Old Blood (Experiment in Terror, #5.5)

Mar 21, 2013 Georgia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, abused-hero-or-and-heroine, angels-demons-flying-paraphernalia, fantasy, historicals, love-the-cover, scary-as-hell, shortie, sobbing-mess, karina-halle-awesomeness, the-sound-of-my-heart-breaking

4 Stars

"It’s difficult to recall the many details of my life. All that stand out are the important moments, the moments, big and small, that shaped the path I chose."

The one constant, the catalyst and common denominator in the Experiment In Terror series, is the Creepy Clown Lady. Seeing by both of our heroes and communicating, always warning them, this ghost, won't go away.

But how can they both know her? How can't they remember her? What is her freaking deal?

This novella is her story. The ma...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Brittni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-supernatural, favorites

4 Sad Stars!!!

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I feel really bad for Pippa. She had really hard and unhappy life. All she wanted to do was to pursue her dreams and find life changing love. Unfortunately, she never got that fulfillment in life and that broke my heart. I'm glad we got to find out how Pippa became Creepy Crown Lady but it was such a sad story. Overall, I love this series!!!! On to the next book!!!!

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Mar 17, 2013 Ellelou rated it 5 of 5 stars

“They say your life flashes before your eyes but mine didn’t flash. It crept along slowly and I was forced to relieve all the pain and the few fleeting moments of glory.”

This is Pippa's story, told from her POV, a life story filled with sadness, unfulfilled dreams, so much love given and not received and how choices we make change the path of not only our future but of those dear to us.

“Either way, I died with an aching heart for the things I suffered through and the things I loved. In the...more

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May 08, 2013 Ash Wednesday (Corporal Cupcake) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: heartbreaking, on-going-series, review, novella

3.5 STARS

But I'm rounding it up to 4 because the writing style is so very different from what I've come to know of Karina's but she pulled it off pretty well.

I must admit, I wasn't really that curious of Creepy Clown Lady's backstory and I read this as a bridge to the Dex novellas. But it was engaging enough and provided great insight to some of the other characters in the series. The early chapters were sluggish and as this was told as though through the EVP recordings at the end of Lying Seas...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, horror

This story is key to understanding Dex and Perry and their connected origins by giving us the story of Pippa, "the Crazy Clown Lady" who has been haunting our protags since the beginning of The Experiment in Terror series. Karina does an amazing job telling the story from a completely new voice. I hadn't considered it before but now I want to go back and re-read the first five books with the insights gained from Old Blood.

Many reviewers and Pippa, herself, say she brought her tragedies on herse...more This story is key to understanding Dex and Perry and their connected origins by giving us the story of Pippa, "the Crazy Clown Lady" who has been haunting our protags since the beginning of The Experiment in Terror series. Karina does an amazing job telling the story from a completely new voice. I hadn't considered it before but now I want to go back and re-read the first five books with the insights gained from Old Blood.

Many reviewers and Pippa, herself, say she brought her tragedies on herself. I guess we all have a huge amount of control over our own fate but we do it blindly, not really knowing the consequences until it is too late to change the actions that precipitated them. Sure Pippa had warnings from the Other Side but who takes that kind of warning seriously? I mean really, sinners go to church all the time and keep on sinning! I guess I don't blame Pippa for bringing it on herself when it was a pure kind of love that motivated her all along, especially for her child, the children in her care and, eventually, her grandchildren. And the affair with Ludic? Well, it begat Pippa's daughter and granddaughter (Perry, the one and only). Without them there is no story to tell. I love fantasy that makes me think deep thoughts like this.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the ongoing reflection on the fine line between clairvoyance and mental illness. Pippa addresses this dissonance when she says of Regine, "Was she mentally ill because she drank all the time or did she drink all the time because she was mentally ill? I suppose the same question could be said about us too. Are we mentally different because we see ghosts or do we see ghosts because we are mentally different?" Pippa does acknowledge that she has differentiated between illness and difference; but in the end, you really cannot separate the questions.

