Book Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 / 5 stars)
Henry Trank leaves a seemingly normal life, but after he moves to Salem for his new job as an EMT, he begins to exhibit strange nightmares that feel all too real. He recruits the help of the lovely and stunning Joanne from a local coffee shop, who he’d been drawn to since the first day he walked into the shop. But what starts as an ordinary date turns into an adventure that leads Henry to meet witches, demons, and venture into the past. With Halloween night approaching, can he and his friends figure out what is going on before it’s too late?
Robert Sanborn’s debut novel is a paranormal adventure that takes what we know and spins it on its head. Mixing together common elements of witches, werewolves, demons, and history, we are introduced to an endearing protagonist that most “nerdy” individuals can relate to. His romance with Joanne is endearing, and you begin rooting for them right away.
The pieces of the puzzle are masterfully done; each character serves a purpose, and while I figured out one twist prior to the end, it did not take away from the overall mystery and magic woven through the air. In fact, despite not being a huge fan of the “soulmate” trope, the way it was done in this book still made me love the main couple without complaint.
I think the main thing that took away from this book for me is obvious grammatical and structural errors. While it wasn’t enough to detract from the story as a whole, and in fact I had a load of fun reading it, some of the errors did make me pause and think. The biggest incident of this is how story starts in first person, but after two or three chapters switches to third person for the duration of the tale. First person pops up occasionally for a line or two, which makes me wonder if the author original wrote the story that way? It is possible this is done on purpose, but personally it didn’t quite land.
Overall, these errors did not take away from my enjoyment. The story was intriguing and dark, picking on areas of common knowledge, while creating its own original twist on reincarnation and witchcraft. If you enjoy paranormal adventures and the Salem Witch Trials, I highly encourage you to check out this book. Personally, I cannot wait to see what Sanborn does next!
What’s it about?
They hide in his dreams … watching … waiting …
Night after night they get closer.
Tonight, they’ve gotten too close …
Henry Trank awakens from another terrifying nightmare. An angry mob from a time and place he’s never been chase him through a dark and snowy forest. Murder on their minds.
At first he thinks nothing of it, everyone has nightmares. But then things start to follow him back from those dreams … unexplainable things. And suddenly it’s a very big deal.
He turns to the only person in Salem he knows he can trust for help.
A green-eyed, raven-haired Witch named Joanne. Beautiful, funny, mysterious … and so familiar! The bond he feels with Joanne is something he can’t explain. A feeling far stronger than it should be for the three short months he’s known her.
Together they begin to unravel the mystery of Henry’s dreams. They discover an incredible secret from a time and place they never could have imagined. But time is short, Halloween in Salem draws near …
And the watchers from his dreams are becoming the enemies in his reality!
If you’re a fan of Supernatural Suspense, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Fiction, this is the book for you.
E.S. Barrison 