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Dead Spell

by Belinda Frisch (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 99 ratings · 36 reviews

Meet Harmony Wolcott. Damaged and determined, she'll take you to the wrong side of the tracks and you'll love it.

Harmony's darkest secret has clawed its way back from the grave and only her best friend, Brea believes her.

Adam, Harmony's boyfriend, fears for her safety. Her mentally ill mother is too busy tending her own demons to care. Brea's family, who has denounced Har...more

Paperback, 190 pages

Published April 28th 2011 by Createspace (first published February 21st 2011)

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Mar 23, 2011 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, blogged-books

Completely amazing!!!
I could not stop reading this book! From the beginning I was hooked. Here's a brief synopsis of the story:

Harmony is a very outspoken and what you could consider "a wild child" due to a bad home life. She is tormented by a mysterious spirit named Tom. Only her best friend Brea, a much more quiet and reserved teen, knows and believes Harmony about the ominous ghost.
But when the haunting of Harmony ultimately leads to her death, it's up to Brea to find out who or what this...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Thomas Amo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Belinda Frisch's "Dead Spell" Grabs the reader by the collar from the start and never lets go!

Brea Miller is straddling the social lines of her small town high school. Her mother is a control freak, her father moved away under mysterious circumstances years ago, and her best friend, Harmony, is haunted by Tom, the evil spirit that came through her Ouija board.

Harmony is a bad girl who lives a life that is constantly out of control. She thrives on a destructive party lifestyle that she feels nu...more

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Jan 05, 2012 M.L. Roos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great, fast read. Very well written, the story moves along at a great pace and keeps the reader engaged and involved.

Dead Spell is a ghost story about a 17 year old troubled girl with a schizophrenic mother and a dark secret. Harmony is a troubled girl, does drugs, comes from a broken home and has a best friend and a boyfriend who tries to help.

Brea has a mom who does not want the girls to hang out and tries to keep the girls separated.

Throw in a ghost, a graveyard and a mystery and you have a...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 15, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has been billed as a 'YA Horror Novella'..in a way I think that's selling it short. It's almost difficult to categorize. Are there horror elements? Yes as the book is partially a ghost story. Is it creepy? Yep. Some of the events and the reveals pretty twisted. In fact, most of the reveals and twists are just that: twisted. At it's heart though I think Dead Spell is more about mistakes, regrets and not being able to chose your family more than anything else.

Harmony is one of the most d...more This book has been billed as a 'YA Horror Novella'..in a way I think that's selling it short. It's almost difficult to categorize. Are there horror elements? Yes as the book is partially a ghost story. Is it creepy? Yep. Some of the events and the reveals pretty twisted. In fact, most of the reveals and twists are just that: twisted. At it's heart though I think Dead Spell is more about mistakes, regrets and not being able to chose your family more than anything else.

Harmony is one of the most disturbed characters I've read in a while. She's promiscuous, uses drugs, she's manipulative, but she's had a hard time in life. Not always an excuse but by the time you're done reading it you'll find no fault with how she acts. Even so, she's genuine. Brea, her best friend since kindergarten is more of the goody two shoes. She also reads quite real. Their relationship is an interesting one giving how diametrically opposite their personalities are.

The real conflict in the relationship comes from Harmony's tendency to hurt herself and her self destructive tendencies. But there's a reason for that. She's haunted by a ghostly apparition only known as Tom. Tom comes around when she's under extreme duress and he forces her to do these things to herself. Harmony can get no help from her mother, a mentally troubled woman who practically runs a brothel out of her house and rarely takes her meds.

The book was very well written. Frisch has a very fluid writing style that's descriptive and fast reading. Even though the book is short she was able to flesh out her characters well, even the minor players. That's no small feat given the brevity of the book.

I will say that I wish it was a little longer and I found the ending to be a little less shocking than I was hoping for but still, this is a great read that shouldn't go overlooked. Sometimes the Young Adult category can make older readers shy away from reading something but that would be a mistake here. This isn't your run of the mill angsty teenager story.

Very good. I look forward to reading more by Frisch! (less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Masquerade Crew rated it 3 of 5 stars

BEC'S REVIEW

Dead Spell is a bit of a strange book, for while the synopsis talks of Harmony, only half of the story is really hers. The other half is narrated by her best friend Brea who does not rate a mention on the synopsis for some reason. Dead Spell is a novel that is supposed shock you with its twists and turns, and yet I felt at times that the past and truth waiting to be dug up did not justify the events in the first half of the book. This is particularly true for Tom, one of the characte...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Resa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Harmony is hearing voices and as the daughter of a paranoid schizophrenic no one is surprised, but unfortunately for Harmony the voice she’s hearing is real. She is being haunted by the ghost of a man named Tom who seems to be trying to kill her for reasons Harmony just doesn’t understand. Harmony’s best friend Brea is the only one who knows what’s going on and she takes on the task of trying to figure out just who this ghost might be. As Brea gets deeper into the case she begins to discover tha...more

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Jun 01, 2011 A.J. Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

I would like to be up front about something before I go forth with this book review: I am not a book reviewer. There are reasons for this. One reason is that when I am editing others' work, I am often a bit harsh. On occasion, writers of those works at those moments didn't care much for how I went about explaining things. I used to be soft of folks so it took a while for me to be brutally honest about someone's work. I've found sometimes you have to be a little rough on folks to get their attent...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Summer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

...read Dead Spell. Then see if you can get to sleep. I couldn't. Every little noise jarred me awake, heart racing. I kept getting up to check the doors, the closets, behind the shower curtain. I lay awake, mind churning over a novel with a relentless and terrifying grip.

After three hours of nonstop reading, I felt like I'd stepped off a thrill ride that was part world's most bad-assed rollercoaster and part insane house of horrors. Dead Spell carved itself into my muscle memory and won't be sha...more ...read Dead Spell. Then see if you can get to sleep. I couldn't. Every little noise jarred me awake, heart racing. I kept getting up to check the doors, the closets, behind the shower curtain. I lay awake, mind churning over a novel with a relentless and terrifying grip.

After three hours of nonstop reading, I felt like I'd stepped off a thrill ride that was part world's most bad-assed rollercoaster and part insane house of horrors. Dead Spell carved itself into my muscle memory and won't be shaken off. It's akin to a furious nightmare that electrifies you every time you think of it for the rest of your life.

The technical skill it took to craft such a complex, layered story leaves me awe struck. Frisch wrote from several different perspectives and the shift always felt right and seamless from a technical perspective, gripping and dizzying from an emotional perspective. And the writer sank me into some truly frightening psychologies.

Being inside Harmony's mind was both awful and riveting. What Frisch accomplished, creating this complex, believable "bad girl", is stunning. All too often "bad girls" are rendered cartoonish, as exaggerated caricatures. Harmony is disturbing and compelling because she's real. She's fierce and vulnerable and full of rage and also brimming with need like a terrified little girl. She is so skillfully rendered that part of the heart pounding suspense of the story is waiting to see what Harmony will do or say next.

And you know what's amazing? The beauty of the writing in a story of horror. "She dug her toes into the mud and the surface roots of weeds that she briefly imagined were the tendons and sinew of some half rotten soul." That's exquisite, and also gut-wrenching, and there's something in that contrast that renders it unforgettable. The novel is infused with gorgeous imagery even as it reads like an unstoppable slam against one atrocity after another - and it's the beauty of these details, contrasted with the horror, that contributes to a richly complicated narrative that won't let go.

Yes, this is a story brimming with masterful contrasts. Harmony and her mentally ill mother, Charity. The stark contrast of those gentle names against a backdrop of misery and grotesque despair. Then Brea and Harmony. Brea's fear only serves to intensify Harmony's recklessness. For instance, when Harmony gets arrested for stealing a car. "Harmony was silent, unshaken, cuffed and defiant, and Brea wondered how she could be so strong when she, the innocent one, was scared shitless." Brea's growth from timidity to ferocity for the sake of her friend rivets you to the page. Her whirlwind absorption into the madness adds a mystery element to the thriller/horror/paranormal/romance.

