PARACOSM: Bleath: The Hauntings

I liked this story although it was unusual. It was definitely suspenseful and a bit creepy. Especially the kids who could make their own fantasy world with their minds. The adults were weird and had a reason for inviting Zoe to come to their town and do research on the kids who had psychic abilities. It was sad that Karstan who acted like he was so interested in Zoe was setting her up to be sacrificed. Luckily Rohan helped her to escape but she was still stuck in the past and knew she would not ever see her family again. I did not expect it to end that way. Good story.

Lots of psychics, magic , etc when Zoe went there to do her college thesis. She got more than she bargained for from the residents, dead, and alive. She ended up going back in time to 99 years ago, and staying there..

I was introduced to the world of Anya Allyn through her Dollhouse series, some of which I loved, and some of which I thought was truly poorly written. I picked up this book as a recommendation from my Kindle Unlimited email, and didn't even notice the author until I was done and I was like, "Oh, okay, that's why the style was so familiar." In fact, I thought about the Dollhouse series when Zoe found herself working in a toy store in the book.

Anyway, this book was just okay for me. Anya does a good job spinning a dark tale, and I like that. She writes eerie and suspenseful quite well. However, she has a difficult time making her characters consistent. She also seems to forget important information about what the character has learned at key times. This makes it frustrating for readers who are like, "Duh, it can't be him, she learned that earlier!"

Another small issue I had was verbiage. If an author is going to write an American tale set in an American setting, then she they need to learn American verbiage. Words like carpark, have a go at him, and others disrupt the feel of the story because we wouldn't say that in the US. Just a little research could make a difference simply because it pauses the flow of the story.

There's also the issue of Zoe's thesis. Honestly, when it came to her supposed college career and following thesis, it feels more like Zoe is a teenager and not an adult. She's unprepared, she decides to do this off the cuff and she's only going to interview four kids in an attempt to reach a conclusion about a large problem in a small town. None of that really jives for me.

Like many of her books, this one could use a better proof reader. I'm not talking grammar here, I DO NOT have a problem with poor grammar unless it is super terrible. I don't care about missing commas and stuff like that. But there are several places where there are words missing, which causes a break in the story.

I don't feel like it was a waste of time reading this story. It needs some improvements, but Anya has a great imagination. Her follow through still needs some tweaking, but I feel like she could be up there with the greats, like Stephen King and John Saul if she took some time to be consistent and did a bit of research. I'm not done with this author, she's got super promise!

"A paracosm is a detailed imaginary world created inside one's mind. This fantasy world may involve humans, animals, and things that exist in reality; or it may also contain entities that are entirely imaginary, alien, and otherwordly". Wikepedia.

When twenty two year old Zoe Cosgrove decided to study a phenomenon called “paracosm” for her psychology thesis, her research took her to the small town of Bleath in West Virginia which reportedly housed a number of children who were experiencing paracosms. She was to stay for a month – had already organised it with the mayor of the town, Falco Montalban. But the small community of Bleath was to change Zoe in many ways…

Installed in the Wilmont house where she was to stay for the duration, Zoe first met Karstan when he was doing some maintenance. A good looking young man, he promised to show her around town; show her the local attractions before she began her interviews. But the Wilmont house had Zoe uneasy; she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong – she just knew something was not right.

Gradually her unease turned to fear – she was seeing figures; knew they were malevolent, angry, even evil. And she sensed danger, especially for the children. What was Bleath? A town filled with innocent psychics, clairvoyants and hypnotists – or much worse? Or was it Zoe who was losing her mind?

Wow! I was absolutely blown away by Aussie author Anya Allyn’s latest novel, Paracosm. A completely gripping and totally engrossing read from start to finish, it alludes to characters from the Dollhouse series, but that series doesn’t have to be read to read this one. And I’m thrilled Paracosm is the beginning of a new series as well. The ending will lead perfectly into the next book! I have no hesitation whatsoever in very highly recommending Paracosm to all.

This story is eerie and bone chilling in places.

While reading this book I could never tell which way it was going to go. It was the perfect balance of creep factor and realism that has you sucked in from the very beginning. I loved the underlying Dark Carousel story running through it. (Even if you haven't read the Dark Carousel series you will still understand everything going on. For those that have read it, you will understand every one of them and it will make you want to reread them all again.)

Zoe is an amazing lead character. She is strong and vulnerable at the same time. She never gives anything away and the way Anya Allyn has written the book you feel like you are the main character. Even though she has given the description of her character it is very easy to slip yourself into her role.

Karstan.........he is........loveable and creepy at the same time. He has moments of being the perfect guy and then the next chapter makes you think why is he being a creepy stalker type, but in a good way.

Phineas......I was back and forth on him and still even after reading I can't figure him out.

The rest of the cast is wonderful and will stick with you.

All in all a wonderful read. Cannot wait for more from Anya Allyn. Of you have not picked up her Dark Carousel series yet you will by the time you finish this.

Oh my! That ending! I never expected that.

This was spooky, well written, and the characters were well rounded. There were a couple parts that really gave me the creeps and had me jumping at any noise I heard. I kept waiting for that little girl from the Ring movies to pop over for a visit. 

At the time of this review, this has $4.99 price tag. Is it worth that? I don't think I would pay that much for this. I would wait for this at a discounted price.

I will definitely read more by this author if the price is right.