And then there is the question that affects the narrative and the tension between both Dex and Perry in the ongoing saga, will seeing ghosts (and demons) drive them to an irrevocable point of insanity? Or will they find a way to embrace their differences for the betterment of the living and the dead? It remains to be seen . . . I know I am going crazy waiting to know more!

(This review is also on Amazon.)(less)

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May 09, 2013 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved it!! 4 STARS for PIPPA!!!!!!!

Old Blood is a short novella in the Experiment in Terror series that falls between On Demon Wings and The Dex-Files. It is Pippa Lindstrom's story, who is Perry's maternal grandmother from Sweden, and Dex's nanny when he was a young boy. (view spoiler)...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars

https://www.buchjunkies-blog.de/?acti...

Ihr kennt die Creepy Clown Lady?
description

Vorher war sie Pippa...

In On Demon Wings fanden wir heraus, dass die gruselige Clown Lady, wie sie von Perry liebevoll genannt wird, nicht nur ihre eigene Großmutter ist, sondern auch noch Dexs früheres Kindermädchen. Was Dex und Perry aber noch nicht wissen ist, dass auf den Tonbändern, die sie in Lying Season mit Pippas Stimme aufgenommen haben, weit mehr zu hören ist, als sie annahmen. Pippa nutzte die Gelegenheit und erz...more https://www.buchjunkies-blog.de/?acti...

Ihr kennt die Creepy Clown Lady?
description

Vorher war sie Pippa...

In On Demon Wings fanden wir heraus, dass die gruselige Clown Lady, wie sie von Perry liebevoll genannt wird, nicht nur ihre eigene Großmutter ist, sondern auch noch Dexs früheres Kindermädchen. Was Dex und Perry aber noch nicht wissen ist, dass auf den Tonbändern, die sie in Lying Season mit Pippas Stimme aufgenommen haben, weit mehr zu hören ist, als sie annahmen. Pippa nutzte die Gelegenheit und erzählt den beiden ihre Lebensgeschichte. Denn die hat mehr mit Perry und Dex zu tun, als sie je erahnen konnten.

In der Novelle Old Blood nutzt Karina Halle die Gelegenheit, ein bisschen Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen. Pippa hat jede Menge zu erzählen und wir erfahren tatsächlich ihre gesamte Lebensgeschichte. Und die ist hart. Pippa hat viel durchgemacht und das Schlimmste dabei war eigentlich, dass sie an vielem selbst Schuld trägt. Sie ist eine noch tragischere Figur, als ich zunächst dachte. Sie lebte mit den Konsequenzen ihrer Fehler (die meisten haben ebenfalls mit Geistern und Dämonen bzw. ihren Fähigkeiten zu tun), zwingt nun aber ihre Nachkommen ebenfalls dazu.
Damit wären wir nun auch schon bei Perry und Dex. Die beiden spielen natürlich nur eine sehr kleine Rolle in dieser Novelle. Der Leser sollte sich also dahingehend nicht zu viel erwarten. Trotzdem erklärt es eine Menge, wieso beide so sind, wie sie nun mal sind (vor allem, was Dex angeht) und macht vieles leichter verständlich. Außerdem sind jede Menge Szenen dabei, die indirekt von großer Bedeutung für Dex und Perry sind. Auch die Rolle von Perrys Mutter wird etwas deutlicher, wenn auch nicht gerade auf positive Weise.
So spannend und informativ die zweite Hälfte war, so sehr hat sich die Erste stellenweise hingezogen, muss ich leider sagen. Pippas Kindheit im Vorkriegs-Schweden war zwar bis zu einem gewissen Maße schon interessant, ebenso wie die allmähliche Entwicklung ihrer Fähigkeiten. Trotzdem hätte es nicht geschadet diesen Teil ein wenig kompakter zu verarbeiten.

