is a tough cookie though, that's for sure. She would not give up. I admired that about her. I also loved her sense of humor. It was perfect to break of up some of the more action packed scenes. Along with Robyn we meet her eclectic group of friends. I really liked them too, especially William.
My favorite thing about Supernatural Freak was the variety of paranormal/supernatural creatures. It kind of reminded me of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White in that regard. I love it when a book is not a pure vampire or witch book. If the world can incorporate a bunch of different creatures and have them make sense in the story, that is a lot better in my opinion. And Louisa Klein did a great job of not only including a bunch of different creatures, but also giving them all their own little role or place in the world. Those details really added to the story.
The writing style was a little off for me at times. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first person. It was kind of jarring for me and I found myself getting confused early on in the story. Once the mysterious "tree handed kid" came into the story, I found myself getting more interested and the first person didn't throw me off as much. And now this is a small point but I caught myself thinking it a bunch of times while reading. There are a lot of really long paragraphs(some multiple pages long) that I would have liked to seen broken up a bit more. It was kind of hard on my eyes to read one huge block of works on the page.
I think Supernatural Freak would appeal to both guys and girl readers because the romance is not a big element in this story at all. There is a little bit of romance but this is a paranormal book, not a paranormal romance.
July 18, 2013
I forced myself to read this book, and really have no desire to read the sequel. This book was full of grammar, continuity and spelling errors. And I was disappointed in the "Supernatural Freak" herself, she just seemed to have really powerful friends -- she didn't really do anything for herself other than run and hide until the end, and then it was a lot of luck and a magic sword. Magic seems to solve any and all problems in this world - whenever they need to be solved. And there are SO MANY characters I got lost -- especially when their names were changed on a regular basis.
May 10, 2016
Non-stop action with a variety of supernatural creatures with a strong lead character.
{I received an eARC when I signed up to host the tour}.
{I received an eARC when I signed up to host the tour}.
December 12, 2012
They say never judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. Having said that, the cover of Supernatural Freak, depicting a beautiful blue tinted face set off by black birds and a black background, is well done and, consequently, matches the quality of the content.
I received the book on my Kindle. I don't know who the cover artist is, but kudos to him or her.
Robyn Wise, our young British protagonist, is an exciting paranormal expert. She's funny and energetic, and she's someone I'd love to meet.
The book is told in first person, and therefore, Robyn is talking to us. Not every author handles first person well, which is why I prefer books written in the third person. However, Supernatural Freak was an exception to that given the skill author Louisa Klein displays in telling the story.
"I'm so tired I barely have the strength to turn my key in the lock. I carefully step in, doing my best to keep the noise to a minimum to avoid waking Martino so he won't make a fuss and . . . "Oh, boy! Yes, yes, I'm home, yes, good dog, good dog . . ." I haven't even stepped inside before that ball of scruffy, but at the same time fluffy, vanilla colored hair is jumping on me, licking my face with a very long and extremely pink tongue."
I love that part.
There's plenty of dialogue in the book, as well, which is another skill Klein has perfected. Proper use of dialogue helps to move a book along, and it got me wanting to keep turning the pages, or flicking the screen on my Kindle, to dive more into the plot.
My only complaint with the book is the large blocks of text, which may have more to do with the formatting than anything else.
This book is book one of a series. Although you can say this is more of a young-adult book, I never felt like I was reading something meant for people younger than me. Grown women, and men, would enjoy this book too. Read Supernatural Freak and then be on the look-out for book two.
I received the book on my Kindle. I don't know who the cover artist is, but kudos to him or her.
Robyn Wise, our young British protagonist, is an exciting paranormal expert. She's funny and energetic, and she's someone I'd love to meet.
The book is told in first person, and therefore, Robyn is talking to us. Not every author handles first person well, which is why I prefer books written in the third person. However, Supernatural Freak was an exception to that given the skill author Louisa Klein displays in telling the story.
"I'm so tired I barely have the strength to turn my key in the lock. I carefully step in, doing my best to keep the noise to a minimum to avoid waking Martino so he won't make a fuss and . . . "Oh, boy! Yes, yes, I'm home, yes, good dog, good dog . . ." I haven't even stepped inside before that ball of scruffy, but at the same time fluffy, vanilla colored hair is jumping on me, licking my face with a very long and extremely pink tongue."
I love that part.
There's plenty of dialogue in the book, as well, which is another skill Klein has perfected. Proper use of dialogue helps to move a book along, and it got me wanting to keep turning the pages, or flicking the screen on my Kindle, to dive more into the plot.
My only complaint with the book is the large blocks of text, which may have more to do with the formatting than anything else.
This book is book one of a series. Although you can say this is more of a young-adult book, I never felt like I was reading something meant for people younger than me. Grown women, and men, would enjoy this book too. Read Supernatural Freak and then be on the look-out for book two.
January 13, 2013
Robyn Wise, a paranormal expert, finds herself in danger various times. Being left alone with a werewolf on a full moon? Pshh not a big deal as far as she's concerned. But even Robyn begins to feel worried when dark genies appear in her home and try to kill her. Robyn soon learns that these events are no accident. Someone wants her dead, or worse. With the help of her friends and family, can Robyn figure out who wants to kill her and why before it's too late?
Supernatural Freak is a book that's completely different. With a strong lead character, and an interesting and unique topic, Supernatural Freak is a great read for young adults who love fantasy and adventure! One of the things I loved about this book is the main character. Robyn, though only twenty-five, has been in numerous sticky situations in her life, yet still lives to tell the tale. This in fact is what I found so interesting..... Robyn has tons of history; how she became a "supernatural freak," how she met her friends, her past experiences. And the best part? Louisa Klein gives you full insight into all of these details that just make this book better. Aside from that, Robyn is also quick-witted, and has a great sense of humor. Though sarcastic she can sometimes be optimistic as well.
Another thing I liked about this book was the topic. Louisa Klein incorporates all elements of the supernatural in her book. Elves, Faeries, Wizards, Witches, Ghosts, Werewolves, Shamans and many more supernatural beings all have a place in this novel. However, because there are so many supernatural elements in Supernatural Freak, and some new elements Louisa Klein created, it can be a bit confusing at times. That said, you won't regret reading Supernatural Freak!
Supernatural Freak is a book that's completely different. With a strong lead character, and an interesting and unique topic, Supernatural Freak is a great read for young adults who love fantasy and adventure! One of the things I loved about this book is the main character. Robyn, though only twenty-five, has been in numerous sticky situations in her life, yet still lives to tell the tale. This in fact is what I found so interesting..... Robyn has tons of history; how she became a "supernatural freak," how she met her friends, her past experiences. And the best part? Louisa Klein gives you full insight into all of these details that just make this book better. Aside from that, Robyn is also quick-witted, and has a great sense of humor. Though sarcastic she can sometimes be optimistic as well.
Another thing I liked about this book was the topic. Louisa Klein incorporates all elements of the supernatural in her book. Elves, Faeries, Wizards, Witches, Ghosts, Werewolves, Shamans and many more supernatural beings all have a place in this novel. However, because there are so many supernatural elements in Supernatural Freak, and some new elements Louisa Klein created, it can be a bit confusing at times. That said, you won't regret reading Supernatural Freak!
March 22, 2013
really it's a 3.5 star review, but as you all know, we can't do half stars on here (for shame!). Robyn, the protagonist, interacts regularly with the paranormal world - it's her job. We meet her outrunning a werewolf client after her invited shaman doesn't show up. But the paranormal isn't just Rob's job, she also lives with a ghost whom she's known since she was five. For some reason we're told and often reminded of Robyn's ancestry, though it doesn't ever much come into play.
