The Hungry Ghost

It was the most bizarre book I've read after The Library at Mount Chair some 2 years ago. And the most gender binding. At first I thought it will be a romance novel, but it happened to be more a horror mixed with paranormal thriller.

Th story is about a woman - Sam- whose body, after serious accident, was inhabitet by a hungry ghost , while her soul got into a body of a little kitten. Yeah, i know it sounds weird and it is, but tha't not at all bad, because the story is not only about Sam, it's even more about people close to her, ex-husband Peter, mother Bianca and would be lover Madeline. All of the characters are great and reader can easily connect with them and start to care. But the most I liked Jimmy, the owner of Used Cat Emporium who made a home for stray cats. Story about him and Elvis actually broke my heart a little, because I have two cats and they're like family to me, so I know how he must felt.

The prose is clear and short chapters makes the story easy to follow. I liked this book, it wasn't without flaws, but it's good read for people who like weird, sometimes scary things, and of course for every cat lover.

What... what just happened? The Hungry Ghost was one of the most ridiculous books I have ever read. I swear I mean that in the best of ways.
.


Sam gets into a car accident and falls into a coma. As her loved ones gather around her each day wishing her to wake up, Sam is experiencing some sort of spiritual walkabout. Her “soul” decides to enter the body of an unborn kitten, and a malevolent spirit enters her body. This hungry ghost wants more than just hospital food, it craves flesh.
.


I seriously can’t make this up. I requested this book through NetGalley after reading the synopsis and thinking, “oh this sounds like the campiest 70’s horror meets a LifeTime movie,” AND I WAS NOT DISSATISFIED. If you want some fun, soap opera type horror, pick this up June 11th.
.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. The Hungry Ghost debuts June 11th.

This debut novel from Dalena Storm had my immediate attention with its title. Hungry ghosts are paranormal entities in the Buddhist tradition that emerge only in specific circumstances, such as when someone is violently killed—something I’m sure Storm knows, having graduated from Williams College with a BA in Asian Studies. The marker of a hungry ghost is its bulging, distended belly—the better to eat you with, my dear. 🙂

Anyway, even though there are only a couple mentions of Buddhism in this fast-paced book, nevertheless the reader is presented with a hungry ghost, who drifts upward to the human world from a lower, hellish void and inhabits the body of an American woman in a coma. Spoiler alert that you can probably spot from a mile away: once she inevitably wakes up, the eating commences.

I appreciate the swift pace of the story; at two hundred pages, this is a book on the short side, but there’s nothing wrong with that—in fact, I think there’s a conversation to be had in modern publishing about books being too lengthy for the story they’re seeking to tell. I found it to be a nice palate cleanser—something quick to tear through in a couple hours.

The prose could use some editing, admittedly. There’s a top-down feel to the writing, where we’re told moment to moment what the characters are feeling and thinking, rather than being fed sensory details and internal thoughts via close third POV. I like a straightforward writing style to an extent, but here it grew to be too much for my tastes, to the point where some sentences felt almost utilitarian.

There were also a few leaps of faith in terms of the plot that had me raising my eyebrows, but these were counterbalanced by some genuinely surprising and horror-filled moments where I was fully on board. A couple scenes in particular will probably stick with me a good long while. If you’re looking for a page-turner and are interested in the Buddhist take on ghosts, then maybe give this a shot.

Storm’s debut novel is a curiosity within itself as it mixes genres and subgenres to become its own characterised genre. On paper or on book, in this case, this shouldn’t work but it remarkably works on so many levels.

The book reads like a domestic fiction which leads us to characters who are unhappy with their lives. Failed relationships, new relationships that are having difficulty getting jump started and people trying for a little bit of happiness. The story unfolds in a very realistic manner and not a lot really happens for the first half of the book. Although, not a lot really goes on, Storm shows finesse and style to show an artistic form when writing about really not a lot. She establishes mood and character development but where most authors would have you skimming the pages trying to move the story forward, but this is not the case here. I was so involved that I thoroughly enjoyed these moments.

Once the story takes a turn to a more horror based drama, Storm plays a balancing act between the two fractions of the story and as this comes past the half way mark, it sometimes feel the story is pushed hard on the gas pedal and she needs to wind this up quickly. This is where the novel slightly loses some of what made the first half special. It is not a huge or enough to stop the reader in their tracks but think a few more pages to the book would have kept the poetic phrasing and storytelling on gear.

I did love the twists and turns that the novel takes and was refreshing to see a novel that takes chances and tries something new. The only small criticism I have as stated above, it would have a total five star rating if the second half of the novel would have been given more room to breathe and would have loved to have more slow and characters driven commentary with Jimmy, Mickey, Peter life changes and Sam’s family. This was a slight miss opportunity.

The characters are very strongly written and very likeable on a whole. The characters in first half are stronger than some introduced in the second half but they are very strong. They are very relatable and likeable and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters.

The plot is definitely unique and works even better because of this. It shows that Storm has a talent to be able to juggle these odd different elements into an overall coherent story.

This is a strong first novel from a new author who has made a promising debut that shows guts and originality. As it balances between different genres, this novel may have a slight difficulty of finding its audience as it is not horror enough for the horror audience and not basic fiction for the basic and the thriller or mystery aspects are not quite enough of these either. Saying this, anyone who takes a chance with this book would be presently surprise and find a truly unique experience. I enjoyed this book immensely and I was able to gobble the book up rather quickly to the point that I wish there was some more. Apart from some slight narrative problems that I listed above, this is a charming, fun and exciting debut and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

"Why did you get born as you? Why did I get born as...this?" asks the Hungry Ghost.

The Hungry Ghost has something for everyone (almost). It is listed under horror, but I would say horror is a small part of this this genre-collage. Dalena Storm has provided us with the Asian myth and legend of the Hungry Ghost itself, mystic and dreamy magic of Sam's conciousness while in her coma, love....straight, lesbian mother/daughter love and the love of animals, the soul and afterlife and reincarnation, and then there certainly is some suspense and a small amount of violence.

I enjoyed this book. All in all, I found it to be uplifting due to the overtones of love and soul connections. Though it is fiction, I would recommend this to readers interested in the afterlife, outer-body experiences, reincarnation and soul travel.
#Netgalley #TheHungryGhost

One of the strangest, most alluring tales of possession, regret and horror I've ever read, Dalena Storm offers up a world very similar to ours with a bizarre stretch of the imagination.

I'd definitely recommend this book to those of you who'd like to read a good story just outside your comfort zone.

The Hungry Ghost was a bizarre well written book, that was very entertaining. The author manages to pull off this unique story and characters.

The Hungry Ghost by Dalena Storm is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I found this to be a unique ghost story! I liked the originality of it! Different levels of beings, lots of twists and turns, a very creative plot, unusual characters, and good creepy vibes! Liked this book a lot! It has a lot going for it if you are looking for something new in the genre!

An enthralling, weird, and well written book that I really enjoyed.
I loved the strange and well written characters and the plot full of twists and turns.
The style of writing was great and it creates a creepy atmosphere that keeps you reading till the last page.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Hungry Ghost was unlike anything else I've read.

Sam is recently divorced and not sure what she's looking for, but decides to go on a date to see an old student she kissed and crushed on just to see how it plays out. Madeline, the student, is absolutely smitten with Sam and is annoyed she's had to wait this long to get a date! Madeline is channeling her feelings into a novel she's writing about a hungry ghost. Sam is her hungry ghost and she wants to be gobbled up by her. The date goes well, but then Sam gets a phone call from her ex-husband, Peter, and reluctantly sets off to see if he's okay.
This is where the book gets weird as hell!
.
.This book was weird and suspenseful, but also fun.
I really enjoyed being in the hungry ghost's thoughts and swirling through its feelings as it adjusted to its new body. My favorite parts were all from the ghost's perspective! I actually wanted more time being the hungry ghost than inside Peter's head or Madeline's thoughts.
Jimmy and his Used Cat Emporium were fascinating to read about and very magical feeling. I want to go to there and adopt a cat!

This review feels a bit disjointed and all over the place, but honestly, that's how I found the book. I liked it and enjoyed reading it, but I was confused about what was what and why things happened the way they did and were never fully explained. Or maybe they were and I just missed it?
By the time I read the last page I was fully like, "wtf just happened?! It's over?!" and I do think that's a sign of good writing because I'm intrigued still, even though I'm confused.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for a fair review.
The author bio on the back of the book says she studied fiction but enjoys the space between genres. This book is just that - somewhere between paranormal/thriller/mystical/horror/folklore. For the most part, it works!
The story was very slow to start, I thought, but once the ‘hungry ghost’ escapes its purgatory it’s full on to the end! I loved the folklore style element and the inclusion of ‘Jimmy’s Used Cats’ - what a great name for a rehoming centre!
Bit of a criticism is that there wasn’t really an explanation for what happened and how it came about, which was frustrating - it was a fairly short read so I don’t think it would have been spoiled with a bit more meat (no pun intended!) - and all of the relationships were dysfunctional which made it hard to root for any particular character!
Overall a fun read of a interesting mix of genres, particularly recommend to fans of folklore and paranormal.

I went into this book with the idea that it was going to be a corny horror book that would just be fun to read. While it does have some silly and corny scenes, that just added to the atmosphere of the novel. Dalena Storm has the ability to make you laugh at one part and then gasping in a second as the mood starkly shifts. Frankly, the novel was thrilling and I couldn’t put it down. Every second I wanted to know what happens next. Storm draws readers into the world she has created and it feels like you are watching what is happening rather than just reading it. The characters are well developed and I loved the story overall. Some scenes had me rolling my eyes at how silly they were but it definitely did not take away from the novel overall. There is so much warmth in the book but also shock. The Hungry Ghost has immediately become one of my favorite novels and I want to reread it immediately.

I'd recommend this as a fast god horror read and it is an excellent first try at a published book/story. It had me wondering what would happen next in multiple places. A mix of people with dreams hopes and lives like sharp shattered glass with one centerpiece who has realized his joy and made himself whole.. This story starts out with Madeline, a self absorbed student obsessed and in lust with a former professor Sam[atha] and seducing her into a relationship. Sam is damaged but striving to recapture herself after finally getting out of a broken relationship with her dysfunctional alcoholic clinging husband. The level of obsession, greed, desire and non fulfillment brings forth a malevolent spirit when disaster strikes. Anyone that has any knows anything of Asian spirituality and beliefs systems in particular in this case with the Chinese peoples knows the concept of the hungry ghost goes way back further than Buddhism probably to early Taoism [definitely solidly in place by Confucianism] in their belief system. The idea of balance within ones self then nature and others is a major theme to strive for. It is a person out of harmony with life whose greed makes them a spirit of constant hunger at death until they can reach the next level of existence or stays a wandering blob of unsatisfied frustration moving around with a tiny mouth and bloated body trying to steal any essense of joy/life it can grab. Sam is really nothing more than an object to obtain and hold onto for whatever reasons by both Mad & Peter her ex which makes her spirit look for other release. Mad has an unhoned 6th sense that hopefully the character would grow into if she gets out of her own sense of self. Jimmy who owns himself and puts forth to help others is the only character that has reached a point of Tao harmony. This story is a nice short read to maybe help people look at themselves in interaction to others and achieving peace. Old school Chinese philosophy was subtle and brutal over cause and effect. r want to read a multi tiered book that might help understand Chinese thought & spirituality I would highly recommend the classic "Dream Of The Red Chamber" a brilliant masterpiece of Chinese thought that works on multiple levels of spirit, politics, relationships, class and obtaining, I read it as a teen in multiple translations and feel it is the best single example and window into old China [here are numerous others but this captures Chinese spirit imo tter than any other book III have read]

Arriving just in time for Novella Month, with a diverse and LGBTQ cast of characters, is debut-author Dalena Storm’s The Hungry Ghost, a chilling tale of love, lust, and desire and the often blurred line between them.

In The Hungry Ghost, a woman named Sam is caught between her alcoholic (and rather pathetic) ex-husband Peter; her young and determined would-be paramour, Madeline; and her own trepidations over letting anyone else inside her heart (or her newly-earned freedom, for that matter, being only six months out from a divorce). She’s been stretched too thin for too long, caught between obligations to her family, lovers, and work that are painfully familiar. The details of Sam’s life are vague and inconsequential, but it’s her condition that’s all too common. Who hasn’t felt bossed around, pushed around, and heaped upon when all they really want is space to breathe? Who hasn’t been faced with the uncomfortable position of having to navigate expectations thrown upon them by someone else—most particularly those who’ve claimed to love us—when they haven’t even fully come to terms with themselves? There is something insidious about that context—a darkness that lingers on the edges of your mind worrying over not only whether we are “good enough?” but “good enough to be desired?” and hints that the consequences of such desire may be more destructive than simply being enough.

There is a nagging loneliness that permeates the pages of The Hungry Ghost, beginning in its first chapter as Sam dresses for a date with Madeline and persists in every page of what is a quick, paper cut-like read—sharp, stinging, and unrelenting. When an accident puts Sam in a coma, she is pushed out of her own body by a hungry ghost, a mainstay in Tibetan Buddhism (Storm has a degree in Asian Studies) that represents beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. Sam, meanwhile, finds a new emotional and physical security in the body of a newly-born kitten in a pet shop helmed by an African-American orphan-turned-business owner with a big dose of magical predisposition and a tendency to name his cats after music’s greats—Macy Grey, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson. Those who ‘love’ Sam—Peter, Madeline, and her mother, Bianca—are forced to face the garish reality that the woman who Sam has become is not the woman they desperately wanted her to be—a realisation as literal as it could be figurative, while Sam has to learn to let go of…well, everything. It’s a fight for Sam’s humanity in possibly the most disturbing way possible.

With her limited role in her own story, as a protagonist Sam is something of a stand-in for each of us—a mirror reflection that gives us an opportunity to get outside of our own heads and come to terms with the weight of the world around us. At turns chilling and always-haunting, The Hungry Ghost is an essay on modern love and the dark side of desire that gives us the chance to reconsider the balance between our own needs and desire—whether it is “them” who are the hungry ghosts, or if, instead, it is us.

I was agreeably surprised by this novel as it proved to have a quite unexpected depth and richness of quality. Not strictly an LGBT narrative, not only metaphysical, not simply a metaphor of love attempted and failed (although it encompasses all and each of these), at heart I found it a treatise on writing and creativity, an exploration of how Imagination creates Reality. I tremendously enjoyed it and I know it will remain in my imagination while I ponder what tulpas I may create.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was one weird, trippy tale. I enjoyed it immensely. If you are into strange stories that make you think, this one is for you. Loved the cat in the tale. 💕 This was really impressive for a debut novel. Hope the author writes more because I can only imagine how well she will do in the future. This book won't be for everyone as it has a lot of moments that you must interpret for yourself. Including the ending.

The Hungry Ghost
by Dalena Storm
due 6-11-2019
Black Spot Books
4.5/5 0
#TheHungryGhost. #NetGalley

Ghosts. Lesbians. Ouija. Kittens. HELL YEAH!

Original creative, and diverse characters drive this unique and excellent ghost story. It has twists of eeriness and circumstance made this hard to put down- I read it in one sitting!

Sam, a writing teacher in Boston, lays in a coma after a car accident with a semi. Her unconscious body awakens, but is possessed by a hungry ghost that has escaped the dark side to take host in her body as it looks for others to devour.
Sam's alcoholic ex- husband, her lesbian lover and her family all come together to help her battle the ghost controlling her before she comes for them. The answer lies in a mysterious kitten, that can help them realize the secret to helping Sam.
I totally enjoyed this story and look forward to more by Dalena Storm and Black Spot Books.
A must read.
Thanks to Black Spot Books, Dalena Storm and Netgalley for sending this e- book ARC for review.

The concept of the hungry ghost has been around for centuries, mostly in eastern religions but has sneaked into Christianity as well. The concept is that a demon-like creature inhabits a realm of the living and crave so much that it destroys everything. This concept is prevalent and strongly illustrated in Dalena Storm's debut, "The Hungry Ghost." The story of Sam, a woman who is vulnerable to becoming a vessel for this hungry ghost through a coma, becomes the focus of the hungry ghost, a creature that knows no limits around Sam's ex-husband, family, and lesbian love interest. What unfolds in a well written, fast paced novel that makes takes the reader on a trip that is worth taking. Ms. Storm has a novel that works on several different levels. There are questions about the afterlife, reincarnation, identity, and the stress of a family where things are just not quite right. A nuance that is well illustrated and might be missed is the way the family so badly wants Sam to be back after the coma that they are willing to neglect her behavior, say that it is part of her recovery, and the stress of her illness and her returning home in a completely different form is something that many families experience after a loved one has been sick for an extended period of time. I could feel the disappointment in the way they just wanted everything to be better but it was not going to happen.

This is a fun novel with good, compelling characters, and a plot that does not get too out of hand considering how it is possible. Even though this is based on hungry ghosts portrayed in many religions (with some very strong ties through descriptions and actions), it is not something that is described in any way. It is as if this is not a story to educate on a religious concept but to use it as a story telling device. I like fiction that does this: fiction that leaves it to the readers to research what a hungry ghost might be, and once the reader finds out, it opens up an entirely new dimension to the story. This makes me like "The Hungry Ghost" even more.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Sam ‘s car is hit by a semi in the rain, she ends up in the hospital. She is in a coma. In another realm, a ghost searching for food sees a light and follows it into Sam’s body. Sam ends up being born as a kitten — the cat mother doesn’t want this kitten. Fortunately, Jimmy feeds and loves her. Jimmy is the proud owner of a shop that has second hand cats. Yes, they are cats that he has rescued off the streets. They are loved and fed by him among other cat necessities. Before Sam had her accident, she had been teaching a writing class where one of her female students have a crush on her. Sam has been kiss by her but Sam resists her. When her student finds out about Sam in a coma, she is upset. When Sam comes out of the coma, Sam acts strangely saying she is hungry. Only her student finds Sam’s new behavior strange. Why? Her ex-husband visits her in the hospital but doesn’t seem to think she is different. Her relatives including her mother doesn’t think she is strange. Will they realize Sam isn’t Sam? Will they find the Sam they knew?

A novel that has love, fear and horror mixed together in a story that flows smoothly making the unbelievable believable. All the characters have a purpose in this novel. It’s a novel that kept my interest throughout the story. It was a fun novel to read. I enjoyed seeing how the family and friends responded to Sam.

Very well written
Plot and characters were fab.
Had me gripped from the start. Could not put it down. Realy enjoyed and will be recommending to others

Sam was still being pulled into her alcoholic ex-husband's orbit even as Madeline is trying to forge a new relationship with her. A car accident leaves Sam in a coma, which leaves her body vulnerable to possession by a ghost that knows nothing but hunger, and her soul winds up being reborn as a cat. The ghost is willing to devour everything that Sam once loved in its quest to feel full again.

The Hungry Ghost is a well written and hard to describe story. The ghost that winds up inhabiting Sam's body is real, and also parallels the novel that Madeline is trying to write, exorcising her feelings for Sam. Jimmy, in charge of the Used Cat Emporium, seems like a completely separate story thread until Sam's soul twines with that of a sickly kitten that would have otherwise died during birth. It's clear that everyone in the story wants to belong somewhere and with someone, but have difficulty doing so. Sam was hurt emotionally by her ex and has difficulty connecting with Madeline. Madeline's desire for Sam is clear and she isn't going to push where she isn't wanted, so that frustrated longing gets diverted into her writing. Jimmy was hurt by life in general and then found his purpose in helping the cats of Boston.

The beginning of the book is mostly that of dissatisfied relationships, grounded in an ordinary world. Once the hungry ghost inhabits Sam's body and Sam is born as a kitten, the supernatural elements start and we veer a bit into horror. That leads to a bit of tension and surprise because the story doesn't go exactly where you would expect it to. It's because of this that it's difficult to categorize this into a single genre, but it still works. The varying genres meld well together, and the story closes with a satisfying and complete ending. It's not exactly a happy one, but we're not left with any questions at the end. This was definitely an interesting read, and because it's a rather slim volume, it's just as easy to devour as the ghost would want.

A hungry ghost escapes from a dark realm into the human world, where it enters the unconscious body of a woman named Sam. When Sam appears to miraculously awaken from her accident-induced coma, her lesbian lover, alcoholic ex-husband, and well-meaning family must come together to try and stop the ghost from devouring everything Sam once loved. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Boston, a mysterious new kitten has just been born who holds the key to understanding what has happened to Sam.

Will Sam’s loved ones be able to put things back in their proper place, or will the ghost destroy them first?



Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a first time reading anything from this author and it was interesting

If you are in the mood for something different and off beathe pick this up. The writing is spot on and the story engaging enough to keep you turning the pages. Happy reading!