by Sharon Linnéa
Release Date: September 2, 2023
2023 Arundel Publishing
Audiobook Edition (7h12m); 268 Pages
ISBN: 978-1933608396
ASIN: B0CG6VBJBX
Genre: Fiction / Paranormal / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
1.5 / 5 Stars
Summary
It's Halloween and Avalon is on the outs with her boyfriend, her cop friend and her best friend. When
she ventures into the ruins of an old lodge above the town, she
uncovers evidence of murders that have haunted the locals for decades. Then
a new friend, in town for a high school reunion, vanishes and she must
battle the deadly danger that continues to stalk Tranquility to this
day. Some things are called spooky for a reason. And sometimes, those who are alive are most frightening of all.
My Thoughts
Death From Beyond was honestly a bit of a disappointment. I listened to the audiobook version and I have to admit there were times when I had to rewind as I found myself drifting off as I had difficulty engaging with the story line. I don't think it's the narrator's fault as I just feel there wasn't enough material for the story itself to be engaging.
First of all, the actual story definitely does not live up to the premise of the story as there was an implied paranormal element that was supposed to be included. Unfortunately, there was a definite lack of ghosts in this book and while I normally would not have minded, it bothers me when something is touted in such a fashion, and then ... nothing.
The plot itself actually had a lot of promise and I would have liked it a lot better if the reader was allowed to think and conjecture without being led along by the nose. The book pretty much tells you the story rather than show you what's happening, trying to lead you down a certain path, rather than letting the reader figure things out as they go. Considering there were some sensitive topics in this story, this is definitely not the way to approach this as it becomes more suggestive of being preachy rather than showing the problematic nature of the issues and allowing the reader to decide for themselves wherein the problems lie. Personally, I have an issue when I am led by the nose, especially when subjects such as sexuality, abuse, and bullying are being presented, even if I agree with the side of the author. That's not the point, the point is to be able to think clearly about the issues on my own and make up my own mind. Furthermore, the mystery itself was fairly predictable with few twists and turns so it was fairly easy to figure out what was happening and who was involved.
I didn't read the previous books in the series, but I don't think it really mattered. While I would have perhaps understood the relationships between the main characters a bit better, I didn't actually find them to be that distinct from each other in this book as they all seemed one-dimensional in nature. I just didn't care for any of them as a result, and had a difficult time connecting with their issues and feeling any empathy for their situations. And while I like the recipes included in the book, I also found them distracting as they were intrusive and did not seem to fit the narrative.
Verdict
Death From Beyond suffered from a lack of character and plot development and I had a difficult time getting through this book. This was touted as a ghost story, but ghost stories tend to actually have ghosts in them, and this...didn't. At this point, I have no desire to read the first three books in this series. It's too bad as the there was a lot to like in the premise.
Sounds like a let down.
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