The beginning has enough happen to keep you turning the pages, but seems to be stuck when coming to getting through those downtimes. Then, during a scene of exposition, if you've been paying attention you'll have figured the connection and just have to wait for the characters to catch up. In a great action scene, everything begins to come together for the characters and the story - about 70% of the reading I had a hard time remaining engaged, but after that point, it is just go.go.go.go. That works for most of it, but there did seem to be some unanswered or resolved issues that were dumped into the lake, not simply swept under the rug.
With all of the many things going on in SF, I was pleased/surprised/excited/impressed that the author tied up all the threads and strings of the stories and each character..... and it all came together. without there being a *wink wink* at you that these characters could - probably should and will - be found in a sequel.
random note ;;; this has been added to my list of books where the main character (especially those of the feminine persuasion) are as complex and kick ass completely, and won't hesitate to put yours down
The beginning has enough happen to keep you turning the pages, but seems to be stuck when coming to getting through those downtimes. Then, during a scene of exposition, if you've been paying attention you'll have figured the connection and just have to wait for the characters to catch up. In a great action scene, everything begins to come together for the characters and the story - about 70% of the reading I had a hard time remaining engaged, but after that point, it is just go.go.go.go. That works for most of it, but there did seem to be some unanswered or resolved issues that were dumped into the lake, not simply swept under the rug.
With all of the many things going on in SF, I was pleased/surprised/excited/impressed that the author tied up all the threads and strings of the stories and each character..... and it all came together. without there being a *wink wink* at you that these characters could - probably should and will - be found in a sequel.
random note ;;; this has been added to my list of books where the main character (especially those of the feminine persuasion) are as complex and kick ass completely, and won't hesitate to put yours down
March 5, 2013
Fabulous! This story grabbed me from page one and didn’t let me go. The main character Robyn was a perfect combination of strength , wit and intelligence. It was refreshing to have a female heroine who didn’t go around making the same stupid mistakes over and over. The secondary characters were brilliantly fleshed out. I felt like they were old friends by the end of the book. This is very important and something that’s been missing in some books I have read lately. If we are to care About the fate of the characters at the end of an adventure then we need to know them and love them . I loved every one of the sidekicks in this book!
The world was different and exciting , and very unique. There was A LOT going on and I loved it. This was a very plot driven story, with no “filler” added. The pacing and flow were perfect . I also loved the humor in this book. I laughed out loud several times. There were some of the best ever one liners in this story. However at no point did the humor interfere with the storyline or make it “silly” . This is a highly HIGHLY recommend from me. If you want to be thoroughly entertained and intrigued pick up this little jewel. I cant wait to read more from this talented author.
The world was different and exciting , and very unique. There was A LOT going on and I loved it. This was a very plot driven story, with no “filler” added. The pacing and flow were perfect . I also loved the humor in this book. I laughed out loud several times. There were some of the best ever one liners in this story. However at no point did the humor interfere with the storyline or make it “silly” . This is a highly HIGHLY recommend from me. If you want to be thoroughly entertained and intrigued pick up this little jewel. I cant wait to read more from this talented author.
February 26, 2013
The title of this book is very fitting. That is exactly what it is about, a supernatural freak. The main character is Robyn. She has abilities that no human has, and abilities that many people that do have supernatural abilities don’t have, and that makes her a target.
Many strange things happen around her that she has no explanation for, so she enlists the help of her wizard and witch friends, and also the ghost that conveniently lives in her attic.
This book is packed with action, but is also packed with tons of humor and wit!
I find books a lot more enjoyable to read when there are good characters. That was the case with this one. I enjoyed all of the characters. They all had their own unique personalities, and they meshed well together to make this book exciting to read. You never knew what was going to come out of their mouths next.
Also, I wish I had an awesome ghost that lived in my attic.
5/5 This was thoroughly enjoyable. It was hilarious, it was suspenseful, and it was full of action! AND the characters were awesome!
Many strange things happen around her that she has no explanation for, so she enlists the help of her wizard and witch friends, and also the ghost that conveniently lives in her attic.
This book is packed with action, but is also packed with tons of humor and wit!
I find books a lot more enjoyable to read when there are good characters. That was the case with this one. I enjoyed all of the characters. They all had their own unique personalities, and they meshed well together to make this book exciting to read. You never knew what was going to come out of their mouths next.
Also, I wish I had an awesome ghost that lived in my attic.
5/5 This was thoroughly enjoyable. It was hilarious, it was suspenseful, and it was full of action! AND the characters were awesome!
December 28, 2016
This book had me guessing from the title that it would be something that I would not be altogether happy to read as I do not like the term "freak" as it is usually used regarding people but here it is not at all what I expected. The book and it's well developed characters as well as the very well developed plot made my day. I was so happy to have discovered this book that I am looking forward to the rest f the series.
on-hold
December 30, 2014OKAY, WHOA, THAT SUMMARY. THIS BOOK SOUNDS AMAZING.
October 9, 2024
Robyn Wise spends her free time trying to cure werewolves and fighting evil genies, as a paranormal expert nothing is too bizarre for her. With a ghost as a roommate and two wizards as her best friends, Robyn seems to always need backup when she’s putting her life on the line. When she gets the call to help a politician’s son from turning into a tree she knows she must accept the assignment and enter into a darker world of magic, then even she’s prepared for. Wizard Councils and Evil Soul Eating Abominations are about to be just a few of her worries.
This book had so much potential and I was excited to read it, but I felt let down. It took me longer than I would like to read this shorter book, the book dragged on and I would put it down either out of frustration, boredom, or just the feeling of being lost and confused at what was happening. Even after finishing it, I couldn’t tell you who all the players were or what they did outside the few main characters. Robyn Wise didn’t know if she was 25 or 15, the way she acted or spoke. When she’s chased by a werewolf it’s as if we are inside the head of a gum chewing, hair twirling valley girl, and I wanted to stop reading right then, but I forced myself to keep going. The plot and story line were there, but the delivery just fell short. To say the least, I was disappointed.
*I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for honest review*
*Book does contain explicit language*
This book had so much potential and I was excited to read it, but I felt let down. It took me longer than I would like to read this shorter book, the book dragged on and I would put it down either out of frustration, boredom, or just the feeling of being lost and confused at what was happening. Even after finishing it, I couldn’t tell you who all the players were or what they did outside the few main characters. Robyn Wise didn’t know if she was 25 or 15, the way she acted or spoke. When she’s chased by a werewolf it’s as if we are inside the head of a gum chewing, hair twirling valley girl, and I wanted to stop reading right then, but I forced myself to keep going. The plot and story line were there, but the delivery just fell short. To say the least, I was disappointed.
*I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for honest review*
*Book does contain explicit language*
August 29, 2018
I've read several reviews which explain the unfortunate mistakes in this book in great detail. I won't add to their litany as it seems that most everything that bothered me has already been addressed.
The story was told in a so-so manner and the editing was awful. I believe the author will profit from taking to heart the criticism in these very explicit reviews. I applaud the fact that she is putting her work out there and feel that she can/will improve as her writing matures.
The story was told in a so-so manner and the editing was awful. I believe the author will profit from taking to heart the criticism in these very explicit reviews. I applaud the fact that she is putting her work out there and feel that she can/will improve as her writing matures.