Trotzdem ist Old Blood von Karina Halle ein willkommener Weg, die Wartezeit bis zu Into the Hollow, dem 6. Teil in der Experiment in Terror-Reihe, ein wenig erträglicher zu machen. Außerdem bietet die Kurzgeschicte jede Menge hilfreicher Informationen und Erklärungen, die das weitere Verständnis der Reihe ganz sicher vereinfachen.
Das erste Kapitel von Into the Hollow gibt es übrigens als Bonus am Ende des Buches und das macht definitiv Lust auf mehr.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inital thoughts after reading Old Blood: Oh dear god. Despite knowing what Perry and Dex went through, Pippa is still the most tragic character in this series so far. And she brought so much of it onto herself...
I shouldn't have read the first chapter of Into the Hollow though...how am I supposed to make it until fucking October?!(less)

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May 01, 2013 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013_read, contemporary-times, dark, demons, drama, faith-spirituality, ghosts, gothic, kindle-book, own, paranormal, scary, series, short-story, social-issues, suspense, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, thriller, tough-subject-matter, experiment-in-terror, urban-fantasy, favorite-author

4+ stars

This novella, while marked as 5.5, really should be 4.5 or 4.9. I'd advise reading it BEFORE or WITH On Demon Wings. This is Pippa's story - FINALLY! While we have an idea that she's Perry's grandmother, we don't know much more than that she's got a relationship with Dex somehow.

The CONFUSING THING about this book is that Dex is supposed to be 9-10 years older than Dex, but either Pippa's memories are more confused than we think, or the author goofed. Because in Pippa's memories, Dex is...more 4+ stars

This novella, while marked as 5.5, really should be 4.5 or 4.9. I'd advise reading it BEFORE or WITH On Demon Wings. This is Pippa's story - FINALLY! While we have an idea that she's Perry's grandmother, we don't know much more than that she's got a relationship with Dex somehow.

The CONFUSING THING about this book is that Dex is supposed to be 9-10 years older than Dex, but either Pippa's memories are more confused than we think, or the author goofed. Because in Pippa's memories, Dex is 13 before Perry's parents are married and she's born. Can't figure out if this is because we're supposed to be suspect of Pippa's memories? But that doesn't make sense, because SO MUCH is explained in this book....

Pippa's story isn't an easy one. It's sad and dark and heartbreaking. So is Dex's story. We learn so much more about his home life, including the fact that Dex has an older brother, Michael, who was the "golden boy" in his home. Both Dex's mother and father preferred Michael, who could do no wrong in anyone's eyes, Dex's included. Dex was the one his mother beat up and destroyed all his belongings at every turn. While Regine is a drunk, WHY does she turn on Dex so, even as a small boy? Is it because Regine can see ghosts, too? Does she resent Dex because he's like her?

In On Demon Wings, Dex's mother "comes through" the demon inhabiting Perry during the exorcism, threatening to tell Dex's secret - the one that we don't learn about until The Dex Files. Yes I'm behind on putting in my reviews... I almost think that this book should have been before On Demon Wings except that as a reader I wouldn't have been able to wait. And The Dex Files is a MUST READ that you should undertake just after this book. And you'll probably be like me after reading this book and The Dex Files I had to go back to Lying Season and On Demon Wings and re-read a few parts to put them all into context.

Pippa's book is so personal... we learn about her early childhood, her cold distant parents, her forays into understanding her gifts to see and talk to ghosts and so much more. What Pippa has going for her that Perry is only beginning to understand and accept is that Pippa acknowledged and accepted her gift early on. Which means that Pippa found "acceptable" ways to deal with seeing ghosts early in life.

The unfortunate part of it all is, (view spoiler)[that despite this, Pippa wasn't able to keep her sanity. Because the more she tried to separate herself from her gift and from the spirits that plagued her, the more she was drawn in. Enter the Jacobs...

Jacob is a "boy" that Pippa sees when she finally leaves home and moves to Stockholm to embrace her dream of being an actress. Pippa is working at a local theatre company as the makeup artist, costume designer, and cleaner. (So now we see how/why the weird outfit and clown make up come in!) One night, Pippa sees Jacob sitting at the edge of the stage, and she follows him. She learns that Jacob is part of The Thin Veil, Otherworld, Black Sunshine - he's a ghost and a guide, supposed to be guiding Pippa. The problem is, how much can we trust Jacob? He's supposed to be Pippa's "guide", and yet he tells her too much about her future more than once, trying to "warn" her off. One could argue that by doing so, Jacob sealed Pippa's fate and her choices to head directly towards those things that Jacob labeled as disasters.

