Nora Edwards has the perfect boyfriend. The one she always hoped for. His name is Andrew. On prom night, Andrew and Nora have a car accident ending up with the Revenant (a monster who lives by sucking souls out of people) taking Andrew's soul as he dies . The Revenant tries to take Nora's soul but isn't successful. When Nora wakes up in the hospital, she tells her parents and the police about what happened at the accident but discovers that they don't believe in the Revenant. She has a purple scar as a result of the accident. The scar gives her the ability to see ghosts. She doesn't understand at first what she was experiencing in the hospital. When she does, she tells and ends up being told she has paramnesia from the car accident. Its all in her mind, but she knows better. What will she do with this new ability she has? Will she see Andrew as a ghost?

There is much more to the story but I don't want to spoil the story for you. I liked that it was told in the third person narrative as I was able to discover each character's attributes and weakness. I felt for Nora as she tries to learn how to deal with all the ghost who want her help. It's a fast ya read with romance, mystery, ghosts and the supernatural. I can't wait for the second book. There is going to be a second book isn't there?

I loved the cover of this one. I found the synopsis intriguing but these books are so hit or miss for me that it's hard to say just judged on a cover, right?!

I found that the story was engaging with me as the reader, and that I had lots of feelings about the characters and how things went. I didn't expect that. But, the romance in the start felt... horrible executed. Like, it was kinda awkward to read. I have no problems with instaloves in general but this one felt cringey. I would say that the love aspect should have been done a bit better, and that would have heightened the read for me and given it a higher score.

Paramnesia: The Deadish Chronicles, Book #1
by Brian Wilkinson
A not to be missed young adult writer that brings out a phenomenal supernatural tale out of seemingly thin air. Brian does a great job of showing teenage problems, in a world of soul vampires, and ghosts. This book is a page turner, that will capture young audiences and adults alike. It's a great girl power piece, and shows the value of not just taking from others but that giving back has its own rewards. Written with his young daughter in mind this author brings a piece and character that will inspire his child to know not only his love, but the strength he believes she has with in her. I love the mystery and the danger in the story, and just the right mix of supernatural and teenage anxs. Great story for any public library.

This ghostbuster like is a fun and cute read even though it is about ghosts....
It is a unique paranormal/cute love story but still leaves readers questions about characters. Will there be a book 2?

What a concept! An accident that kills the love of your life and gives you the power to communicate with the dead all the while people around you think to you're crazy and the evil ones want you dead.... sounds like the Deadish Society to me. Great book!!!!

This is an epic read which I enjoyed thoroughly. It's well-written and has very interesting characters, I loved author's writing style; unique and a little quirky. It's a must read for YA paranormal fans.

Nora's story is quite tragic but at the same time it is also full of hope. Although, she loses her boyfriend, whom she loves immensely, however she also gains the ability to see, as well as, talk to the dead. And the dead never rests, unfortunately. At first she thinks she is going crazy. With little help she soon realizes that things are exactly as they seem to be and there is nothing wrong with her brain. Now the question is how she will deal with her knowledge of supernatural world, it not only exists but also poses a threat to her world.

I think this book is just perfect! The name and cover attracted me at first and I'm glad that I read it, because as far as I'm concerned this one is worth reading. It has sad moments and moments that will make you laugh-out-loud, not to mention few incredibly romantic moments that will keep you entertained.

However I do believe that it can be improved even more. In my opinion it's a little longer than it needs to be, but then some readers do enjoy that aspect too. :)

Interesting characters and world building. I felt like the loose ends weren’t all tied up by the end, however.

*disclaimer, i recievied a free copy of this novel through netgalley in exchange for a honest review*
For me this book was a fun quick read! i enjoyed this book and normally i am not a fan of paranormal books, so if even if you dont normally enjoy paranormal stories i would still recommend this to you!

This book starts when Nora and Andrew meet and quickly fall in love, until Andrew suffers when he meets the renevant. Nora also sees ghosts that only she can see! she then goes on a quest! i wont spoil the book for other potential readers but the ending was amazing and i will pick up the next book in the series!
the only issue i had with this novel is that at times i did not like the romance but, that is just personal preferences!
overall, this book was enjoyable and i would rate it 4/5 stars!

