31 March, 2018

REVIEW: THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson

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Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author:  Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns #1
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Release: 2011
Source: Paperback
Pages: 423

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BLURB:
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do. 

30 March, 2018

REVIEW: WIDDERSHINS by Jordan L. Hawk

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Title: Widdershins
Author: Jordan L. Hawke
Series: Whyborne & Griffin
Genres: Historical, Paranormal, LGBT, Romance
Publisher: Jordan L. Hawke
Release: December 4th 2012
Source: eBook
Pages: 236

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BLURB:
Some things should stay buried.

Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.

So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.

As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?

 

29 March, 2018

REVIEW: BEHIND HER EYES by Sarah Pinborough

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Title: Behind her Eyes
Author:  Sarah Pinborough
Series: -
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Paranormal
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release: January 31st 2017
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 307

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BLURB:
Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.

When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?

As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

28 March, 2018

27 March, 2018

REVIEW: PARASITE LIFE by Victoria Dalpe

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Title: Parasite Life
Author:  Victoria Dalpe
Series: n/a
Genres: Horror, Young Adult
Publisher: ChiTeen
Release: October 10th 2017
Source: eBook
Pages: 206

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BLURB:
Jane lives alone in a strange old house with her invalid mother who has been catatonic for years, afflicted by a strange wasting disease. But the friendship of a new girl in town, Sabrina, will push Jane to unearth the mysteries of her mother's past and the dark history of her missing father, forcing her to face a monstrous lineage and the cost of her dark life.

 

26 March, 2018

25 March, 2018

COVER OF THE MONTH

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We are always told to not judge a book by its cover but... this is exactly what we will be doing! Cover art should also be appreciated. Am I right? ;)

In this meme we will be choosing 5 covers every month from books published on said month
e.g. for january we will choose a cover from a book published in january

24 March, 2018

REVIEW: MRS DALLOWAY by Virginia Woolf

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Title: Mrs Dalloway
Author:  Virginia Woolf
Series: -
Genres: Modern Classics, Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release: 1923
Source: Paperback, Audiobook
Pages: 194

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BLURB:
Mrs. Dalloway chronicles a June day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway–a day that is taken up with running minor errands in preparation for a party and that is punctuated, toward the end, by the suicide of a young man she has never met. In giving an apparently ordinary day such immense resonance and significance–infusing it with the elemental conflict between death and life–Virginia Woolf triumphantly discovers her distinctive style as a novelist. Originally published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway is Woolf’s first complete rendering of what she described as the “luminous envelope” of consciousness: a dazzling display of the mind’s inside as it plays over the brilliant surface and darker depths of reality.

23 March, 2018

REVIEW: THE CALIPH's HOUSE: A YEAR IN CASABLANCA by Tahir Shah

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Title: The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
Author: Tahir Shah
Series: -
Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction
Publisher:  Bantam
Release: December 26th, 2006
Source: Paperback
Pages: 368

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BLURB:

Inspired by the Moroccan vacations of his childhood, Tahir Shah dreamed of making a home in that astonishing country. At age thirty-six he got his chance. Investing what money he and his wife, Rachana, had, Tahir packed up his growing family and bought Dar Khalifa, a crumbling ruin of a mansion by the sea in Casablanca that once belonged to the city’s caliph, or spiritual leader.

With its lush grounds, cool, secluded courtyards, and relaxed pace, life at Dar Khalifa seems sure to fulfill Tahir’s fantasy–until he discovers that in many ways he is farther from home than he imagined. For in Morocco an empty house is thought to attract jinns, invisible spirits unique to the Islamic world. The ardent belief in their presence greatly hampers sleep and renovation plans, but that is just the beginning. From elaborate exorcism rituals involving sacrificial goats to dealing with gangster neighbors intent on stealing their property, the Shahs must cope with a new culture and all that comes with it.

Endlessly enthralling, The Caliph’s House charts a year in the life of one family who takes a tremendous gamble. As we follow Tahir on his travels throughout the kingdom, from Tangier to Marrakech to the Sahara, we discover a world of fierce contrasts that any true adventurer would be thrilled to call home.
 

22 March, 2018

REVIEW: EVERLASTING by Alyson Noel

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Title: Everlasting
Author:  Alyson Noel
Series: The Immortals #6
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release: 2011
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 336

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BLURB:
Their darkest enemies now defeated, Damen and Ever are free to embark upon their final quest—to free Damen from the poison lingering in his body. If they can just find the antidote, they’ll finally be able to feel each other’s touch—and experience the passionate night they’ve been longing for. But their fight to be together will lead them into the most formidable terrain yet…into the dark heart of Summerland.

