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End of Mae

by Angela Yuriko Smith (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 24 ratings · 14 reviews

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Published (first published May 29th 2011)

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Aug 24, 2012 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from the author to give an honest review.

I am going to give this book 4 stars because, well I felt as though it didn't quite flow together and I had a lot of questions that the book did not seem to answer for me. Maybe to others it will so I do suggest you give this book a try and see if you enjoy it. This is a paranormal novella and good for the YA age.

End of Mae starts off to where the main character in the book Mae is a small-town reporter looking for a "big" story to ge...more

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Jul 08, 2011 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 3 of 5 stars

Angela Yuriko Smith

End of Mae

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

Synopsis: Mae was a born writer. Her life’s passion was to find the ultimate story. In her quest to find the truth behind the Jersey Devil disappearances, Mae uncovers something much more sinister wandering the Whitebog area at night.

Little did she know that the ultimate story would be her own… and she’d by dying to tell it.

Review: The End of Mae is about a sassy, yet naive, small town reporter named Mae. She is...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lunchtime-read, paranormal, romance, suspense

Angela Smith’s novel, End Of Mae, ends with a nicely researched analysis of the Jersey Devil myth. Perhaps this is the story her protagonist Mae was looking for—it’s not one that I’m familiar with, so I certainly enjoyed learning about it. Mae, however, might not enjoy what’s coming for her as she waits, one dark night, journalistic pen in hand, for that final bit of evidence she hopes will lead to fame and fortune.

Beset by mis-fortunate mis-steps, unsure of what’s real and what’s dreamt, Mae’s...more

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Jun 13, 2011 A.F. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-books, paranormal, own, horror

End of Mae is an intriguingly delightful paranormal novel, with a surreal, creepy edge. It has a fast pace, a breezy tone, plus just the right touch of black humour and dark thrills.

The book tells the tale of Mae, a plucky, small-time reporter out to find her “big story”. What she finds instead is a vicious attacker and a strange world of trouble. One she might not be able to leave behind.

The author has a nice turn of phrase for setting a scene and a deft hand at weaving a character. Her villain...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Jennifer Warrick Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was given and e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The book is about a journalist named Mae. She hopes to take her career to a higher level by writing a story about the disappearances that are thought to be linked to the Jersey Devil. Little did she know that her research might just land her in a position to be writing the story as a victim. Will this story be the one that makes her career soar, or will it be the end of Mae?

I have read a few fiction and non-fiction books/articl...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

Mae is searching for a story that will move her from small town journalist to big city reporter. She finds just that when she begins investigating the Jersey Devil disappearances and is, herself, made to disappear.

End of Mae was a quick, easy read with a lot more twists and turns than one would expect from a novel of its size. The author did an awesome job of setting the scene, and was very generous in her use of imagery. I felt as though I were laying on that white marble slab with her, beyond...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Jenn of Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-written, fantasy-books, own, e-pub

RECEIVED FROM: The Author For Review

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Mae is a small town journalist investigating tales of the Jersey Devil in hopes of finding that big story that will take her to a larger publication. During her investigation she is attacked and almost killed by a frightening obsidian creature, then abducted to an unknown location. There she meets a man who looks like angel, but acts like the devil himself. When the man takes an interest in her survival Mae is drawn...more RECEIVED FROM: The Author For Review

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Mae is a small town journalist investigating tales of the Jersey Devil in hopes of finding that big story that will take her to a larger publication. During her investigation she is attacked and almost killed by a frightening obsidian creature, then abducted to an unknown location. There she meets a man who looks like angel, but acts like the devil himself. When the man takes an interest in her survival Mae is drawn into a strange violent world and left to wonder if she'll even survive to write the story that led her to this fate.

Like many other books I've read recently this one was a debate between a three and four star rating. I decided on the lower rating because if I didn't include the nonfiction section included as an addition to the book I didn't think it was quite to a four star story yet.

The non-fiction journalistic type story added at the end of the book showed a confidence and proficiency in writing that just wasn't evident in the fictional story itself. If the writer could have transferred that confidence and talent shown there into her fictional piece she could have easily written a four, possibly five star story.

My first issue with this book is the way the writer avoids using pronouns. Mae's name is used too much in telling what's going on it becomes distracting and somewhat reminiscent of the See Spot Run story books of long ago. As the target audience has long since advanced past seeing Spot run, she could have greatly improved her story by more frequently using pronouns like she and her, or portraying some of the information through Mae's thoughts. The reader is already clear on her name after the first couple times it's used, it doesn't need to be liberally peppered through half the sentences in the book.

Another distracting thing in the writing was the use of repetitive words, while many people in real life find a favorite adjective like tiny and stick to it, readers expect a little more variety from a writer. Varying her descriptive words rather than sticking to the same comfortable ones I think would have also improved the flow of the work.

