Where the Crows Sing: Chorus of Crows is a chilling story of ghosts on the homestead

 

Chorus of Crows

Sharon Wagner

Dreamsphere Books, 2026

ISBN-10: 199772622X

ISBN-13: 978-1997726227

Ebook, 306 ppg.

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When Sedona Walton is fed up with her job and her life in Wisconsin, she decides to head back home to live with her widowed father, who has Parkinson’s Disease. Switching to living on a farm after living in a city is quite a change for Sedona, but she is determined to be a caregiver for her ailing father and bring positive change into her life. She doesn’t count on finding love, but that’s exactly what happens. In Chorus of Crows by Sharon Wagner, readers are treated to a touching story of a daughter’s loyalty to her sick father and her quest to find happiness. But even as Sedona tries to make life easier for her father, life becomes more challenging for both father and daughter as strange paranormal activity happens at the farm, along with several crows often lurking on the grounds. 

 

Reading about how Oren deals with his hallucinations is heartbreaking. They are very real for him, even if people try to tell him that they are not real. But as the hallucinations keep happening, he begins to accept that they ARE hallucinations, and he starts to question if that’s what’s happening when they do happen. At the same time, however, some of the hallucinations are so terrifying that he is more frightened of them than he is analytical. When he starts to see monsters and attacking crows, he is no longer certain if he really is hallucinating or not. Sedona tries to encourage him to share about what he is seeing, but sometimes, he has no words to explain any of it.

 

Sedona knows what she is getting into when she decides to take on the role of caregiver for her dad. Even so, as his symptoms and side effects from the medications get worse, she struggles with how emotionally taxing it all is. She finds comfort in Jeb, a local pastor she knew as a teen (they were both school mates) and who she begins dating. She also finds relief from her duties in Lavinia, a local woman who has been consistently caring for her father before Sedona arrived. She also finds comfort in reading her mother’s journals. Reading the journals causes her to reminisce on happy memories as well as getting to know her mother in a way she never had before. Her mother has been gone for many years but she and her dad still miss her very much. She also misses her brother, Seth, who died in a tragic accident at a young age. It is an accident that Sedona feels terribly guilty about, and she knows she must come to terms with this guilt.

 

The story is written so well. I loved the author’s writing style in describing the settings and the characters are fleshed out so well that they seemed to be real people I was reading about and not just characters in a story. I also liked how some past scenes of Oren’s life with Annilise, Sedona’s mother, is shared in the second part of the story.

 

Chorus of Crows is an entertaining and chilling story that hooks readers from the very beginning. It offers good insights about the realities of Parkinson’s Disease while also exploring the myths and superstitions associated with spirit boxes. I love how the author wove these two things together to create such an interesting story, and the symbolism of the crows throughout the story was not lost on me. Filled with engaging characters, surprising twists and terrifying paranormal experiences, Chorus of Crows is an entertaining novel horror lovers are sure to enjoy.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely voluntary.

 

Beware the Terrors You Can’t See: What Lies Unseen is a chilling ghost story of revenge and redemption

 

 

What Lies Unseen

S.E. Howard

Wicked House Publishing, 2026

Ebook, 180 ppg.

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NOTE: This review is based on an advanced review copy (ARC). This book is scheduled for release on March 10. The buy link is a pre-order link.

 

 

For the people who are able to see and hear ghosts, it can be scary anytime it happens. For Sam Avery, it’s terrifying. Most of the ghosts he encounters are malevolent, some of them even attacking him. In this novel of paranormal suspense and horror, What Lies Unseen by S.E. Howard explores the world of parapsychic abilities. Sam’s gift of being able to see and hear ghosts is more of a nightmare for him, but when he gets involved with a group of people with similar abilities, he feels that he may finally be able to understand his ability better and learn how to control it. What Sam doesn’t realize is that this particular group has other plans, ones which could cost him his life.