June 13, 2013
I’m not quite sure where to begin with this review; I had such mixed reactions to the book. So, I’m going to begin by saying that, despite the issues I had with it, I really enjoyed reading it and laughed out loud at several points. The story was packed full of supernatural stuff, a little crazy, and a lot of fun.
The book is written in the voice of the main character, Robyn, who has a sarcastic and wry sense of humour, and who never seems to view the world or the dangerous situations she is in entirely seriously. This gives the book a lovely light-hearted feel, perhaps something akin to Buffy or Charmed, and there always seems to be a faintly teasing undertone, as if the author knows the story (and the whole genre) is a bit silly, and is going with it enthusiastically. There were points where the humour even seemed to take on a slightly camp or bizarre quality, and sections where I wasn’t entirely sure if I was supposed to be taking the characters/situation seriously or not. For instance, there is a wizard named Gock Wang. At first I thought this was Robyn’s nickname for him, but no, it does actually seem to be his real name. Strange... but kinda works. It’s that sort of book.
The characters themselves are mainly well written and interesting. I have a soft spot for supernatural fiction in which the heroine has a gang of helpers (again, that Buffy/Charmed feeling). I loved the idea of the stuffy but sweet ghost in Robyn’s attic, the geeks, the fun-loving uncle, and the magical friends. I also liked the brief glimpse of Robyn’s parents. One character, who looks set to become a love interest, was a little more irritating at points, and I found that some of Robyn’s uncle’s jokes fell very flat (but maybe they were supposed to!). Robyn herself is an oddball. She’s so flippant about the supernatural aspects of her life, but didn’t seem too impressed with the idea of saving the world. She seems a little wrapped up in her own world, and her little quirks (her collection of action figures based on a beloved cartoon, for instance) were wonderful. She does seem to stereotype people very easily, however, which became annoying. Overall, I thought all the different personality types of Robyn and her friends made a nice, fun mix.
Unfortunately, the characters’ speech was often jarring. Many of them sounded exactly like each other, or used colloquialisms that seemed out of place. Everyone called each other ‘mate’, from the modern characters to the wizards who have been alive for centuries, and even a faerie! At other points, slightly weird words and phrases called attention to themselves. ‘Cut a caper’ and ‘British aplomb’ are two that popped up a lot, and were very noticeable every time they did. I liked that the main character had such a mixed European background, and that she could speak several languages, but her obsession with ‘typical’ traits of each was a little weird. This was especially the case with British people, and so we are reminded constantly that the British should be unflappable and in control at all times.
The story itself was fun and incredibly fast-paced, which meant that the book was a very quick read. At points it did become almost a little jumbled, with perhaps just a bit too much going on. Having said that, the author does handle it well, and though it’s a bit of a whirlwind, she never lets it get out of control. Some bits felt a little unresolved – the abomination and the exact fate of the dark elf, for one – and everything was rounded off very suddenly at the end. However, this could have been to leave things open for a sequel, which I very much hope there will be! I would like to read more about these characters and their adventures.
The book has some issues, mainly with some out-of-place words and phrases and slightly awkward dialogue. There were also some bits that bemused me a little. But the story and characters are so much fun, and the quirky, wry, and sometimes bizarre humour really lifts the book. I enjoyed reading it. I think this has promise, and could become a great series. I’m definitely intrigued to read more!
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review also appears on my blog.
September 14, 2013
I’m really grateful to the author for providing me a copy of her book to read.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect anything when I started it and this was a good strategy. When it comes to paranormal or dystopia I really seem to enjoy the action packed books, with less romance, more than the others. This book was exactly what I like.
I loved the setting – London! I’ve said before that I’m tired of US settings in this genre. How come all the paranormal activity is always there, eh? I’m really happy when I find a story that takes place in other countries. For some of you though, the book might be a little bit too British, but I personally love Britishness, so it was a nice touch.
The book reminded me of the Charley Davidson series (if you liked them, you might give this one a try) – a strong, funny and witty female character, with supernatural abilities. You are in for the laugh with her, I promise.
I usually prefer books written in 3rd person narrative; the main reason is that I’m not a huge fan of reading all the random stuff the main character thinks – like long descriptions of her meals, or her favourite room, clothing, etc. I feel like the book is losing a little bit of the pace, but may be we’d lose Robyn’s sarcastic and funny thoughts the other way.
I’m really happy the story didn’t have a strong romance element, because I’m really sick of reading all these teenage romance drama with love triangles and scrambled feelings. So if you, like me, are not a big fan of strong romance, this book is suitable for you.
One thing I didn’t enjoy is that sometimes the book got too descriptive for my taste, mainly because of the character’s random thoughts – what she eats, how she’s dressed, setting of her house etc. Descriptions are not a bad thing, this is a way to get to know the character, to feel the atmosphere, but I felt like they were intentionally placed (or shall I say misplaced) just before we were going to learn something interesting and that’s why I found them annoying. I mean Robyn gets a mysterious interesting envelope and I get to read about her favourite cereal and figures collection? Thanks, but no, thanks. I don’t enjoy it when some authors do things like this: “As she was leaving, she stretched her hand, grabbed the cold handle, opened the door and got out.” The readers are not stupid; they know what happens when you leave a room, when you eat etc. I really thought that some parts could be cut out for pacing, whereas I found the final scene, with the crucial battle to be wrapped up a bit too quickly.
The book has a great deal of paranormal personages: werewolves, shamans , faeries, elves, wizards, which is good, because in my opinion a real paranormal world would have them all, not just werewolves or faeries, for instance. It was definitely a quite imaginative story, filled with magic.
The supportive characters were also fun, I loved Susan and James. Here is where, I think the first person loses it to the third person narrative, because I always have the feeling that the other characters are left quite underdeveloped.
Overall I enjoyed reading this paranormal story and though it might not be the best I’ve read, I believe the author has potential for developing her paranormal world in the future.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect anything when I started it and this was a good strategy. When it comes to paranormal or dystopia I really seem to enjoy the action packed books, with less romance, more than the others. This book was exactly what I like.
I loved the setting – London! I’ve said before that I’m tired of US settings in this genre. How come all the paranormal activity is always there, eh? I’m really happy when I find a story that takes place in other countries. For some of you though, the book might be a little bit too British, but I personally love Britishness, so it was a nice touch.
The book reminded me of the Charley Davidson series (if you liked them, you might give this one a try) – a strong, funny and witty female character, with supernatural abilities. You are in for the laugh with her, I promise.
I usually prefer books written in 3rd person narrative; the main reason is that I’m not a huge fan of reading all the random stuff the main character thinks – like long descriptions of her meals, or her favourite room, clothing, etc. I feel like the book is losing a little bit of the pace, but may be we’d lose Robyn’s sarcastic and funny thoughts the other way.
I’m really happy the story didn’t have a strong romance element, because I’m really sick of reading all these teenage romance drama with love triangles and scrambled feelings. So if you, like me, are not a big fan of strong romance, this book is suitable for you.
One thing I didn’t enjoy is that sometimes the book got too descriptive for my taste, mainly because of the character’s random thoughts – what she eats, how she’s dressed, setting of her house etc. Descriptions are not a bad thing, this is a way to get to know the character, to feel the atmosphere, but I felt like they were intentionally placed (or shall I say misplaced) just before we were going to learn something interesting and that’s why I found them annoying. I mean Robyn gets a mysterious interesting envelope and I get to read about her favourite cereal and figures collection? Thanks, but no, thanks. I don’t enjoy it when some authors do things like this: “As she was leaving, she stretched her hand, grabbed the cold handle, opened the door and got out.” The readers are not stupid; they know what happens when you leave a room, when you eat etc. I really thought that some parts could be cut out for pacing, whereas I found the final scene, with the crucial battle to be wrapped up a bit too quickly.
