Andrew NanceKirja-arvosteluja

I enjoyed thinking alongside Lise, as she tried to figure out the identity of the serial killer. Though there were a bunch of red herrings thrown in, I was able to guess who it was quite early. But, I still enjoyed the ride along.

I thank Red Adept Publishing for providing a copy of Andrew Nance’s Red Canvas, in exchange for an honest review.

A serial killer is murdering single women and arranging them to depict a famous work of art. The Dying Niobid, a sculpture rendering a scene from a fifth-century BCE Greek mythology, and The Little Mermaid, a bronze sculpture that sets in the harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark, depicting a character in a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen are the first. The police call in Analise (Lise) Norwood as a consultant. Lise is a private investigator with a background in art history. They ask her to identify the works of art the killer is modeling.

Red Canvas is a workman-like novel that needs something for extra oomph. The premise is interesting, but the plotting was pedestrian. The author failed to capitalize on the premise to produce a novel story fitting the unique protagonist. There is some imaginative language (e.g., horizontal tango), but the scenes themselves are stock. Consequently, the book didn’t sustain my interest, and I read it a few chapters at a time. The conclusion was so naively amateurish I ended the novel feeling let down.

I was not informed that the copy I received had not undergone final editorial review but there were several errors in the copy I received. Most of them were due to a missing word (e.g., I’m going store). I also saw errors using the wrong verb tense. I think readers can assume these problems will be corrected in the final version.

In conclusion, the premise is interesting, but the novel is mediocre. I might read another novel by Nance, but only out of curiosity to see how he takes advantage of the protagonist's unusual background.½

"Klassisk rysare om fem ungdomar som blir finalister i en skräcknovelltävling, utlyst av en känd författare. Ungdomarna ska tillsammans med författaren tillbringa en natt i det hemsökta huset Daemon Hall. Under natten ska de berätta skräckhistorier för varandra. För varje historia måste de släcka ett av de få stearinljus som är deras enda ljuskälla. Den som står ut in i det sista, i mörkret, vinner tävlingen. Men Daemon Hall är fyllt av ondska och tänker inte låta dem slippa levande ut igen. "

A good read! I liked the way the author converged 2 different mysteries into one and paid attention to details without missing out minor details.
The book could have ended differently, considering that Michelangelo was a psychopathic serial killer, convincing him to take his own life is far from reality.
However, I did find the book fast paced and would recommend this book for a quick read.

What I liked: The author's writing style was good, with no typos or grammatical errors to distract. I eventually liked the main character, though she started out to be a bit clueless and boundary-challenged. The two main story-lines had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. In fact, I guessed who the killer was at about 12% and was quite certain of it throughout most of the book, only to find out that I was wrong!

What I didn't like: It was pretty heavy on the romance angle, especially at the start, though it seemed that the author was able to get into the swing of the story as it progressed and this became less of an issue. I thought that Lise had awful boundaries and there's no way that the police would have allowed her to continue to consult on this case in real life. It has some violently graphic scenes, as well as some insights into the mind of the twisted killer, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book, but if blood and gore aren't your thing, you may want to pass on it.

I'll give this four stars, which reflects a better-than-average story that was told well, but less one star for the rough start and a few cases where I felt the credibility was a bit stretched. Despite the shortcomings, I would gladly read another book by this author and recommend this book to those who enjoy books of this thriller/serial-killer genre.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this Early Reviewer book in exchange for writing an unbiased review. I have never met or corresponded with the author.

This is a fantastic suspenseful novel by an author who was new to me. The main character is very well-written and her history is peeled back in layers as we get the whole story of her past and are involved with her in the present.

This is a dual time line novel - the early part of the story takes place when Charly is 13. She's a tomboy and her best friends are male. During that summer, three girls disappear from her small town where everyone knows everyone's business and she and her two best friends try to find clues that will help the sheriff find the missing girls. She and her friends refer to the kidnapper as the Snatcher and he changes their lives in ways they never expected. Clues overlooked by the inept sheriff left only one child to survive: Charly. She managed to fight back and kill the Snatcher. Or so everyone thought... Now, over 20 years later, there are again girls missing in the small town she grew up in and there are very similar circumstances to the earlier disappearances. The new sheriff, an old friend, asks her to come back to town and help solve the disappearances. Is the Snatcher back, or is there a copycat? Charly must face her past and her own personal demons in a race against time to save the latest victim.

