The Haunted E-Book

by J. L. Bryan

[Kim Deister]

For most of us, delving into a book is an escape, a temporary break from the mundane things that make up our reality. It can be a trip to another time, another place, another dimension, another reality. But can it also be something more? Can something as innocent as reading truly unleash an evil, unlike anything you could possibly imagine? If asked, I would say no, that reading is simply a journey from life. But after reading The Haunted E-book? I would have to question that answer. I love a book that spooks me that much!

The Haunted E-book is easily the creepies and scariest book I have read in a very long time. It has all the components of a classically great horror novel,... blood, gore, suspense, and terror. The imagery is graphic and disturbing and lends itself perfectly to the overall horror of the plot. The multilayer plot was a creative technique, and extremely well done. There was not only the basic "story within a story", but several linear stories within the story, too. They were intricately woven together to form the whole of the novel, and could have muddied the flow of the story and the development of the plot. Instead, those layers added many layers of interest and texture to the overall story.

Bryan is masterful at the development of his characters as real and believable people, and the characters in this novel were no exception. Jonah was the quintessential evildoer, ranging from quietly and coldly evil to violently and psychotically evil. He was equally as scary on either end of the spectrum, leaving you to never know which Jonah was going to manifest next. The readers of Jonah's story were also extremely well-developed, given the innate fears and problems that so many of us have in our own lives. They became real people, which give them an air of believability that completely sucks in the reader. That added to the delicious creepiness of the novel, making you, the reader, a part of the story. That in and of itself made the entire theme of the story all that much more believable, that much more possible.

I also love that the ending wasn't perfectly wrapped in a bow for the reader. Questions were answered, loose ends brought together, but there wasn't the stereotypical, "the sun has come out again" conclusion for all of the main characters. That definately added to the edgy, creepy feel to the book.

The combination of the graphic imagery and the expert building of the suspense is what made the book for me. Bryan's descriptive writing dragged me into the story, made it real for me. I felt the horror, the pain, the fear of the characters and I truly love a book that has the ability to do that for me. Key pieces to the mystery of the story were given in small doses, building the suspense and keeping the story engaging.

NOTE: I would recommend this book to more mature audiences with a strong heart! The imagery, and some of the content, might not be appropriate to younger readers. I also recommend a light and the stuffed animal of your choice for comfort!!