The book has a great deal of paranormal personages: werewolves, shamans , faeries, elves, wizards, which is good, because in my opinion a real paranormal world would have them all, not just werewolves or faeries, for instance. It was definitely a quite imaginative story, filled with magic.
The supportive characters were also fun, I loved Susan and James. Here is where, I think the first person loses it to the third person narrative, because I always have the feeling that the other characters are left quite underdeveloped.
Overall I enjoyed reading this paranormal story and though it might not be the best I’ve read, I believe the author has potential for developing her paranormal world in the future.
March 14, 2013
*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Supernatural Freak from author Louisa Klein in exchange for an honest review. We thank Louisa for the book!
As a child, Robyn Wise has been called weird by her peers and wherever she goes, she stumbles upon some paranormal activity or the other. She calls herself a Supernatural Freak. Robyn can see ghosts, goblins, elves, werewolves, vampires and all kinds of paranormal creatures. She uses this ability for the better. When she gets a call to help figure out the mysterious disappearance of a politician's child, Robyn has no idea what lies ahead of her. It's only then that she discovers who she really is.
As a protagonist, Robyn was cool and totally kick ass. She seemed like a strong and independent woman and I liked how she handled all the mess that came tumbling down on her. She was fierce and bold and yet there were those rare moments when we got to see a fun and light side of her. She did have a terrific sense of humour.
For a paranormal book with a creepy and scary cover, the jokes in Supernatural Freak were quite risible.
The secondary characters in the story were well defined. The ghost Sir. William and Robyn's uncle Uncle Terry were both really good gentlemen. Robyn's friend Susan was lovely, her older brother Stephen was alright but her younger brother James was just too good. Robyn's housemates Al and Guido were simply cool whenever they made an appearance.
I struggled through the first 40% of Supernatural Freak. It took me weeks to finish off just that much. For some reason, I just didn't feel like moving ahead with it. But once I actually got into it and the plot started thickening, it was only a matter of a few hours within which I basked the remaining 60% of the book.
I enjoyed reading about the London Wizard Council, magic, elves and the Dark Six. It was really cool with so many magical creatures and so much of magic.
Author Louisa Klein's writing is quite good. I did notice a few editorial mistakes, but other than that, it was neat and understandable. Although Robyn's POV was a little confusing, I quite enjoyed reading about her personal experiences and incidents. Supernatural Freak was a good read that fans of paranormal thrillers will definitely find interesting.
As a child, Robyn Wise has been called weird by her peers and wherever she goes, she stumbles upon some paranormal activity or the other. She calls herself a Supernatural Freak. Robyn can see ghosts, goblins, elves, werewolves, vampires and all kinds of paranormal creatures. She uses this ability for the better. When she gets a call to help figure out the mysterious disappearance of a politician's child, Robyn has no idea what lies ahead of her. It's only then that she discovers who she really is.
As a protagonist, Robyn was cool and totally kick ass. She seemed like a strong and independent woman and I liked how she handled all the mess that came tumbling down on her. She was fierce and bold and yet there were those rare moments when we got to see a fun and light side of her. She did have a terrific sense of humour.
For a paranormal book with a creepy and scary cover, the jokes in Supernatural Freak were quite risible.
The secondary characters in the story were well defined. The ghost Sir. William and Robyn's uncle Uncle Terry were both really good gentlemen. Robyn's friend Susan was lovely, her older brother Stephen was alright but her younger brother James was just too good. Robyn's housemates Al and Guido were simply cool whenever they made an appearance.
I struggled through the first 40% of Supernatural Freak. It took me weeks to finish off just that much. For some reason, I just didn't feel like moving ahead with it. But once I actually got into it and the plot started thickening, it was only a matter of a few hours within which I basked the remaining 60% of the book.
I enjoyed reading about the London Wizard Council, magic, elves and the Dark Six. It was really cool with so many magical creatures and so much of magic.
Author Louisa Klein's writing is quite good. I did notice a few editorial mistakes, but other than that, it was neat and understandable. Although Robyn's POV was a little confusing, I quite enjoyed reading about her personal experiences and incidents. Supernatural Freak was a good read that fans of paranormal thrillers will definitely find interesting.
December 6, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to the author
Con questo libro è stato amore fin dalla prima pagina! Per carità, non è un capolavoro, non è un libro perfetto e ci sono diverse cose che secondo me potevano essere gestite un pochino meglio, ma mi sono innamorata fin da subito dello stile dell'autrice e della voce della sua protagonista: Robyn è un'esperta del paranormale, pur essendo umana ha delle competenze e delle risorse che vanno ben al di là delle qualità di un umano normale, e ha una spiccata autoironia.
Probabilmente il fatto è che io non so resistere a della buona e sana autoironia, ma tra me e Robyn la scintilla è scoccata subito.
E poi è un'eroina che mi è davvero piaciuta molto: determinata, piena di risorse, non è una lagna ed è sempre pronta a mettersi in gioco. Diciamo che ha tutte le carte in regola per essere una buona eroina di urban fantasy.
"How could I have been so stupid? I mean, I know that being an idiot is a sort of inalienable right, but one should never overuse it!"
E i personaggi che la circodano sono fantastici! Primo fra tutti William, il fantasma che ora abita con lei. Credo che si possa meritare il titolo di personaggio preferito. Adoro il suo aplomb molto british, mi ha strappato ben più di un sorriso. E poi ci sono lo zio, i due fratelli maghi, i due nerd che condividono l'appartamento con Robyn, Martino (ha un cane che si chiama Martino! Non so nemmeno io il perché, ma è una cosa che mi è piaciuta moltissimo) e altre comparse che non hanno certo un ruolo marginale nella storia.
Forse uno dei problemi del libro è proprio che ci sono tanti personaggi, quasi troppi. Ad esempio i due nerd. Mi sono piaciuti molto come personaggi e l'idea mi faceva impazzire, ma tendenzialmente sono inutili ai fini della storia. Certo, svolgono anche loro un ruolo, hanno dei compiti e aiutano a dare spessore ai protagonisti princiapali, ma forse erano evitabili. Però la mia non è una grossa lamentela, perché comunque mi sono piaciuti e la lettura me la sono davvero goduta molto.
E poi ad un certo punto sbuca fuori un goblin che si chiama Gogol! Sarà che il grande scrittore russo mi ha sempre ricordato un po' queste creaturine, ma la cosa mi ha divertito tantissimo:
"No, mighty wizard!" the goblin is now protesting. "Gogol is just a humble goblin. Gogol knows nothing"
E' una scena molto breve, ma mi è piaciuta. E Gogol, per quanto diversissimo, mi ha ricordato Dobby.
E anche la storia non mi è dispiaciuta per niente. Forse succedono un po' troppe cose, sarebbe stato meglio se accadesse qualcosina di meno e gli eventi si fossero sviluppati meglio, certi tratti mi sono sembrati un pochino affrettati. Ma tutto sommato è stata una piacevole lettura, che mi sono goduta dall'inizio alla fine.
E' un libro divertente, che riesce a catturare l'attenzione e a intrattenere. Sono curiosa di leggere le prossime avventure di Robyn e i suoi amici!