I loved the character of Charly. As a child she was stubborn and intent on helping to find the Snatcher - nothing and no one scared her even though she went places she should have avoided. As an adult she was just as brave and intent on solving the abductions and managed to get into some rough situations as she tried to find the missing girls.

Note: Because this is a book about abducted young girls, they are some uncomfortable scenes. The author manages to keep this to a minimum.

This is a well told suspenseful novel that kept me turning pages until I got to the surprising ending.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I thought All The Lovely Children by Andrew Nance was going to be ugly and the Prologue hooked me, creating fear and suspense from the opening words, proving me right.

Charly was heading home to Temperance. You know, one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone’s business, except for the killer running AMOK.

History is repeating itself.

Charly knew all the ins and outs of catching a killer, since she had begun detecting at a very young age. Think Nancy Drew. She had killed the Snatcher, so Kit, an old friend and now the sheriff of Temperance, asked for her help in catching the Copycat Killer.

Young or grown, she has the same rebellious, do it myself attitude that gets her in one dangerous situation after another. I love her, no matter how impulsive and reckless she can be.

I can picture her, climbing out the window late at night, biking to her friends house, scaring the crap out of him so he falls to the ground, laughing all the way down the road…

The suspense builds in the past and the present as the book goes from 1959 to 1982 and back again. Children are missing…murdered…what can be worse that that?

I can picture a grown up Charly, sitting on the couch with the 44 Ruger balanced on her knee, pointing the gun at… LOVE it!

I know the writing is excellent when images pop into my mind while reading a book.

Oh man. I didn’t think Andrew Nance would take me here, but I’m stunned, shocked, sad and sickened. I am only at 80%, so I feel he has more surprises in store for me and I am eager to get to it.

We also have a little of the supernatural making an appearance. She sees the dead. It plays more of a cameo role, leaving the story seeming all too real.

I had thought of the final twist, but Andrew caused me to disregard it, leading me to believe I was walking down the wrong path…then, POW, in my face.

Well, Andrew. You kept me on pins and needles from beginning to end. The writing was super and I do love a little romance with my danger and suspense. The characters were fantastic and I must say, that villain, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Nothing beats a mind blowing villain.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of All The Lovely Children by Andrew Nance.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

Famous horror story writer R. U. Tremblin comes to the town of Maplewood to hold a short story writing contest, offering the five finalists the chance to spend what turns out to be a terrifying--and deadly--night with him in a haunted house.

This is such a unique book. It basically is several short stories disguised in another separate short story. I know, it's a little confusing. Most of the stories are well told and somewhat scary. The main storyline is that an author holds a contest, where winners must read their story to all the contestants, while staying in a haunted house overnight. Five teen winners are chosen. Will they survive the stay? How good will their stories be? Who will win? What are the author's motives? You will have to read the book to find out. Everyone is scared by different things, this is a nice mix of scares with something that should get everyone. This is a good read for parents to read with a child. There is not much gore or language to worry about here, just good old fashioned scares. My only problem with the book was the epilogue. I didn't think it added to the main storyline. In fact if anything it detracted from all the stories. I can understand Nance wanting to write another book of short stories. This book didn't lean toward a sequel. Horror readers are way too sharp to just gloss that over.

This book was very well written. It was interesting because it had different stories inside the initial one. I think each of the scenes and stories were described very well. 5Q4P The cover art is awesome and I'd recommend this for high school students. I chose to read this book because I like horror stories because they always make me want to read until the end to figure out all of the mysteries. JenniferW

Basically Rose Red for the teen set. I wavered between 2 and 3 stars, but finally settled on 2 because I guess I liked it 2.25 stars worth - though teens who are horror fans will probably like it more than I did.

I felt that this book was slow to get to the point and it wasn't even really that scary. I was only able to get partway through it before I completely lost interest. 1/5 AG (12th grade) I originally chose the book because the cover got my attention and I was fascinated with the little summery that was on the back.

