Book of Shadows

Diary of a Haunting #3

by M. Verano

All Melanie wants is a blank book to keep a journal of her private thoughts. One day while browsing in a used bookshop, she finds the perfect blank book—smooth black leather with strange symbols in gold embossing. But once she gets home, Melanie finds herself too intimidated by the heavy vellum pages to write her trivial thoughts on them. Her Wiccan friend Lara tells her it’s better suited to be a magical spell book, called The Book of Shadows.

Melanie doesn’t know much about that stuff, but Lara, her boyfriend Caleb, and his friend Lucas, get her started by writing their own made up spells inside the book’s tempting pages. What they didn’t expect was a new spell showing up inside the book—and in handwriting none of them recognize.

Soon they discover that the spells suggested by The Book of Shadows itself do work—but not without wreaking havoc on the lives of the four teenagers.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal, Witches, Fiction, Fantasy, Ghosts

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2017

Reviews

[Kim Friant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars—Why do authors always insist on putting politics in their stories?? I would have totally given this book 4 stars and put it as a good, slow burn scary book, but then he ruined it with all his condescension and virtue signaling! What’s so sad is that the story was overshadowed by it all. Everyone goes on and on about tolerance but of course that applies to everyone EXCEPT Christians. I get that people don’t want their religions criticized and judged so people have been all about inclusivity and diversity and fine. But again, all that applies to all groups, all religions, except Christianity. It just annoyed me. Plus, why politics have to be thrown in, I’m not entirely sure, but ok. The story itself was actually pretty good. As I said before, it was a slow burn and Verano has a great way of building up tension to a breaking point. And the breaking point is intense! I also like the formatting of this Diary of a Haunting series; a paranormal expert laying out stories sent to him by others. I look forward to seeing where this series goes! The characters are pretty good, if a little flat. There are too many stereotyped people and this seems to limit development. I was very happy with the ending, however. It was chilling and totally appropriate for the story! Overall, this is an ok scary book, that will scratch the itch without being too crazy.

[Mehsi · Rating 1 out of 5]

*snorts* Sorry, but I was really looking forward to this book for a long time. I am so disappointed.

At first it was pretty OK. Sure, I was wondering what was up with these kids and really, how dumb did you get? But I just couldn't look away, and I was wondering when it would all get out of hand, when would they finally get in trouble, when would they realise?

Sorry, but the whole premise sounded exciting, but I was just struck by how dumb everything was, and how they can't figure out things themselves. I get they were probably possessed eventually or into the powers of the demons, but really? Before that? If a book gives me an off-feeling, and if it makes me go into a trance and draw images of unimaginable horror? Sorry, but I would NOPE out of there faster than anyone can say NOPE. I would just bring the book back, say sorry, and then NOPE NOPE NOPE my way out of that store.
But no, no, these kids. They just had to dabble in poop they shouldn't dabble in. *sighs* What is up with horror books always having that setting. Oh hey, something feels wrong, but hey why stop? *insert horrible stuff happening* Hey, maybe we should stop? Oh hey, but wait, we haven't tried x and y, and maybe it all isn't that horrible. *rolls eyes*

Mel was totally not likeable. From the moment she talked about practically worshipping her best friend Lara, to the whole let me just steal a book, because why not? I also didn't like her going in a flaming rage every time someone did or said something to her. And she didn't even hold herself in, oh no, this girl just went fighting. No matter if she may lose. It just didn't make her that likeable. Plus her overly attachment to something obviously creepy? Eh.

Eventually the characters just all turned for the worst, well, except my fav girl Lara, but everyone else just turned into some sort of worst version of themselves (or worse in some cases). Mel just went totally paranoid, Caleb turned into some kind of weird worshipper. And I am not even talking about the rest of the school.

Yep, Lara was my best girl in this book. She stayed mostly levelheaded though she also made some pretty stupid decisions that just seemed out of place. She tried to warn her friends. She tried to stay away from most of the not so go spells. Plus she was sweet, caring, and well, with the exception of her preaching to Mel a lot, she was just my fav.

The ending? Or well, the moment the book left Mel's hands and got into someone else's hands? Dear Lord, I thought the book couldn't get any cornier, sillier, and more terrible. But apparently it could. It went from silly, dumb kids dabbling with stuff they shouldn't do, to the whole town going craycray and the church going all wonky. What the hell? I wasn't sure if I had to laugh or to shake my head at the stupidity and weirdness. How did that person not notice that this object was tempting him, luring him, feeding him lies.
And then how it all ended? Gee, I could have told them that from the start.

The letter to M. Verano, and the editor's note. Those were truly the only things I did quite like. It just gives something extra to the book, just like how the book begins with M. Verano telling us how they came across this story. Plus I certainly didn't expect that outcome. 

Welp, I hope the next book will be great again. I am not sure if I will be so excited for it as I was for this, and the previous ones, but I will be checking it out when/if it gets out.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Shyla Colt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest, i'm still chewing on this one, so this rating might change in the future. There was an aloofness to the narration. Maybe because I felt like my lead was unreliable? She ran on instincts, had a hair trigger temper, and a violent streak. Her reasons to why felt thin. The environment was fascinating though, and I enjoyed the other characters, maybe more than my lead, which is what made this story a bit awkward to read. It's never polite to be with one person and wish you were with another.

What started as a book meant to be a diary where she wrote down her thoughts, turned into so much much more when her friend, Laura suggests it was meant to be something else. The moment they write their first spell on the beautifully bond books pages, everything changes. Thus begins a slow decent to corruption and dark magic.

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well the trilogy has come to an end. What did I think? Let's break it down. For those that don't know, this trilogy is written by a fictional parapsyhologist. I think that is what the Professor is. His name is M. Verano and he researches and debunks paranormal stories from around the county, maybe even the world. The first book in this trilogy is called Diary of a Haunting and I really enjoyed the creepiness of that one. It's about a haunted house and a girl that becomes obsessed in learning more about it. I'm a sucker for haunted houses and again it was a fun and entertaining read. The second book Possession, isn't connected to the first book in characters or setting, but it is another story told to the audience or reader by our Professor M. Verano. This one I didn't care for and after reading it gave it away. As the title suggests it was about a teenage girl who becomes possessed by the Devil. She does use social media to share her experience which I found interesting. Then finally we get to the last book in the series Book of Shadows which I'm giving 3.5 stars.

Book of Shadows is a grimoire to house spells and ideas in the Wiccan religion. Most witches I believe have one of these books, it's kind of like a journal or diary that is sacred to them. And again it's used to hold rituals, spells and other things that might benefit them in their everyday life. Typically a book of shadows is to be destroyed once the witch has died, usually in a ritual.

This book is about a teen girl named Melanie or Mel for short. Her best friend Lara is a witch and has been for several years. Mel is an outcast with an anger management problem. One day she is looking for a journal to buy because Lara said it might help to write down her frustrations to control her rage. While Mel is in the White Rabbit the occult bookstore that Lara frequents, Mel comes upon a old and intricate journal. The pages are as thin as a bible's she says, and has gold edges. Mel is certain the $20 she has saved to buy this journal isn't close to what the book costs, but she HAS TO HAVE this book. Nothing else will do, so she steals it.

Later Mel starts acting different. Lara senses it and so does Mel's other friends Caleb and Lucas. Once the group finds out about the book and write their own spell (Luck) within its pages they soon realizes that "magic" is real and that they are actually doing something.

This hype over the book continues to grow throughout the story, becoming more and more dangerous and powerful.

Now, let's nit-pick. I found the characters to be well written and very realistic. With that being said I'm 3 months shy of 40 and teen dialogue drives me crazy. Mel's attitude is so spot on for a teen girl that reading the book was accurate and annoying. The way she responded to her friends was again spot on. I'm giving this book a 3.5 stars because Mel is sooo annoying. She can't help how she was written, however I'm still faulting her for that teehee.

With most YA books the parents are non-existent and it seems like the kids just live on their own. This book is also about mega churches, the ones that are televised and the preacher receives tons of money from their followers. So if you aren't into religion or witches/witchcraft you probably won't like this book.

Overall the three books were really fun to read. M. Verano is a penname and I haven't been able to find any information about the identity of the real author. I like the theatrics of it all. A fictional Professor writing books that we are reading. I definitely recommend if you are looking for quick YA Halloween reads.

[Nicole Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars 🙂‍↔️ I love a good ole cliche possession story, but give us somethinggggg. It was a very easy read, but it felt like it was building up to a crazy conclusion, and then gave me nothing. Booooo. And I wanted to be scared, but it was not even slightly spooky

[Jess 🦋 · Rating 2 out of 5]

At least he learned to stop writing himself into his books. The only good part about this book was that there were two girls named Betty and Veronica 😂

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems we have reached the end of M. Verano’s Diary of a Haunting series with the last one titled, Book of Shadows. I’m sad that this series is over already. I found it to be utterly creepy, yet just the right kind of read for this time of year. In this one, we get more of the traditional diary sense in formatting. There’s a few drawings added, but no photographs or other pieces of “evidence.”