*thank you to Netgalley and Blue Moon Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

This was an odd book. It seemed like just as it would pick up the pace, it would flop again. It was a struggle to get through but It wasnt bad per say, it just didnt seem to work. I dont know what to make of it. Maybe I will give it another go one day and see if my thoughts change.

Paramnesia is not what you'd typically expect to find in a Science Fiction novel. I loved the first line and the premise of the story, which is essentially about Nora who falls in love with Andrew only to have him torn away in a tragic accident. This throws her into the Revenant conspiracy with a secret "deadish" society and the ability to shoot beams that allow Nora to see the dead. I liked the poignant moments, how the two characters explored their unique, but sad situation with the perfect balance of humor and grief.

On the other hand, I didn't like the insta-love that took place between Nora and Andrew. Personally, I dislike insta-love, which is partially why this didn't work for me. I didn't like all the attention paid to the female characters' bodies. Nora was compared to Vee , Nora's brother referring to a girl by her boobs, and a few other instances that I felt were....cliche and unnecessary. Not to mention, Vee and Nora had mean girl tension between them as if the two were competing, which added to the vibe of "stereotypical girl behavior" of being catty and obsessed with boys and their bodies.

Overall, I think this would appeal to some people, but it didn't particularly appeal to me because of how familiar all the tropes/cliches/storyline felt. A+ for originality of Deadish society, Revenant, and the ordeal itself, but everything else fell a little short for me,

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get into this one. I'm not sure why not, the synopsis is right up my alley. I typically enjoy this kind of thing. Perhaps I need to give it another go at a later date.
Rating added only because netgalley requires a star rating.

A great read. I liked how the characters interacted and the story was great.

Would definitely recommend for YA.

I really enjoyed this novel from the very beginning. It was paced well and held my attention. The idea behind paramnesia and the ghost world was very creative.

I love Mr. Wilkinson's style. And did you see that cover?? The flow of this story was even paced and at times lyrical. If you haven't yet discovered this author now is the time to dive in!

The take on the ghost and her snoring did not interest me. At some points the story is well written but other times it did not catch my attention like I though it might.

I got this ARC in exchange of an honest review via netgalley couple of months ago. It took me a while to even start it as I took a long time to finish my last book.

"You should take this energy and live life to the fullest while revelling in the joy of what was and what will be. Then, when it's your turn, pass it on to the next person. You may not be able to see them, but you feel them in your heart always where it matters the most."

This is a story about letting go.. About forgiveness. About love and patience. I liked the massages this book tried to give. I even fell in love with some characters (specially graves and peppers 😘)

There are some places that I felt like was really unnecessary and utterly slow. I had to drag though them or had to skip some lines to be able to finish it. And i expected more fom vee's character. And i kind of guessed the big twist by 22sh chapter..

Apart from that I really liked the ending. And I loved the cover (half the reason why I chose it initially 😋) But truthfully, the plot had so much potential that I am feeling like the story is lacking something. It was an ok-ish read for me, but it could easily be a very good read.

So.. my rating for this one is 3/5 stars.

“‘Some researchers believe that poltergeists, for example, are an example of powerful emotions marking a space and causing it to skip like a needle on a record. Ghosts, quite likely, are created as a result of an emotional ending.’”

I received a free eARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Blue Moon and DigiWriting. When the book was slated for re-writes, I agreed to read and review it a second time. It's sort of exciting to be involved in the process, even in such a small way.

When Nora and her boyfriend, Andrew, are attacked by a monster on prom night, only Nora survives. The attack triggers episodes of what her psychiatrist calls paramnesia, a confusion of reality with a dream world. Except Nora’s dream world seems all too real. Suddenly, she can see ghosts everywhere, including Andrew’s. The creature that attacked them, a soul-eating monster called a Revenant stuck halfway between living and dead, is planning to finish what she started.

It was a struggle to get through this a second time. Part of the problem is that I think I'm well outside the target audience now, and that matters more in some YA books than it does in others. It matters here. The beginning is still rough, and the first several chapters are rushed and flimsy as Nora meets Andrew, they fall in love (immediately, it seems), and go to prom. I’m not much for romance in the first place, and theirs is too much sweet and not enough substance. The novel would have been fine skipping all of this and beginning with the car accident, since these events and the weak characterization involved don’t add a lot to the rest of the novel.

