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Haunted Florida #2
River of Ghosts
A ghostly pirate ship. A haunted cabin rotting in the swamp. Gladesmen from the Everglades' checkered past.
Avila Cypress gives airboat tours of the Everglades with something extra--tales of the supernatural. When a TV ghost show production crew offers her money in exchange for her taking them to the abandoned Villegas House, a haunted depot with a murderous past in the middle of the swamp, Avila must decide if the opportunity is worth upsetting her traditional Miccosukee Indian family.
As soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen--disembodied voices, visions of victims long gone, and the crew turning on each other. Can Avila develop her untapped gifts in time to save them from self-destruction? Or will she become another spirit to wander the River of Grass forever?
Avila Cypress gives airboat tours of the Everglades with something extra--tales of the supernatural. When a TV ghost show production crew offers her money in exchange for her taking them to the abandoned Villegas House, a haunted depot with a murderous past in the middle of the swamp, Avila must decide if the opportunity is worth upsetting her traditional Miccosukee Indian family.
As soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen--disembodied voices, visions of victims long gone, and the crew turning on each other. Can Avila develop her untapped gifts in time to save them from self-destruction? Or will she become another spirit to wander the River of Grass forever?
- GenresHorror
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2021
98 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Gaby Triana
21 books184 followersGABY TRIANA is the Cuban-American author of 25 books for adults and teens, including Moon Child, Island of Bones, River of Ghosts, City of Spells, Wake the Hollow, Cubanita, and Summer of Yesterday. Her short stories have appeared in Classic Monsters Unleashed, A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, A Conjuring for All Seasons, Novus Monstrum, and Weird Tales Magazine. She has co-authored ghosthunters Sam & Colby’s horror novel, Paradise Island, and edited the ghost anthology series, Literally Dead (Tales of Halloween Hauntings; Tales of Holiday Hauntings).
As a ghostwriter, Gaby has penned 50+ novels for bestselling authors in every genre. Her own books have won the IRA Teen Choice Award, ALA Best Paperback, and Hispanic Magazine's Good Reads Awards, and she writes under several pen names, including Gabrielle Keyes for her paranormal women’s fiction. She lives in Miami with her family and the four-legged creatures they serve.
FB: @GabyTriana.author
IG: @GabyTriana
YT: The Witch Haunt
As a ghostwriter, Gaby has penned 50+ novels for bestselling authors in every genre. Her own books have won the IRA Teen Choice Award, ALA Best Paperback, and Hispanic Magazine's Good Reads Awards, and she writes under several pen names, including Gabrielle Keyes for her paranormal women’s fiction. She lives in Miami with her family and the four-legged creatures they serve.
FB: @GabyTriana.author
IG: @GabyTriana
YT: The Witch Haunt
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 3, 2023
Absolutely loved it
Scared the crap out of me.
Scared the crap out of me.
February 13, 2022
This is a killer ghost story!
An intense and suspenseful plot, strong characters and lotsa sinister ghosts made for a great read. Well done! More please...
An intense and suspenseful plot, strong characters and lotsa sinister ghosts made for a great read. Well done! More please...
October 28, 2018
After finishing Haunting of Hill House I was really wanting a good ghost story read. This one definitely delivered. The setting was unique in the Everglades. I could picture that old house sitting there surrounded by gators and swamp. Characters were interesting and the story was well paced. This author is a must to have on your shelf if you are a ghost story fan.
December 12, 2018
Gahhhhh! I've enjoyed other books by Gaby Triana. This one just didn't do anything for me. I struggled to finish it.
September 28, 2018
Gaby Triana's second book in the Haunted Florida series is an intriguing, inviting tale into strange occurrences in the Everglades. Triana's protagonist, Avila Cypress, is a strong character and one you feel comfortable traveling the story with. The plot flows well, with surprises as you go, and believable events along the way. Triana is a skilled weaver of stories and one of my favorite authors; this book is solid reading! Highly recommend.
May 6, 2019
I bought this book as part of a set, and at first, I was excited because it was a ghost hunt/reality tv type story, and I love to watch Ghost Adventures & The Dead Files. After starting it, I must admit that I felt a bit disappointed. What on Earth did the pirate ship in the prologue have to do with the Everglades? I kept going with the story anyway, and I'm glad I did!