The scenes with Tom are a ghastly nightmare. Try to guess what he's all about. I dare you. The twists come out of nowhere and it's like being on a rollercoaster in pitch black darkness...you never see them coming and you just rise and drop and your soul screams.

The ending was a revelation I never guessed. The most horrifying, exquisitely rendered drop of all, leaving my stomach a tightly constructed pretzel of fear wedged in my throat.(less)

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Jun 04, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good story with lots of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. 17-year-old Harmony has a pretty sad life. Her mother suffers from schizophrenia, is a drug addict, and sleeps with men for money. They often have no power in the run-down trailer they live in. Harmony does not know who her father is and seems to be the parent in what little relationship she has with her mother. And now, Harmony is beginning to have issues of her own.

She is being haunted by a ghost named Tom, w...more This was a really good story with lots of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. 17-year-old Harmony has a pretty sad life. Her mother suffers from schizophrenia, is a drug addict, and sleeps with men for money. They often have no power in the run-down trailer they live in. Harmony does not know who her father is and seems to be the parent in what little relationship she has with her mother. And now, Harmony is beginning to have issues of her own.

She is being haunted by a ghost named Tom, who forces her to self-injure. She is scared people will think she is crazy like her mother if she tells anyone so the only other person who knows is her best friend since childhood, Brea. Harmony and Brea couldn’t be more different. Brea’s family is influential and she lives in a nice house. She is a good girl who doesn’t smoke, do drugs, or have sex. These are all things that Harmony does on a regular basis. And she doesn’t seem to mind getting Brea in trouble.

Harmony’s boyfriend, Adam, is older than Harmony but is trying to save her from herself and provide the stability she needs. The harder he tries to help her, the harder she pushes back.

Harmony knows the only way she can try to save herself from Tom is by trying to figure out who he was and what he wants from her. But time is running out and each attack is bringing her closer to death. And then it is too late.

Adam and Brea are left to figure out what has happened and why. And the story got more exciting and interesting the closer I got to the end. It ended really good, and not at all how I thought it would go.

The only trouble I had was relating to some of the characters. I guess the fact that Brea and Adam seemed to take so much crap from Harmony, and just kept coming back for more, was something I couldn’t relate to that well because I don’t know anyone who would put up with so much or continually put themselves out for someone like that. It just seemed unrealistic. But, at the same time, Harmony was so mentally out of it towards the end that I was happy someone was there for her and stuck by her side, though she didn’t seem to appreciate any of it.

This is apparently a first book in a series and I’m curious as to where the story will go from this point. I would really be interested in reading anything by the author that furthers the story.

I really liked Frisch’s style of writing which was easy to follow and alternated between Brea and Harmony narrating. It’s great for those of you who like an exciting, mysterious, and scary book that is a quick and easy read. I read it in one sitting because, once I’m involved in a story, I have to know what is going to happen next!

(less)

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Mar 16, 2011 Gef rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books

In Frisch's debut novel, she offers a paranormal mystery/suspense involving two teenage girls, both with their own troubles at home--one far worse off than the other, though. Brea is shy, insecure, and under the thumb of a rather snobbish and intrusive mother. Harmony, on the other hand, is tormented by what she describes as a spirit named Tom, and has wound up with a reputation as a crazy bad-girl. Her schizophrenic mother and long-running depression don't help matters, either.

The focus of the...more In Frisch's debut novel, she offers a paranormal mystery/suspense involving two teenage girls, both with their own troubles at home--one far worse off than the other, though. Brea is shy, insecure, and under the thumb of a rather snobbish and intrusive mother. Harmony, on the other hand, is tormented by what she describes as a spirit named Tom, and has wound up with a reputation as a crazy bad-girl. Her schizophrenic mother and long-running depression don't help matters, either.

The focus of the first half of the story is on Harmony and her escalating encounters with Tom. Her mother is too out of touch to really care or even know what Harmony is going through, as her mind continues to get worse through refusing to take her medication. Her psychiatrist suspects "Tom" is an early warning sign that she could wind up like her mother, especially with previous suicide attempts, cutting, and other self-destructive behavior. And her relationships with boys isn't exactly healthy, with an abusive pseudo-boyfriend named Lance, and an unconditional consort with a fellow broken wing named Adam.

