Shea NorwoodReseñas

{My Thoughts} – Eric is a teachers son that has an unusual talent. He can see phantom like creatures and have been able to since he was around eight years-old. A lot of the other kids in his town make fun of him and call him “Crazy Train Eric” because of it. He does however, have a few friends: Josh is a oversized boy with a stutter that still needs to grow up and mature a lot and then Kyle who his first few days after moving to town had stood up for Eric and they have been friends since.

Eric and Josh have a friendship that is of convenience. If Eric can’t be with Kyle then he opts to hang out with Josh. I don’t think it is fair to Josh, but like Eric I don’t think he has many options available as friends or he may not understand that Eric is in a sense using him.

Kyle and Eric have a lot in common. They both like two girls that are friends, they both accept each other for who the other is, they both like nintendo, and they both like to cause mischief. I am not sure which is the ringleader in most cases, but I believe it to be Kyle coming up with many of the plans they follow through on.

As mentioned before Eric sees phantoms or demon like creatures. These creatures seem to be only seen by him and another character in the book named Bop. Bop is more or less the town drunk and he is always saying things that make Eric believe he can see them too.

Eric decides that since when he is out at night with Kyle they go near the old theater in town. He notices a phantom looking out a window back at him and discovers that he has to go back there. He has to find out if he is crazy or not and if the phantoms he sees or real.

Once you get to this point the story picks up a lot. I was having problems wanting to keep reading the book because it was slow going. However, it got better, the story background had been laid out and it just got really good. I had problems wanting to stop reading it at this point.

Eric and Kyle are best friends. They are blood brother. They are resourceful, they keep their heads together and they work well together under pressure. They understand that any choice they make can effect the outcome of their survival so they are careful and try not to make to many lapses in judgment.

I enjoyed this book even the reading the beginning was some what of a struggle. I had started it on the 9th and ended it today on the 14th, it usually doesn’t take me this long to read a 300ish page book, but like I said the beginning was a struggle. If you don’t mind a slow beginning that works up to something brilliant I am positive you will enjoy this book.

I look forward to continuing the adventure of these boys in book two!

ABR's full Vanished from Dust audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Vanish from Dust by Shea Norwood is a perfect YA book. I feel that those 50+ will enjoy this audiobook. The reason I feel this is due to all the 1970’s references throughout the book. Today’s generation may have some of the items go over their heads. For me I was thinking “Wow, have not heard that term or type of item in such a long time” made me smile or a small laugh would come out. Though there is a lot of period shows and movies out there so YA’s may get it.

Set in 1987, Eric Stark finds that he has no friends. When it gets out that he is seeing a phantom, everyone nicknamed him Crazy. Who is this phantom and what does it want with him? It’s been a while since he has seen them appearing in his dreams or in his bedroom. However, it is now appearing during the day as well at night. This is when he meets his new friend Kyle Barrett. When Eric sees the phantom in school. Even thou Kyle cannot see the phantom. He still stands up for him and they quickly become best friends. Eric keeping his secret for a good portion of the beginning of the book from Kyle. He finally tells Kyle his secret of seeing the phantom. How a young girl disappeared years earlier and was never found. Both finding out that over the last 60 years of others that disappeared and never were seen again.

As more and more things begin happening in the town Eric and Kyle find themselves transported to a deserted Dust. Where was everyone? Why can Kyle now see the phantoms, too! That is one question that is not so obviously pointed out in the book but you will summarize like me. Now in the deserted town they find themselves facing more than the phantom. They needed a safe haven and food. They needed to get back to Eric’s house to retrieve a diary he kept when the phantom started to appear to him as a young boy. Maybe there is an answer in the diary, something he forgot. Why was the town slowly dissolving away? Why did the missing girl turn up in the deserted town of Dust? Why had she not age at all?

As the story opens up I knew that this was going to be an enjoyable listen with David Dietz doing the narration. His voice lends too many characters. Flawless transition between voices and moods that the characters were in. I don’t think there was a voice that I did not like or didn’t fit a character. Find that happens with some narrators doing multiple voices. Not knowing the difference in voice changes. Not with David he did a fine performance. I truly hope he lends his voice for Book 2.

Shea Norwood has a wonderful fantasy story line with this book. However, I did not like the abrupt ending. I know this is Book 1 and it is to get you back as a reader for book 2. I think that a rework of the ending to make it as a stand-alone read as many other authors I have read. It still brings me back to read the next novel when I fall for the characters. I like the characters in this YA fantasy. So I will not give away the ending and do look forward to Book 2. I want to know what happens to her characters Eric and Kyle. The “Why?” question that comes as the book approaches the end. Why were so many that ended up missing from the current day Dust? Why are only selected individuals seeing the phantom? I feel that some kind of hint to why would have been nice. I do recommend this listen/read of this book for all ages from YA to 50+.

The cover art I find that if I was to purchase the book would not draw me in. I think that the phantom should be in the background. The bodies of the boys seem frumpy. I would think that their bodies should be taller.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Eric Stark is a seventh grader who is picked on by classmates because he used to see phantoms. Now they call him crazy train Eric. He only has a couple of friends at school, Josh, a fat kid who still calls his mother mommy that Eric rally doesn't like all that much and his new friend Kyle Barrett.

No one but Eric can see these phantoms that Eric sees and so they think he is either crazy or very imaginative. His parents have taken him to see a psychologist. He has seen the creatures since he was 8 years old. Now he doesn't admit to seeing them anymore because he doesn't want to be thought of as strange. But still he gets picked on. The only one who believes him is the town drunk and Kyle.

I didn't care much for the first part of the book when we were introduced to the characters because the adults in the story didn't seem to do anything about the bullying. The parents also swore at their children which I felt was wrong. Then Kyle and Eric were sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to pull pranks on the townspeople. It seemed to me they were hoodlums in the making. I almost gave up reading the book. I'm glad I didn't.

Eric decided he had to figure out once and for all if he was crazy or not, so he and Kyle head to the local theatre that has been long abandoned and where a young girl disappeared from 5 years before. This is where the adventure really begins and the book takes flight.

From this point on the book is fast-paced and exciting. It was hard to put down and was a great read. Eric and Kyle demonstrated undecided loyalty to each other like the blood brothers they were. Through all the strange things that happened they stuck together and had one another's backs. They were resourceful but through it all they still remained the teenaged boys the author had set their characters up to be in the first part of the book. We just got to see the side of them that came out when under pressure and when necessity required.

Vanished From Dust is definitely part one of a series for the story doesn't end with this book. I hit the right side of my iPad several times trying to turn the page before I realized I was at the end of it. Hopefully it won't be long before book 2 is out because I want to find out what happens to these boys who have vanished from dust,

Due to the language the boys used and the other things I mentioned about the first part of the book, I am giving Vanished From Dust 3 stars out of 5. The second half of the book definitely rates higher than 3 stars but the first half pulls it down.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/vanished-from-dust-blog-tou...