Con questo libro è stato amore fin dalla prima pagina! Per carità, non è un capolavoro, non è un libro perfetto e ci sono diverse cose che secondo me potevano essere gestite un pochino meglio, ma mi sono innamorata fin da subito dello stile dell'autrice e della voce della sua protagonista: Robyn è un'esperta del paranormale, pur essendo umana ha delle competenze e delle risorse che vanno ben al di là delle qualità di un umano normale, e ha una spiccata autoironia.
Probabilmente il fatto è che io non so resistere a della buona e sana autoironia, ma tra me e Robyn la scintilla è scoccata subito.
E poi è un'eroina che mi è davvero piaciuta molto: determinata, piena di risorse, non è una lagna ed è sempre pronta a mettersi in gioco. Diciamo che ha tutte le carte in regola per essere una buona eroina di urban fantasy.
"How could I have been so stupid? I mean, I know that being an idiot is a sort of inalienable right, but one should never overuse it!"
E i personaggi che la circodano sono fantastici! Primo fra tutti William, il fantasma che ora abita con lei. Credo che si possa meritare il titolo di personaggio preferito. Adoro il suo aplomb molto british, mi ha strappato ben più di un sorriso. E poi ci sono lo zio, i due fratelli maghi, i due nerd che condividono l'appartamento con Robyn, Martino (ha un cane che si chiama Martino! Non so nemmeno io il perché, ma è una cosa che mi è piaciuta moltissimo) e altre comparse che non hanno certo un ruolo marginale nella storia.
Forse uno dei problemi del libro è proprio che ci sono tanti personaggi, quasi troppi. Ad esempio i due nerd. Mi sono piaciuti molto come personaggi e l'idea mi faceva impazzire, ma tendenzialmente sono inutili ai fini della storia. Certo, svolgono anche loro un ruolo, hanno dei compiti e aiutano a dare spessore ai protagonisti princiapali, ma forse erano evitabili. Però la mia non è una grossa lamentela, perché comunque mi sono piaciuti e la lettura me la sono davvero goduta molto.
E poi ad un certo punto sbuca fuori un goblin che si chiama Gogol! Sarà che il grande scrittore russo mi ha sempre ricordato un po' queste creaturine, ma la cosa mi ha divertito tantissimo:
"No, mighty wizard!" the goblin is now protesting. "Gogol is just a humble goblin. Gogol knows nothing"
E' una scena molto breve, ma mi è piaciuta. E Gogol, per quanto diversissimo, mi ha ricordato Dobby.
E anche la storia non mi è dispiaciuta per niente. Forse succedono un po' troppe cose, sarebbe stato meglio se accadesse qualcosina di meno e gli eventi si fossero sviluppati meglio, certi tratti mi sono sembrati un pochino affrettati. Ma tutto sommato è stata una piacevole lettura, che mi sono goduta dall'inizio alla fine.
E' un libro divertente, che riesce a catturare l'attenzione e a intrattenere. Sono curiosa di leggere le prossime avventure di Robyn e i suoi amici!
March 9, 2013
Originally Written for Review Buzzz
I received a free copy of the book as part of the All Review event in March organized by Lost in Fiction group.
Supernatural Freak is paranormal fantasy revolving around a 25 year old Robyn Wise. She is a paranormal consultant and has powers that she wasn’t supposed to have. As she best describes herself
“I was born a supernatural freak. My whole life I've been running away from and fighting against paranormal creatures and monsters. For me there were no sleepovers, no parties, I was always the weird kid, the one who actually knew for sure that there were monsters in her wardrobe.”
The story starts with Robyn helping a certain Mr Wilson, to cure him of his condition (read being a werewolf!) which goes horribly wrong and she soon finds herself running for her life and toppling over a certain Chinese man with his heart ripped from his chest.
That’s right! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a book that starts with a bang! Well, that’s just the beginning. Robyn soon finds herself in all kinds of mess what with dark genies trying to end her life and being in the centre of a battle to stop dark creatures from freeing the evil incarnate through a human portal. What I really loved about her was her crackling humour. She could joke in the direst of situations.
This book also has tons of other characters too. We have a whole team of unique personalities aiding Robyn in her save-the-world-and-definitely-save-yourself journey. A prim-and-proper ghost of British Duke, Sir William who lends a lot of magical support; a former stage actor who now treads only the boards of pubs and homes of easy women, Robyn’s Uncle Terry who lends a hand when the time comes. A couple of geeks, a sly and comical wizard friend James and his adorable witch sister, Susan; one of James's best friends, Gock, who comes from another dimension and even a dream guide wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella were all awesome characters full of so much personality.
We also have a subtle and very chaste romance budding between James and Robyn but it doesn’t really take away the thunder from the entire paranormal goings happening in the city of London. It’s a book that can be read by both girls and boys alike. It’s not a paranormal romance, not even by a long shot. It’s a through and through paranormal action thriller laced with lots of wit and humour.
Supernatural Freak is a real page turner, extremely well written. I completely delved in the story-line from the very beginning! The fact that the action is so fast paced really kept the interest intact. All in all it’s an interesting story. A definitely recommend it for everyone.
I received a free copy of the book as part of the All Review event in March organized by Lost in Fiction group.
Supernatural Freak is paranormal fantasy revolving around a 25 year old Robyn Wise. She is a paranormal consultant and has powers that she wasn’t supposed to have. As she best describes herself
“I was born a supernatural freak. My whole life I've been running away from and fighting against paranormal creatures and monsters. For me there were no sleepovers, no parties, I was always the weird kid, the one who actually knew for sure that there were monsters in her wardrobe.”
The story starts with Robyn helping a certain Mr Wilson, to cure him of his condition (read being a werewolf!) which goes horribly wrong and she soon finds herself running for her life and toppling over a certain Chinese man with his heart ripped from his chest.
That’s right! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a book that starts with a bang! Well, that’s just the beginning. Robyn soon finds herself in all kinds of mess what with dark genies trying to end her life and being in the centre of a battle to stop dark creatures from freeing the evil incarnate through a human portal. What I really loved about her was her crackling humour. She could joke in the direst of situations.
This book also has tons of other characters too. We have a whole team of unique personalities aiding Robyn in her save-the-world-and-definitely-save-yourself journey. A prim-and-proper ghost of British Duke, Sir William who lends a lot of magical support; a former stage actor who now treads only the boards of pubs and homes of easy women, Robyn’s Uncle Terry who lends a hand when the time comes. A couple of geeks, a sly and comical wizard friend James and his adorable witch sister, Susan; one of James's best friends, Gock, who comes from another dimension and even a dream guide wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella were all awesome characters full of so much personality.
We also have a subtle and very chaste romance budding between James and Robyn but it doesn’t really take away the thunder from the entire paranormal goings happening in the city of London. It’s a book that can be read by both girls and boys alike. It’s not a paranormal romance, not even by a long shot. It’s a through and through paranormal action thriller laced with lots of wit and humour.
Supernatural Freak is a real page turner, extremely well written. I completely delved in the story-line from the very beginning! The fact that the action is so fast paced really kept the interest intact. All in all it’s an interesting story. A definitely recommend it for everyone.
May 3, 2015
3.5
I'm fairly torn about my feelings on Supernatural Freak. On one hand it was really funny and I honestly enjoyed the read. On the other I found some aspects of it mind numbingly annoying.