Melanie starts the story talking about how she acquired a new diary for herself from a local magic shop. Not the cutesy stores, but a real shop for Wiccans and the like. She didn’t get it by honest means though, she lifted it off the shelf and stuck it in her bag. Already I wasn’t too thrilled with Mel as a person, I mean shoplifting, really? But since this blank journal is so pretty and special, she wants to make sure she fills it with something meaningful. So her diary entries continue in a plain journal, I think it might have been an online version too.

When Mel’s Wiccan friend, Lara, gets the idea that she should write spells in it. She starts the journal with a spell for good luck. Joining them in this venture is Lara’s boyfriend Caleb, and his friend, Lucas. They think it’s all fun and games, just a joke, but they find out that the spell really works.

But that’s not the end of things, far from it. Soon Mel becomes consumed by this book. Constantly drawing in it and she’s not much of an artist for that matter. Yet she gets this urge just to draw these monstrous creatures in the book and sometimes, has no memory of even doing it.

Things start to escalate, naturally, as the powers that the quartet are messing with are not the nice kind and soon things ultimately take a turn for the worst.

I do want to give pre-warning right here that this book does bring up the topic of religion a lot. Not only with Wicca, but Christianity as well. And the latter it’s almost cult like. Mel and her friends live in part of the Bible Belt and nearly everyone in town belongs to one church, except for Mel of course. They’re almost zealots in their belief and preaching to anyone not in their church why they ought to be.

The horror in this story derives from the book Mel and her friends are toying with itself. It’s something demonic and with a mind of its own and what it does to its owner is unfathomable. There are a few shadows and things that Mel sees and can’t figure out what it is that just passed the corner of her eye. It’s definitely a book to make you jump at every little thing for sure.

I was once again a bit upset that the mysterious M. Verano did not make an appearance again like he did in the first book. Granted, he does tell us this story, in a way, with his foreword and editor’s note and how he came to be in knowledge of all that passed with Mel and her friends. I guess because he clearly had a role in the first book, I expected it would be something similar in these last two.

The ending was once again, spine-tingling chilling. Let’s remember that these are horror stories and those tend to end one of two ways. I won’t say which one of those this book took, but it was surprising nonetheless. I guess I still had hopes for just a bit more detail though and what Verano was going to do next with this knowledge.

I would easily pick up another of Verano’s books should he write another novel to terrify his readers. Book of Shadows will have you thinking long and hard about what journal you chose next for your thoughts. Choose wisely friends. ;)


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good but compared to the first two in the series I would place it 3rd. It was a little slow because the talk of magic wasn’t too exciting. I was a little put off by the church running the town and I was rooting for the weird kids to have their day. I was very shocked by the end. Overall it was a super fast read and the ending was a big surprise! The impact that book had on not only the main characters but the town was crazy! I certainly would never touch that book in real life.

[frog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't get why this author tried to pass this story off as some sort of nonfiction, when it's very obviously fictionalized

[Amber Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debated if I should give this one 2 or 3 stars but honestly it wasn't a bad read. I liked it well enough. Although not as good as the first book (haven't read the second). Melanie ends up stealing what she believes is a blank journal from a book store. Little did she know it was a Book of Shadows and would wreak havoc on not only her life but those around her. Her Wiccan friend Laura makes an attempt to warn her but in the end Mel and her three friends decide to use it for what it is. Beyond a few spells and a book that makes her draw demons (Black Phillip included!) they assume it isn't doing much else.... until it is. I somehow ended up liking Laura, Lucas and Caleb more than the main character herself. Caleb's storyline had more depth than the others. This story had so much more potential but Verano decided to leave out the creep factor of his first book. Other than the scene in the obsidian cave there was nothing much in the way of "scary" about this book. However it was a decent, fun, and quick read.

[Liza · Rating 1 out of 5]

The scariest thing about this book is how unscary it was.

Holy crap, how did something like this get published?

So 4 kids who have never seen a horror movie/read a book decide to play around with a magic book that can grant spells...FOR A PRICE.

Yeah, besides making the kids draw "creepy" creatures there was nothing to the book. A sense of foreboding yes but that is not scary when nothing happens as a result. Like the ending was the only thing that was "spooky" but even then it wasn't.

I was also skimming at that point cause I was so mentally done with this.

Seriously. Give me back snorting out nails and moms who love flies. It would have been more entertaining than this book.

