Parlor Tricks

 We are no better than the Victorians. While our parlor tricks have turned into TV shows and ghost hunting, we are still doing them; the only difference now is we have paranormal science and gadgets, which are sometimes not even reliable. Lets get into it and dig deeper. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

If you asked Houdini (you can't, he's dead) where to find a non-fraud medium he'd tell you not to bother. Houdini put out a challenge way back when that stated any medium or psychic proving their power would win the grand prize of 10,000 dollars. Many tried, but none succeeded, and here we are still watching them on TV. What's wrong with us? 

The Victorian era had a way of playing parlor games to contact the dead. Smart, no, but they sure thought it was fun. Not all these parlor games were about the dead (let's be real, some of them must have learned not to mess with it), but Halloween was all about the spooky. The innocent parlor games actually sound like boatloads of fun to play, including blind man's bluff, forfeit, lookabout, charades, the sculptor, Kim's game, pass the slipper, and dictionary. If you want to try these out -for they are far safer to play - click here for the descriptions. Be aware that there are more of these you shouldn't play that will leave you hurt, so do your own research before attempting any not listed here. From here on out, we'll be focusing on the dangerous ones that involve the supernatural. I will be talking about the Victorian era first, then our current time of 2023. 

Victorian Spooky Games

I hate to break it to you, past Victorians, but your games were also witchcraft. Oops! The occult was a popular topic back then. It still is. I don't suggest traveling this path. Sceances, mediums, crystal balls, palmistry, cartomancy(future told in playing cards)...All games for pure entertainment in one's living room. All of that is witchcraft. Another thing that emerged in the Victorian era is the symbolism of flowers (language of flowers), which while fascinating has a loose connection to witchcraft. As suspected, the working class were not the ones going to seances out of curiosity on the daily, mostly because nobody's got time for that in poverty when you have a family to feed. 

If you think Wica didn't exist then, you're wrong, they just didn't label it that. Halloween games included what sounds distinctly like Wica practices. Guessing your future marital status and husband was a common one. It sounds stupid to me. You walk into a dark room in front of a mirror, peel an apple, and maybe you'll see the face of someone you'll marry. I don't understand why this was entertaining. If you saw a skeleton you'd die alone, apparently. 

Courtesy of imgflip.com

Another way to guess your marital status was to bake a dangerous cake. Bake a ring, needle, dime, and thimble into your cake. Needle and thimble indicated spinsterhood (no marriage), but a ring or dime indicated you'd marry. Tea anyone? Let's drip the tea; not spill, drip. Suspend a spoon on a teacup and drip tea onto it until it falls. Every drip is one year you have to wait until you marry. These people must have been high-class and bored out of their skulls. 

 To be fair to the Victorians, there was a lot of death around them. Why? Well, let's look at the arsenic makeup, child mortality, and other causes another day. History Connections has a whole series that I'll link right here. Medicines were not great, either. Medical care was not something you want me to talk about, and I don't care to. The occult was grief motivated for many who had lost loved ones one after another, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They seemed to be obsessed with death in some ways, such as visiting cemeteries for picnics and viewing curious bodies (posted by newspapers) at morgues. 

We also have to address the charlatans in the room. Houdini liked to go undercover and expose them. They had many different ways to fake everything, including dimming the lights and making everyone close their eyes so a partner could do things unnoticed. They could tap on the floor with their feet, cold-read the people in the room, and make up crap on the spot that was so vague it couldn't be disputed. It made them money because there is a sucker born every minute. It was wrong on so many levels. It is also the base of some magic tricks modern magicians can do. The world of magicians did benefit from all the charlatans, which isn't so strange if you think about it. 

