Welcome to Unabridged Bookshelf's stop on the Twisted Sisters Blog Tour! There is so much that I have for you today make sure to check it all out!
About the Book
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Series: The Orion Circle #2
Publisher: Sea Dragon Press
Publication Date: October 27, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal,
It’s a child’s toy—what could go wrong?
While playing with a spirit board, two sorority sisters summon the vindictive spirits of three women brutally murdered by a psychopath. Join Logan, Kacie, and the rest of the Orion Circle as they delve into the disturbing events of the past to find the key to freeing the spirits.
But this isn’t any ordinary haunting. These ghosts were banished before, and now they have returned more powerful than anyone could have imagined. Anger breeds hatred and hatred leads to darkness—these phantoms are on the verge of losing their last spark of humanity and becoming completely lost to the shadows.
Can Logan and Kacie convince the tortured souls to embrace the light and move on, or will the spirits succumb to the hypnotic pull of evil, leading to an eternity of torment and suffering?
About the Author
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. In addition to writing, she works as an editor for two publishers, as well as select indie authors. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs and lots of dragons. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, video games, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) Winner of the 2014 Rising Star Award at the BTS Red Carpet Awards in NOLA & a Silver Medal for YA Mystery/Horror in the 2015 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.
My Review of Twisted Sisters
Twisted Sisters is the sequel I have been waiting forever since reading Tortured Souls last Halloween. I absolutely loved Tortured Souls and I went in to Twisted Sisters with high hopes. I was not disappointed in fact, I was enthralled from the moment I started the prologue. I could not put this book down, the stakes were high, and the ghosts were terrifying. Watching Kacie, Logan and the rest of the Orion Circle try to battle three angry spirits had me nervously chewing my nails the entire time.
Kacie and Logan’s relationship while tested in Twisted Sisters, I can only say grew stronger by the end. I would say that if not for that strength, I am not sure Kacie and Logan would have had any chance against the spirits. At least together, they could try to protect each other and their friends. I am interested to see how their newish relationship progresses in the next installment of the Orion Circle series.
The biggest things that had me on edge was the hints at a past negative history between some of the circle members and a premonition that could lead to an even bigger battle to come in the next installment. I am on my seat waiting to see what Kimber Leigh Wheaton does with the future of this series. If the stakes continue to rise like they did in Twisted Sisters, I cannot imagine where the next book is going to take readers.
Kimber Leigh Wheaton has a way with writing the paranormal that make you feel like you are there experiencing the haunting yourself. She did it with Tortured Souls and I had trouble falling asleep after reading that one, and she has improved that talent with Twisted Sisters. These books while perfect for Halloween, are also great when you want a good suspenseful scary story to make you jump. I highly recommend The Orion Circle series and Twisted Sisters.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**
My First Real Paranormal Experience
By Kimber Leigh Wheaton
After years of reading about the paranormal and visiting numerous haunted sites, I finally had my first experience in a place I least expected—New Orleans. Yes, I know it’s one of the most haunted cities in America, but my experience didn’t occur in a cemetery or on a ghost tour… it happened in my hotel room at the Holiday Inn.
I was in New Orleans for the Author Reader Convention In August which was held at the Holiday Inn Superdome. I knew nothing about the hotel, other than the location. Upon checking into my room on the sixteenth floor, I immediately felt uneasy. I chalked it up to traveling alone and proceeded to unpack. The feeling of being watched intensified to the point that I could no longer ignore it. I started a rather embarrassing search of the room for a hidden camera. Checked the peephole—it seemed fine. Peered behind the pictures and mirrors and didn’t see anything. I wasn’t able to look in the vents or smoke detectors, which is for the best since by then I felt absurd. I left the room and went to the bar to meet some friends.
That night I didn’t sleep well, though I never felt scared, just odd. I attributed my lack of sleep to the wildly varying room temperature which I’m sure was related to the older A/C unit blowing from the corner. Plus my room overlooked a busy street, and I’m not used to traffic noise. As it turned out, I didn’t sleep well the entire time I was there. The feeling of being watched never went away, and the only place I didn’t feel it was in the bathroom. Thank goodness, right! I started dressing in there even though I had the entire room to myself. I just couldn’t shake that horrible feeling.