While the book does include a full story arc, a clear beginning, middle and ending, it doesn't really have the length to be qualified as a novel. Part of the reason I bumped it to the top of my TBR pile was it's length since it could be read in no time at all. Writing it at more short story than novel length makes it difficult to create characters readers can get to know and relate to. While the reader can develop an attachment for Mae, other characters are still a major curiosity and the length doesn't allow for character growth within those characters. What she's given us here could be easily taken and expanded upon into a full length novel allowing the reader to know each character in detail, to see them grow and see Mae begin and adjust to her new life after her death. While it is a full arc, it could just as easily be a beginning to a greater and more intriguing novel that I for one would be interested in reading. Finishing I'm left wondering, what happens to Mae now?

Another thing that stuck with me is the description blurb emphases a lot on the fact that Mae is a writer, like this is an important plot point, however this is little more than what presents the situation of the story and it's not like she does any actual writing. Another thing that stuck with me was a comment in the book that Mae enjoyed fictional writing in high school but switched to journalism when she realized there wasn't any money to be made in fiction. I don't know what small town paper this character is writing for, but all the ones I know about pay little more than minimum wage. Many journalists at small town papers take second jobs to pay their bills or have a secondary income from a spouse. Fiction or nonfiction, starting out you do it because you love to write, not because you're expecting to get rich. Unless you're a successful broadcast journalist, which is more television presence than actual writing, you're more likely to make money with success in fiction writing than in journalism. Last I read J. K. Rowling was the richest person in the UK and she made that money in fiction. The main difference between starting as a fictional writer or starting as a small town journalist is the regularity of pay. Neither entry level start can be considered rolling in the dough. This statement coming from the lead character really made me wonder about the intelligence of the character I'm supposed to be rooting for. I really think further research into the careers of the character might have improved the work.

While the story is fiction, there needs to be a certain presence of believability in the story and the character for the reader to really consider it great and worth reading. The great fiction writers put as much if not more time into researching their novels as the nonfiction writers out there. They just choose to present their information in a more entertaining format which is less about teaching the reader and more about realism in their story.

Overall it was an entertaining piece with an intriguing plot and interesting characters that made you want to learn more about them. The main issue with this piece is that it's such a great set up, but limited follow through. For a quick half hour or so read, I would however recommend it. (less)

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Jul 06, 2011 Annabell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

End of Mae
Author: Angela Yuriko Smith

Synopsis: Mae was a born writer. Her life's passion was to find the ultimate story. In her quest to find the truth behind the Jersey Devil disappearances, Mae uncovers something much more sinister wandering the Whitebog area at night.

Little did she know that the ultimate story would be her own... and she'd by dying to tell it.

Review: The End of Mae is about a sassy, yet naive, small town reporter named Mae. She...more

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May 27, 2012 Crystal Clifton rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Crystal by: Angela Yuriko Smith

OK at first I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this book but the more I got into it the more I loved it. Mae is a journalist looking for that one BIG story to break her into the big time. In the process of this she starts looking into the Jersey Devil disappearances and she becomes one of those who disappears. She is held by Heylel and meets up with a real witch of a woman named Prym and a Dr. Smeltzer who helps with her injuries. Anyway I think most people who like scarey entity type s...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: full-review, reviewed

Author interview: http://vilutheril.com/2011/07/05/inte...

The End of Mae is the debut novella by Angela Yuriko Smith, an American born writer currently living in Australia. While Angela has been quite a successful non-fiction writer for years The End of Mae is her first foray into the perilous realm of speculative fiction. The novella spans approximately 66 pages, with a non-fiction section at the end, and provides a legitimately creepy atmosphere, interesting characters, a touch of dark humour,...more Author interview: http://vilutheril.com/2011/07/05/inte...

The End of Mae is the debut novella by Angela Yuriko Smith, an American born writer currently living in Australia. While Angela has been quite a successful non-fiction writer for years The End of Mae is her first foray into the perilous realm of speculative fiction. The novella spans approximately 66 pages, with a non-fiction section at the end, and provides a legitimately creepy atmosphere, interesting characters, a touch of dark humour, and a promising premise for future installments. Judging by its success I expect we’ll be seeing much more of Angela’s work in the not-too-distant future.

The story begins with our protagonist, feisty small time reporter Mae, camping out in the Whitesbog woods in the hope of stumbling across the ‘big story’ that she needs in order to ‘hit the big time’. The area has recently experienced a spate of unexplained disappearances that some attribute to the Jersey Devil that supposedly haunts the pine forests in search of prey. Initially a Jersey Devil sceptic, Mae soon finds herself drawn into a nightmarish world of the uneplained and supernatural.

While I must admit to being a little disenchanted with paranormal fiction of late, I found I did not regret reading this story. The End of Mae feels more like a good old fashioned ghost story than most modern paranormal offerings and I consider this a definite point in its favour. Furthermore, the author excels at building atmosphere and the entire novella retains an uneasy and disconcerting ambience that may well have the hairs standing up on the back of your neck.