I loved how the author chose to write Avila as a native woman, so we got to hear about how torn she felt between her family's culture and way of life and the 21st century and her individual dreams. It gave additional depth to the story and Avila. I wanted to know the mystery of Villegas House, and I was surprised! And the author answered my questions by tieing the story back to the prologue. At one point, I thought the story was over...until I realized that there were still like ten chapters to go. That's when it started to get quite dark. Bad things can happen in isolated locales that attract adventure-seekers due to the dark history.
Trigger warnings: I was very upset by two goings-on in the book, although they weren't unnecessarily graphic, and they fit in with the overall story. They demonstrated the darkness of Villegas House (you know, the ole 'show, don't tell.'). So here are two trigger warnings: rape and animal cruelty. I wasn't so surprised by the first, but I know some readers would prefer to avoid reading about it, so here's a heads-up. The animal cruelty caught me off-guard and felt like a blow to the gut. As an animal lover, I was horrified and found it hard to read, but this part was over quickly, and I was able to finish the book.
Overall, I liked the book. The author did a great job in creating an entirely different character from those in her other Haunted Florida stories. Avila was not a cookie-cutter character. She had depth and strength. I wasn't expecting the twist at the very end.
I purchased River of Ghosts as part of the Haunted Florida ebook anthology from Amazon. After finishing the set, because I loved it so much, I signed up for the author's newsletter to be informed about future work.
I loved how the author chose to write Avila as a native woman, so we got to hear about how torn she felt between her family's culture and way of life and the 21st century and her individual dreams. It gave additional depth to the story and Avila. I wanted to know the mystery of Villegas House, and I was surprised! And the author answered my questions by tieing the story back to the prologue. At one point, I thought the story was over...until I realized that there were still like ten chapters to go. That's when it started to get quite dark. Bad things can happen in isolated locales that attract adventure-seekers due to the dark history.
Trigger warnings: I was very upset by two goings-on in the book, although they weren't unnecessarily graphic, and they fit in with the overall story. They demonstrated the darkness of Villegas House (you know, the ole 'show, don't tell.'). So here are two trigger warnings: rape and animal cruelty. I wasn't so surprised by the first, but I know some readers would prefer to avoid reading about it, so here's a heads-up. The animal cruelty caught me off-guard and felt like a blow to the gut. As an animal lover, I was horrified and found it hard to read, but this part was over quickly, and I was able to finish the book.
Overall, I liked the book. The author did a great job in creating an entirely different character from those in her other Haunted Florida stories. Avila was not a cookie-cutter character. She had depth and strength. I wasn't expecting the twist at the very end.
I purchased River of Ghosts as part of the Haunted Florida ebook anthology from Amazon. After finishing the set, because I loved it so much, I signed up for the author's newsletter to be informed about future work.
September 25, 2018
A cursed pirate ship turned haunted house + a latent psychic + a deranged reality TV star. What could go wrong?
This summer’s new Haunted Florida series is basically Goosebumps for adults… except a whole lot creepier and based exclusively on local FL legends. Legends, that, ahem, have nothing to do with nightclubs, celebrities, or the myriad grifter weirdos that South FL seems to attract.
Contains spoiler alerts.
31-year-old airboat tour guide Avila Cypress agrees to take a group out to a haunted house in the Everglades, where her dark family secrets and those of a sociopathic reality TV star intersect. The party knows the house is the site of a few murders, including that of Avila’s own grandfather. Instead, it’s also made of reclaimed wood from a cursed pirate ship that’s been marinating in its own evil for centuries.
And then, things start to get creepy.
RIVER OF GHOSTS picks up its predecessor’s threads of a main character coming into her hidden psychic powers, but is far more unsettling and complex. Equal parts psychological thriller, intricate ghost story, and story of a young (30s are young!) woman’s search for her place in the changing world of her Miccosukee trike, RIVER OF GHOSTS’ rather ambiguous ending makes it extra unsettling and scary.
A “kinder, gentler” writer would have added a couple chapters to the end that show Avila coming home alive and safe. Triana isn’t playing like that, leaving Avila half-dead in a swamp depending on smoke signals and her brother’s ghost to signal her family. We as readers want to see that good wins over evil… because we know that’s not always how real life plays out. It takes guts and skill to bring heart and a major character arc to a death-ridden horror story, but Gaby is a master.
In RIVER OF GHOSTS’ world, evil spirits may always rule the swamp, because cursed material can never be destroyed. Just in case you’re not creeped out enough, the book is based on a real local legend. http://nationalparkquest.com/a-tale-o...