The last day of my trip, I met a local who told me the tragic story of the hotel. January 7, 1973, Mark Essex gained access to the hotel, then a Howard Johnsons, through a fire escape and shot a couple on the eighteenth floor. He then set fire to the room and headed to the eleventh floor where he killed two of the hotel managers. Several more people were shot from his perch on the eighteenth floor where he holed up when police arrived. All in all he killed 19 people, 10 of whom were police officers.
Lots of negative vibes in that hotel. To this day, I don’t know if I felt the spirit of the shooter or one of his victims in my room. All I know is that the room had a somber feel to it, and the hair on my nape was at attention more in four days than in the last decade. My husband attributes it to nerves since I was traveling alone. I don’t know what I think, but this was the closest I’ve come to a paranormal experience.
So what do you think? Nerves, spiritual energy, or something else…
Excerpt From Twisted Sisters
Prologue
A Child’s Toy
Sunlight
filtered through the sliding glass door, shining on the brown spirit board
spread out on the antique oak table. A bright blue box emblazoned with the
words Fun for all Ages sat beside it,
along with an instruction sheet. One girl twirled the planchette with her
fingers while watching her friend read the instructions aloud. A child’s game
bought at a toy store. What harm could it do? These two girls were about to
find out that sometimes evil existed in the most innocent of packages.
“Okay, so it says to rest your fingers
on that piece,” Melissa said as she tossed the instruction sheet aside.
“If we put our fingers on it, then how
do we know that we didn’t move the thing?” Kendra asked, placing the planchette
in the middle of the board.
“I don’t know,” Melissa said, rolling
her dark eyes. “Did you want to try it or not?”
“Sure, why not.” Kendra released a bored
sigh that turned into a yawn. “Why are we up so damn early?”
“I wanted to get an early start.”
Melissa’s shoulders scrunched up into a sheepish shrug. “Lots of time until
dark, you know, in case…”
“It’s a toy, Melissa,” Kendra said with
a snort of laughter.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“You’re totally kidding, right?” Kendra
stared at her friend from the corner of her eye.
Melissa kept a straight face for a few
more seconds, then burst into laughter. “Fooled you!”
“Childish much?”
“Okay, just put your fingertips on this
thingy.” Melissa placed her fingers on the planchette before giving a pointed
look to her friend.
“I feel kinda stupid,” Kendra said as
she placed her fingers on the opposite side of the planchette. “So, ah, if
there are any spirits who want to communicate, we’re here.”
“Wow, that was dull.” Melissa took a
deep breath. “Spirits across the hazy veil. We call to you from beyond the
pale.”
“What was that?” Kendra asked, raising
her brow.
“Just a little drama.” Both girls stared
at their hands which stayed unmoving. “I call to thee spirits for we are here.
Any spirit nearby is welcome to appear.”
The planchette began to vibrate and
wiggle.
“Are you doing that?” Kendra asked in a
shaky voice.
“No,” Melissa whispered back. “Shh! It’s
starting to move.”
“Is a spirit here with us?” Kendra
called out to the empty room.
The planchette jumped a bit before
sliding to the word, yes. But it didn’t
stop there. Before either girl could think to ask another question, it shot
across the board, flying from letter to letter. Both Kendra and Melissa
snatched their hands away from the shuddering, plastic pointer.
Kill,
kill, kill.
Over and over again.
“Who are you?” Melissa shrieked the
question as an invisible wind blew her long hair around her body.
Amy.
“Amy?” The whipping air died with Kendra’s
question. Both girls trembled as the planchette moved to yes.
Tracy.
“There are two of you?” Melissa’s face
paled. Cabinet doors opened and slammed closed in rapid succession.
Renee,
kill…
The planchette paused. Kendra took a
breath to ask another question, but before the words reached her lips, the
planchette spelled out a new word.
M…u…r…d…e…r.
“Murder?”
Goosebumps spread up Kendra’s arms after
she spoke. She hugged her arms around her body, trying to chase away the bitter
chill. Dishes flew from the cabinets, smashing to the floor one after the
other. Kendra pushed her chair from the table and fled the room. Drinking
glasses from the cupboards flew across the room, hitting the wall where Kendra’s
head had been just moments before.
Us.
“You were murdered?” Melissa asked
through a gasped breath. She clutched the edge of the table with white
knuckles, too scared to move. Pieces of shattered pottery lifted from the floor
on an invisible whirlwind, blowing around the terrified girl.
Yes,
murder. Free, free, free.
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