Review: Spirits Rising

Posted February 1, 2012 by Vampbard in 3.5 stars, Rating B, Urban Fantasy Tags: , , , ,

Spirits Rising
Author: Krista D. Ball 
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Publisher: Self-Published, Smashwords
Spirit Caller Series #1
ISBN: 978-1-4660-5265-9
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, novella
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Author
About the book:
Rachel Mills has one wish in life: for the spirit world to shut up and leave her alone. She thought her move to a remote fishing village in Northern Newfoundland would help.
Population: Twenty. What could go wrong?
Instead of peace, however, she relocates to a land of superstitution, the air alive with the presence of others.
When a local teenager accidentally summons the spirits of the area, including those from a thousand-year-old Viking settlement, all supernatural breaks loose. As the spirits stalk her and each other, Rachel finds herself in over her head. With the help of Mrs. Saunders, her 93-year-old neighbour, Rachel has to put aside her own prejudices long enough to send the spirits back to rest, or risk being caught in the midst of a spirit war.
What VampBards talking about:
Ms. Ball has started out her Spirit Caller novella series by showcasing Rachel and her self-torture because she can’t have Canadian Mountie, Jeremy for herself.  While there’s not a lot of romance, there surely is some major tension.  
The tension in Spirits Rising doesn’t only come from the interplay between Jeremy and Rachel, however.  More serious conflict arises between Rachel and the native spirits of the area, unleashed by an unsuspecting Manny – a local teen – as well as his devout father, David.  The resolution at the end of the story was pretty predictable, but over-all, this was a nice read for a lazy day.
I really enjoyed the inner conversations Rachel had with herself, and it seemed like her relationship with Mrs. Saunders seemed to ground her.  I look forward to reading future installments of the Spirit Caller series, simply to find out how Rachel fares…and whether she will end up with Jeremy or not!
VampBards Rating:
Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)







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