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NeverHaven

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The bond between twins can bend but never break.

Elizabeth is crazy, at least that’s what everyone believes. She sees things, terrible things no one wants to hear about. Her twin sister, Jessica, used to see things too, but she convinced herself long ago it was all in her head. The sixteen-year-old was left to drift through the chaos alone, abandoned by her other half. But now the darkness has come calling.

Vision of the Elder

This YA Paranormal Series follows the trail of those children forced to bear witness to the sacred rites of the Cult of the Elder. Their eyes are opened to the darkness beyond the void, and their lives are forever changed.

Book I: NeverHaven

Book II: Children of the Mark (Forthcoming)

Book III: The Crimson Door (Forthcoming)

Leap deeper into the shadowy world of the Cult of the Elder within the pages of Rise of the Elder and much more!

Rise of the Elder

This Horror Survival Series documents the last days of those mortals foolish enough to pry into the affairs of the Cult of the Elder. The dark secrets are tempting, but few live to tell of the horrendous wonders beyond the void.

Book I: Drums in the Abyss

Book II: The Grief That Lingers (Forthcoming)

Book III: A Temple on the Witch-mound (Forthcoming)

Get the dark collection of macabre tales that started it all:

The Elder Unearthed: Tales of NasNoroth and the Cult of the Elder(https://www.amzn.com/B00J1Q4YYM)

Investigative Role Playing in a Modern World of Gothic Horror:

Children of the Mark: The Role Playing Game (Forthcoming)

190 pages, ebook

Published October 8, 2018

2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read

About the author

Michael W. Garza

40 books115 followers
Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it’s always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply astonishes them.

www.mwgarza.com
facebook.com/mwgarza
twitter.com/@mwgarza

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Danielle's.
Author 1 book169 followers
October 6, 2018
Twins are said to have a strong bond, but Elizabeth and Jessica's is more than ordinary. Two sisters, one being punished for her gift, and the other pretending it doesn't exist. Elizabeth is homeschooled and kept away from the outside world and Jessica goes to school pretending her life is mundane. All isn't what it seems with these two and more than their bond. Being special can be deadly in the wrong hands.

Elizabeth had an accident when she was younger and is left with an imperfect. She sees things that mundane people can't see. Her family make her see a therapist and she takes medication for her indiscretions. She spends most of her time between home and hospitals. She doesn't get out much. She wants to go to school like her sister but is kept home.

Jessica hides her gifts. She has the freedom to make friends and enjoy a little freedom when her sister goes missing it's up to her to find her. The authorities say that they are unsuccessfully looking for her but something seems wrong. As Jessica searches for her sister she is about to find out what Neverhaven really means. The girls past and future is about to catch up with them.

It took me a little bit to get into Neverhaven, but it was an enjoyable read. It's a "Chosen one" gone wrong book with a theme of a cult. It's unique and the start of a series. It has a happy ending but the ending leaves the door open for the next adventure.

4 stars out of 5. I received an ARC as part of the YA bound blog tour my date 9th October 2018.
Profile Image for Seregil of Rhiminee.
592 reviews48 followers
November 7, 2018
Originally published at Risingshadow.

Michael W. Garza's NeverHaven is the first novel in the Vision of the Elder series, which is aimed at young adult readers. It's part of the author's Cult of the Elder Mythos.

NeverHaven is an entertaining and atmospheric YA horror novel with Lovecraftian elements. The author has created a fresh and exciting story that will appeal to readers who enjoy reading entertaining and immersive stories. There's something about this novel that immediately grabs hold of the reader's attention, because the story goes straight to the point without unnecessarily long introductions. It's nice that the reader doesn't have to wait long for something to happen.

I normally try to shield myself from YA horror fiction, because I've been more or less disappointed with the quality of several novels. Fortunately, every once in a while novels like NeverHaven are published that restore my faith in YA horror fiction. I found this novel captivating and satisfyingly fast-paced, because the author has come up with a story that has a distinct sense of eldritch dread.

Here's a bit of information about the story:

Elizabeth is in the hospital, because her parents have put her there for observation. Elizabeth sees things, but no one believes her and she has tried to kill herself... One night, Jessica wakes up and feels that something is wrong with Elizabeth. When she goes to see her, she notices several figures standing in the bedroom and two people are standing over her sister. Soon she loses her consciousness after being struck on the head... When Jessica wakes up, Elizabeth has been kidnapped...

The story flows well from start to finish, because Elizabeth's kidnapping serves as a catalyst for the strange and terrifying events that throw the sisters' lives into turmoil.

Michael W. Garza writes fluently about Elizabeth and Jessica. He effortlessly tells of how similar the identical twin sisters are to each other, but also pays attention to differences between them. Just like many twins, they look alike, but are different from each other. The most noticeable difference is that they both have blue eyes, but Elizabeth's other eye is milky white.