Does that make it Pippa's choice or Jacob's pushing? Even looking back, Pippa's not quite sure. She doesn't push aside her own responsibility, she simply wishes she could have chosen differently.

Turns out that Perry's mom, Ingrid, wasn't her father Karl's daughter. No, instead, Ingrid is the product of an affair with a vain, selfish actor that Pippa never quite got over - to the point that she carried on with the actor for years after she was married. Which doesn't seem fair to Karl, the gentle giant who tenderly wooed Pippa after her heart was broken and her dreams crushed. It's such a shame, because despite Karl being 10 years or so older than Pippa, he didn't seem to be the kind of man that ever fell out of love with Pippa. He even embraced Ingrid eagerly as his daughter and raised her as such.

But Ingrid was vain, selfish, self-centered, and always looked down on her mother, Pippa, despite Pippa's coddling and spoiling. Pippa truly loved Ingrid - too much, it seems. And Ingrid picked up on so much of her mother's gifts, even though Pippa tried to keep them hidden. Which is why Ingrid's relationship with Pippa was so... awful. And Ingrid is the reason that Pippa ended up in a mental hospital and died there - abandoned and alone.

But I can't leave out Dex's family... see, Pippa moved with Ingrid to New York when Ingrid was only 16 to pursue her modelling career. While Karl supported them both from Sweden, Ingrid was ashamed of Pippa and never wanted her around. So Pippa eventually moved out from living with Ingrid and decided to find a job to keep her occupied. The job was being housekeeper and nanny to the O'Shea family - 9 year old Michael and 6 year old Declan.

Pippa could see, right away, that Dex took the brunt of his family's unhappiness from everyone; she also recognized a kindred spirit - she knew that Dex could see ghosts, too. Pippa tried to train Dex to ignore the spirits when others were watching. She tried to fill the hole in Dex's heart from Dex's father being indifferent and his mother attacking Dex in every possible way. To the point where, it's possible that Pippa caused Dex's father to leave: Pippa called the police to intervene with Dex's mother, Regine, one time too many. Dex's father was too class and social conscious. He didn't want anyone to see beneath the veneer of a "happy, wealthy family". So one night, he left and never returned. The only good thing he did was put money into trust accounts for both sons....

While we're led to believe that Michael died, nothing in Pippa's story points to that or reveals it. So we have to believe that Dex's brother is still very much alive, even if he wants no contact with Dex. Dex changed his name from O'Shea to Foray (his mother's maiden name) after his mother died. (hide spoiler)]

Through Pippa's story, we have so many questions answered and so many more hanging. Can the Jacobs be trusted? Do they have their own agenda? How awful can Perry's mother really be - is it possible that she doesn't love Perry and never has because Perry reminds her too much of her own mother?

Can't wait to find out MORE!!!(less)

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Apr 14, 2013 Lily (The Novel Nerd) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great filler title.

Real good to see Pippa's past, however, i found the book to be quite slow. What kept me going was the fact it was pretty short. Also i felt quite bad for her... considering throughout the last 5 books Perry and Dex were quite harsh when referring to her.... even tho she looked a bit crazy. On the other hand i also found her quite creepy.

But yeah, i would say if you are a fan of the experiment in terror series, this is a great background filler and deffo worth the read.

You can...more

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Feb 10, 2013 AJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, paranormal-uf, series, novella

“Are we mentally different because we see ghosts or do we see ghosts because we are mentally different?”

I will admit it took me a while to get into this book, but that’s only because I was left on a cliffhanger at the end of the last book of the series, so to then swing out to a novella seemed a bit painful. Plus, I am so hyped up to get to the books that follow, I was daydreaming about Dex and Perry while reading. But Pippa’s story is so intriguing, it didn’t take me too long to get sucked in,...more “Are we mentally different because we see ghosts or do we see ghosts because we are mentally different?”