Todays' Parlor Tricks

We're going to start with our own modern Charlatans - those faked ghost-hunting shows. Not every show is faked, I know, but they do slant the historical view of The Winchester Mystery House and The Stanley Hotel, as proven by these two links; Winchester Mystery House and Stanley Hotel. These two Youtubers mention that at least one ghost show or two is clearly faking stuff for views. I don't think it's a good idea to ghost hunt, but I despise those that fake it more. If you intend to ghost hunt do it for real or just say it is fiction straight out of the gate. You make a mockery of yourself if you are found to be a charlatan. 

Courtesy of The Mirror -
a picture from the Winchester Mystery House

I confess, I have watched a few of these videos out of curiosity, despite my view that ghost hunting finds more demons than actual ghosts. I am a skeptic, but I also believe that some of them don't fake it. Kallmekris and Celina Spookyboo are not faking it in my opinion, nor are the Proper People (the few times they even attempted it). Honestly, I fear they are taking something supernatural home with them. The history of mental health in ghost hunters is not great. You risk taking a presence back home, where it can harm you. There are two viewers for these shows; one is watching because they want to make fun of the ghost hunters or disprove them, and the other genuinely might believe it. Let's be real. We've made ghost hunting a form of entertainment and we're no better than the Victorian Era population. It just so happens we stuff it into our TV shows and don't sit around peeling apples in front of mirrors.

The curiosity with death never left our society, ladies and gents. In fact, our bookstores now have Wica guides in them and crystals to be purchased. There is nothing new under the sun. I know a former Wica member and a current one. I flipped through the guide in a store and it literally sounds like I went back to the Victorian era. It mentioned peeling apples to bless a garden and moon water, which is water exposed to moonlight as far as I can tell. Our fiction also seems to be fascinated with the occult. And no, Harry Potter is not what I describe as the occult. Harry Potter is fantasy writing. Fantasy and the occult are not the same. No, I'm talking about the TV shows we see about covens and real occult practices. Have you noticed? Take a look around you. 

Wicca, to explain, is modern witchcraft. It sounds vastly complicated. I'll let you read the article yourself, if you are so inclined to. What is Wicca? An expert on modern witchcraft explains. (theconversation.com)

Did the seances end? No. Did psychics and mediums end? No. Did the ouija boards disappear? No, they are sold among board games, where they don't belong. I firmly believe they need to be taken off shelves permanently. I had an experience in a house where someone had used one. There are places with dark supernatural beings due to the use of the ouija board by at least one or two people. They are dangerous. That's how you find demons. It turns out nobody learned from the victorian era. We're still playing parlor games we ought not to. 

Conclusion

I will address magicians here, but I don't see harm in them. Houdini was one and he did not support the occult. He had Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's wife do a handwriting reading and it didn't match his mother's broken English, which spurred him to disbelieve psychics and mediums. There is no harm in a magic show. They already come with the implied nature of illusion. You suspend your disbelief like you are watching a movie. It isn't the occult. 

Courtesy of davidhalperin.net

At the end of the day, Solomon was correct in stating nothing new is under the sun. The societal views of people before us trickle down to our modern-day era whether we look back to figure it out or not. Nothing truly disappears. We have new charlatans and old ones mixed in together, making money from the vulnerable and curious. I guess we'll always have a certain curiosity toward death and the afterlife, inevitably leading to an interest in witchcraft and divination. We want to know the future. I don't think we need to know the future, but we want to. 

I believe God is in control. I don't think we need to be divining the future or talking to ghosts that could be demons. Jesus died and rose again to defeat Satan, thus we don't have fear if we are in Christ. He's got the supernatural covered. I don't have to try to keep guessing what happens next when He's taking care of me. If you don't agree with my faith view, we can agree to disagree. 

I do think we should all be wary of chasing the supernatural to any degree, as we will never understand what we are truly doing and may stumble into a door that opens up more trouble than we bargained for. 

Be careful. I care about my blog readers. I don't want you to welcome what you can't shove back into its opening. 

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page.