Here in a land of scorched earth and endless rain, Ever and Damen will discover their relationship’s hidden origins, expose a secret history they never imagined…and come face to face with the true reason fate keeps tearing them apart. Only then, when the final mystery is unraveled and the last secret revealed, Ever and Damen’s future will hinge on one ultimate decision that will put everything at stake….even eternity.  

21 March, 2018

20 March, 2018

REVIEW: DREAM ON by Kerstin Gier

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POSSIBLE BOOK 1 SPOILERS
Title: Dream On (Silber: The Second Book of Dreams)
Author: Kerstin Gier
Series: Silber Trilogy #2
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Fischer FJB
Release: June 26th, 2014
Source: Paperback
Pages: 416

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BLURB: Things seem to be going well for Liv Silber: she’s adjusting to her new home in London; she has a burgeoning romance with Henry Harper, one of the cutest boys in school; and the girl who’s been turning her dreams into nightmares, Anabel, is now locked up. But serenity doesn’t last for long.

It seems that Liv’s troubles are far from over—in fact, suddenly they’re piling up. School gossip blogger Secrecy knows all of Liv’s most intimate secrets, Henry might be hiding something from her, and at night Liv senses a dark presence following her through the corridors of the dream world. Does someone have a score to settle with Liv?

19 March, 2018

18 March, 2018

SUNDAY PORTRAIT: Adda the White

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Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome to Sunday Portraits, where we give a face to our beloved book friends!

 Today we have: The Last Wish by A. Sapkowski:

ADDA THE WHITE
Princess Adda the White was the daughter of Foltest, king of Temeria. She was born a striga as a result of a curse cast by either Ostrit (a local magnate who loved her mother) or Sancia (Foltest's mother). The magnate was in love with the king's sister, the mother of the princess, whose name was also Adda. When he learned of the incestuous relationship between the king and his sister, Ostrit tried to put a curse on the king and this is blamed for Adda's transformation into a striga. However, Foltest's mother was also furious at the incestuous relationship between her children and may also have cursed their child. So it is possible that either Ostrit or Sancia, or both, were the cause of the curse.

Adda was named for her mother who died during the birth. Her nickname "the White", which came from the color of her hair after the curse was removed by Geralt, served to distinguish her from her mother, Adda of Temeria, and Adda of Cidaris, the wife of king Goidemar. She was also left mentally impaired, so while she remained the logical heir to the Temerian throne, the continuation of the royal line begun by Geddes was possibly at its end.

17 March, 2018

REVIEW: NIGHT STAR by Alyson Noel

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Title: Night Star
Author:  Alyson Noel
Series: The Immortals #4
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release: 2010
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 302

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BLURB:
Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down…and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart—and she has just the ammunition to do it.

Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen—a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all.

Now it’ll take everything she’s got—and bring out powers she never knew she had—to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future? 

15 March, 2018

REVIEW: EMMA by Jane Austen

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Title: Emma
Author:  Jane Austen
Series: -
Genres: Classics, Romance
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release: 1815
Source: Paperback/Audiobook
Pages: 474

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BLURB:
'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.'

Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

This edition includes a new chronology and additional suggestions for further reading. 

14 March, 2018

13 March, 2018

REVIEW: THE EIGHT by Katherine Neville

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Title: The Eight
Author: Katherine Neville
Series: The Eight #1
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Ediciones B
Release: (First published 1988)
Source: Paperback
Pages: 864

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BLURB: The riveting #1 international bestselling novel about the quest across centuries by two intrepid women in different eras to reunite the pieces of a powerful, ancient chess set

A fabulous, bejeweled chess set that belonged to Charlemagne has been buried in a Pyrenees abbey for a thousand years. As the bloody French Revolution rages in Paris, the nuns dig it up and scatter its pieces across the globe because, when united, the set contains a secret power that could topple civilizations. To keep the set from falling into the wrong hands, two novices, Valentine and Mireille, embark on an adventure that begins in the streets of Paris and leads to Russia, Egypt, Corsica, and into the heart of the Algerian Sahara.

Two hundred years later, while on assignment in Algeria, computer expert Catherine Velis finds herself drawn unwillingly into the deadly “Game” still swirling around the legendary chess set—a game that will require her to risk her life and match wits with diabolical forces.