To start off, I do love that cover. It's the reason I read the book in the first place. Second, Robyn is extremely sarcastic and often witty. It would be hard not to enjoy her or her friends, who she bounces insults off fairly regularly throughout the book. Said friends are also wonderful. I especially liked James and The Duke. I also rather guiltily enjoyed her constant jokes about 'Britishness.' I'm not sure if she was laughing at them or with them on that one, since the character lived in London and was at least part English, but it was funny.
On the flip side however, I found the repeated use of titles and pet names...well, repetitive. William tagged the pet reference, Child, onto the end of almost every sentence directed at Robyn. Her uncle did much the same with 'Niece' and she reciprocated with 'Uncle'. (Which are odd uses of the titles to start with, before one even adds the complication of using them so often.) Then her roommates constantly call her 'boss'. I eventually found myself cringing. It's like being with someone who insists on saying your name in every sentence they speak to you, but worse. It's not natural, nor does it flow well. By the end of the book they just felt like random extraneous words.
Speaking of words, I give Ms. Klein serious koodos for the appropriate use of the words hirsute, suppurating, gelid, Philology, perspicacious, arabesques, redingote, anarchic and interlocutor in sentences. I know some readers complain about the use of a $10 word when a $1 word will do, but I love coming across examples that force me to utilise the dictionary option on my Kindle. What is the use of such a wide and varied English language if we don't break out the bad boys on occasion. This is a bonus in my reading world. On yet another, related hand, however is the small matter of editing. I think the book could probably do with another pass.
Not a bonus for me is the narrative style. The story is told in first person, present tense. This is my absolutely least favourite narrative style. I don't think it ever sounds natural. I always wonder why the character is dictating their actions as they go along. It doesn't work for me, but that is just a personal preference of course. I also thought that the eventual face off wrapped up far too easily. Every-time Robyn found herself in a difficult spot some magical accoutrement would suddenly glow or grow warm to tell her how to solve the problem. Despite these complaints the book is a fun read. I'm glad to have picked it up
I'm fairly torn about my feelings on Supernatural Freak. On one hand it was really funny and I honestly enjoyed the read. On the other I found some aspects of it mind numbingly annoying.
To start off, I do love that cover. It's the reason I read the book in the first place. Second, Robyn is extremely sarcastic and often witty. It would be hard not to enjoy her or her friends, who she bounces insults off fairly regularly throughout the book. Said friends are also wonderful. I especially liked James and The Duke. I also rather guiltily enjoyed her constant jokes about 'Britishness.' I'm not sure if she was laughing at them or with them on that one, since the character lived in London and was at least part English, but it was funny.
On the flip side however, I found the repeated use of titles and pet names...well, repetitive. William tagged the pet reference, Child, onto the end of almost every sentence directed at Robyn. Her uncle did much the same with 'Niece' and she reciprocated with 'Uncle'. (Which are odd uses of the titles to start with, before one even adds the complication of using them so often.) Then her roommates constantly call her 'boss'. I eventually found myself cringing. It's like being with someone who insists on saying your name in every sentence they speak to you, but worse. It's not natural, nor does it flow well. By the end of the book they just felt like random extraneous words.
Speaking of words, I give Ms. Klein serious koodos for the appropriate use of the words hirsute, suppurating, gelid, Philology, perspicacious, arabesques, redingote, anarchic and interlocutor in sentences. I know some readers complain about the use of a $10 word when a $1 word will do, but I love coming across examples that force me to utilise the dictionary option on my Kindle. What is the use of such a wide and varied English language if we don't break out the bad boys on occasion. This is a bonus in my reading world. On yet another, related hand, however is the small matter of editing. I think the book could probably do with another pass.
Not a bonus for me is the narrative style. The story is told in first person, present tense. This is my absolutely least favourite narrative style. I don't think it ever sounds natural. I always wonder why the character is dictating their actions as they go along. It doesn't work for me, but that is just a personal preference of course. I also thought that the eventual face off wrapped up far too easily. Every-time Robyn found herself in a difficult spot some magical accoutrement would suddenly glow or grow warm to tell her how to solve the problem. Despite these complaints the book is a fun read. I'm glad to have picked it up
May 15, 2016
Title: Supernatural Freak
Author: Louisa Klein
I received this novel as a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from Ebooks for Review.
Summary
Robyn Wise, a paranormal expert who solves crimes and lives with her uncle and two friends who she calls "the geeks". She also has friend that is a ghost who helps her clean up her messes. A politician sends a person to find Robyn to ask her to do a job for him. The job was to help cure his son from turning into a tree.
My thoughts:
I only read 20 percent of the novel and I did have to stop a few times when I had no idea who was talking. I had to re-read the same section again just to figure out who was talking. Some of the sentences were worded weirdly and it made it lose the flow when I was reading.
I found a couple of the sentences were not needed or could’ve been written differently. Here is an example:
“Light bulb. A big, shiny one has just lit in my head.”
It was kind of funny when I read that sentence because normally people won’t say that or think that. Anyway, she could’ve use something different like: That’s when it hit me… blah blah
There were also a lot of run on sentences and description of things she was doing was really long. An example of a long description would be the cereal box paragraph. It would’ve been better if the part of her explaining how she cooked her food and explaining the cartoon series was irrelevant to the story. If the cartoon part was omitted from the long paragraph; the flow would be: She cook herself some food and couldn’t wait to open the new box of cereal. Finishing eating, opening the box and evil genie comes out. End of story of the opening of the cereal box.
I found the main character Robyn Wise as whiny, bossy and not a dependable person. I really couldn’t connect with her at all. She depended on her ghost friend, William, to help her out in all of her cases. The only character that I like was William who is more dependable than the main character herself. I only read about 4 chapters where the uncle and her friends the “geek” were introduced.
When I read the summary it sounded interesting and I decided to read it. I thought I was going to enjoy it like some of the other e-books that I got on Amazon. Boy was I wrong in the first chapter I was about to throw the towel and call it quits. It was the Twilight series (Eclipse) all over again, I would read a few pages and then skip parts until I get to the interesting parts to start reading again. The only difference was that I manage to finish it. This e-book I couldn’t even finish it.
I did like the idea but the first person point of view wasn't executed well. I wouldn't recommend this book if you're picky with grammar errors.
Author: Louisa Klein
I received this novel as a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from Ebooks for Review.
Summary
Robyn Wise, a paranormal expert who solves crimes and lives with her uncle and two friends who she calls "the geeks". She also has friend that is a ghost who helps her clean up her messes. A politician sends a person to find Robyn to ask her to do a job for him. The job was to help cure his son from turning into a tree.
My thoughts:
I only read 20 percent of the novel and I did have to stop a few times when I had no idea who was talking. I had to re-read the same section again just to figure out who was talking. Some of the sentences were worded weirdly and it made it lose the flow when I was reading.
I found a couple of the sentences were not needed or could’ve been written differently. Here is an example:
“Light bulb. A big, shiny one has just lit in my head.”
It was kind of funny when I read that sentence because normally people won’t say that or think that. Anyway, she could’ve use something different like: That’s when it hit me… blah blah
There were also a lot of run on sentences and description of things she was doing was really long. An example of a long description would be the cereal box paragraph. It would’ve been better if the part of her explaining how she cooked her food and explaining the cartoon series was irrelevant to the story. If the cartoon part was omitted from the long paragraph; the flow would be: She cook herself some food and couldn’t wait to open the new box of cereal. Finishing eating, opening the box and evil genie comes out. End of story of the opening of the cereal box.