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

Victorian Parlour Games - Victorian Children

Victorian Witchcraft: Seances, Spirits & How to Enchant Your Corset! (otherworldlyoracle.com)

Victorian Halloween Traditions | Mental Floss

History Undressed: Séances, Spirits & Mediums - Victorians & Spiritualism

What Did People Do For Fun During The Victorian Era? (ranker.com)

Unburying Yourself From Your Personal Projects

 We've all taken on more than we can handle at some point in time. We got too excited by our hobbies or thought we had more time than we did, but now we have to unburden ourselves from our projects one finished project at a time. Let's grab our shovels together. 

Courtesy of design-fixation.com

First, you will need an open word document, piece of paper and pencil, or excel sheet. Whatever you prefer to use to organize your thoughts will do. Before I talk about prioritizing and figuring out what to tackle first we need a comprehensive list of your projects. I'll start by giving you an example. 

My projects:

Freewriting Story draft - long range, commitment, unsure how close to end I am

editing next book/novella - long range, commitment, unsure how close to end I am

diamond dots painting - long range, leisure, about one fifth through it

counted cross stitch - long range, leisure, about 90 percent through it

playing dredge - short range, leisure, three fifths through the game plot

playing harvest moon - medium range, leisure, close to through the main storyline

reading Lonesome Dove - medium range, leisure, a little more than two thirds through 

prewriting new blog series - long range, leisure, 80 percent finished

The example above follows this pattern: (project) - (long, medium, or short range) (commitment, due date, or leisure), (how finished the project is)

Take a minute and go through this for yourself. What do you have on your plate? You'll get a good overview of what you actually need to finish and what can wait. 

Prioritizing your list

Now pull out that list and look for commitments and due-dated projects. How many do you have? Maybe you can put a lot of projects on a backburner list, where you can pick them up again at a later time. I highly suggest making a backburner list for the purpose of focusing on what needs to be done. You can pick up the backburner projects one at a time and unbury yourself that way. 

Commitments and due-dated projects go on the top of your list, organized based on what is due when. For me, my writing is a commitment, which makes the story draft and editing process the top tier of my list. The next tier down is going to be what you prefer to finish soon or what is nearly finished, your choice.  For me that is the blog series and Lonesome Dove. What is left goes on the bottom of your list or the backburner list, which is entirely your call to make. 

In summary, the first tier is anything you committed to, the second tier is what you prefer to finish/ what can be finished soon, and third is whatever is left. There is also the option of having a backburner list and leaving projects put away until a later date. 

Long, medium, and short range

To clarify, let's talk about the time a project will take. I've taken on two ambitious projects at a time and stressed myself out. It does actually matter how big your project is, in time and sometimes in size. If you have no time to work on it and it takes hours of crocheting to finish you should put it on your backburner. When you have nothing but time, you can pick it up and conquer it. Basically, be aware of what your project requires of you (time, materials, money). 

Courtesy of Pinterest

In that spirit, I define long-range as something that takes a lot of your time and energy. You can't crochet a large blanket in one day, nor can you do a larger counted cross stitch in two days. Many long-range projects take supplies, too. My blog series I'm working on is actually on the back burner because it requires I take a lot of time during the week to game, which takes time out of my writing time. All these referenced projects are long-range. 

Medium-range isn't going to take boatloads of your time and energy, but it will take some time from you. A longer book can go in this category, or crocheting a baby blanket will. Energy is taken, yet not so much that you take months to finish the craft, game, or book. My current video games can fit into this category, especially games like Harvest Moon that are near impossible to speed run. Dredge and Legend of Zelda seem to fit here, too, though some games can fit into the next category. 

Short-range is a speedrun-able videogame, an easy-to-read and short book, or something that takes a day to crochet. In other words, you can finish off the project within a week or less. It doesn't take forever. Chronicles of Narnia books can fit in this category easily, mostly because they are actually written for younger readers.  My Marlowe collection and Nancy Drew collection can also fit. For you, this may mean all you need to do is devote a few afternoons to something you haven't finished yet. 

When I wrote out my list above these are the working definitions I went by. If all your projects are long-range I'd suggest putting a few on your backburner list and knocking them out one by one. Short-range may just take a few afternoons every few weeks. 

Leisure and commitment

Picking up a project for kicks and giggles is not the same as promising to make your niece a birthday gift. The most important distinction is commitment. My counted cross stitch is more enjoyable when I'm not constantly racing to finish it. It will be finished faster, believe it or not, if I am truly enjoying myself. I'll want to pick it up more when I'm having fun doing it. That doesn't mean you won't have fun making a birthday gift for your relative. It just means that you need to remember the difference between a "for fun" project and an "I promised this to someone" project. 

Courtesy of paradisefibers.com

The truth of the matter is that I'm guilty of putting leisure too high on my priority list sometimes. I have to adjust it quite regularly so I'm focusing where I need to be. Harvest Moon, Dredge, and my counted cross stitch are not at the top of my list, and if they were I'd never get any writing done. I'd be behind on blogs daily if that were the case. Many of us forget that our leisure shouldn't necessarily be the top priority in our lives. It is a blessing to have it, but it's a side quest in the long run. 

This is the ideal place to write out the back burner list. While your back burner list may never end, at least you didn't try to do it all at once. One at a time is a real way to get a lot of fun projects done. Finish what you started and put all your focus on one goal at one time. It'll be a better outcome when you are not trying to multitask (something science says you can't do).

A plan of action

What do you tackle first? Where do you start? Pull out that list. The first commitment you see will be your starting point. Anything on the first tier is coming first. Once you've got most of the first tier tackled, you jump to the next one. Finally, the last tier can be conquered. 

The thing is, though, that you are going to find other side quests coming up to tempt you. The back burner list is where these should go. Once your list is down to only a few projects maybe you can pick one up. This is going to take time, depending on how many projects you buried yourself in. 

Another way to think about this is progress; making it a goal to make progress on something can go a long way. Schedule out time to knock out a few short and medium-range projects, while also scheduling out time every week or so to make forward progress on long-range projects. Forward motion on something weekly will finish off at least one or two things on your list. The goal is to unbury yourself. Plan and schedule all that out as much as you can. 

Projects vs perpetual tasks

Projects that lead to perpetual tasks are not what I'm talking about. Blogging, promoting my book, managing my social media, and writing are never going to end for me. The tasks that I speak of in this post specifically are projects with an ending. 

Another thing to consider is when your hobby is not going to end for you. Diamond art, as long as I have the next one on hand, is also perpetual. Books and puzzles are perpetual, too. You might want to take what you do for fun over and over again off of the top priority list and focus on what isn't perpetual. Unburdening yourself of what you do only once may give you more time to do the hobbies you love. 

From now on

This will happen again. I'm just telling you now. Yet, personal rules may be set in place to make it less overwhelming to handle. For example, I don't take on more than one long-range sewing or crochet project at a time and force myself to finish reading the book I'm on before starting another one. Setting that boundary is worth it for your mental health. 

It may be that you don't generally plan out projects and what they'll require. Maybe you should be doing that. Remembering how long a counted cross stitch usually takes may color how often you pick one up in the future. Looking at the instructions and size of your project will help you figure out if you have time to do it right now, or if you need to put it on your back burner list for later. 

Courtesy of University of Toronto

Creative souls tend to overbook themselves because they have ten million ideas. A million dreams are keeping us awake. We want to make all the things for all the people for Christmas. We want to do all the stuff on our cat crochet Pinterest board. Every embroidery and cross stitch looks adorable. I, personally, would love to try out every Stardew Valley farm and name it something fictional every time. You get the idea. I need not continue listing all my ambitions. I am no stranger to overbooking myself.  I did, however, set personal rules for myself to stop me from doing this. I may not read every book on my shelf, but I can try. 

