Tuesday, December 25, 2018

{Review} The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz

Synopsis

Title: The Siren and the Specter
Author: Jonathan Janz
Pages: 295
Published: September 6th 2018
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Genre: Adult/Paranormal/Triggers
My Rating: 2/5
Add To: Goodreads

When David Caine, a celebrated skeptic of the supernatural, is invited by an old friend to spend a month in “the most haunted house in Virginia,” he believes the case will be like any other. But the Alexander House is different. Built by a 1700s land baron to contain the madness and depravity of his eldest son, the house is plagued by shadows of the past and the lingering taint of bloodshed. David is haunted, as well. For twenty-two years ago, he turned away the woman he loved, and she took her life in sorrow. And David suspects she’s followed him to the Alexander House. 


My Thoughts:
★★ Stars
I received this book in return for an honest review. 

Well... One thing is for sure...

I should say, the idea of the book was really great. But, the book itself... Not so much. I felt like the story was all over the place. You had ghosts, creatures, wraiths.... It pretty much was area 51.
I had a few issues with this book that I didn't quiet understand. For example, The MC ex girlfriend (if we can call her that?) was from there I'm guessing? I don't know. All I know is that they, along with another friend would go to a park there. Yet.... The house he ends up staying in, he knows nothing about? He doesn't know the town? I just don't understand that. All these people have to tell him about this place but he dated a girl there and (I thought) lived there as well. Even so, I would think you would know a couple people in town, but alas. He knew no one except the guy that calls him up and tells him to check out the house.
Which is another thing I don't understand. I don't see how the house fits in to all this. Like I know it was the ghosts house and all but it's like they put so much importance into the house... if that makes sense? I don't know! It didn't make sense to me. 

Wasn't a fan of how any time a woman was talked about, they couldn't just say her name or something. They had to talk about her like she was a piece of meat adding unnecessary things like "gorgeous, luscious, nubile, beautiful, etc. " at first, I just overlooked it but the more it kept on, the more it turned my stomach. Usually stuff like that doesn't bother me but... Yuck. Maybe it's because I'm already grossed out from the pedophilia and endless sex from Honey? You know damn well CPS would have took them kids in a heartbeat. It makes my skin crawl reading stuff like that! 

The story idea itself really was a great thing. I love paranormal stuff so I knew I had to read it. I wanted to love this book so much... but I just felt like, honestly, with all the different monsters, this could have easily been 3 different books, each creepy thing getting their own story. Because I just don't see how the wraith fits in. I don't see how Anna fits in. (I get the story! But I thought she would have this big roll. But nope.... It was a huge let down honestly) and I also don't understand the constant talk of the man that disappeared. I guess I get it, yet I don't. I can see where it helps, but the rest, I.... just don't see it. Had they offered more information then MAYBE it would have made better sense. 

We get that the big bad ghost was a terrible person, what we don't know is why. Call me weird, I always like to know why. And why did it need to possess people? Especially THAT one and why did THAT ONE have to "feed"? *wat?*

Another thing that kinda annoyed me was the time setting. There was no time setting! Reading it, I think, okay, this was back in the day of 80's or 90's from how they sometimes talk, but then The Hobbit and Harry Potter are brought up and I think, nope. Those weren't popular till now, pretty much. And I was steadily trying to figure out when the flashbacks took place (not really flash backs) like the guy who wrote the book, we have no idea how far back that was written. Near the end, we finally... FINALLY.. find out the ghost is from colonial days, but still. It's like there really was no concept of time in the story. The most important parts felt way to rushed and the non-important had to much filler that didn't really...fit. :/

Book was okay but I feel like it could have been better. 

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