The writing leaves something to be desired, and it would do better with half the adjectives and a quarter of the moralizing. I don’t think even younger readers need the messages about appreciating life, friends, and family to be so spelled out for them. There’s also a tendency to tell rather than show, especially in the beginning, but this gets better as the novel goes on. Nora's best friend, Vee, is a vast improvement on the second round, as she goes from a walking cliche to a decent friend with more intellect. I never found the Revanant frightening; she's condescending and evil without motivation (that's just what evil things do). Her chapters don’t usually bring anything necessary to the main plot, since the Others never really feature in Nora’s story.

Once Wilkinson actually gets into his plot, it’s a lot of fun though. There are a few too many ghost characters to keep track of, but for the most part, they’re funny, cute, and heart-warming. (I love Peepers and his search for his sweet Adelaide.) I was reminded a lot of The Frighteners; it has that sort of vibe to it, and the supernatural world-building is similar. While I was annoyed by Nora and Andrew’s insta-love, Wilkinson does a nice job leaving her feelings with another character open-ended. Neither of them are rushed into another relationship, and it felt a lot more realistic.

Overall, it seemed like this second copy was an attempt to make the novel more palatable for younger readers, and I think that's an appropriate goal for the material. The comedy is high on toilet humor, teasing Nora about her snoring, and cheesy running in-jokes that weren't funny the first time. The one sex scene is edited out, Vee becomes more of a role model, and if Wilkinson were to remove the swearing, it would probably work fine as a middle grade novel. While the story ends on a bit of an R.L. Stine-like twist, I probably won’t continue with the series.

I have received the second ARC, and the story is definitely tighter. Nora is the heroine whom young adults could relate to, and a symbol that it is okay to be scared even if you are brave. I like how the pace is faster than the previous ones, despite not much changes to the overall plot and story. I definitely like this version a lot more

There was an enjoyable book. Many of the basics -- high school/teenage love; deaths on prom night; seeing/communicating with ghosts; a monster feeding on souls -- can be found in numerous other paranormal stories and/or mythology, but the author has put enough of a twist on the story, especially the paramnesia element, that the story does not feel stale or like a rehash of other paranormal novels. The story is engaging and keeps your attention; I read the book in a day. There is a mix of love, loss, hope, despair, mystery, drama, horror, and humor. The first fight scene among the ghosts is particularly funny, as is Nora's visit to the mall with some of the ghosts. There are no big surprises in the book; even the true identity of the revenant, which is not officially revealed until near the end of the story, is apparent to any reader who is paying attention. The epilogue foreshadows the next book in the series, which I look forward to reading.

A small complaint is that the revenant's disguise is as an EMT (which is revealed early in the book, so no spoiler here) and Charlie, one of the characters who also has the ability to see ghosts, is an orderly at the hospital were the EMT often brings patients, but somehow their paths have never crossed, which seems somewhat unrealistic considering who they are and what they do. However, this is a minor gripe in an overall enjoyable book that I would encourage people to check out.

<b>**UPDATED REVIEW 1/22/18**</b>

dnf/lost interest @ 20 percent, but more by my fault than the books

oh boy, I promise I tried really hard on this one. I have to admit, I went into my reread of this book with low expectations. I didn’t like it the first time I read it but, with problematic aspects changed, I decided to give it another go.

And I just think this book isn’t my kind of thing. I was excited when I first requested the arc copy of this, but even though that was four short months ago, my tastes have very dramatically changed in the past while. I think this will appeal to those who enjoy horror and the paranormal, but those kinds of books and movies no longer appeal to me.

<b><u>Stuff that made me want to keep reading:</u></b>

1. Thank the Lord above, literally everything that I had an issue with the first time around was fixed. I was ready to let this book burn, but the changes done allowed me to look past certain aspects and enjoy the story. Thanks to everyone involved who listened when reviewers got angry.

2. The romance, albeit cheesy and very insta-lovey, was actually kind of cute?? Maybe I just loved their date night ideas. Idk. But it wasn’t half-bad!

3. The characterizations of Nora and Vee are well-done, especially for a horror novel. Usually horror books focus a lot on the scariness aspect and, in doing so, let having three-dimensional characters fall by the wayside, but this had both strong lead characters and a creepy aspect.

4. There was a lot of fun humor in there too, when it wasn’t being too cheesy. Nora wanting to come up with something witty and flirty to say to her crush, but only playing carnival music in her head is so funny and relatable.