I will admit it took me a while to get into this book, but that’s only because I was left on a cliffhanger at the end of the last book of the series, so to then swing out to a novella seemed a bit painful. Plus, I am so hyped up to get to the books that follow, I was daydreaming about Dex and Perry while reading. But Pippa’s story is so intriguing, it didn’t take me too long to get sucked in, and I absolutely loved it. She is a great character, and I see a lot of Perry in her (which is probably why I like her so much!)

“It’s like you have so much life and potential somewhere deep inside, some greater purpose that is dying to come out. But you don’t know what it is or how to reach it.”

First introduced as ‘Creepy Clown Lady’, Pippa has been appearing in the EIT books from the very beginning. And now that I know more about her, I want to go back and read all of those books again!! Her story is a sad one, and watching her fall into 'madness' was tragic, but she has a very important part to play in the overall plot of the series, particularly the ties that she shares with Perry and Dex (I loved the glimpses we got of them in their childhood. But oh little Declan… how my heart breaks for you!). And as Pippa tells her story, things suddenly start to make more sense as we get explanations for a lot of the ghosty goings on, as well as the creepy abilities and personal demons that Perry and Dex are dealing with in the current day, and the special bond that they share.

“Very few people with these abilities can find each other in all the worlds. When it happens, you know. It’s a magnet affect, a sense of finding your missing half, someone who gives off what you do and draws you in like they do to you.”

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! This was a great addition to the EIT series, and I can’t wait to dive back in with everything that I now know.
(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Lise *friends don't flag* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fav-series-eit

Pippa's story answers many questions that I had but also created many more questions. *Bonus* - the novella contains the first chapter of Into THe Hollow EIT #6!

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Nov 27, 2012 Lucia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kh, paranormal

Firstly, when I start reading this novella I was sort of sceptical since it was not written in Perry or Dex point of view. But when I got into it I loved it. Writing was poetical, mesmerizing and some new info about Dex and Perry were revealed. All the EIT fans, this is a must read for us!!!

Pippa's story was sad, dramatic and full of sacrificies in order to achieve her dreams and trying to find her happiness. She lived in differend period under different circumstances but her life had similar pa...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Laura *Daddy's Deviant Little Girl* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tortured-hero-heroine, shorts, owned, paranormal, authors-to-watch, buddy-read-w-susie, cover-love, ghosts, 5-star-books, book-boyfriend, demons, favorite-author, favorites, get-the-tissues, leave-the-lights-on-after, pregnancy, reccomended-to-me

What a great world that was created in this book. It was colorful and absorbed you instantly. It didn't read like a novella. It read like it's own short novel. You're transported to the past where you get to learn Pippa's (aka Crazy Clown Lady) background and her connection to Dex & Perry. Reading it made you understand things you saw throughout the series as well as make new connections. It also had me near tears hearing about poor Dex as a little boy, as well as what Pippa suffered through...more

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May 05, 2013 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: enjoyed-it-but-not-must-read

More of my book reviews at http://mustreadbeforeyoudie.blog.com

Loved this novella. Got to see Pippa’s life, her hopes and dreams, then her ending up in a mental institute where she spent the last 5 years of her life. This was a nice break from Perry and Dex’s plot. It reveals important things about the past, like Dex’s relationship with Pippa and shows what Perry’s mom was like from Pippa’s point of view. The story flowed really nicely and at a good pace. Pippa is a modern girl for her time and...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Destini rated it 4 of 5 stars

I died with an aching heart for the things I suffered through and the things I loved. In the end it’s all the same.
In the end.

After reading this I just want to crawl under a rock and wallow in my sorrow. I practically had to force myself to finish this book.

Old Blood is a short novella where we get a look at the life Pippa (creepy clown lady) led.
This is not a happily ever after type of story. This is a story about loss and heartbreak.

I don’t think there was a moment in the whole book where...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, ghosts

I’m at this point that I find hard to believe that Karina Halle will write something not good. This novella proves that Karina Halle isn’t only very talented writer but that her ability to affect others is beyond words.

