Embassy of The Dead by Will Mabbitt

Such a fun book.  It reminded me a little of Skulduggery Pleasant books.  

Jake accidentally accepts a box from a man.  The box holds the severed finger and once he opens it he starts a chain of events that will cause him to lie to his parents, find out he is sensitive to ghosts and have to run for his life.  The severed finger belongs to one of the 12 Grim Reapers, who was buried and is now trying to be raised to take over the world.  Jake along with Stiffkey, the undertaker, and Cora, the ghost, are trying to get to the Embassy of the Dead to return the finger and also make sure they don't get sent to the Eternal Void.  

Loved this book.  Very fast read, first in a series, and lots of themes.

 
 

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Lola Nox comes home to find her dad stabbed.  While he is in the hospital she is sent to live with her maternal grandmother, whom she doesn't know in Harrow Lake.  Harrow Lake is where her mother grew up and her dad met her mother, while filming a movie.  Lola has no cell service and can never talk to her dad as the nurses always say he is sleeping.  While in Harrow Lake weird things happen:  her suitcase goes missing, she hears things, Mister Jitters is stalking her and her imaginary childhood friend shows back up.  As Lola tries to figure out what is going on now and what happened to her mother (who's not been around for years), she starts to discover some secrets that just won't stay buried.

 

The Stitchers (Fright Watch #1) by Lorien Lawrence

Something weird is going on on Goodie Lane...Quinn Parker and her dad used to talk about the "Oldies" who lived on the street and how there was just something weird going on with them.  Her dad passed away though and now she and her neighbor, Mike, are starting to investigate again.  They are running in the morning and notice it's almost eerie how they all come out each morning at the same time and do the same routines.  As they continue investigating they start to research and find out that these houses have never changed the owners.  The pond at the end of the lane is spooky and things just don't add up.  As they get closer to the 4th of July they realize they are running out of time before something happens to one of them!

Great horror book with lots of suspense and supernatural weirdness.  

 

The Companion by Katie Alender

 

Margot was in a car wreck with her whole family and she was the sole survivor.  She is sent to an orphanage, where no one likes her because she screams at night with nightmares.  She is sent to be a companion for a girl who doesn't talk at a remote house in the woods.  She can either stay there or go to the state institution. She feels like things are weird, but she agrees to give it a try.  She ends up becoming "friends" with the mother and starts to acclimate to the house.  Her nightmares have stopped, but her companion, Agatha, starts to come out of her weird state and Margot starts to get the feeling that things are not what they seem.  

LOVE the gothic vibe and twisty turns.  

The Unmapped Chronicles: The Bickery Twins and the Phoenix Tear by Abi Elphinstone

 

Fox and Fibber are twins who are also rivals.  Their parents have their own businesses and have pitted the twins against each other.  When Fibber runs off they end up in an antique store and find a marble that actually is a Phoenix tear.  The shop owner sends them off to help the Unmapped worlds and Fibber hops on a train to escape Fox, but he jumps on at the last minute with her.  They end up heading to Junglestop and find out it is being destroyed by a harpy.  It is up to the two of them to learn how to work together to help save the area and get rid of the harpy.

Fun story, but Fibber learns that she and Fox need to be brother/ sister, not rivals and they both learn to stand up to their parents and just be kids.

This Town is Not All Right by M. K. Krys

 

Beacon, Everleigh and their dad are moving from California to a New England small town. They are staying at a local bed and breakfast until they find a place to live.  Things just feel weird to Beacon and the kids do not seem normal.  Once they start school they are required to take a "vitamin shot."  Beacon is DEATHLY afraid of shots and  runs away.  After Everleigh has the shot she is different.  Beacon has met a boy that seems normal, but really likes science.  He helps Beacon start to unravel what is going on with the town and why his sister changed.  Do you believe in aliens????

Fast reading, twisty turny book.  The ending will leave you worried about what comes next.  

The Nightmare Next Door by Joel A. Sutherland

 Matt and Sophie have moved into a new neighborhood over school break.  The house next to them looks like a run down farm.  They see a horse in the field and someone in the window, but no one will come to the door.  As Matt and Sophie meet some neighbors they learn the past of their house and the house next door.  The horse they see is dead.  The man they see is dead.  The boys who lived in their house are dead.  As they try to help the ghosts move on, they become involved in ways they did not anticipate.

Another great horror story.  Quick read.