There is another element that makes it a promise that you'll have to do this again. Boredom is the enemy, dear readers, and an empty mind wanders. After you finish getting the list down you may start to get bored again. Depending on how much you had on your plate before this, it may not happen, but you may just find your hands itch for something to do with themselves and you want some new adventure. Put those personal rules in place. You'll need to do that if you don't want to unburden yourself of 10 projects you started and got overwhelmed over. 

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page.

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Stardew Valley Vs. Harvest Moon

 I now own both Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, specifically a modded Stardew Valley game file and Harvest Moon Light of Hope. I'd like to compare the two, which are similar and yet different. 

Courtesy of The Xbox Hub

If you don't know these games, I'll explain their basic premise. They are casual games that include rebuilding a community of people by doing their sidequests and restoring their physical buildings. Take Legend of Zelda and get rid of the main villain, leaving only sidequests, and you'll find something remarkably similar to Harvest Moon. Stardew Valley is a farming game with some battle opportunities in the mines, so still similar to Legend of Zelda, but with more farming and fishing. 

What makes these different? Mostly artistic style and storyline. Harvest Moon Light of Hope is about saving the lighthouse and fixing all the ruined homes so villagers can return. Stardew Valley is about choosing between fixing the community center or supporting the major commercialized store (which makes all the people hate you). Stardew has you moving there to get away from the city and Harvest Moon has you shipwreck onto the island. Harvest Moon has a similar artistic style to Legend of Zelda DS games, while Stardew looks a like an older, pixel-like gameboy game. That is where most of the differences are spotted. 

Today I'll talk about the gameplay differences and what is nearly the same. Surprisingly, they are their own entities, even if Harvest Moon did come first. 

Differences

I already explained the setting and art style differences, but let me go into more detail. Stardew Valley could pass for an older video game than it is. I could totally see someone passing Stardew off as older than Harvest Moon, but that'd actually be incorrect. The art style of Harvest Moon, on the other hand, reminds me strongly of Legend of Zelda toon link characters. Even the music and sound effects continually remind me of the DS games I still own (Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks). Your character doesn't speak, much like toon link. All you get are facial expressions (maybe five, at most). 

Courtesy of PCGamesN

Settings for Stardew Valley are pixelated, yes, but you get more town than country. Stardew is also not an island. Harvest Moon is definitely an island. The map is also different in Harvest Moon, as you have to unlock areas, as opposed to Stardew Valley (completely explorable first day, for the most part). This makes it harder to play Harvest Moon quickly, forcing you to unlock areas to get items and tools. Stardew gives you all the tools at once.

Now we hit on another difference. The gameplay includes clearing your farm, but while Stardew gives you every tool you need at once, Harvest Moon does not. It frustrated me, at first, to deal with being unable to clear the rocks on my farm. Harvest Moon forces you to slow down. Stardew can be speedrun. I don't think Harvest Moon can be speedrun nearly as quickly. 

The amount of mods that Stardew can handle is shocking. This game specifically was someone's pet passion project for a long time. Concerned Ape takes their time creating the game itself, which makes it so stable that it has dozens of mods available. I have the extended game mod, the bins anywhere mod, and the tractor mod. My husband has even more mods on his. Harvest Moon Light of Hope has maybe one mod, which my husband has already, and he couldn't find more than that. Yep, Harvest Moon is less likely to be modded. And even with the cheat mod, my husband still has a challenge on his hands. 

A sword. Nowhere in Harvest Moon have I had to use a sword or be provided a weapon, at least not yet. Stardew hands you a sword for the mines. I have seen no sign of monsters in Harvest Moon, but no shortage of them in Stardew. If you want to fight monsters and get rewarded for killing "x" amount of them later on, Stardew is what you want. 

Courtesy of navigames.es

Harvest Moon steers you into the storyline constantly, while Stardew lets the player do what they want from the start. It is a slight difference, but should still be noted. You have a lot of independence in Stardew, which even extends to customizing your home and layout (see next paragraph for discussion). 