[Kristin Rose ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. Although I didn't read the other two, it seemed like an awesome concept. However, this book was highly uneventful. I almost gave up, but I figured if I kept reading there would be more events related to the book of shadows. There was one incident in particular, with Melanie and Caleb, that I had hoped would be what the majority of the book would be like. I was sadly mistaken. This book doesn't have many creepy happenings, it's kind of mundane, and even the spells that they do are not spooky or scary in any way. I'm going to give the first book in this series a try and hope it's better.

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If he has the strength and the knowledge to destroy it, maybe in the end that’s for the best. God knows I didn’t.

Melanie never understood true power or magic until she and three friends began messing with The Book Of Shadows that would unleashed a living Hell in their town. Her best friend Lara, was a self proclaimed Wiccan who practiced in wholesome spells that never crossed into the darker, demonic sides of black magic. Convincing her friend to begin journaling her thoughts, it would be at The White Rabbit (occult bookstore) she would spy the perfect empty book to contain her thoughts. However purchasing the expensive boon seemed bot the right choice as Mel decided to steal it instead. Quickly however, she became consumed with the book and would start these creepy macabre drawings of demonic entities seemingly from thin air. Beginning to see them from the corners of her eyes, she believes it's a higher power that awadednhet the artistic ability and the Magics. Warning Lucas and Caleb of messing with dark magic, Lara became the scapegoat of blame everything she gave pushback on one of the spells that seemed to write itself in the black pages. Starting simple with a protection spell, the book then morphed for spells including necromancy and speaking to the dead. As the story continues to be documented in her journal, the nightmares seem to just be beginning as the spells become more personalized. Using a love spell to get Tyler Hoyt to fall in love with Luca, violates all things as the group turns a straight, star athlete into a homosexual seemingly overnight. As the power becomes all consuming, Caleb falls further away from his father, the minister at the largest church in town. Meanwhile, Mel is using the book to gain popularity in schools something she never experienced being an outcast. At the only party they were ever invited to, the students all pleaded for a magic trick, but it instead opened a doorway to a satanic ritual. As the sorry closes, Caleb's father has possession of the book and uses it to open a pathway to Hell bringing forth the worst demons ever conceived. With Caleb acting as a sacrifice, he dies beneath the rubble when the roof caved inward. Reaching out to the author, Mel fears her death is imminent following the fatal car accident of Lara and the suicide by Luca. Unluckily just a few months after her first contact, she's killed in a freak electrical accident. Now, he has possession of the true copy of the book, and hopefully the evil can be contained for good.

I lie awake at night, wondering if I broke him or saved him. He seems happy now, and he says he was miserable before. Can I trust that?

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have three things to say about this and three things only:

1) in one of the spells they have to preform the ritual in a three yard by three yard by three yard space. and they describe a "crowd of people" being there and it being "too big for their candle light to illuminate anything" and idk if the author knows how small three yards is but. he needs to get a grip because two people and an altar would've taken up all the space i'd be willing to share with another human being
2) i really appreciated the topic of consent being brought up into this, beyond just kissing and sex but also whether or not it's okay to make even the mean girls be friends with someone. i just appreciated that part of the magic wasn't brushed under the rug, and i appreciate the book for focusing on the ramifications it could have for a character forced under a love spell
3) whatever good qualities are in this book are instantly erased when it describes a demon as having a "devilishly hooked nose"

[Larissa ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would happen if I copied one of my GoodReads reviews into a blank, evil Book of Shadows? Would it transform into a glittering work of literary criticism? Would I fall into a trance and scribble Black Phillip in the margins, as main character Mel does? Or see the creatures I draw out of the corner of my eye, late at night?

What would happen if I tried to get rid of the book, and a passing influencer pulled it from the trash? Would YouTube’s servers burst into flames? What would this catastrophe mean for the Internet? For those of us who aren’t members of the Megachurch of Personality?

I love the Diary of a Haunting series. Book of Shadows has its problems (an unlikeable main character, characters who make poor decisions, etc.), but it’s just what I wanted to read the week before Halloween.

[Jill Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got my hands on this book. Alright, everything started great. I actually really got into the book and read it all in one day. But towards the end, things got a little more exaggerated and I wondered if Verano did one of his "let's make this more dramatic" interception. I really hate when he does that, like writing himself in the book the last time! Caleb's death was a little...well, I didn't buy it. And Melanie's death as well. Her death happened right after she told Verano where the book was. Which he insisted on knowing its location, so that he should feel guilty. Which, he doesn't of course. Her "accidental" death an all. That part pissed me off. This chick tried to make things right, tried to save some lives, and here comes Verano. -.- not cool.