This is the story of Pippa. Or the Creepy Clown Lady if you prefer. But believe me when I’m saying that there is nothing creepy of funny as a clown about this lady. There is a very sad life, full of dreams that never came true and the need of love. And ghosts. Yes, there are alway...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 4 of 5 stars

The pieces of Perry and Dex's off color and rather unusual backgrounds are slowly coming together. Who would have thought that it would be The Crazy Clown Lady--aka Pippa Lindstorm, aka Perry's Grandmother and Dex's one time nanny--that related it to us?

This well written novella could almost be called a prequel. It's basically a message to Dex (which was mentioned in an earlier installment of the series) relating how he and Perry are tied together and how Pippa was involved.

The story itself is t...more The pieces of Perry and Dex's off color and rather unusual backgrounds are slowly coming together. Who would have thought that it would be The Crazy Clown Lady--aka Pippa Lindstorm, aka Perry's Grandmother and Dex's one time nanny--that related it to us?

This well written novella could almost be called a prequel. It's basically a message to Dex (which was mentioned in an earlier installment of the series) relating how he and Perry are tied together and how Pippa was involved.

The story itself is tragic. Pippa had the same issues as both Dex and Perry now have and it, quite literally, ruined her life. We got snippets of the true Pippa from On Demon Wings but Old Blood really gives flesh to what is a very tortured character. She's not just the Crazy Clown Lady who pops up on Perry unexpectedly to drive her nuts. Pippa is much more than that. She's much more complex. She was once a young girl who had her own hopes and dreams and watched them shatter before her eyes, one after the other. Partially because of bad decisions (of which she made many as she freely admits) but mostly because of her special ability.

I think the thing that really grabbed me most about Old Blood is the voice of the character. It's all told in first person, like the rest of the series, but completely through Pippa's perspective, from the time she was a little girl in Sweden to her last days in a mental institution...and beyond. She reads as uniquely as Dex, Perry and the rest of the characters Halle has written over the course of the series. It shows how versatile she is. While Perry and Dex are mysterious and self doubting and curse like sailors on shore leave, Pippa is prim and proper and has been given her own unique and consistent voice throughout.

Included in the ebook is a preview from #6, Into The Hollows. That's a nice little treat. It picks up right where Demon Wings leaves off and really left me with a feeling of wanting to know what torturous misadventures she's going to be putting Perry and Dex through this time.

I'm still amazed that we, the fans, have been given seven novels and novellas over barely the course of a YEAR. Some authors take months and years to accomplish what she's done in a year and it's pretty staggering. Considering Halle has a day gig, I'm wondering if she ever actually sleeps. I'm also left wondering if she had a path for this series to travel from the get go because, after reading each subsequent novel, it reads like it was all mapped out from the beginning with little breadcrumbs being dropped throughout. There's just no doubt that she's a talented author with a gift for words, plotting, organization and a tremendous imagination.

I think that Old Blood would read well enough on its own as a stand alone story but it has more impact for people who've been reading the series because they know who's giving the narrative, who it's intended for, and most importantly, why.
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Jan 07, 2013 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: creepy-and-i-love-it, could-have-been-so-much-better, the-decent-shelf-of-meh, such-a-disappointment

See more of my reviews sooner on The YA Kitten! My copy was given to me by the author for review.

Same as usual: the author is my friend and this didn't influence my rating or review. You'll see that in a second.

Well... This was unexpected. Pippa's story should have been so interesting because we know so little about her; we only found out the littlest bit of information close to the end of On Demon Wings, the fifth novel in the series. The long-awaited story behind the woman made up like a clown...more See more of my reviews sooner on The YA Kitten! My copy was given to me by the author for review.

Same as usual: the author is my friend and this didn't influence my rating or review. You'll see that in a second.

Well... This was unexpected. Pippa's story should have been so interesting because we know so little about her; we only found out the littlest bit of information close to the end of On Demon Wings, the fifth novel in the series. The long-awaited story behind the woman made up like a clown isn't able to make the anticipation worthwhile, but her character is developed well enough to make that a little bit better.