I found the main character Robyn Wise as whiny, bossy and not a dependable person. I really couldn’t connect with her at all. She depended on her ghost friend, William, to help her out in all of her cases. The only character that I like was William who is more dependable than the main character herself. I only read about 4 chapters where the uncle and her friends the “geek” were introduced.
When I read the summary it sounded interesting and I decided to read it. I thought I was going to enjoy it like some of the other e-books that I got on Amazon. Boy was I wrong in the first chapter I was about to throw the towel and call it quits. It was the Twilight series (Eclipse) all over again, I would read a few pages and then skip parts until I get to the interesting parts to start reading again. The only difference was that I manage to finish it. This e-book I couldn’t even finish it.
I did like the idea but the first person point of view wasn't executed well. I wouldn't recommend this book if you're picky with grammar errors.
March 24, 2016
Too many questions, not enough answers.
This is one of those rare instances where I bought the book, forgot about it, then saw an offer for a free review copy (in exchange for my honest review) 3 years later which I requested. So, obviously the blurb really sounded good to me. I believe I reviewed the latest version of Supernatural Freak.
I felt the story had potential, it certainly started off with a bang. We were right in the action as Rob's (aka Robyn) client turns into a werewolf, no fault of his own. She escapes (no spoiler otherwise the book would be over), but that's it. No following up with the client the next day, she just abandons him and that's it. What?!?
The story needed editing, there's way too much in it, yet what there is isn't developed enough. Why does Robyn describe herself as a "supernatural freak"? Yes, she has some abilities, but are we supposed to assume the "freak" part comes just because she told some kids she could do something when she was 5 and they didn't believe her? Boo hoo, doesn't it happen to everyone at some point when they're a kid? This is a person who considers supernatural beings a common part of her life. It doesn't make sense. First of all, why is she different? What are the extent of her powers, at least as she knows to this point? Things are introduced, barely, there's little development and when there is it's in drips and drabs as the story goes on so the reader is confused. I had to go back and reread several pages at a time to figure out what was going on. So, I wanted to quit at 40%, but managed to drag myself to 76%.
Enough.
Then there's the weird name usage. Uncle? Niece? Then the author uses a variety of names for the same character. She uses the last name for Sir Francis for along time, then switches to Sir Francis and I thought it was a different character, same with Gock aka Mr. Wang (and what is the deal with Gock anyway? More development is needed for characters that are important to the story). Uncle Terry "spits" a lot when he's communicating instead of "says" or other verbs: ""No", he spits."
I finally quit after Rob and pals run from the council (why?) and she's given a talisman (What does it do? Why isn't she told all the details?) then it works on someone (Why? Isn't he human? Was this role latent? Why? Why was he chosen, if not?) Too many questions, not enough set up. We don't get enough of these points vital to the story yet there are sections that read like a history text such as several pages about Titianna.
Reading a book should be fun, but this one had me going back and analyzing the story to figure out what was going on. Too much work for no pay off.
This is one of those rare instances where I bought the book, forgot about it, then saw an offer for a free review copy (in exchange for my honest review) 3 years later which I requested. So, obviously the blurb really sounded good to me. I believe I reviewed the latest version of Supernatural Freak.
I felt the story had potential, it certainly started off with a bang. We were right in the action as Rob's (aka Robyn) client turns into a werewolf, no fault of his own. She escapes (no spoiler otherwise the book would be over), but that's it. No following up with the client the next day, she just abandons him and that's it. What?!?
The story needed editing, there's way too much in it, yet what there is isn't developed enough. Why does Robyn describe herself as a "supernatural freak"? Yes, she has some abilities, but are we supposed to assume the "freak" part comes just because she told some kids she could do something when she was 5 and they didn't believe her? Boo hoo, doesn't it happen to everyone at some point when they're a kid? This is a person who considers supernatural beings a common part of her life. It doesn't make sense. First of all, why is she different? What are the extent of her powers, at least as she knows to this point? Things are introduced, barely, there's little development and when there is it's in drips and drabs as the story goes on so the reader is confused. I had to go back and reread several pages at a time to figure out what was going on. So, I wanted to quit at 40%, but managed to drag myself to 76%.
Enough.
Then there's the weird name usage. Uncle? Niece? Then the author uses a variety of names for the same character. She uses the last name for Sir Francis for along time, then switches to Sir Francis and I thought it was a different character, same with Gock aka Mr. Wang (and what is the deal with Gock anyway? More development is needed for characters that are important to the story). Uncle Terry "spits" a lot when he's communicating instead of "says" or other verbs: ""No", he spits."
I finally quit after Rob and pals run from the council (why?) and she's given a talisman (What does it do? Why isn't she told all the details?) then it works on someone (Why? Isn't he human? Was this role latent? Why? Why was he chosen, if not?) Too many questions, not enough set up. We don't get enough of these points vital to the story yet there are sections that read like a history text such as several pages about Titianna.
Reading a book should be fun, but this one had me going back and analyzing the story to figure out what was going on. Too much work for no pay off.
June 29, 2014
This is a review for Louisa Klein’s debut novel in a four book series based on the supernaturally talented Robyn Wise, a young Londoner in her early twenties. Supernatural Freak seems to straddle the paranormal and urban fantasy genres, with a hint of romantic interest. I read an advance reader copy (ARC), but it is my understanding that due to the indie-published nature of Supernatural Freak, some changes had been made by the author based on reader/reviewer feedback. There were a few grammar and narrative snags in the book, but I want to note that I had an advance reader copy (ARC), which is not usually heavily edited. I am a reader who is able to move past the surface and into the beef of the story itself, and I think this helped me enjoy Supernatural Freak. As an American, there were some phrases and terminology that I was unfamiliar with, but I do not think this negatively impacted the overall story delivery.
I do not typically read urban fantasy or paranormal stories that fall outside of paranormal romance, but I am definitely a reader who will stretch a little outside her comfort zone. I finished this book in three days (I have to work, people!) and I am looking forward to the evolution that this series will take in the next book. Klein manages to present a leading character that is not a dishrag heroine, but not invincible, having received her own beatings and rescues through the course of the book. The supporting characters are enjoyable; each written with their own unique personalities and quirks, and it is easy to connect with the ragtag group of would-be heroes and heroines.
Despite the usage of some races that are now common in the paranormal genre, Klein introduces her own spin on the dark side through The Cloud and the demons used by the evil entities in this book. A story that evolves with its characters, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of action and detail provided in this book. There were really no dull moments, and I think that the author provided just enough detail in each scene to keep readers who might have attention issues following along. I am anxious to see where the next book takes Robyn Wise, and what will happen between her and James? I would recommend this book for late teens and onward, with a note that there is generous swear word usage and mention of bedmates, but no physical contact outside of a kiss.
I do not typically read urban fantasy or paranormal stories that fall outside of paranormal romance, but I am definitely a reader who will stretch a little outside her comfort zone. I finished this book in three days (I have to work, people!) and I am looking forward to the evolution that this series will take in the next book. Klein manages to present a leading character that is not a dishrag heroine, but not invincible, having received her own beatings and rescues through the course of the book. The supporting characters are enjoyable; each written with their own unique personalities and quirks, and it is easy to connect with the ragtag group of would-be heroes and heroines.