I would recommend this book to a friend.
It was horror after horror, non-stop scare!
5Q, 5P; Cover Art: Okay.
This book is best suited for Middle School on up.
Grade (of reviewer): 11th
(MK-AHS-NC)

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

If you are a fan of scary stories, be sure to get your hands on DAEMON HALL. Andrew Nance uses a unique approach that actually weaves ten scary stories into one already creepy tale.

Wade, Chelsea, Kara, Demarius, and Chris are five teens who have earned their place as finalists in a writing contest. Horror writer Ian Tremblin challenged teens to write their own scary stories. From the finalists he plans to select a winner who will be rewarded by having his or her story published. But there's a catch ...

The five finalists must bring their stories and their bedrolls and spend the night with Tremblin in Daemon Hall. No cell phones, no flashlights, just ten candles to keep the darkness at bay. During the night, a total on ten scary stories will be told, and after each story a candle will be extinguished, leaving the group in complete darkness until morning.

One story after another is told and darkness begins to take control. As the stories get creepier, so does the house. To add to the suspense, the teens begin to disappear one by one and Mr. Tremblin starts acting more bizarre. Who will win the honor of being published? Who will even survive the night in Daemon Hall?

Readers of DAEMON HALL are treated to ten truly frightening tales. Each on their own could entertain listeners around a campfire on a dark night. Andrew Nance's twisted tale will have you looking over your shoulder for many nights to come.

It’s a scary story filled with scary stories! Knowledge of who all is alive in the end and who the real foe is (house or Ian)? It was interesting maybe for people younger than me though. When reading the book, as interesting it was, it still seemed to be for younger teens. AHS/MC

It is thrilling and you never get bored. The back of the book made me choose it. AHS/NF

Wade sometimes has bouts of intense fear that he can't explain. When he enters a horror writing contest and is one of the 5 finalists selected to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house, he jumps on the chance to confront his fears. Each finalist and the writer that brought them there tells a ghost story...and strange things start to happen.

Ross McGee
EDCI 5120
Nance, A. (2007). Daemon Hall. Henry Holt and Company

Grade Levels: 6-12
Category: Fantasy
Read Alouds: 5-20 (Wade meets the other members of the writing contest and Mr. Tremblin), 124-132 (the group talks about Chris’s story and then Chris disappears), 245-259 (Ian Tremblin blows out the last candle, Wade passes out, the epilogue explains what happened and the kids burn down the house.)

Summary: Wade Reilly wins a writing contest and along with four other young authors, he goes to a haunted mansion to meet Ian Tremblin, a successful horror author that will publish the story of the author that can tell the best story and stay the entire night. The house possesses Mr. Tremblin as well as several of the kids and one of them ends up being killed. In the end Mr. Tremblin is charged with negligence, the kids get paid off, and they burn the house to the ground.

Themes: Daemon Hall is an attempt at scary stories, within a story. The authors within the story recite their own original scary stories by candlelight and in between the stories things go awry. Each of the stories is written by a young author in high school, which serves as a way to motivate young men and women who feel they may have a gift in writing to begin creating stories. The cover of the book asks the question “is a contest worth dying for?” which also seems to be a major theme in the book. The kids could have saved themselves from a horrific night had they never attended such a dangerous undertaking.

Discussion Questions:
At what point in the book would you have left the house? Why?
Was Wade’s story the best? If not, which one was? What was good and bad about it?
How could you have written this story differently?

Reader Response: Daemon Hall was by far the worst book I have read in as long as I can remember. It was supposed to be scary, which it wasn’t. It was also poorly written and the plot was not quite believable. This seemed like something that was written in a weekend to fulfill a publishing commitment and somehow made it through the editing process and into stores, but don’t ask me how. I was actually surprised at myself for reading the entire book, but the only reason I did was because I was on vacation in Florida and it was the only thing I had to read. I think if I had to teach this novel for a class, I would try to focus on the writing style and encourage students to learn from it and think about how they could have made it better, which is reflected by my discussion questions. The language and interaction between the characters in the book did not seem realistic and the only thing that spiced it up was a hologram cover and creative newspaper-style clippings that pushed the story along. The title of the book as well as the name of the author, Mr. Tremblin was a sad attempt at clever spelling, more examples of the low class of this book. I guess I can’t like everything I read, and the next one will look great compared to Daemon Hall.