Renée Harrell

I'm not a fan of Distopia stories. But I was pointed at After Things Went Bad and decided to give it a chance.

My thought is that if you took Rod Serlings Twilight Zone and a bit of Ray Bradbury and blended it up you might come out with this.

Some times the writing style is a bit rough but it works because these are gritty stories. They showcase some things about human nature even if it's parts of human nature that aren't too flattering.

They are little chunks out of someones daily life. But they hit their point hard and make you think.

Still not a fan of Distopia.… (más)

Something Wicked
Renee Harrell

Kim and Ann have been best friends since grade school. But when Ann and Kim meet performer Cody Rhodes at the hot new club, whis*pers, something strange happens. Having just ended her relationship with her boyfriend, Ann is not interested in Cody’s advances; however, Kim is more than eager to strike up a relationship with the brooding singer. Within a few days Ann notices that Kim is acting strange. Her gorgeous long, blonde hair is suddenly fiery red and short. Plus, she’s wearing the most atrocious outfits straight from the hippie era. Ann has no idea what is going on with her normally level-headed friend, but she assumes it’s because of Cody’s influence.

At first, Ann is happy for Kim’s new relationship, but then Kim starts acting even stranger. It’s no longer just her appearance that is changing—now she doesn’t act the same either. Kim has started lying to her parents and staying out all night with Cody. With her friend’s strange behavior, Ann decides to do a little research on Cody’s striking resemblance to dead rock star Bobby Winters. What she finds, however, is chilling. Cody looks exactly like Bobby. Even more frightening is the horrific history behind Bobby Winters and the Reapers (his band). Now, Kim is in danger and time is running out.

Let me begin by saying that I have a bad habit of starting new books when I should be getting ready to go to bed. Renee Harrell’s book Something Wicked was no different. I started reading it shortly before my “bed time” but I realized I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked into the story by the second chapter. I shirked my Easter bunny duties to read this book in one sitting! The plot was pretty interesting. The idea of a long dead rock star coming back from the grave to find his long lost love is riveting. It certainly kept me interested. As far as pacing goes, the plot is fast paced. There aren’t too many loops in the story, but it moves consistently and thoroughly. I loved how the ending leaves Ann anticipating another encounter with Cody. It’s pretty obvious there will be a sequel to this book, which is a good thing. I want to see what happens next.

The characters in the book invoke a variety of emotions. I liked Ann, even though she seemed a little OCD at times. Her father was hard working and caring, which reminded me of my dad. I loved that he was firm but fair when it came time to administer punishments. He seemed like a true over-worked single father trying to take care of his teenage daughter. I also like Eric, although I felt like there wasn’t enough of him in the story. He came across as Ann’s knight and shining armor, but I didn’t always see why he was so drawn to her. I hope in the next book that their story continues to develop and goes a little deeper. Now, as far as despicable characters go… oh boy! There are plenty to choose from. The ones that stand out the most to me are Scott and Cutter. Scott is you typical meat-headed teenage boy with “one thing” on his mind. I was completely revolted by him in the first chapter. The things I could say!! You can imagine what he was like. Every girl has met that boy. Cutter, however, was interesting. If an animal could be in human form, he would be the most dangerous of predators. I would hate to ever encounter someone like him! He seemed full of nervous energy that he was too willing to convert into physical violence. In fact, hurting people made him happy. If I had to liken him to a real-life person, I would imagine he would be the equivalent to Al Capone’s henchman. Very disturbing.

I managed to read the book in one sitting. Partly because it was an easy, quick read, but mainly because I wanted to know what happened. I didn’t want to wait until the next day to finish the book. I really enjoyed the story. As I said, I think that the second book has a lot of potential because it will continue to further develop the plot and the characters. With that being said, I would give this book a solid 3 to 3 ½ stars. I anticipate the next book getting even higher marks.

If you like ghost stories tinted with murder and romance, then this is certainly a book you would enjoy.… (más)