The author writes well about what kind of family life Elizabeth and Jessica have. Their family is like a portrait of upper class happiness on the exterior, but things are actually far from being perfect, because their parents are not particularly good at dealing with feelings and emotions. The author also explores what kind of a relationship the sisters have and how they feel about each other.

I was fascinated by Elizabeth's visions, because they were almost like memories, but she didn't remember any of them happening. She saw people watching her, but didn't recognise any of them. No one believed her when she told about her visions and it complicated her life.

The author writes excellently about how Jessica has betrayed her sister by wanting to be normal. Jessica and her sister used to share everything, but when they neared their teens, Jessica decided to be normal. She convinced everybody that she couldn't see or feel anything Elizabeth described to them. This has put a strain on their relationship and has caused a kind of a rift between them.

I like Michael W. Garza's writing style, because he writes about the twin sisters, their problems and their lives in a fascinating way. He also easily creates a creepy and disturbing atmosphere. He delivers plenty of chills and surprises as the story begins to unfold and readers find out what happens to the sisters and what kind of a fate awaits Elizabeth.

I think it's great that Lovecraftian elements have found their way to YA literature, because Lovecraftian weird fiction is one of the most intriguing sub-genres of speculative fiction. This novel will most likely turn many YA readers into fans of Lovecraftian fiction, because the author writes grippingly about the Cult of the Elder and tells of what they are trying to achieve with their evil deeds.

I like the author's approach to Lovecraftian weird fiction, because it's sufficiently original and entertaining. I'm not going to reveal any details about the happenings in this novel, but I can mention that readers who are expecting to see tentacles will not be disappointed. I have to mention that the combination of Lovecraftian elements and YA horror works stunningly well in this novel. To be honest, I was surpised by how well it works, because the author uses Lovecraftian elements sparingly, but effectively to chill and surprise the reader.

Michael W. Garza's NeverHaven is fast-paced horror fiction with Lovecractian elements for YA readers. It's an exciting reading experience that will appeal to YA readers (and also to adult readers), because the story is good and suspenseful. More, please!
Profile Image for Grady.
Author 51 books1,822 followers
October 9, 2018
I am not looking to escape my darkness, I am learning to love myself there. - Rune Lazuli

Michael W. Garza comfortably posts on his Facebook page, `Zombies, spaceships, and dragons have all found a place in my writing. I often find myself wondering where my inspiration will come from next and in what form my imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise me and it's always my ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow me and take in those results. I sincerely hope that everyone will find something that astonishes, surprises, or simply scares the heck out of you.' Those of us who were captivated with his previous books `The Hand that Feeds', `The Elder Unearthed', ‘Tribes of Decay’, ‘Season of Decay’, ‘‘The Last Infection, ‘A Veil of Shadows’ and ‘Drums in the Abyss: Rise of the Elder Book 1 will find equal fascination with this Young Adult novel ‘NeverHaven: Vision of the Elder’ that once again terrifies without totally upsetting the reader.

One of the many aspects of Michael's novels that makes them absorb the reader's attention and surroundings is his ability to flow the story through dialogue. No long descriptive passages of `setting up' the stage; Michael lets the characters' responses to each other and to the myriad bizarre occurrences push the story along. He opens this new novel with his usual fine prose – ‘Every wall in the hospital was painted the same dull beige color. The entire room reeked of a harsh cleaner, which the staff apparently used to scrub everything from the small bedside tables to the door handle. The stiff aroma reminded Elizabeth of the stuff the cleaning lady used on her parent’s dining room floor. She always hated that smell. Elizabeth made sure the door to her room was closed before poking through the bag Nurse Anna left on the chair near the bed. The law permitted the hospital to keep Elizabeth only for a forty-eight hour observation period before they had to release her. Since she was under the age of eighteen, her parents could sign her out after the observation was complete. Her mother and father left her in the hospital for an extra day. Elizabeth figured the twenty-four hour bonus was Dr. Wesley’s idea. Dr. Alicen Wesley wasn’t Elizabeth’s family physician, at least not the kind Elizabeth considered a real doctor. Dr. Wesley was a psychiatrist. Elizabeth and her twin sister Jessica had been seeing Dr. Wesley for eleven of the sixteen years of their lives. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the mere thought of what Dr. Wesley was going to say at their next appointment. If Elizabeth knew anything about her parents, she was certain the next appointment would be very soon. Elizabeth slid the unstylish robe off and let it drop onto the floor. She removed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the bag and put them on. She leaned down, slid on her sandals, and had to use the arm of the chair to hold herself up. The room spun in a sudden rush, and she sat down to keep from toppling over. Elizabeth had lost a lot of blood, and she figured that was the cause of the dizzy spell. She scanned the room to make sure no one was watching, not wanting to give the staff any reason to keep her locked up for another day. It took several minutes to get her head back on straight. A series of long, slow breaths was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. Nurse Anna announced herself before nudging her head into the room. “You ready for me?” Elizabeth grumbled under her breath. “Sure, whatever.”