This short novella manages to cover Pippa's entire life, which was probably around sixty or seventy years by my vague math, but only concentrates on the key times of her life. When she started seeing ghosts, how she grew up, an affair that came back to bite her multiple times, what happened once she came to New York and met Dex, and other little tidbits I'll keep quiet. By the time you're done, you understand exactly how she came to be who she is and why she's been haunting Dex and Perry for so long.

One of the larger issues is that Pippa isn't as engaging of a narrator as Perry is. Pippa speaks much more formally--befitting of her age and when she grew up, I suppose, but it's not necessarily fun reading. Even with this heavily abridged version of her life, some parts drag and I got tempted to flip through another book even with just a little bit left to this novella.

I noticed the quality of the editing make a small decline in On Demon Wings, but it's even worse here. Figuring out where to start is difficult because there were so many sections I highlighted for repetitiveness, awkward structure, and even a dropped word or two. I try not to overdo it with commas despite being taught to use them everywhere, but there were a lot of places that really needed commas objectively.

Even though this was a slight disappointment, I'm sticking around and still love Karina to bits. How can I not with how well On Demon Wings went? (less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-ereader, read-in-2012, non-blog-reviews

I love this series to death. Like, love love LOVE it. And one thing that's great about the series is how many books Karina Halle has given her readers to enjoy the characters and their stories. This story is one based on the Creepy Clown Lady, who was introduced way back in book #1, Darkhouse, and who has made an appearance throughout the series. We learn something about her in book #4, Lying Season, and so this story delves into her history, leading up to certain events that took place in Lying...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-kindle, favorites

This book is not like the others. (I think I say that every time I write a review for this series!) This book is all about Creepy Clown Lady/Pippa. It was nice to get a back story on Pippa after the bombshell that she's Perry's grandmother in the last book. I am utterly convinced Ms. Halle can write anything. It almost seems like her style changes somewhat in every book.
Anyway, this story really gripped me from the beginning. Ms. Halle has a way with her characters that just gets you by the hea...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, read-in-2012, urban-fantasy

The Creepy Clown Lady has been one of those characters that make me shiver every time she pops up. To get to see the story behind the story and get a feel for how she connects to Dex and Perry was absolutely riveting. While Pippa's story don't contain the blood and guts that I associate with horror, the events that led to her maddened, lonely last years were certainly chilling.

Anytime I read a story set later in a series and immediately think "I *really* want to go back and reread this series al...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Duchess Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-pcs, genre-horror, read-in-2013

Just the blurb for this one is heartbreaking:

"When Perry discovered Pippa’s message to her and Dex on the EVP recordings, she thought she heard the last of the old woman’s message. She was wrong. In the novella Old Blood, Pippa relays the tale of her troubled and tortured past, revealing how an aspiring actress and loving mother fell into madness and how an unfathomable betrayal led to her untimely death. "

If you've wondered about the crazy clown lady since book one, you don't have to look furth...more Just the blurb for this one is heartbreaking:

"When Perry discovered Pippa’s message to her and Dex on the EVP recordings, she thought she heard the last of the old woman’s message. She was wrong. In the novella Old Blood, Pippa relays the tale of her troubled and tortured past, revealing how an aspiring actress and loving mother fell into madness and how an unfathomable betrayal led to her untimely death. "

If you've wondered about the crazy clown lady since book one, you don't have to look further than Old Blood. This tells the story of Pippa, who is Perry's grandmother and Dex's nanny. Her story starts as a little girl in Sweden, where she was born to a timid mother and a strict preacher father. She grew up quite alone, and her descent into a Perry-like madness started very young.

"According to the records, I was born on a surprisingly cold day in May of 1925. There had been a rare snow storm that swept through the wooded valley where my father and mother lived in their tiny stone house and I was born under thick flannel sheets with the doctor coaxing me to breathe.
I regret that first breath."

