Sunday, August 24, 2014

Book Review – "Death’s Dance" by Crymsyn Hart



This book review is provided as part of the Death's Dance blog tour, however, the standards and scrutiny applied to this review are no less than those given to any other work presented through the views of The Rage Circus Vs. The Soulless Void, your blog for all things horror!

In the last few years, ghost hunting shows have become very popular.  Whether it is a sign of the general public having a more open mind towards the paranormal or simply a previously unfulfilled demand finally being met, it seems like these shows are now all over television.  It raises the question if all of these paranormal investigators truly believe in their mission or if they are just putting on a show for ratings.  Whether or not the investigators believe does not change the reality of the situation in which they place themselves.  It may even be that they end up serving as pawns in the plans of some greater force.  This idea is explored in Crymsyn Hart’s Death’s Dance.

“Being a psychic, you would think talking to the dead was a walk in the park. However, it’s not always that simple. The hooded specter haunting me is one I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. One day, he appeared in my bedroom mirror. Good. Evil. I don’t know what his true intentions are.

Enter Jackson, ghost hunting show host extraordinaire, and my ex, to save me from the big bad ghost.
From there…well…it’s been a world wind of complications. My house burnt down. I’m being stalked by an ancient evil and gotten myself back into the world of being a ghost hunting psychic. Jackson dragged me, along with a few other psychics, to a ghost town wiped off the map called Death’s Dance.

From there things went from bad to worse.

Death's Dance is Book One of the Deathly Encounters Series”

Kerstin is a very powerful psychic who gets pulled back in to the ghost hunting for entertainment business despite her every desire to stay out of that world.  When the visions that have haunted her dreams intersect with her ex-boyfriend’s latest ghost hunt, she finds herself going to the ghost town, Death’s Dance, despite her reservations.  The story is told from the first-person perspective of Kerstin as she tries to piece together the mystery of her connection to the town.  While first person narrative can be very tricky to successfully accomplish, Crymsyn Hart does an amazing job of pulling us into Kerstin’s story and hurtling us through the narrative.  While the story unfolds and Kerstin discovers the truth, we can’t turn the pages fast enough as we are propelled through the terrifying and suspenseful events of the tale.  The story’s action and horror are driven by Hart’s talented writing.

Crymsyn Hart’s writing creates a great visual throughout the story.  She paints an amazing picture of the setting, providing us with a clear image of the haunting settings of Kerstin’s dreams and the town of Devil’s Dance.  This adds a great deal to the power of Hart’s story telling as it provides gripping details about the paranormal encounters that are taking place.  Along with the descriptive prose, we get a good deal of insight into the characters, especially when you consider the first person perspective of the story which limits how much the narrator would actually know.  It is difficult to create a sense of investment in other characters when we can’t get direct insight into their thoughts and emotions, but Hart does a good job of balancing that with her first person narrative and giving us characters that we can care about.  Each character clearly has their own motivations and their actions stay in line with their reasons for coming to Death’s Dance.  Whether it be to awaken the spirits, discover the past, or just find fame and fortune, each person plays their part in the story well.

Overall, Death’s Dance provides us with a well-crafted, suspenseful tale of the paranormal.  The story grips you from the very beginning and does not let go as mysteries are unraveled and the tale rushes forward.  It is a glimpse into the potential perils of ghost hunting and trying to play around with forces that we do not truly understand.  No matter your personal take on the paranormal, Crymsyn Hart’s Death’s Dance is a great tale of horror that should be read by any fan of a good ghost story.

So let’s take a look at The Rage Circus score!

Story Concept - 4/5
Story Execution – 4.5/5
Story Flow – 5/5
Character Development (give-a-damn factor) - 5/5
Gripping visuals/details - 5/5
Entertainment Value/Story Engagement – 4.5/5
Editing (including grammar and spelling) – 5/5

Overall – 4.7/5 – TAKE A TRIP TO DEATH’S DANCE FOR YOURSELF, BUT BE PREPARED TO NOT MAKE IT BACK ALIVE!



About Crymsyn Hart:  Crymsyn Hart is a national bestselling author of over seventy paranormal romance and horror novels. Her experiences as a psychic have given her a lot of material to use in her books. She currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her hubby and her three dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s curled up with the dogs watching a good horror movie or off with friends.
To find out more about Crymsyn Hart, please visit her website at www.ravynhart.com

Author Links:
Website:  www.ravynhart.com




1 comment: