Nine Lives (Part One)

The Katran Legacy #1

by Karin De Havin

Eighteen-year-old Taylor knows two things for sure: ONE: She’s dead. TWO: Heaven looks like a run-down version of the Las Vegas Strip. The more she discovers about a heaven full of teens like her, the more mysterious it becomes—especially when her afterlife coach turns out to be her tyrannical fifth grade teacher.

Plagued by questions her whole life, Taylor finds Heaven prompts even more. Why can’t she remember her death? Why isn’t Heaven the idyllic place she thought it would be? When she dares to ask, her teacher tells Taylor to keep her mouth shut. Everyone knows Heaven is perfect. That’s a lie. What are they trying to hide? Taylor desperately wants to flee this strange place and return to her old life. She’s shocked to find out there’s a possibility her dream can come true. But that chance depends on passing a series of tests in the Afterlife for Idiots Handbook and winning the Cloud Nine Contest. If she fails, will her teacher follow through on her threat and turn Taylor into pond scum?

Taylor tries to solve the mysteries of Heaven as it slowly crumbles around her. While competing in the contest, she learns there are dark forces at work behind the celestial show…and they are after her. This leads to the biggest question of all: Is she the only one who can stop them?

** Warning: This book will end on a cliffhanger. Book 2 picks up where this book ends.**

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Amazon

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2015

Reviews

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor woke up dead, with no recollection of how her life had ended. She woke up in Heaven, which might have been Hell all along. Soon, she realized, Heaven wasn't what it was meant to be. She needed to let go of her emotions, take up the responsibility, and strive to survive in this little Vegas-like celestial place called Heaven.

I enjoyed reading Taylor's narrative. Imagine waking up to death, at such a young age, and have to ponder how her life has been. And how it was terminated. This book is full of surprises. The characters are unique in their own different ways. One of my favorite Heaven people was Taylor's fifth grade teacher who was rocking the 80's psychedelic outfit. She sure rocked heaven with her Helmet hairdo!

I was in for an adventure of a lifetime, in Karin De Havin's realm. It isn't the typical story of a girl who woke up and knocked, knocked on Heaven's door. This book is a treat and Miss De Havin sure knows how to give her readers fun and fantasy rolled into one, with an exciting cliffhanger! Perfect summer read!

[tamilnadu09 · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely no desire to read the next in this series. The main character was probably the worst character I've ever come across. Her overly snarky attitude & complete disdain for rules (even though, hey, she's dead!) were a complete turn off. The book is even shorter than it seemed, because the whole last 15% on my kindle were short chapters from OTHER books. The author also does not do a good job at world building. I couldn't picture her version of "heaven" at all. The descriptive language could definitely use some work.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reader of this author and now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative series. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this series.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story is very much part 1 not book 1.
Strange tale would probably suit young pre-teen or very early teen readers that like reality TV shows.

[Sienna S'Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy creative tale! I definitely wasn't ready for it to end. Are we dead? Alive? Dreaming? good writing.

[Terena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book - I tried to find something likable about it all the way to the end. However, the main character was unlikable, the location (Jr. Heaven) was unlikable, the supporting characters were unlikable. There were so many chances for redemption along the way, but each one was missed with a snide comment, cursing, bad attitudes and not a shred of hope in the entire book. I will not be reading book 2 nor recommending this book.

[Danyca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic and original story. I love the author's creativity. Her character Taylor is spunky and smart. The storyline is amazing, Junior Heaven is falling apart and things are not what they seem. As Taylor tries to complete her assignments her emotions keep holding her back. Throw in her 5 grade teacher as her afterlife coach and things get harder. Taylor is a curious girl and asks a lot of questions that keep getting her in trouble. Will she make it through the contest and make it back home to earth or will she fail her assignments and be turned into pond scum? This story is a page turner and has kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens. The author has left the story at a fantastic point and I can not wait to get the next book to see what is going to happen next.

[Debbie Bunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when you wake up dead and Heaven isn't what you expected? When 18 year old Taylor wakes up to this exact scenario, she does what any normal teen would do. She asks questions and rebels. It seems that the more trouble she causes, the more mysterious Heaven becomes. Why is Taylor's fifth grade teacher her afterlife coach? Why can't Taylor remember how she died? These are just 2 of the many questions raised by this book. This is a roller coaster of a story. Twists, turns, unexpected flips. All are found in Ms. De Havin's story. I enjoyed the story and could not wait to begin the second book. This book does end on a cliffhanger, so I would recommend having the 2nd book ready.

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
I read this as a part of The Enchanted Box Set Collection.
I really tried to get into this book. The premise was interesting and I thought that the character was okay. But then the story just dragged. Finally we meet some other characters and I think it's taking off again and then it just falls flat. It just seemed I wasn't getting enough information to keep my interest. It's ok to leave some things to the reader's imagination but this was getting a bit much. I hope part two gives us more insight.

[Book Wyvern · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad I got this free, in a box set, and it's short, otherwise I would've set it down. I basically just skimmed through the whole thing. I mean you would think going to heaven and having a chance to come back would stop the attitude and antics but, I guess not. And you come back to life by winning a reality/game show thing? Not my cup of tea.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't want to give this such a low rating, but the story was slow and the end of part one left me unfulfilled but not really excited about part two. The premise is intriguing but that doesn't make up for questions I have that I can't make myself care a lot about. So-so. I'll read part two because it is free but unless this really picks up, I just don't think I'll continue.

[Adrielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Taylor wakes up dead, in the most horrendous version of heaven imaginable. No, I don't mean heaven is hell, I mean it's ridiculous. I can't, I just can't explain it. The world building is non existent, the narrative is onerous and the characters are so one dimensional that you could play stick the tail on the donkey and have at it.

[Paula Genereau · Rating 5 out of 5]

18 year old Taylor knows 2 things

1. She's dead
2. She's in Heaven


How did she die? She's not quite sure. But she finds out that Heaven is full of teens her age. Will Taylor ever learn the truth?

Such a great inspiring story.

[Teresa Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when I started to really get into the book I was cliff-hanged. I hope the second book will answer some of the elusive questions. I guess Heaven can be a mysterious place though.

[Kathryn Synoracki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author for an honest review! I enjoyed it! It was very different, with a whole new aspect of heaven! Looking forward to book 2, so I can find out what happens!

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read and nicely written..
Quirky characters in a fun and fantasy take on Heaven.
A bit of a roller coaster of a story with a few twists and turns.

[Elisha Breed · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was kinda weird, didn't really make sense.