Harmony at times comes across as a very amped up emo girl, with a fascination with her Ouija board, as she tries to find out the secrets behind who Tom really is. But there is something about how tragic she is portrayed that makes her a sympathetic sort despite her constant lashing out at those who care about her. And the abuse she endures from Tom, who appears in mirrors and as an invisible force in the room with her, are some genuinely tense scenes.

But halfway through the novel, the focus shifts to Brea and how she acts as a linchpin to everything going on in the novel. Her mother is supposedly helping a land developer commit a land grab and take Harmony's mother's property away from her, a lone house in a rundown neighborhood on the outskirts of a small town. Brea also has a suitor who is the son of the land developer and the ex-boyfriend of her school bully, which leads Harmony to insist that the guy only spends time with Brea to help with the land grab by isolating the two friends from each other.

Bits of the novel come off as convoluted with the whole background conspiracies and haunting phenomena, and the sudden shift at the midway point was a bit jarring for me. The mystery behind Tom and the subplot of Brea's love life did offer some intrigue, though. A lot of the dialogue between the two girls feels real enough, and it's easy to imagine them behaving in such a way. And Harmony comes across as the most intriguing character of the bunch.

Hardly a flawless effort, but this novel shows some real promise from Frisch and I'll be curious to see how she steps it up in her second novel. Where I had the preconceived notion of this being a more straight-up horror novel, it would up being something closer to a YA paranormal mystery. Kind of like Dawson's Creek meets The Ring. In that regard, I thought it worked okay and was certainly as pleasurable a read as some other books I've read from that sub-genre. If you enjoy reading about teenagers and their weighty issues, mixed with a stark supernatural element, you might want to give this book a try.(less)

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May 28, 2012 Jennifer Rainey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had high hopes going in reading Dead Spell by Belinda Frisch. I had heard a lot of good about it, and I have to say I was not disappointed! I could not put this book down!

Dead Spell follows teenagers Harmony Wolcott and Brea Miller as they attempt to figure out why a seemingly malicious spirit is haunting them, particularly Harmony. The deeper they go, the more confounding the mystery becomes. As I said, this book sinks its claws in and won’t let go, and it’s exciting to watch this mystery unf...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book automatically started with a punch. Opening scene of a crazy girl was just grabbing at you. As I continued to read I saw the world in a whole new way.

I think the craziness of this book it was got me hooked. Seeing ghosts, going crazy, is a great plot line. But I had a hard time connecting with the main character Harmony. I saw that she had a troubled life but the way she went about it made me shake my head. I understood that she is trying to get away from certain things, but still some...more

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Jul 07, 2011 H.Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book that pulled me in from the beginning pages and would not let go until the end.

This book was gripping. I felt all of the pain that Harmony had to go through. There were some very graphic parts, but they were very pertinent to the story. The ghost story added another obstacle for the characters to overcome.

I could not believe the shock toward the end! I so was not expecting it and totally blew me away…twice! Harmony and Adam must have really been meant to be together after all...more

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May 27, 2011 Dannie Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dead Spell by Belinda Frisch is a story that comes from a writer’s dark heart. There is a light in this tale but it is like the sun trying to shine through a curtained window in a slight breeze.

Harmony, Brea, Adam, Jaxon and the others join in trying to discover a secret that has the potential to destroy many lives as they try to survive life itself.

Belinda Frisch has written an urban tale so real, hard and dark it will have you cringing, wide-eyed and looking over your shoulder. I wonder with a...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-kindle

Dead Spell is the perfect book if you’re looking for a quick read. At just 197 pages of fast flowing spookiness, I finished it in just a couple of evenings.