My personal favourite part of the book was its opening scene. I found the suspense and setting delightful, and feel that Angela captured the innate human feeling of uneasiness caused by exposure to the inexplicable or the unknown, in a remarkably accurate manner. The danger in the later parts of the story is more immediate and the circumstances equally, if not more, disturbing. However, I still found the opening scene struck a particular chord that lingered with me.

The novella offers a unique and well realised take on the fascinating Jersey Devil myth and suceeds in keeping the reader turning pages in order to find out what will happen next. I especially enjoyed the non-fiction section at the end of the novel, which built upon the legend and will appeal to all fans of the paranormal.

The heroine is likeable and human and although at times I found her reaction to certain events confusing, I attribute this to the trauma she undergoes and the myriad of conflicting emotions she experiences as a result. The other characters in the novella come across as legitimately sinister and fulfil their respective roles well. The ending was somewhat of an amusing, suprise and left plenty of questions unanswered for exploration in the next installment.

Although there are a few editing oversights throughout the text, this is not uncommon for a self published debut and most will find that it does not dramatically affect their enjoyment of the story as a whole. The protagonists name, Mae, is frequently repeated throughout the novella, which may jar some readers. I myself, attribute this to a particular quirk in writing style rather than an accidental flaw, and found that it became less noticable as the story progressed.

Overall, The End of Mae is an interesting and authentically scary debut that is definitely worth a look. Perfect reading for one of those long nights when you just feel like being scared and will stay with you long after you turn the last page.(less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Cassie McCown rated it 4 of 5 stars

End of Mae
By: Angela Yuriko Smith
ASIN: B0053CPO1U
Published May 29, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Mae is a small-town journalist on the cusp of an exciting story when something suddenly attacks her. She wakes in a dark room and is confronted with what she can only describe as an angel. On the brink of death, Mae is whisked away to a strange mansion full of bizarre people. The most thrilling story might be her very own, and she is dying to tell it.

I’m certainly glad I took...more End of Mae
By: Angela Yuriko Smith
ASIN: B0053CPO1U
Published May 29, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Mae is a small-town journalist on the cusp of an exciting story when something suddenly attacks her. She wakes in a dark room and is confronted with what she can only describe as an angel. On the brink of death, Mae is whisked away to a strange mansion full of bizarre people. The most thrilling story might be her very own, and she is dying to tell it.

I’m certainly glad I took a couple hours of my life to devour this fantastic little read! I love the mystery of Heylel—how we never really know exactly what he is until the end. I may be weird (okay, I am), but I always love it when the ‘evil’ characters are more humanized and given more realistic feelings and emotions.

Mae was hilarious! Every time she turned around something was happening to her, and usually, in some sick twisted way, it was funny. She is exactly the kind of girl I could imagine I’d be in her situation—falling down stairs, choking on wine, having a knockdown, drag out with the evil old maid.

This story is full of mystery, suspense, a little horror, and some warped characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and full of conflicting emotions about the characters and what was happening to dear Mae.

Sure we could have known more about the characters, but I didn’t really feel like that distracted me. I was so engrossed in what was going on with Mae, and I appreciated the bit of mystery surrounding her. I do wish there was more to the story, in a good way. I want to have a full length novel with lots of explanation and more about what happens after the ending of this novella!! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Angela! ;-))

I really love it when I read a book by an author I know. It’s almost like getting another look into their lives, and I am able to pick up little glimpses of their personalities in the story—kinda like when you recognize the parents in their children. Angela is a great lady and obviously a great author too!

Please grab yourself a copy of End of Mae> and enjoy!
(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 Cheryl Hart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, horror, novella

Mae, a naïve and eager writer, hopes to boost her career from small town reporter, by researching the eerie disappearances (believed to be caused by the Jersey Devil Monster) that occurred in the woods of Whitesbog. While investigating the woods at night, she is captured by the mysterious monster, and her life becomes a nightmare. She is taken to a unfamiliar place with strange beings and happenings. (This is where I cringed and winced.) To say she was beaten is to put it lightly. She soon yearn...more

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Jul 12, 2011 M (aka DarkBeauty73) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

Well let me first same that I loved it. I was captivate by the story from the first page. It kept me wanting to know what was coming next. Never could I guess what was to come. I couldn't put it down and to me that is the true test of a good book. Even when I had to due to the fact I have a 7 year old to take care of I couldn't wait to get back and continue reading it. I had it read in one day.

I would highly recommend this book to any one who likes a roller coaster of a ride while reading, lots...more

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May 02, 2012 Angela Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11075439

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May 01, 2013 Christine aka stine1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 27, 2013 Cindy Vogler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith is a professional writer with extensive experience in newspapers and online publications. Her work has been featured internationally, including a live interview on NPR.

Under her former byline she worked for two years as a contract writer for MilitaryLifeStyle.com which included interviews with Joan Jett, John Nance, Amy Dacyczyn, and Randy’L He-Dow Teton, the only living model...more

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