The synopsis aligns our expectations – ‘The bond between twins can bend but never break. Elizabeth is crazy, at least that’s what everyone believes. She sees things, terrible things no one wants to hear about. Her twin sister, Jessica, used to see things too, but she convinced herself long ago it was all in her head. The sixteen-year-old was left to drift through the chaos alone, abandoned by her other half. But now the darkness has come calling. Vision of the Elder - This YA Paranormal Series follows the trail of those children forced to bear witness to the sacred rites of the Cult of the Elder. Their eyes are opened to the darkness beyond the void, and their lives are forever changed.’

Now that you have the theme, jump into this book and see why Michael has mastered the scare realm. This man can frighten even the most jaded reader - and that is a very good thing in a time when we are all becoming so cellphone computer-driven flatline in our way of dealing with ideas. He jars us, makes us think, substantiates the possibilities of an approach of realism to his creations, and in the end provides a very fine novel that creeps into our psyches. He is good, very good.
Profile Image for Nadine.
237 reviews6 followers
October 9, 2018
I tend to like "occulty" stuff quite a lot, any movies on Prime or Netflix, I usually watch!  However, as I am thinking about it, I do not think I have reviewed a lot of this of the genre before.

I think the ones I did read were more towards mystery/paranormal than Occult. But I am glad I have a great one here to share with you all!

NeverHaven is something new on this site and I am so happy I started with it. Here we meet twins Elizabeth and Jessica; Elizabeth tried to commit suicide and has been struggling for a long time with weird visions.

Jessica on the other hand, well not so much.... but all is not as it seems!

It had a good creepy atmosphere that I did enjoy a lot, and I have to say that after reading back to back Regencies, that was a most welcome change of well... everything!

It started slow, but when it got interesting, I did not mind the slowness at all.

Should I mention the huge smile on my face as I was reading?

Talk about a gripping tale!

I could not put it down and pretty much finished it in one sitting. Though I have to tell you, that it felt too short, I could have used another 100 pages and it would have not been enough.  I have so many questions, it is not never funny!

But, based on what I have above, it looks like we have book 2 and 3 in the making, however, I am not sure if we continue following the girls or if we meet new characters or a mix of both.

I keep wondering.

As I mentioned above, it starts really badly, it doesn't become any better, but I did enjoy all the twists!  I admit one took me by surprise but another, I kinda starting to see coming. I am not telling you!

You have to read the book!

So there you have it, troops, if you want to read something different, then NeverHaven is the book for you. If you are a fan of the genre, I cannot believe that you would be disappointed.  I am going to highly recommend it and ask about the release dates of the next books.  I can tell you that Michael did an amazing job with the characters, setting, story... the whole lot!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Profile Image for Autumn.
2,366 reviews47 followers
October 16, 2018
I received an ARC to give an honest review.
We are introduced to Elizabeth and Jessica. Elizabeth is considered crazy because of what she sees or at least what she thinks she sees. Her twin sister Jessica learned long ago to not let it be known she can see anything because she doesn't want to be considered crazy like her sister. Though their bond is unbreakable and they are very close it is amazing to what lengths Jessica will go to save her sister. Not everything is what it seems within this family and it will take both of them coming together to be able to save each other, it seems you can't trust everyone around you. From the beginning, I was on the edge of my seat just wondering what the heck is going on. It seems that this Elder cult runs deep and if you get visions and see certain things you better beware as you are on their radar! The way this book went I do believe we might have another book to follow and I am excited to see what is going to be happening next.
Profile Image for Kirstian.
54 reviews63 followers
October 25, 2018
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twins, one labeled as crazy and they other keeping her abilities a secret. I really enjoy stories that build upon sibling bonds and NeverHaven does just that. Elizabeth and Jessica, though twins live two very different lives but this does not destroy the bond these twins have for each other.

When Elizabeth goes missing Jessica is determined to save her sister and not just sit around. I was drawn in more and more as I followed Jessica on her journey. It left me trying to figure out who was trustful, who wasn't, and what was really going on. I look forward to what the next book has to bring a seeing more into this Cult of the Elder.
Profile Image for P.S. Winn.
Author 105 books366 followers
October 30, 2018
Book one in the series has me anxiously waiting to read the next. Elizabeth and Jessica are twins. The doctors say Elizabeth is crazy, but maybe something else is closer to the truth. When Elizabeth is kidnapped, Jessica knows things are definitely not what they seem. No one is looking for her sister, but Jessica can somehow feel her presence. The adventure has just begun as secrets of the past reveal the future is going to be dangerous.
Profile Image for Vinny.
142 reviews61 followers
November 1, 2018
I received an ARC in exchange of honest review.
I usually prefer to watch this genre over the screen rather than reading it, but this one is pretty good. A bit too slow in the beginning, but it started to get intense after several chapters! I keep imagining Sadie Sinks as Elizabeth & Jessica, and young Josh Hutcherson as Aaron.

(Full review)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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