<b><u>Stuff that made me eventually stop reading:</u></b>

1. It was too scary for me. This is actually a good thing, though! It’s a horror story so it should be scary! And I know you’re probably thinking <i>Well duh, why even request it if you knew it was going to frighten you </i>, and my answer just all goes along with my tastes changing. Four months ago, I would have loved a book that incites terror in me, but I can’t really do scary books right now. But for those who don’t mind a little (or a lot) fright, it’s a creepy, gory, paranormal horror story that will make you shake and leave the lights on at night.

2. Okay, the romance was maybe a little too insta-lovey. I didn’t really get any characterization of Andrew, and the fact that they fell in love in the first ten percent of the book was a little annoying and cringe-y. I don’t know if the romance is a focus of the rest of the story (because,, like,, that plot twist though), but I was just kind of like let me breathe a little before having to deal with a fully fledged relationship. jfc they just met like fifteen pages ago

3. The gore was a little too much for me, too. Again, definitely not a problem with the book! gore just personally makes me feel icky and so I didn’t think it was best for me to keep reading. For readers that don’t mind it, though, it’ll still be a worthwhile read!


To conclude, I just want to state that <b>even though this wasn’t a good pick for me, it might be a good pick for you.</b> If the blurb interests you, I say go for it. It’s literally making me sleep with the lights on at night and now I’m scared of walking somewhere alone. This will work a lot better for fans of horror!
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<b><u>Original Review 10/22/17</u></b>:

DNF at 10% simply because I just couldn't take it anymore. Goodness. I usually don't read supernatural but I picked this up because it has a five star rating and I now literally do not understand why.

I didn't find it very scary at all and the instalove was just way too much for me. That above quote is the first thing our male love interest says to the heroine (after heroine's best friend HITS HIM WITH HER CAR and he's just totally fine).

The dialogue was also really choppily written and unbelievable.

But mostly, what ticked me off was the way that this book treated women (especially the one poc character).

First off, didn't like that the entire female student body is pit against each other in order to win over this new guy. It felt like there were definitely some underlying misogynistic tones that said that, sure, girls can be best friends, but as soon as a hot guy shows up, all hell breaks loose and they all rescind back to their primal urges and become worst enemies. There was too much "seething.". It was absolutely ridiculous how Nora and the girls could switch from being best friends to "staring daggers" at each other or being "ready to kill the [other] girl" all over some cute guy who has literally just walked into the room?? Like what??? This never happens?? They don't even know if he's nice or not?? Also he literally just got hit by a car twenty minutes ago and it is never brought up again and I'm pretty sure he should go to the hospital?

Also, tokenism, and the sexualization of women poc. Nora's best friend, Vee (the ONLY poc in the novel), is described as having "long legs, perfect mocha caramel skin, silky brown hair primped and primed to perfection, [and] the incredible chest that Nora did not have, would not have, or would kill to have." Stop comparing poc's skin to food????? It's not okay. This is a thing that ONLY happens to poc, it's not like you see a white person described as having "skin the color of a snow cone" or some crap like that. It is honestly just so creepy to compare a poc's skin to food. There are literally so many other ways to describe brown than "perfect mocha caramel." an article that I like that talks about why authors need to refrain from doing this, can be found here.


There was another paragraph that didn't sit well with me, and it takes place in the homeroom of the high school Nora and Vee attend:
"'You could definitely be a model,' said Abrar, one of the kids from their class. He was hot enough to get away with comments like that. Besides, Vee loved attention."
Like????? what? the? frick? Why?? Let me lay it out for people that don't see what's so wrong with this: a) it implies that if guys are attractive it's okay for them to harass girls in class, and b) it implies that harassment like this is "attention" and that girls who like attention will like it when guys harass them.

Not only that, but what I read of this book was FULL of boys objectifying and harassing women. Nora's brother calling a girl "Big Boobs Casey," (and sure, Nora calls him out on it briefly, but everyone laughs it off and just says that Nora doesn't like the nickname because she's "jealous" which is just,,, wrong?). All this objectification paired with the instant cattiness the girls feel towards each other over a hot guy just made this an uncomfortable read for me. And all of this content is literally only in the first ten percent of the novel. I could not physically bring myself to continue.