The Grave Winner Book Review & White Rabbit!

White Rabbit everyone! Gee, I almost forgot about White Rabbit. The first of the month completely came out of nowhere for me. 
In case you haven't noticed, I have been BUSY! I interviewed 8 awesome authors in February:

• Fantasy author F.P. Spirit
  
• Fairy tale author Jessica L. Elliot
  
• Fiction author Lottie Wright
  
• Fantasy/SciFi author Dakota Kemp
  
• Fantasy/Urban author Shannon Pemrick
  
• Christian Horror author Zach Carpenter
  
• Paranormal author Lindsey R. Loucks
  
• Journalist & Fiction author Rachael Van Horn
  

If you haven't read those interviews yet, you should totally check them out. I have had several people tell me that they were lots of fun to read! It is a great way to get to know these awesome authors.

So, to kick the month of March off (March? Already?!) I am posting a book review of a book written by none other than one of the authors above. That's right! Cool, huh?
So, without further ado, I will delve right into Lindsey R. Loucks' book, The Grave Winner.

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The Grave Winner by Lindsey R. Loucks

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Author: Lindsey R. Loucks
Genre: Paranormal/horror
Rating: 5/6 stars
Synopsis: 
Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead -- just like the prom queen did.
While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.
She should have listened.
Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.
With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

The Beginning: The story starts off full of emotion and conflict at a funeral. The author did a good job at drawing a picture in the reader’s mind of the pain that one suffers when losing a family member. Then, with that, she jumps right into the mystery and the horror - you meet the first undead creature and a thousand questions pop into your mind thus sealing your fate as a sleep deprived page turner.

The Characters: Leigh is the typical teenage girl who hates drama, wants to survive high school, and do something more with her life. She finds herself wrapped up in a love triangle with two boys who are almost as different as day and night: one is the tall, dark, and handsome high school jock - the typical, easy-going, irresponsible, cocky boy who has the power to unleash butterflies in Leigh’s stomach. The other is a boy who is anything but ordinary. He makes bells ring when he laughs, can summon the power of trees, and he has a load of world shattering responsibilities on his shoulders.


The Plot: The plot was sound and well thought out. It had lots of twists and turns and just when I thought I knew exactly where the story was going, I would get a surprised and I would be thrown off balance.

The World: The story is based in a small town in Kansas. I found that I could relate to a lot of things in this book, because Kansas and me are just a few miles away. The author did a fine job of coloring in the dismal small town, capturing its attitude and grimy feel, but also the warmth that its people can have.

The Writing: Louck’s writing was very easy to follow and read. It smoothly conveyed the character’s thoughts and feelings without There were only two instances throughout the entire book that I found her wording to be a bit of a hiccup.
The Ending: The ending was wrapped up nicely, but still left you with unanswered questions, which it did well of reminding you of. So, needless to say, I want to read the next book.

Pros: The writing was smooth, the storyline was intriguing and had several surprises, which I was not expecting. Also, I laughed a lot. There were so many funny parts, especially regarding the town, the people, and the school, that I could relate to. The characters were well fleshed out and likable, and the story left me wanting more.

Cons: Several of the characters cussed off and on and the “F” bomb was dropped several times. However, all the cussing was in context… in context meaning that it wasn’t used for pleasure slang, but for actual moments when cussing is, more-or-less, appropriate. Plus, they are easily marked out and replaced with another word more appropriate.

The Bottom Line: This book was a page turner. I was expecting one thing, but it lead to something else. Loucks mixed just the right amount of creepiness and humor together to make a very fun read. But, because of the cussing, and definitely the “F” bomb, I must remove a star.
I would not suggest this book to just anyone, and I would not read it to my siblings because of some of the creepy elements and, of course, the cussing. But, if cussing doesn’t bug you, and you like Paranormal/creep-pasta, then this book may be just up your ally!

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