Review and Giveaway: Spirit Vision by Morgan Straughan Comnick

Spirit Vision

By Morgan Straughan Comnick

Check out the rest of the blog tour here! :D

Blurb:
If God gave you a mission, would you answer His call?

The Lord has given Stary, a high school freshman, a mission: extinguish the evil residing in the murderer of two teens—Maren and Umbra. Stary never imagined that her strange visions meant that she was the Spirit Warrior for God and now with her powers activated, she must train to use them and try not to get caught by the murderer who has the ability to hide and conjure up the dark powers from the fallen angel himself—Lucifer. If Stary fails, not only will she lose her life, but Maren and Umbra will lose their entry into heaven and the world will be exposed to the madness of the murderer for the next forty years until the new Spirit Warrior is born.

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Review

First off I would like to thank my friend Sheenah for notifying me of this tour. I saw the cover reveal on Facebook and WOW! Can we just stop for a moment and appreciate the detail and the beauty of the art? The art is by Cherriuki. Yeah, just wanted to give a shout out before I start the review. And do note, even if I am friends with Sheenah and Morgan, my opinion on this book is unbiased.

Okay, let's start!
For the first 2 chapters, I was confused with the story, especially with chapter 1. We weren't given any context and that threw me off a bit. The descriptions were hard to imagine. And the added mystery and confusion the author intended was not helping. However, this isn't a total bad thing (intentional or not). Due to the "confusion", the mystery was that much better. I mean you don't want to show all your cards before the match even begin. ;) So it wasn't bad that I was lost because it just adds to how weird and confusing everything is to Stary. Plus it was only the first two chapters, no biggie, because the fun is about to start from there on.



I have to say, I really enjoyed the story in terms of the plot. It was suspenseful and quite chilling. The murders, mystery, and madness were well presented. I read part of the book at night and I honestly was soooo scared! I mean, I'm never really the brave ones since I really dislike horror to begin with but books usually don't scare me unless it is written very well. Morgan wrote it in a way that made me scared to turn around or look in the mirror. Ahaha! I'm actually terrified as I am typing this now. If you are going to read this at night, hold your dakimakura tight!

As the story unfolded, the needed character met and the stage set, all the goodies started to pour out of the book. It was a new discovery after another. The pace was fast and exciting and had be oo-ing and ah-ing constantly. I can definitely tell you Morgan added elements that were unexpected and stuff that some authors won't trudge upon. This added new flavor that I never experienced. I really couldn't stop reading as I was trying to find out more and more about the story, the characters and the ending.

I also really did like Stary (maybe minus the name, Stary Moon...ummmm...I'm doubtful). Stary was different from most YA characters, she can actually be quite loud. One of my favourite lines from her was "I'll show you who's weak! COME ON!". This was something she said directing to Umbra when they first met. It was hilarious and something almost childish, which amused me very much. It is hard to find characters like this who have a bit more spunk than the usual ones. And this whole interaction with Stary, Maren and Umbra was great! Honestly, I immediately loved Umbra. He was the cold, distant type but with a fiery temper! That's rare. Normally male characters in YA are the cold, mysterious, I-don't-like-to-talk-because-it-makes-me-look-cool. Umbra was a balance between hot and cold. And I definitely can't forget about Maren. She was your wise, calm, older sister type and she was someone that I wish I could be friends with. She's practically perfect in every way.

One small problem with the book was the writing style. It wasn't bad but I felt like there was an  overuse of exclamation marks, and periods (that kind of created choppy sentences). The flow of the paragraphs was off, and came off as almost random and discontinuous. Perhaps this had to do with the confusing start as I didn't really notice the flaws after 2 or 3 chapters. So I think with a bit of editing and polishing, this can become something very fun for readers to read.

This story in two words? Ghost Whisperer. (You know the TV show that was actually good, but got cancelled? Sidenote: Boooo!)

(Caution....or is it really a caution?) There's a bit of "God" stuff in it. I mean from the blurb you can tell there is gonna be a little religious. This is not bad. I am just warning those readers who can be picky about what they read. And in case you are wondering, this is not a Christian fiction, at least that's how I read it as.

Extra: I know Morgan is into anime and Japan and all that goodies so I expected those elements in her work and I was not wrong. :D Yay! I really did enjoy all the manga touches. The bullying thing with the "reading the book backward", I think anyone who reads manga can relate. ALSO! I highly suggest you reading the Q and A at the end of the book! I had a blast! I think every author should include some in their books. And if you are interested in reading about Morgan's favourite Winter Reads, head over to this post here. :)

About the Author:
Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her "bubbliness." It is Morgan's mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.

Get connected with Morgan :D
Official Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Twitter | Youtube

Giveaway

Giveaway is open internationally and ends on April 4, 2014. Winning entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter and announced on the widget as well as emailed; they will have 48 hours to respond. Failure to respond will result in a new winner being selected. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter, or any other entity unless otherwise specified. Number of eligible entries received determines odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Paper Crane Books and sponsored by both the press and the author. Void where prohibited by law.

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