 

Some of the children of Bleath have been escaping to worlds of their own. Zoe a Psychology student has decided to travel to Bleath to interview the children and present this as her thesis. The longer she is there the weirder things keep getting. What is going on in Bleath? I don't read a whole lot of books dealing with the paranormal, but I really enjoyed this one. It was the perfect mix of weird and scary for me. I enjoyed the characters and the residents of Bleath. I will be reading more of this author's books!
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Paracosm, from beginning till...almost the end! Found the ending a tad frustrating because I wanted to know what happened to Zoe, so many unanswered questions! Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved the characters and the idea behind these little worlds. Would have loved to know more about those as well.

It took me reading about two or three chapters before I could really get into the book. But once I did I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what happened next. I thought I has the end solved, I was wrong. This is the kind if book that I like ...a page turner. I was provided this book to provide an honest review of the book. I think I have done just that. Buy the way this is the first book I have read from this author and it will not be the last. Loved this book.

Many thanks to the author, from whom I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is tangentially related to the author’s Dark Carousel series, of which I know nothing, other than it is a Gothic type dark YA. After reading Paracosm, I’m seriously tempted to give those a try as well.

Zoe is 22, freshly broken up from her cheating boyfriend, and leaving home for the first time. She is going to Bleath, WV, for a month to study the children of the town for her college thesis. Many of the children of Bleath have created something called paracosms, which is a fancy word for imaginary worlds. These worlds can become very real to those who create them; Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are among those who channeled their childhood fantasies into the fabulous worlds of fiction they created later in life. Often, children who create paracosms are found to be highly creative. Zoe has struck a deal with the mayor of Bleath, a Mr. Montalban, who has agreed to provide her lodging in the Wilmont House, an empty farmhouse outside of town. Zoe is also driving an 89 Corolla, which tips me off that we just might be in the twilight zone... lol. If, in 2015, you have an 89 Corolla that is not only still running, but that you feel safe on the interstate with---more power to ya buddy. When I started driving I had an 88 Cavalier, which gave up the ghost in protest the first week I drove it.

Bleath is the quintessential creepy little town - I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the country cousin of Castle Rock or Derry. Zoe is getting bad vibes and the creeps from the minute she crosses the border into town. Her arrival at the Wilmont house doesn't’ settle her mind any, but Karstan, the mayor’s gorgeous son, arrives to escort her to dinner with his parents. He flirts with her like mad, and hints that there is plenty for her to be surprised about when it comes to their little town. One of those things is that Bleath is absolutely filled with psychics, mediums and clairvoyants. This fact is one of the main draws for tourism for this small town in the middle of nowhere, and what revenue that is not earned from wheat farming is all due to tourists visiting the never-ending carnival running outside of town. Seances, hypnotisms, and the like are their business, and business is booming. The town supports itself of the very paranormal-ness of the place. Zoe wonders if all this contact with the spirit world is what is causing the paracosms in the affected children.

The highlights of this book for me were 1 - the interaction she had with the kids, and 2 - the creepy events that kept happening around Zoe. She consistently tried to dismiss or explain away every spooky occurrence that happened to her, never thinking for a minute (until much later in the story) that any of this could really be real. Personally, if I see any shadowy figures floating in the field behind my house, or the wallpaper changes overnight, I am either burning the place down or making some fast tracks out of there. But Zoe just keeps justifying and carrying on… I really expected her to eventually wake up and realize that she has been staying in a falling down shack, and that the whole town and all of the people in it are all dust and bones. It’s that kind of creepy, ya’ll, and I loved every minute of it.

I would have loved to see her interview a dozen kids, but the three that she did interact with were just awesome. I really felt at about the midpoint of the book that she was wasting time chasing Karstan around when she could have been doing what she came there for. But never fear, it all moved the plot forward - I was just greedy for more. Now about the kids: all the children in Bleath play in the wheat fields, just like I assume children in Kansas play in corn fields. But children have been lost in the fields, a little fact that no one in the town seems to want to talk about. She finds out about it when she interviews Duckie, my favorite of the paracosm kids. Duckie’s paracosm is that she is going over to a 1920’s circus, where she is a performer. Her father is baffled by her (as he also seems baffled by fatherhood) because she knows the circus tricks and talks just like she’s been spending time in the 1920’s. She acts more like she’s eight going on 35, if you get my drift. Duckie tells Zoe that she once lost her friend Melody in “the gray” while trying to show her friend her circus. This piques Zoe’s interest and the mystery only deepens from there. Melody was not the first, or the last child to go missing in the fields of Bleath.

This book is great on playing with your mind…. and for the last 20% I literally could not put the thing down. The paranormal incidents only get more physical, and Zoe fears that she is not in control of her own mind and actions. Another character is introduced with the portentous name of Fulcrum who challenges everything that Zoe thought she had learned. And the ending - it was NOTHING like I was expecting. It’s rare these days that a book truly manages to surprise me, but this one did. Bravo, Ms. Allyn, Bravo indeed.

This story had a fascinating subject : paracosm. I'd never heard of paracosm and I was very excited to dive into the story. I enjoyed being propelled through the book from beginning to end. The characters were all very intriguing and likable. I was somewhat disappointed that the complete understanding that I was propelled through the book to find, I did not find. There were so many loose ends and questions never answered. I will read this again to try to fill in the blanks some. I understand that this is an offshoot of another series, but because of the disappointment I felt when the story ended, I am not compelled to make any effort to read the original series.