In short, Harvest Moon Light of Hope won't let you abandon the major plotline and Stardew will give you free rein from the jump. Ruin the farm? Stardew cares not. Several YouTubers make a living messing around on Stardew Valley farms.

Customizing is a luxury Stardew Valley will give you. Want your barn by your house? Go ahead. Want your silo by your greenhouse? Sure. From Character details to even the farm type, you get your choice. Is the furniture placement not your favorite? Change it. Harvest Moon does not let you do that. You fix the barn and coop where they are. You get the cabin, but no choices on furniture. I was kind of sad about that. Your character gets one outfit. No customizing options exist for your character in Harvest Moon Light of Hope, at least that I've seen. 

Storage is not the same. You need bins in Stardew Valley, but never need bins in Harvest Moon. You have a limit of 99 or 100 items in Harvest Moon. Stardew items stack (most of them, at least). Stardew makes you consider your backpack space, while Harvest Moon doesn't. Bins anywhere mods make this problem easier to maneuver around in Stardew, which makes it easier to haul loads in the mines. Harvest Moon is nice because I don't have to worry about backpack space.

Oh, and one last thing. Fishing mechanics are entirely different. One feels too easy and the other takes a lot of learning to pick up. Almost too much learning, really. Harvest Moon fishing is too easy after attempting the fishing in Stardew Valley and getting it down pat. Stardew at least gives you crab pots, though, so I think they know fishing is a struggle. Once you get it, though, you get it, which leads to lots of money in your pocket.

What remains the same

Relationships are a big part of these games, including dating (if you want to, only if you want to) and marriage. You can get those heart levels up by giving gifts, talking to them often, or doing favors for them. Several characters need to be buttered up so you can do sidequests (mayor lewis' purple pants) or upgrade tools (Carol in the flower shop). Harvest Moon makes you become friends with the locals. You give gifts to them and they give you all of the side quests all of the time. Take them, do them, and reap the rewards of free items. 

Farming, fishing, and mining are all here. In fact, you need to do all of it to finish the village in Harvest Moon or the community center in Stardew Valley. You can buy stuff, but not all of it. The whole game begins with you farming for money with starter seeds. Then you get the pole from a character and can fish, which is where the real money is made. Seriously, sell fish. 

Cut scenes galore is normal for both, especially after big community quests. Don't forget that higher hearts mean more cutscenes that can ambush your time. Stardew at least lets you skip. You can learn more about the villagers at this moment. 

Courtesy of taigame.org

Health bars are a real concern (unless you have the cheat mod for both of these games to make you invincible). Eat and sleep for more energy. Check out the hot springs, too. When mining, make good food. You need it to make it farther down into the mines, which requires extra energy to find down ladders. In this way, Stardew has a harder and yet easier mining situation. Monsters aside, you at least have a better method of finding the exit down in Stardew. 

Conclusion

Both of these I highly recommend playing. Grab them both when the next Steam sale comes up. They are excellent games to own and play, especially if you like casual farming games. I know not everyone wants to farm via their laptop, but I do. My husband and I got them and were hopelessly addicted for at least a week or more. 

The ultimate answer is no, they aren't the same game. I think one took inspiration from the other, though. I do like the similarity to the Legend of Zelda games. This category of games is built for the people who probably loved Farmville way back when, as well as those that want to forget their troubles for a few hours after work. Try these out if you get the chance and feel you'd enjoy it. 

And.......if you feel so inclined, try out something else, like my book. I wrote this in college and have finally put it out into the world. I would greatly appreciate those that pick up a copy in paperback or ebook. Like it? Leave a review on amazon!  I can't do this without you, my faithful blog readers and friends. Click here to go straight to my Amazon book page. 

Review - Music Boxes

 Today I am posting my review of Music Boxes, a middle-grade suspense/thriller. I'm going to start with a synopsis, so you know what this is all about. I'm doing this review spoiler free, which means you only get to hear about the ending once you check out the book for yourself (please do, it is worth it). 