Disclaimers: I received a digital ARC because I bugged Gaby relentlessly and then offered to provide an honest review.
This summer’s new Haunted Florida series is basically Goosebumps for adults… except a whole lot creepier and based exclusively on local FL legends. Legends, that, ahem, have nothing to do with nightclubs, celebrities, or the myriad grifter weirdos that South FL seems to attract.
Contains spoiler alerts.
31-year-old airboat tour guide Avila Cypress agrees to take a group out to a haunted house in the Everglades, where her dark family secrets and those of a sociopathic reality TV star intersect. The party knows the house is the site of a few murders, including that of Avila’s own grandfather. Instead, it’s also made of reclaimed wood from a cursed pirate ship that’s been marinating in its own evil for centuries.
And then, things start to get creepy.
RIVER OF GHOSTS picks up its predecessor’s threads of a main character coming into her hidden psychic powers, but is far more unsettling and complex. Equal parts psychological thriller, intricate ghost story, and story of a young (30s are young!) woman’s search for her place in the changing world of her Miccosukee trike, RIVER OF GHOSTS’ rather ambiguous ending makes it extra unsettling and scary.
A “kinder, gentler” writer would have added a couple chapters to the end that show Avila coming home alive and safe. Triana isn’t playing like that, leaving Avila half-dead in a swamp depending on smoke signals and her brother’s ghost to signal her family. We as readers want to see that good wins over evil… because we know that’s not always how real life plays out. It takes guts and skill to bring heart and a major character arc to a death-ridden horror story, but Gaby is a master.
In RIVER OF GHOSTS’ world, evil spirits may always rule the swamp, because cursed material can never be destroyed. Just in case you’re not creeped out enough, the book is based on a real local legend. http://nationalparkquest.com/a-tale-o...
Disclaimers: I received a digital ARC because I bugged Gaby relentlessly and then offered to provide an honest review.
October 1, 2018
What a page turner!!!
Absolutely loved this second book!! Really
great characters and the story line and
plot was riveting. Once I started reading it
grabbed a hold and wouldn't let go. This
book was so enjoyable and so entertaining
that I can't wait for the third in the series
to come out!! Great author and fantastic
ghostly mystery!!!
Absolutely loved this second book!! Really
great characters and the story line and
plot was riveting. Once I started reading it
grabbed a hold and wouldn't let go. This
book was so enjoyable and so entertaining
that I can't wait for the third in the series
to come out!! Great author and fantastic
ghostly mystery!!!
November 11, 2018
Ghostly delight
A unique ghost story. Indian lore, brought to life. Mysteries and secrets revealed,a good story with a rewarding finish. Give yourself time to enjoy the haunt.
A unique ghost story. Indian lore, brought to life. Mysteries and secrets revealed,a good story with a rewarding finish. Give yourself time to enjoy the haunt.
September 2, 2019
OMG cant get enough of this book. A MUST READ BOOK. Keeps you on wanting more. I cant seem to gwt enough of this Authors books. Thrilling and satisfying. Its so good in every word you can think of. I love love Ghost story's. Once again thank you Gaby Triana for another awesome book.
December 31, 2018
The second in her Haunted Florida series, Gaby Triana's River of Ghosts is a standalone novel beginning briefly in the eighteenth century with a curse and switching to the present day where Avila Cypress is a tour guide, providing airboat tours of the Everglades. Against her initial better judgment, and knowing her family would angrily disapprove, she nevertheless accepts a commission to escort a film production crew to the formidable, horribly haunted Villegas House. And that's when things become seriously scary.
I loved the first in this series - Island of Bones - and this is a brilliant ghost story, exquisitely told. Gaby Triana's prose is, at times, lyrical but never flowery. We suffer with Avila as she battles with her newly discovered psychic powers and the story itself moves at a pace that demands a movie. The steamy, hot and oppressive atmosphere of the location is vividly portrayed as is the fear and the sinister dread. Excellent
I loved the first in this series - Island of Bones - and this is a brilliant ghost story, exquisitely told. Gaby Triana's prose is, at times, lyrical but never flowery. We suffer with Avila as she battles with her newly discovered psychic powers and the story itself moves at a pace that demands a movie. The steamy, hot and oppressive atmosphere of the location is vividly portrayed as is the fear and the sinister dread. Excellent
January 1, 2024
Great story taking place in the Everglades. Pirates, witches, and ghosts.
