Dark Debts

Rating:
Summary: Spell Bounding
Review: "Instantly casts a spell...Chilling" says NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW. DARK DEBTS by Karen Hall is like no other book I have traveled through before. From page one I was entranced by the characters and the story. Reality mixed in with fear and lust becomes the perfect concoction to make this book nothing but entertaining to the reader. The novel tells the story of a family tormented by something out of their control, something almost satanic. "It" seems to destroy each member of the Landry family, with only one hope to save them. The one and only hope is a priest, sent to Georgia to help fight the forces of evil with Jack, the only remaining family member. Three divisions add to an exhilarating way of telling this spell bounding story. I was first captured by this book in the prologue and remained in suspense until the very end. I often found myself feeling an eerie presense in the room as I read into the minds of the characters and traveled with them in their journey. Of all the books that I have read I have always seemed to be a fan of books that send chills down my spine, but never have I ever experienced anything quite like this. This novel will grab you and take you into a whole other dimension, one that comes way too close to reality. I felt like my faith took a walk down a path that it has never been before. Overall I would have to rate this book a ten on a scale of one to ten. It is a book that seems to make you think about your faith, your desires, your weaknesses, and most of all yourself. It is like no other book I have ever read and is one that I can honestly say seemed to alter my life more than I feel comfortable talking about. DARK DEBTS, by Karen Hall. Go get it.

Rating:
Summary: Spell Bounding
Review: "Instantly casts a spell...Chilling" says NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW. DARK DEBTS by Karen Hall is like no other book I have traveled through before. From page one I was entranced by the characters and the story. Reality mixed in with fear and lust becomes the perfect concoction to make this book nothing but entertaining to the reader. The novel tells the story of a family tormented by something out of their control, something almost satanic. "It" seems to destroy each member of the Landry family, with only one hope to save them. The one and only hope is a priest, sent to Georgia to help fight the forces of evil with Jack, the only remaining family member. Three divisions add to an exhilarating way of telling this spell bounding story. I was first captured by this book in the prologue and remained in suspense until the very end. I often found myself feeling an eerie presense in the room as I read into the minds of the characters and traveled with them in their journey. Of all the books that I have read I have always seemed to be a fan of books that send chills down my spine, but never have I ever experienced anything quite like this. This novel will grab you and take you into a whole other dimension, one that comes way too close to reality. I felt like my faith took a walk down a path that it has never been before. Overall I would have to rate this book a ten on a scale of one to ten. It is a book that seems to make you think about your faith, your desires, your weaknesses, and most of all yourself. It is like no other book I have ever read and is one that I can honestly say seemed to alter my life more than I feel comfortable talking about. DARK DEBTS, by Karen Hall. Go get it.

Rating:
Summary: "Hallelujah, I believe" disquised as a horror thriller
Review: "The thriller of the decade" is proudly printed on the cover of my paperback version. This is as a ridiculous statement as the book's conclusion shows itself to be. Disappointing stuff. However, the first half of the book reads quite well and the storyline seems to be ok. As the end approaches the book shows it's true colors, and all logic seeps out of the story. This is more of an evangelical "finding your way back to God"-story and, frankly, just about as entertaining. Thriller and horror readers should look elsewhere, unless they are fallen catholics and can find something interesting and/or uplifting following the heroine's/hero's path back to religious belief. Thrilling, however, it is not!

Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner!
Review: A good read - takes it a while to come together, but definitely entertaining and well written all the way thru.

Rating:
Summary: Awful
Review: A pretentious piece of twaddle. Flat writing - anytime you have characters saying, "Noooo!" you know exactly what level of fiction you've encountered. Often unintentially humorous.

Rating:
Summary: Awful
Review: A pretentious piece of twaddle. Flat writing - anytime you have characters saying, "Noooo!" you know exactly what level of fiction you've encountered. Often unintentially humorous.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: Although I am obsessed with Stephen King's books and only happened to read this book by chance a few years ago, I absolutely loved it. It drew me in, it was interesting and thrilling and let you know the characters. I have read it maybe 3 times since then and I it still effects me the same way. Since it has been a while since I read it I can't go into tons of detail, but it seemed very true to life, how people think and feel about others, how they feel about themselves, how you cannot plan you life a certain way and expect it to be that way, and how unexpected things can occur to change you whole world, like demon possessions.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: Although I am obsessed with Stephen King's books and only happened to read this book by chance a few years ago, I absolutely loved it. It drew me in, it was interesting and thrilling and let you know the characters. I have read it maybe 3 times since then and I it still effects me the same way. Since it has been a while since I read it I can't go into tons of detail, but it seemed very true to life, how people think and feel about others, how they feel about themselves, how you cannot plan you life a certain way and expect it to be that way, and how unexpected things can occur to change you whole world, like demon possessions.

Rating:
Summary: The Rat, The Other, and The Choice
Review: Dark Debts by Karen Hall is the most captivating book I have read in years. I would rate this book a 10 because of the wide array of fascinating topics. Not only are there controversial subjects included, but there is romance, comedy, drama, and horror. This gripping novel discusses good versus evil, and the role the Catholic church has in the struggle. The characters Hall created were strong and unpredictable. Each character had a different type of life and outlook on life, which makes it easy for the reader to relate to one or another. The main subject of demons and evil in general is often avoided by society, and Hall does a wonderful job of speaking about the unspoken. The romantic tendencies between the characters often gets quite steamy, while not being trashy; and Hall's subtle humor will sometimes even cause you to laugh out loud. The suspensefulness of the book is definitely what makes this a page turner and, therefore, extremely hard to put down. Hall makes readers contemplate their own faiths and beliefs unconsciously, as they guess and look forward to what will happen. It truly gets readers to examine their own spirituality. The symbolism in the novel of the supernatural forces in our world are exceptionally well used and really get the feelings across. All of the research put into this book is very evident by the way Hall teaches you about demons, exorcisms, and the Jesuits. The plot takes the reader through some major twists and turns. Just when you think you have an explanation for something, Hall manages to come up with something completely different and logical. Dark Debts is a can't miss, chilling story that will take you on the ride of your life.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping...terrifying...it will test your faith
Review: DARK DEBTS is undoubtedly one of the best books I've read all year. It engages you on so many levels. Whether you are looking for a "page turner" to take on vacation (p.s. don't read this alone at night) or if you want something that will ask you to examine your own beliefs, this work will deliver.