 

Some people believe in ghosts and some people don’t. For this reason, Sam doesn’t talk much about his ability to see ghosts. He’s had this gift his whole life, but as a kid, it terrified him. The only person he ever told about it was his older brother, Michael. Michael seemed to understand Sam’s ability, and handled his younger brother’s terror-stricken episodes of seeing and hearing scary ghosts really well. At 24, Sam meets someone who can hear ghosts, and it opens up a whole new world to him. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel so alone. Suddenly, he learns that there are other people like him – that they can hear and see ghosts like he does, only hear ghosts, only sense their presence, etc. There are others who can do things like remote viewing, an ability which is put to use in a horrifying way in this story.

 

The characters in this book are so well-rounded. I loved how the characters at the “paranormal meeting” shared their knowledge. I could tell the author did her homework and took the time to do research for the characters. They really know their stuff!

 

This is a story of many twists and surprises. It is told from Sam’s POV, giving the reader first-hand experience about what happens when he has encounters with the paranormal. It is written so well and I was hooked on this story. It was hard to stop reading it! The scares were very real, keeping me on the edge of my seat, and I was constantly reading chapters wanting to know what happens next.

 

I also loved how the author describes the ghosts so well. The ghosts in this story are definitely frightening! One ghost is described in this way: “I felt hands pulling against me, and when I looked down, I saw the emaciated corpse of a girl, arms around my waist. She wore a tattered white dress, and the skirt ballooned up around her like a spent tulip blossom. Her eyes were gone, her sockets sunken and dark, her nose caved in, her lips receding. Her skin looked desiccated, with only the stark outline of bones beneath, yet there was terrifying, impossible strength in her grip as she clung to me.” (Page 106)

 

In addition to the ghost story that takes place in this novel, we see Sam experiencing a relationship with an older woman – a fellow employee at his job (though she is in a senior position). Everything happens so fast in this relationship, and while she tells Sam that she loves him, he feels more like a “fuck buddy” than a partner in a committed relationship. His insecurities are strengthened when she is going through a difficult situation, and when he tries to offer her comfort, she screams at him, “You’re just a kid!” Still, Sam tries to believe that his relationship with her is the real deal – until he discovers that she has lied to him about certain things. The HUGE thing he learns about her having lied to him about drives him to the breaking point, but it also opens up a new level of horrors for Sam that he must try to face.

 

I loved how this novel shares the dark side of the paranormal. It doesn’t just show the negative things that can happen, but also the negative people who not only abuse their abilities but put them to use in horrifying ways. This novel also explores topics of grief, protection of Indigenous land, and friendship. It was certainly an unforgettable and unique story that lingered in my mind long after I finished reading the last page.

 

What Lies Unseen is a chilling tale of communication with the dead as well as the secrets of a centuries-old power hidden within a most unlikely location. Filled with terrifying paranormal encounters, surprises, and unexpected twists, this novel is a must-read for fans of horror and for anyone who enjoys reading scary ghost stories.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ghosts from the Past Haunting the Present: We Never Left is a spine-tingling ghost story of crime and revenge

 

We Never Left

Matthew Hollis Damon

Independently Published, 2023

Print book, 114 ppg.

ISBN-13: 979-8335929585

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NOTE: This review is based on the 2023 print copy I bought from the author. The cover pictured is of the book I purchased.

 

TRIGGER WARNING: This story includes a rape scene as well as the use of the “N” word (the one related to racism).

 

 

Starting a new ghost story book is always full of anticipation. There’s the excitement over reading a spooky story, the chance to experience another author’s take on a ghost story and the wonder of how a story is told. Matthew Hollis Damon checked off all of those boxes when he wrote his YA supernatural horror novella We Never Left and the scares even lingered long after I finished reading this book.

 

** SPOILERS BELOW **  

 

For a YA story, it definitely met my expectations. The teen characters were fleshed out and realistic. I liked how one of the teens in the group, Naria, is a sensitive, and none of her friends mocked or acted weird about her abilities. There was just total support and encouragement.

 

The other character, Rowan, has dreams of stardom. He wants to make strides in the paranormal investigation TV show field, and he thinks filming an investigation at the very haunted Daughrity House is his golden ticket to TV fame. The other group members are not as motivated as he is, but they do share an interest in the paranormal, so they pretty much agree to participate in this investigation.