Courtesy of Pinterest

This book is about a ballet dancer named Lindsey, who has been uprooted by her family's move to New York. She runs into a woman offering classes only if she performs in the midnight shows. There is a sinister twist to this offer. Madame Destinee, the teacher offering the classes, calls students to her office who never come back. After they aren't seen again, a music box with their costume and face is seen on her shelf of music boxes. Lindsey must figure out what is going on before she becomes a music box herself. 

I give this five stars. Nothing bumped me out of the story. I read it in one shot. It took about three hours to read (give or take any distractions that find you). If you need a book to last one evening, pick this up and let it transport you into its world. I got lost in the storyline and hooked on the story after one chapter. It does have a Night Gallery-like plot with a creepier edge to it. No, it won't give you nightmares, but yes, it does leave you on the edge of your seat. I got a lot of emotions from this short novel, which indicates a good, compelling book. 

Going into detail on what I thought of the book will take three categories. I'll talk about the characters and plot, the foreshadowing and themes, and then the reading level. Let's dive in. 

character and plot line

The characters in the book have real emotions. Lindsey is dealing with the reality of being uprooted. Her parents are catering to her sister's needs since her sister Bridget has been enrolled in Julliard pre-college classes due to her violin talents. Lindsey wasn't even allowed to pack her ballet stuff because they had to make room for a music box that could have broken on the moving van. You can feel her dislike of the situation in the way she describes New York and talks about it in the first chapter. 

Dialogue between characters is organic, meaning it feels like a real person could say it in real life. Nothing in the words exchanged lacks emotion. You can feel the emotion spilling out between the words on the page. I can't say that about every book I read. 

Plot-wise, it is perfectly paced. It doesn't drag or go too fast. It doesn't feel like it takes forever to get to the good part. There isn't unnecessary fluff anywhere. It is linear and makes sense. The foreshadowing within the plot also gets woven in perfectly as the story goes on. 

foreshadowing and themes

The amount of foreshadowing in this novel is staggering, but it isn't too much. The foreshadowing of events and revealed truths are spread out all over the dialogue and images in the novel. A reader could put together what is coming or predict some events based on the evidence strewn through the book. It is consistent, every fact tying together in a flawless bow. Even if you didn't put together everything, there is a revealing scene to explain it all. 

Courtesy of Ohio

Apples are everywhere, for reasons I won't explain. It has to do with the ending. I'll say this, though; it is vital to notice the apples. It reveals an ending fact that I suspected as soon as I read the first half of the book. The other theme is jealousy, which runs from the beginning to the end. It's the core of the story itself. Lindsey is jealous of the attention her sister is getting. Madame Destinee is jealous of every dancer with talent (read the book, I won't explain this one). Jealousy is the reason that Lindsey gets taken into this situation in the first place. Lindsey has to combat her jealousy to defeat the evil going on. 

reading level and speed

Experienced readers could consume this book in one evening. It is written for upper elementary through middle school readers, but still appeals to me as an adult. That is a high compliment. For this reason, it is easy to read in one sitting. Only have half a day to read? Pick this one up. You won't regret it. 

The chapters are not super short, nor are they super long. They are just the right length. Twenty-one chapters is about the length of a cozy mystery, give or take one or two chapters. It never felt too long or too short. Someone had excellent judgment when deciding the chapter and book length. 

conclusion 

To make a long story short, I'll give the basic reasons to drop by your local bookstore for a copy. It isn't going to take you forever to read it. The foreshadowing is brilliant and the darker, creepier tone is good enough to be an episode of Night Gallery or Twilight Zone. The characters were amazing and I cared about them, to the point of deep emotion. Go check it out and you'll see. You'll be thinking about it for a few days after, too. It was that good. 

No, I didn't forget about my own book in writing this review. Clickhere to reach my amazon page. My first suspense novel Wrenville is available in paperback and kindle ebook form. Check it out!