In the world of Range in the city of Heart no one truly dies. They are born, they age and they die, but they are reincarnated into a new body each time. Their souls never die and they are born with all the knowledge of their previous lives. This has been the way of life for over 5000 years until one day a new soul is born. Ana is on her first (and maybe only) life; she has taken the place of Ciana who’s soul did not reincarnate. This event is met with fear from the citizens. Ana is raised by her mother Li who despises her. When she turns 18, Ana strikes off on her own. She wants to find out more about herself and why she was born. Along the way she is rescued by Sam who takes her under his care. They arrive in Heart and start investigating Ana’s life. But all is not easy, most of the people fear or hate Ana for what she is. They call her no soul. The more Ana discovers the more dangerous it becomes.
This is such a unique world. I really enjoyed the fact that Meadows spent a lot of time on her world-building. The world of Range really comes alive. You can feel how long-lived these people are (even though they live normal lifespans) and you can feel how stagnant their society is because of their reincarnations. They don’t have to worry about death because they know they will come back. They know they will find their lovers and their friends again; they have lifetimes to perfect their skills.
Ana is an interesting character who because of her upbringing is very prickly and defensive. She and Sam naturally start falling in love, but she cannot forget how long he has lived compared to her and he is hesitant in their relationship. I like how their relationship progresses slowly but naturally. It is not as annoying as a lot of romances in these books. This is an interesting world and the end of the book definitely opened up possibilities for further stories.
Rose Red is a massive mansion in Seattle, the construction and haunting of which is described in the pages of the diary of Ellen, the young wife of an early 1900s oil baron, John Rimbauer. The site of several disappearances and murders, Rose Red becomes a living entity to Ellen, both welcome and terrifying. The fate of Ellen and her family mirrors the fate of the mansion.
Very entertaining short story collection by some of the big names in fantasy and paranormal fiction like Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, and Rachel Cain. Great read for fans of the genre.
When Mimi and Cora’s mother fails to return, their traveling salesman of a father sends his daughters off to live in the English countryside with their mother’s Aunt Ida. Mimi and Cora are met considerable resistance from Aunt Ida, who has no intention of keeping the girls with her in her ancient, run-down manor. The girls have no idea that Ida might have extremely good reasons for not wanting them there, but they try to abide by all of Ida’s rules (which include never opening windows and staying far, far away from the crumbling several-hundred-year-old church down the road). Cora can’t stand living there and young Mimi isn’t much happier. Things brighten up a bit when the sisters meet Roger and Pete, a pair of brothers that live in the old town of Bryers Guerdon. Finally, there are children their age to play with. Unfortunately, since boys will be boys, the very first place the children go to play is the forbidden church. One visit is enough to make Cora and Mimi uneasy, even if they aren’t sure why. After a couple more visits, the kids all see things that don’t add up until they begin to learn the story of Long Lankin. Is the legend of Long Lankin real? The villagers won’t talk about it, but they won’t let their children near the church either. What is the connection between Lankin and the church? What does Ida know that she isn’t telling her wards? Secrets are revealed as the story reaches its chilling apex. This is not gory horror, but atmospheric and psychological. Readers won’t be able to get this one out of their heads easily.
First things first: I was really looking forward to this one. It all sounded like so much fun…Alice in Wonderland plus zombies. How could it go wrong? After a few hundred pages, I now know better.
Veronica has been seeing ghosts ever since the Event. She’s not alone. In fact, since the Event, everyone can see the ghosts. They show up at the same places at the same times; trapped in some sort of metaphysical loop. It doesn’t really frighten anyone, even if it does cause unease. It’s been happening for a few years now, so no one’s too surprised when a ghost suddenly appears in their path. The thing is, there are now more and more ghosts appearing. Veronica even has one that appears in her bathroom. What really freaks her out though, is the creepy English teacher that lives down the street from her. He’s got a ghost of a former murdered student who appears on his doorstep every morning. And now the teacher appears to be fixating on Veronica. Shaken, Veronica and her new boyfriend, Kirk begin investigating the murder and discover that several other girls were all killed on the same day, four years apart: February 29th. Leap day.