Despite the usage of some races that are now common in the paranormal genre, Klein introduces her own spin on the dark side through The Cloud and the demons used by the evil entities in this book. A story that evolves with its characters, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of action and detail provided in this book. There were really no dull moments, and I think that the author provided just enough detail in each scene to keep readers who might have attention issues following along. I am anxious to see where the next book takes Robyn Wise, and what will happen between her and James? I would recommend this book for late teens and onward, with a note that there is generous swear word usage and mention of bedmates, but no physical contact outside of a kiss.
July 18, 2017
Conosciamo Robyn Wise, la nostra protagonista, mentre è impegnata con un licantropo. E' un suo cliente, ma purtroppo si è trasformato e adesso sta cercando di ucciderla. In qualche modo riesce a cavarsela e tornare a casa, dove la aspetta il suo amico/protettore che è un fantasma.
Grazie ai suoi poteri riesce così a sistemare il casino che ha combinato Robyn, ma mentre lei apre una confezione di cereali al mattino per poter fare colazione, da questa escono ben tre Geni (jinn) malvagi che cercano di ucciderla, con il solo risultato di incenerire le sue collezioni di pupazzetti.
Poi entrano in scena una valigetta misteriosa, una lettera che parla di una malattia che trasforma un bambino in un albero, la regina delle fate Titania, il concilio della Magia, un bel mago che sembra avere un qualche debole per la nostra protagonista, due coinquilini nerd che mi sono immaginata tipo Leonard e Sheldon di The Big Bang Theory e via dicendo. Tutto questo in un solo romanzo!!!
Lo stile è molto divertente: la protagonista è sarcastica ma competente nel suo lavoro, non c'è un attimo di pace con l'entrata in scena di tutti questi personaggi, ma dopo un po' il troppo stroppia.
Insomma, non sono neanche riuscita a tenere conto di tutto quello che è successo. Era davvero necessario infilare tutte queste cose in un solo libro?
Non è al livello di Le vampire di Londra, sia chiaro. E' scritto molto meglio, è più appassionante e i personaggi calzano meglio, ma come minestrone è simile. Ognuno fa il proprio lavoro: i licantropi e i jinn sono cattivi, i nerd si impanicano e i maghi cercano di proteggere i "babbani", ma ne esce un tale guazzabuglio che non bene neanche come classificare il romanzo.
E poi le ripetizioni: aiuto!
Lo zio di Robyn non fa altro che chiamarla nipote, ma lo fa tipo dieci volte in una sola frase. Veramente eccessivo. E così fa il fantasma, che però trovo carino perchè è affezionato a lei e la aiuta per ogni cosa che può.
Promosso con la sufficienza.
Grazie ai suoi poteri riesce così a sistemare il casino che ha combinato Robyn, ma mentre lei apre una confezione di cereali al mattino per poter fare colazione, da questa escono ben tre Geni (jinn) malvagi che cercano di ucciderla, con il solo risultato di incenerire le sue collezioni di pupazzetti.
Poi entrano in scena una valigetta misteriosa, una lettera che parla di una malattia che trasforma un bambino in un albero, la regina delle fate Titania, il concilio della Magia, un bel mago che sembra avere un qualche debole per la nostra protagonista, due coinquilini nerd che mi sono immaginata tipo Leonard e Sheldon di The Big Bang Theory e via dicendo. Tutto questo in un solo romanzo!!!
Lo stile è molto divertente: la protagonista è sarcastica ma competente nel suo lavoro, non c'è un attimo di pace con l'entrata in scena di tutti questi personaggi, ma dopo un po' il troppo stroppia.
Insomma, non sono neanche riuscita a tenere conto di tutto quello che è successo. Era davvero necessario infilare tutte queste cose in un solo libro?
Non è al livello di Le vampire di Londra, sia chiaro. E' scritto molto meglio, è più appassionante e i personaggi calzano meglio, ma come minestrone è simile. Ognuno fa il proprio lavoro: i licantropi e i jinn sono cattivi, i nerd si impanicano e i maghi cercano di proteggere i "babbani", ma ne esce un tale guazzabuglio che non bene neanche come classificare il romanzo.
E poi le ripetizioni: aiuto!
Lo zio di Robyn non fa altro che chiamarla nipote, ma lo fa tipo dieci volte in una sola frase. Veramente eccessivo. E così fa il fantasma, che però trovo carino perchè è affezionato a lei e la aiuta per ogni cosa che può.
Promosso con la sufficienza.
April 17, 2013
Summary
Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein starts a little slow but then rapidly makes up for it with a whirlwind of magic, creatures, and battles. There is occasionally some awkward grammar or formatting, but the richness of the story is worth working through them. The story centers around said freak, Robyn, and her adventures when she is drawn into investigating the mysterious illness of an autistic boy. A series of other odd events unfold threatening Robyn's friends and family as well as Robyn herself. As long as you can overlook occasional grammar issues and odd wording, the story itself is worth your time and the $.99 cost.
Fantasy World
Supernatural Freak is set mainly in London with a few side trips to other dimensions. The scenery feels authentic from Piccadilly Circus to Kensington Gardens. The only real bungee cord is that the heroine, Robyn, sometimes sounds more like a valley girl than someone raised in the UK.
Tingle Factor
Sorry, no tingle here but that's to be expected in a true fantasy genre book.
Romance
The book hints the heroine might be interested in a certain wizard as a bit more than friends if only her life allowed her the luxury.
Drama
The drama starts with a bang in the form of a werewolf attack and the hits just keep on coming. The plot is nicely paced with delicious revelations coming at regular intervals.
Heroine
Robyn is a likeable character who has always been a freak and is not surprised to the center of more trouble. She's not whiny and she adjusts to some major revelations with great aplomb.
Supporting Cast
The cast includes a ghost, a gay Scotland Yard inspector, many wizards, and a plethora of other creatures. It's these characters, especially the villains, which are fun to read and they all add greatly to the story. You'll want to nip on down to the pub and have a pint with them.
For access to all links in this review, please visit http://www.damesunrestrained.blogspot...
Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein starts a little slow but then rapidly makes up for it with a whirlwind of magic, creatures, and battles. There is occasionally some awkward grammar or formatting, but the richness of the story is worth working through them. The story centers around said freak, Robyn, and her adventures when she is drawn into investigating the mysterious illness of an autistic boy. A series of other odd events unfold threatening Robyn's friends and family as well as Robyn herself. As long as you can overlook occasional grammar issues and odd wording, the story itself is worth your time and the $.99 cost.
Fantasy World
Supernatural Freak is set mainly in London with a few side trips to other dimensions. The scenery feels authentic from Piccadilly Circus to Kensington Gardens. The only real bungee cord is that the heroine, Robyn, sometimes sounds more like a valley girl than someone raised in the UK.
Tingle Factor
Sorry, no tingle here but that's to be expected in a true fantasy genre book.
Romance
The book hints the heroine might be interested in a certain wizard as a bit more than friends if only her life allowed her the luxury.
Drama
The drama starts with a bang in the form of a werewolf attack and the hits just keep on coming. The plot is nicely paced with delicious revelations coming at regular intervals.
Heroine
Robyn is a likeable character who has always been a freak and is not surprised to the center of more trouble. She's not whiny and she adjusts to some major revelations with great aplomb.
Supporting Cast
The cast includes a ghost, a gay Scotland Yard inspector, many wizards, and a plethora of other creatures. It's these characters, especially the villains, which are fun to read and they all add greatly to the story. You'll want to nip on down to the pub and have a pint with them.
For access to all links in this review, please visit http://www.damesunrestrained.blogspot...
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