May 14, 2023
Well written, fun & spooky!
River of Ghosts was a terrific ghost story. I find that I tend to like ghost stories that involve paranormal investigation teams, & this book delivered on that trope in an excellent & exciting way. Gaby Triana has a way of writing that really conveys the creepiness in a situation. The other books I've read of hers (Moon Child & Island of Bones) are wonderfully atmospheric, & that was the case here as well. Each of her books has been set in a different part of Florida, & she does such a great job that I can easily visualize the settings & see them so clearly in my mind's eye. River of Ghosts was set in the Everglades, which is a fascinating place in reality. Triana channeled all of the dangerous beauty of this wild land into this tale, with gorgeous effect. I also feel like I learned a few things in reading this book, about the Everglades & the native peoples that remain there, & how today's technology & ever growing population has encroached on both. My only complaint is that the end came kind of abruptly. I felt like Triana created this incredible tapestry with interwoven stories of the past & how those events had affected the lives of the characters, but then at the last minute when I was expecting some answers, she went for the shock value ending & dropped a lot of threads that could have made the ending really spectacular. But despite being a bit disappointed with the ending, this book was still a thoroughly enjoyable, eerie & highly entertaining, quick read. Recommended.
River of Ghosts was a terrific ghost story. I find that I tend to like ghost stories that involve paranormal investigation teams, & this book delivered on that trope in an excellent & exciting way. Gaby Triana has a way of writing that really conveys the creepiness in a situation. The other books I've read of hers (Moon Child & Island of Bones) are wonderfully atmospheric, & that was the case here as well. Each of her books has been set in a different part of Florida, & she does such a great job that I can easily visualize the settings & see them so clearly in my mind's eye. River of Ghosts was set in the Everglades, which is a fascinating place in reality. Triana channeled all of the dangerous beauty of this wild land into this tale, with gorgeous effect. I also feel like I learned a few things in reading this book, about the Everglades & the native peoples that remain there, & how today's technology & ever growing population has encroached on both. My only complaint is that the end came kind of abruptly. I felt like Triana created this incredible tapestry with interwoven stories of the past & how those events had affected the lives of the characters, but then at the last minute when I was expecting some answers, she went for the shock value ending & dropped a lot of threads that could have made the ending really spectacular. But despite being a bit disappointed with the ending, this book was still a thoroughly enjoyable, eerie & highly entertaining, quick read. Recommended.
April 20, 2023
Having read Island of Bones not long ago I couldn’t wait to get this one started. I was very surprised that the series, Haunted Florida, is a series about different places in Florida and not the same characters from book to book.
This book starts with Avila, a Miccosukee woman, who works for the family business by running an air boat tour. She talks of local folklore and brings up the topic of a spooky house. A couple of tourists offer to pay her to take them to the spooky house for a paranormal show they produce.
It kept me interested and creeped out at the same time.
This book starts with Avila, a Miccosukee woman, who works for the family business by running an air boat tour. She talks of local folklore and brings up the topic of a spooky house. A couple of tourists offer to pay her to take them to the spooky house for a paranormal show they produce.
It kept me interested and creeped out at the same time.
June 1, 2021
Interesting quick read
I only give four instead of five stars bc I was hoping for a good final chapter that told how the real world dealt with what had happened. Was there an investigation? That type thing. The book itself is good and has interesting info abt the Everglades. I liked it.
I only give four instead of five stars bc I was hoping for a good final chapter that told how the real world dealt with what had happened. Was there an investigation? That type thing. The book itself is good and has interesting info abt the Everglades. I liked it.
September 19, 2020
I didn’t think Gaby Triana would surpass Island of Bones, but she did! This second installment in her Haunted Florida series was amazingly suspenseful, eerie as hell, gory where it needed to be, and kept my heart pounding throughout the whole book. I highly recommend this series. Chilling!
March 15, 2021
Would be a good movie.
Definitely better than all of the "ghost stories" I have read recently. Good plot and interesting characters make this worth your time to read.
Definitely better than all of the "ghost stories" I have read recently. Good plot and interesting characters make this worth your time to read.
July 8, 2021
Loved the story. Love how the deterioration of the characters emotions and psyche as the story goes along, creating a sense of danger.
May 16, 2024
3.5 stars! Definitely scary! Wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, but overall a good scary read, with an amazing Florida setting.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews