Kat O'Shea

originally appeared on: Bookshelf Confessions

Cover: I love the cover. There’s the feel of something eerie in it. Plus it was lovely in a way that it really speaks of what’s inside the anthology.
Praise for Kat O’Shea, the editor. The lay-outing was superb. I love the fonts, the designs. The whole book was well-thought of.

Spirited is a haunting collection of thirteen ghostly tales from Leap Books. The stories were divided into Past, Present and Future. Honestly, the stories were not show more really that scary, well some are, but mostly they were interesting, giving a new light to imagination and some were even funny. But all in all, it was entertaining.

Note: Actually, these are not spoliers but the short descriptions of each story

To give you a heads up, here’s the synopsis of each of the story:

PAST:Strangeways vs. the Wraith by Judith GravesWelcome to the world of Amelia Strangeways, a steampunk ghoshunter. Here, Victorian Science, spiritualism, and alchemy meet. Amelia’s unusual skills could prove dead useful, unless her nemesis, Warren Fox, the Hunter council’s golden boy gets the wraith first.
"The Senet Box" by Jill WilliamsonIt’s the year 1283. Prince John of Cyprus and Jerusalem, at eighteen years of age, is about to take the throne. But a mysterious senet box he found in an Egyptian treasure hoard has John’s full attention. It calls to him. Some say he is obsessed. But he must solve the mystery of the box, if only to know he is not insane.
"Stained" by Mark FinnemoreIsaiah Wildes was born to be a witch hunter like his father. It’s his destiny. And now that his father is gone, Isaiah is determined to honor his father’s memory by becoming the best ever. Then he meets Faith Jacobs and wonders if his destiny may lie elsewhere. But will the chief witch hunter let the talented Isaiah just walk away?
"Thread of the Past" by Dawn DaltonLetitia Hawke is used to feeling invisible, and the only thing that makes her senior dance bearable is the location—one of the spookiest haunted houses in the country. Then Tish makes an unexpected connection with Elijah, and it’s bye-bye wallflower, hello gothic rose. Too bad the Franklin House is a jealous host.

PRESENT:
The Cold One" by Candace HavensFinland isn’t the only thing that’s cold. The temperature drops whenever ghosts appear, and several of them are haunting Bryn, including her dead grandmother and one scary Viking. She can’t tell if they want to kill her or if they’re trying to tell her something. Her neighbor Riku offers help on her side, or does he have an ulterior motive?
Death Becomes Her" by Kitty Keswick.Willow Martin’s life is a fairytale. Only problem is she’s Cinderella before Prince Charming shows up. She has a real life evil stepmonster and stepsister, who take great pleasure in making sure Willow’s story is a nightmare. As her dance draws nearer, a dress and a haunting spirit forever change her story. Will it be a Happily Ever After?
The Oast House" by Cameron TudorTy knows there’s something wrong with the oast house. It’s weird. Creepy. And then there’s the abandoned brewery across the fields. The discovery of Isobel, a young girl living there, isn’t doing anything to ease his mind either. If anyone understands the importance of home it’s Ty, and all he wants is to reunite the girl with her family. But Isobel doesn’t want to leave……ever.
New Girl" by Maria V. SnyderNew Girl is a pro when it comes to being the “new kid” at high school. She’s done it so many times, it no longer bothers her. Or does it? Despite her claims of wanting to be left alone, one friend just won’t take the hint.
Aftermath" by Halli Dee LilburnLenora has a strong link to her ancestors. They haunt her through terrifying dreams and visions. On top of facing her own problems such as heading off to college, leaving her family, her job, and her boyfriend, she is driven to solve an old family mystery before it causes her to go insane.
"Phantom of the Prom" by Linda Joy SingletonPsychic Sabine Rose from THE SEER series has solved mysteries of tragic ghosts, toxic spirits and malevolent magicians. But now she’s faced with new challenges—convincing her boyfriend Dominic to take her to the prom and banishing an angry ghost from a castle. With the help of good friends and her spirit guide, Opal, she enters a creepy castle in search of answers--- and the ghost of a killer.

FUTURE:
"Night Queen" by John W. OtteCaptain Richardson promised Josiah that salvaging derelict starliners woud bring him money, girls, and aneasy life. But the Night Queen shows Josiah what happens when you live only for greed.
"To Hel and Back" by Shannon DelanyIn the future, your destiny is determined by your relationship with technology. In Camp 13 life is split harshly between the haves and have nots and the Shippers—humans augmented with technology—are kept and controlled under the watchful eyes of the Luddites. Asa just started his worst summer job ever at Camp13, but meeting Helvetica Gibson is about to change everything he’s been trained to believe and accept.
"The Story of Late" by Heather KenealyLate doesn’t belong in the land of the unclaimed Dead. When he’s banished to the Sunlit Lands, he discovers that falling in love can steal both your heart and your soul. But love also has other powers, including the power to heal.

My favorites are the first and the last stories. I could definitely picture them being turned into full novels. “The Story of Late” was like a fairytale to me..lol..even though it should have been scary but the premise was really interesting and fairytale-like and the writing style was easy to understand. “Strangeways vs. the Wraith” was set I think in 18-19th century New York so it was a bit historical, and this short story spark a deep interest in me of a novel with action and ghosts, and of course romance. Actually, Judith Graves’ “Strangeways” is now available as a novel entitled “Strangeways vs. The Blood Brothers”.

The other stories were also interesting and there are different plots that could be a potential base for future novels. And as every anthology goes, there are also those stories which I had difficulty getting myself into. Maybe that genre was not just for me. Plus, there’s a 3-D augmented reality on “To Hel and Back”, though I must admit I don’t get some of the pictures..;)

A fun and easy read, Spirited was packed with historical fiction, sci-fi, cyberspace, young adult, paranormal, gothic, and even myths. All genres were packed into one amazing book. Highly recommended to everyone, teens and adults alike!

Proceeds from Spirited: 13 Haunting Tales go to children's literacy organization 826 National. show less

This book brought together some amazing writers! Some of the stories kept me wanting more and dared me to put it down! I gave it a four only for the fact there were two stories that I didn't particularly like but 2 out of 13 isn't bad. My two favorites were Death Becomes Her by Kitty Keswick and New Girl by Maria V Snyder.