 

As I read the story, I wondered, what was it that attracted Rowan’s interest in this particular haunted location? Sure, it’s a location of mediocre fame in the haunt community, but what was it that made him decide that, yes, they were going to investigate this particular haunted house?

 

I started to wonder that even more when I learned of Rowan and Naria’s connection to that house. It’s scary that something like this was happening to the characters? I do believe in reincarnation, so I could see how it is possible, but for it to happen so strongly and so many times really added more scares to the story.

 

Another very frightening aspect of this story is how Naria is constantly pulled into the past as it happened at that house, and suddenly transformed into an historical role. This particular scene really had me on the edge of my seat:

 

“A gust of air blew through the house, making her sage stick brighten momentarily. Naria turned, holding the lantern out protectively and expecting something terrible behind her. But there was nothing there, just the empty hallway couched in shadow. To the right she could see kitchen counters, but to the left something had changed. Where the parlor furniture had been covered with white sheets before, she could now see an old-fashioned couch with ornate wood and cushions that looked like red velvet.

 

She approached slowly, her lantern forming a giant black shadow wall inside the room. As she approached the entry frame, the shadows slowly spit more of the room and furniture into view. There were no covers on the furniture or on the floor, or anywhere in sight. Everything looked so antique, the type of stuff no one owned anymore. None of it even looked comfortable, just stiff-postured chairs and hard wooden arm rests.

 

The bookshelves were full, but she hurried across this room to the opening in the next wall, beyond which she could see the front door. “Fuck this house,” she muttered, waving her sage around like a maniac, because in her mind the sage was going to stop anything bad from happening.

 

“I need to leave,” she mumbled, grabbing the door handle and yanking. It didn’t budge. She found no locks, just a large keyhole on this side of the door. “Please let me leave,” she said to whoever might be listening.

 

Laughter filled the air behind her, and she looked up the stairwell, longer and wider than anything a normal house would have, but nothing like what you’d expect in a mansion of this size. Walking up the stairs were two men in old fashioned coattails, one in tan and the other in black.

 

“Hello?” she said, and both men swung around.

 

“Who’s there?” a familiar voice asked.

 

“Brody?” she asked.

 

Brody stepped down the stairs until his face came into the light. “Yes?” he said. His eyes registered distaste when he saw her. “What is it?”

 

“The other man stepped into the light beside Brody, and she saw it was Eric wearing the black suit and silly-looking hat.

 

“Eric! Oh, thank God—” she took a step toward them, and they both recoiled.

 

“It’s that new servant girl,” Eric whispered.

 

Brody nodded in recognition. “Ahh yes, so it is.” He smiled in a way that seemed unfriendly. “Come here, girl. Let’s take a look at you.”

 

“Knock it off,” Naria said, her voice edging toward hysterical. “Brody and Eric—I’m so scared.”

 

“What’s wrong, girl?” Eric said imperiously.

 

“Come and look in the ballroom!”

 

“She addresses us as if we were her equals—friends, even,” Brody remarked.

 

“We are friends,” Naria said.

 

“Friends,” Eric said with a laugh. “We’re certainly going to be.”

 

Brody’s voice was cold and deadly. “You presume a lot.” He lunged furiously down the stairs, and she stumbled back from the violence in his demeanor.” (Ppg. 46-49)

 

That’s not the end of that scene but I don’t want to spoil what happened next. All I will say is, Yikes! I was gripping the book as I read that scene, holding my breath as chills raced down my spine. It was really scary!

 

There are lots more frightening scenes in this book which I am sure readers will enjoy. Note the trigger warnings above; these two things in the story made me uncomfortable but I enjoyed reading the rest of the story. (And, no, that scene quoted above does not include the rape scene.)

 

We Never Left is a chilling story of past connections pulling us out of the present and how history will sometimes refuse to stay buried. A short story full of tense plot twists, horrifying surprises and shocking revelations, this novella is sure to creep out fans of ghost stories and leave a lingering sense of anxiety and dread al the way to the very last page.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I purchased this book from the author and this review is completely voluntary