[Domini Phillips-Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

M. Verano's Book of Shadows (Diary of a Haunting #3) fell very short for me. It's story line and characters were simple and I found it very hard to connect. The sppoky and creepy elements of tge first book seems to have slowly faded as the series has continued. This book is just a diary told from Melanie's P.O.V. Though her writings attempt to come across as scary, there really isn't much action and events to give this story depth. The end is another attempt to make something out of nothing but it too was lacking. Not M.Verano's finest.

[TJL · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHHH, LOVED IT.

Another great entry in this series. Similar layout to the previous two books, but with entirely different settings and characters and events, and I just loved how this one was carried out, with the audience being dependent on Mel for updates.

And also, as usual, I'm kinda heartbroken to see what happened to Mel and her friends after they thought they managed to get rid of the Book of Shadows.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the other two books the were before this one, and to say this is my favorite would be a lie. But, at the same time it wasn’t the worst one considering the first one started off strong then fell off at the end. Now the second one was pretty good and by the time I realized it I had finished it very quickly. I was looking forward to this book for a long time going to the bookstore multiple times looking, once I got it I was extremely excited, Although once I started it the pacing was completely different and it felt like the characters didn’t develop until it was too late and the book was coming to an end. That’s why I only gave it three stars, it wasn’t the best but then again wasn’t the worst.

[Alyssa Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a slow book but it did keep me entertained. I liked it and it had a few twists and turns but it was not super believable. I'm still kind of confused as to whether or not this is supposed to be a "real" story or not. I didn't love it, but I would read the other Diary of a Haunting's (I started with this one) because I know they will at least hold my attention. I however, would not reread this book or recommend it.

[Mandi Schneck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book of Shadows followed 4 teenagers, Melanie, Caleb, Lara, and Lucas, as they entangle their beginner practices of witchcraft with a powerful demonic Book of Shadows and all hell breaks loose. This was definitely not as good as the first in the series. I didn't connect with the characters as much, and the writing left something to be desired, so I only gave it 3 stars.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as creepy as the first, but better than the second, this is yet another spoopy story involving teens and spoops. This time it's a book that's acting as a portal for the devil and evil. Which is spoopy, but there's one HUGE flaw that was never really addressed in the book. Wiccans don't believe in the devil. Oh well, it still was a nice, quick read and a break from my realistic-fiction streak.

[Stephanie Harless · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!! That was a good book, and I thought it was a little eerie too. M. Verano books are always fascinating and great to read.....It was a 4 1/2 stars for me with this book. I love his books. I hope he writes more. I highly recommend people read his books if you like ghost stories or a eerie feeling while reading. He never disappoints me with his writing and stories. Glad I finally read it.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really giving this book a 3.5 because there were a few things about this book that I wasn’t a big fan of, but because I’m such a sucker for M. Verano, I have a soft spot for any of these books. I didn’t really enjoy how some of the lingo felt dated, which is probably my biggest gripe. However, I loved the plot and the battle of good vs evil.

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! I loved the witchcraft aspect of it, and found Lara to be a very interesting character. Although, I did feel that the characters were all very under developed. Everyone just got worst and worst as the story went on. I guess that fits with the corruption part of the story. Book of Shadows had me looking over my shoulder multiple times. This one is a must read!

[Christin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! Definitely full of horror, action and suspense. I really like the fact that it was written like a diary. I also like the fact that some of the spells were written in and that the author put in some drawings that the character makes. I also like how the chat messages, diary parts and spells all had a difference to how they were written.

[Ashley Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I buddy read this with my friend Missy and I'm glad to say I enjoyed this one way more than the second installment in this series. Was it the best thing I've ever read? No. The main character was a little annoying and some of her choices made no sense. But it was spooky and fun and ultimately that's all I expected from this book.

[Maggie May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the second book in the series but not as good as the first. I suspect that there is not a single writer behind the fictional M Verano, but a different writer for each book. I don’t recommend any of the three Diary of a Haunting books except the first.

[Candra Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series and instantly bought the other two. The books can be read in any order. This book was good but not as great as the first book (hence the 4 stars). However, I still really enjoyed this book and would reccomend it to other "real life" paranormal story lovers.

[Kaili (Owl Book World) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn't really my favorite. I liked the first two better because they had this utter creepiness that this one seemed to lack. Its really not a bad book but it left me disappointed since it lacked that creepiness.