12 March, 2018

11 March, 2018

REVIEW: DARK FLAME by Alyson Noel

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Title: Dark Flame
Author:  Alyson Noel
Series: The Immortals #4
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release: 2010
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 320

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BLURB:
In Alyson Noël’s most darkly seductive Immortals novel yet, Ever fights for control of her body, her soul — and the timeless true love she’s been chasing for centuries.

Ever is trying to help Haven make the transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat — exposing their secret world to the outside. But Ever's struggle to keep the Immortals hidden only propels Haven closer to the enemy: Roman and his evil companions.

At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman’s power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who’s hell-bent on her destruction. Now there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can’t stop thinking about Roman — and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state...and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.

Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself — and her future with Damen....  

10 March, 2018

REVIEW: A PAIR OF BLUE EYES by Thomas Hardy

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Title: A Pair of Blue Eyes
Author:  Thomas Hardy
Series: -
Genres: Classics, Romance
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release: 1873
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 374

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BLURB:
Elfride Swancourt is the daughter of the Rector of Endelstow, a remote sea-swept parish in Corwall based on St Juliot, where Hardy began A Pair of Blue Eyes during the beginning of his courtship of his first wife, Emma. Blue-eyed and high-spirited, Elfride has little experience of the world beyond, and becomes entangled with two men: the boyish architect, Stephen Smith, and the older literary man, Henry Knight. The former friends become rivals, and Elfride faces an agonizing choice.
Written at a crucial time in Hardy's life, A Pair of Blue Eyes expresses more directly than any of his novels the events and social forces that made him the writer he was. Elfride's dilemma mirrors the difficult decision Hardy himself had to make with this novel: to pursue the profession of architecture, where he was established, or literature, where he had yet to make his name. This updated edition contains a new introduction, bibliography, and chronology.

09 March, 2018

REVIEW: THE WATCHER IN THE SHADOWS by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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Title: The Watcher in the Shadows
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Series: Niebla #3
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release: (First published 1995)
Source: Harcover
Pages: 288

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BLURB: It was an unforgettable summer....

When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves with her family to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she's immediately taken by the beauty of the place--its expansive cliffs, coasts, and harbors. There, she meets a local boy named Ishmael, and the two soon fall in love. But a dark mystery is about to unfold, involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a gigantic mansion filled with mechanical beings and shadows of the past.

As strange lights shine through the fog surrounding a small, barren island, Irene's younger brother dreams of a dark creature hidden deep in the forest. And when a young girl is found murdered, her body at the end of a path torn through the woods by a monstrous, inhuman force, Irene and Ishmael wonder--has a demonic presence been unleashed on the inhabitants of Cape House? Together, they'll have to survive the most terrifying summer of their lives, as they try to piece together the many mysteries and secrets hidden in a town torn apart by tragedy, amidst a labyrinth of lights and shadows.

08 March, 2018

REVIEW: A LINE IN THE DARK by Malinda Lo

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Title: A Line in the Dark
Author:  Malinda Lo
Series: -
Genres: YA, LGBT, Romance
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Release: October 17th 2017
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 288

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BLURB:
Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. While nobody notices her, she’s free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more curse than gift.

As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences.

When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.

“It doesn’t even matter that she probably doesn’t understand how much she means to me. It’s purer this way. She can take whatever she wants from me, whenever she wants it, because I’m her best friend.”

A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder.

07 March, 2018

06 March, 2018

REVIEW: PETER DARLING by Austin Chant

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Title: Peter Darling
Author:  Austin Chant
Series: n/a
Genres: Retelling, LGBT
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release: February 15th 2017
Source: eBook
Pages: 164

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BLURB:
Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.

But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

 

05 March, 2018

04 March, 2018

03 March, 2018

REVIEW: CARPE CORPUS by Rachel Caine

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Title: Carpe Corpus
Author:  Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Vampires #6
Genres: Paranormal, Vampire, YA
Publisher: Signet
Release: 2009
Source: Paperback/Audiobook
Pages: 241

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BLURB:
In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

02 March, 2018

REVIEW: THE CRUEL PRINCE by Holly Black

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Title: The Cruel Prince
Author:  Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Brown Books for Young Readers
Release: January 2nd 2018
Source: eBook
Pages: 384

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BLURB:
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

 

01 March, 2018

REVIEW: LORD OF MISRULE by Rachel Caine

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Title: Lorn of Misrule
Author:  Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Vampires #5
Genres: Paranormal, YA, Vampires
Publisher: New American Library
Release: 2009
Source: Paperback/Audiobook
Pages: 246

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BLURB:
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn't the only threat.

Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.