I really enjoyed the main characters, Brea and Harmony and their boyfriends, Jaxon and Adam and I loved reading about the girls lifelong friendship. Both girls were struggling with different aspects of their life and helping each other through with a little help from the boys. Adam, Harmony’s boyfriend was such a great guy. He was the kind of...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Peter Labrow rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s so hard to review a good book without giving the game away. For me, the pleasure in this book was being taken to unknown places: flawed yet endearing characters with broken pasts and hidden secrets and a plot that twists through a few unexpected curves. So, I don’t want to spoil someone else’s pleasure by taking away those unknown places. Dead Spell is a quick read – mainly because it pulls you in; you want to finish it, to not put it down. It mixes paranormal threat with the grim reality o...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Rikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, let me tell you that I finished this book in four hours. I actually really did like this for about 50% of the book. I liked the other 50%, but the first half was much better. I was not expecting my two favourite characters to die and that's what made me like the other half of the book a little less.

Also, was there any mention of Adam's age? I'm curious but I can't remember the book saying anything...

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Jul 20, 2012 Sheri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dead Spell ( Belinda Frisch)

Harmony is a misunderstood troubled teen. Her best friend Brea is quiet and shy and forbidden to hang with her, her mother does not like the wild and mentally unstable Harmony. When Harmony is convinced she is being stalked by a ghost, no one believes her. Her mother is a paranoid schizophrenic and it is assumed that Harmony inherited this disease.

But one thing Harmony knows for sure, she can count on her best friend Brea to help her solve this mystery that has been s...more

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May 29, 2011 Meli rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book sucks you in from the start. I feel very honored to be one of the first to read it. Brea and Harmony are dealing with a violent ghost named Tom and neither knows why he is haunting them until one of them dies... I haven't read a horror book in a while. This book did have me scared and thinking about stuff for a while. Thanks Belinda, for such a great read.

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Sep 11, 2011 Debi Ash rated it 3 of 5 stars

First, its a good first book. Next, there were quite a few areas that needed more plot expansion. Its a quick read with good characters and a twist in the plot that leaves the reader saying "ah". I would recommend it for a lazy Sunday read. Not sure I agree with other reviews about it being the best but its surely not the worst.

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Jan 18, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really good novella! The story was really powerful, and although I wasn't crazy about the way it ended, it kept me intrigued the whole time. Just a slight touch of paranormal, but that's not really what the story is about. Definitely recommended!

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Mar 31, 2012 Kimmie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in a day. At first, I was leary because it was kind of young adult but it ended up being scary enough to keep my attention. I kind of wish the author had explored Tom's contact with Harmony a little more.

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May 24, 2012 Sabrina added it

I thought the book was ok. it had a really interesting story line thats not like most books. it was kinda edgy. it a great book for you if your into horror with romance and a little mystery.

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Mar 17, 2013 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. The story was pretty good. The characters were great, despite their flaws. The story itself was well thought out. A very good read. Recommended

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Mar 18, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to admit I had to know the ending right away. A real quick read but very disturbing. I think it is time to read something light and funny!

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Aug 18, 2011 Karen Bonilla rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really into this book but then it suddenly lost all credibility and the ending, seemed pointless to me. I can't believe so many people gave it such great reviews. I feel like I must have read a different book

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Feb 15, 2013 Monty Wheeler rated it 5 of 5 stars

realism in her characters and fast pacing make this one good read and time well spent

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Nov 29, 2012 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! So many twists and turns I couldn't put the book down.

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May 11, 2011 Reggie Ridgway rated it 5 of 5 stars

Good read with delightful prose. Watch this author.

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May 09, 2011 Jennifer Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won Dead Spell in a Goodreads giveaway and I am so lucky to have won such a great book. I couldn't put it down. Great mix of suspense and just good story telling. Love this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

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About Belinda Frisch

Belinda Frisch's fiction has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Dabblestone Horror, and Tales of Zombie War. She is an honorable mention winner in the Writer's Digest 76th Annual Writing Competition and her novel, CURE, is the runner-up in the General Fiction category of the 2012 Halloween Book Festival. She is the author of DEAD SPELL, PAYBACK, CURE, and AFTERBIRTH.

More about Belinda Frisch...

Books by Belinda Frisch

Crisis Hospital: Dark Tales from the Ward, the World, and the Bedside

Afterbirth (The Strandville Zombie Series, #2)

Correct Coding for Medicare, Compliance and Reimbursment [With CDROM]

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