Alex Van TolReviews

Exceptionally bad with equally bad audiobook narration. There's more character motivation and excitement in an episode of criminal minds.

Caught for a prank he was not involved in, new-kid, good-boy Elliot must clean out the school’s boathouse with multiply-pierced, Goth girl, Shannon as punishment. They are serving their sentence late on a Friday afternoon and the boathouse looks creepy in the fading light which sets the stage for a scary story. A fairly predictable plotline follows with the polar opposites making assumptions about each other. After Shannon finds half of a best friend necklace, the door to the boathouse slams shut even though it was propped open with a brick. Shannon thinks she feels a “presence” in the boathouse and suggests they make a Ouiji Board to communicate with it. They discover the spirit of a murdered girl who demands that they solve the mystery of her death. Written for reluctant readers there are short chapters, a lot of dialogue, and short paragraphs with enough creepiness to keep readers on the edge of their seat.

High school pranks are fun and mostly harmless, right? Just a rite of innocent passage... When Shannon and her goth friends botch a stupid prank that involved hiding the principal's Smart Car in the woods, Shannon is deserted by her "friends" as the ploy is about to be discovered. New student, Elliot hears the commotion, thinking someone needs help. Upon investigating,
Elliot is mistaken for Shannon's accomplice. Elliot is a good boy, a rule follower and he is not happy his first impressions at this school have gone so awry. As part of their punishment, the pair is tasked to clean up the school boathouse. Should be an easy enough task, they figure: chuck all the broken stuff, organize whatever still works and get the weekend underway. as they work, Shannon feels an eerie presence in the boathouse and somehow convinces Elliot to investigate her feelings with a Ouija board she makes from items found in the boathouse. This is when things take a turn for the horrifying. When the pair accidentally unleash a dark force, they find themselves caught up in a mystery that must be solved if they have any hope of escape.

This was a short, but a suspenseful read middle school students will enjoy reading and ask for more.

The title for Dead Man’s Curve by Alex Van Tol made me curious, so here I am, telling you about this horrifying novella. Like a true horror story, I knew it would not end well.

The kids were taking a shortcut home after the Halloween party. Hmmm, think something wicked this way comes.

After hitting someone or something and hearing a cry, they search the woods. Oh no, we all know not to go there!!

Blaire Witch meet Stephen King. I was already leery of clowns and this only reinforced it.

Wait..is that the house settling, or…

Alex Van Tol grabbed me, twisted me, not letting me go until I found all the answers.

Dead Man’s Curve was not what I thought it would be and the ending only confirmed Alex Van Tol’s ability to take a rollercoaster of a ride horror story to a frightening level. And, no, I did not figure it out until the very end. He totally surprised me and the ending left me flabbergasted. Great job, Alex!

I received a free copy of Dead Man’s Curve from Alex Van Tol.

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Children's biographies, a great way to get an idea of people I should know! I am actually now intrigued to read an "adult" biography of Dolores Huerta. Cesar Chavez was the compassionate face of farmworkers' rights but Ms Huerta was the unflagging nuts and bolts behind the scenes. Definitely a force to be reckoned with...

Meh hi-lo book about a couple of teens trapped in an old boat house who receive murder revelations from, yes, a Ouija Board. Elliot's first person voice is authentic and sometimes amusing but the premise is so far-fetched that all but most naive young adults will be put off. Most of all, it perpetuates an untrue stereotype regarding a harmless parlor game.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This is a spooky, suspenseful little ghost story for the Orca Soundings line for reluctant readers. It's tame enough for the younger crowd but creepy enough to hold the interest of the older. Slightly longer review to come.

I thought it was a very intresting read. it had a really good plot line and keep the reader wondering what was going to happen next. Alex Van Tol did a really good job on this book, very suspensful. I recommend this book for people who dont like to read long books and likes thrillers.

To read my review:http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/arc-review-viral-by-alex-van-tol/

To see my review:http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/knife-point-by-alex-van-tol/

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

It was supposed to be a chance to get a taste of country life before she had to settle down to something more serious. Jill thought working in the mountains, taking vacationers on horseback adventures, would be a great summer job. Unfortunately, things were not working out on a number of different levels.

Her co-workers seemed to have more fun partying every night, which left Jill to take up the slack every morning. If that wasn't bad enough, her boss, James, seemed to think it was his duty to make life even more miserable. He was demanding, and at the same time incredibly creepy. She was beginning to think this might be her last day on the job.

The day started out with a nearly impossible task - rounding up 60 horses and getting them saddled and ready for the scheduled trail rides. The work was exhausting and made more difficult by the fact that Jill knew her co-workers were probably still tucked in their beds, sleeping off the fun times of the previous night. The only thing to brighten her day was the good-looking guy she spotted hanging out around the corral.

After a morning trail ride, Jill expected to have a quick lunch and get a few minutes of rest, but the handsome tourist approached her and stated that he was her next scheduled appointment. He announced that he was interested in a wilderness adventure ride. The adventure rides were really for the experts, and Jill had never put herself in that category; however, James was right there to insist that she was the person for the job.

Once the ride began, Jill quickly assessed that her companion was not much of a horseman, so she was able to slow things down and truly begin to enjoy the afternoon ride. They headed up to an area surrounding a deserted mill that always impressed the visitors.

Jill isn't prepared for what happens next. This ride may turn out to be the last one she ever takes.

Author Alex Van Tol takes readers on a terrifying adventure. The relaxing mountain ride becomes a life-threatening experience when the handsome tourist turns out to be a psychotic killer. More than half of this short, fast-paced book is filled with deadly action. Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough to find out how everything ends.