Pippa's story is reminiscent of Perry's trials during On Demon Wings, and it solidifies the fact that Perry's affinity for seeing ghosts and demons is inherited...which points to the question of Ada's abilities also, hmmm? Not only the descent into madness, but how alone she is during the course of her entire life, and her fight to stay sane amidst a world that is ready to write her off...and a daughter who eventually does.

We had hints in Lying Season that Pippa had a close connection to Dex also, and here is the proof...she was poor Dex's nanny for years before her daughter had her committed to a mental hospital. Poor, poor Dex! I think I needed some more background on him after what he did to Perry. I was so very angry with him, and rightly so...but after this novella, it's easier to feel empathy for him also.

" I didn't know at the time. But I knew then that what I saw was real and not real all at once. I was special. And not in a fortunate way..."

We all have our own demons. This shows the beginning for both Dex AND Perry. It's not an uplifting read, if you couldn't tell that already. We all know how it turns out in the end. But for me, it IS necessary to really grasp the severity of the situation that these two are in, to see what COULD happen, if they don't work through their insanity and rely on each other.(less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Joana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: broken-tortured-tormented-heroine, contemporary, dark-twisted-story, fave-series, fave-authors, novella, paranormal, read-2013, emotional

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" All that stand out are the important moments, the moments, big and small, that shaped the path I chose. The same path that led me to my death. And led me to you both. "

This is Pippa's story and how she became the "creepy clown lady"...

And let me tell you her story is heartbreaking.
Sure she made mistakes and many times she was selfish. She was just flawed like everyone else and ultimately she didn't deserved that ending.
It's true that the people we love the most have the power to destroy us...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Laura *Little Read Riding Hood* rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of the Creepy Clown Lady, later known as Pippa. I really can't tell you much about this novella without spoiling it, so I will just say, this helps brings several pieces together. You find out how Pippa is connected to both Dex and Perry. And how tragic her life was.

I did find myself feeling sorry for her and getting angry at her simultaneously. I suppose it is the whole "Hind sight is 20/20" but knowing some of the things I did, and some of the things she did, she continuously...more

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May 08, 2013 Brenda Cody rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a great novella. I encourage you EIT fans to read carefully - especially the scenes with Jacob. Then if you read The Dex Files, there's an important link waiting for you to pick up on - related to Max.

Pippa is a wonderful character and I loved the description/details of her time with Dex as a young boy. One thing didn't add up here though, we know Dex is just 10 years older than Perry and according to Pippa, she left Dex when he was 13 - being committed by he daughter, Perry's Mom, Ing...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bought-apr-2013, kindle-books, 2013-prn-fantasy-challenge, fantasy, favourites, horror, mystery, paranormal-urban-fantasy, prn-romance, read-in-2013, romance, book-boyfriends

Old Blood is a novella from the POV of Pippa (or the Crazy Clown Lady) who in the last book On Demon Wings we found out was once Dex's nanny (view spoiler).

Pippa's tale is a sad one. She too shared Perry and Dex's ability to see ghosts and this 'curse' is what eventually led to her being committed. It begins with Pippa as a small child becoming aware t...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Old Blood is a short, ninety-something-page, Experiment in Terror Novella that focuses on Pippa aka Creepy Clown Lady’s story. In my real life, I am very afraid of clowns and almost did not read the EIT series because I knew she would be a big part of the series. However, I braved the journey anyway and did so without regret. As I was reading the series, Creepy Clown Lady grew on me (in a good way) and by the end of On Demon Wings, I had so much love for her character. I was not sure if I was go...more Old Blood is a short, ninety-something-page, Experiment in Terror Novella that focuses on Pippa aka Creepy Clown Lady’s story. In my real life, I am very afraid of clowns and almost did not read the EIT series because I knew she would be a big part of the series. However, I braved the journey anyway and did so without regret. As I was reading the series, Creepy Clown Lady grew on me (in a good way) and by the end of On Demon Wings, I had so much love for her character. I was not sure if I was going to review this book since a: it’s pretty short, and b: it’s kind of an “in-between-the-series” book. I figured I would just read it to get a better understanding of Pippa, but while doing so, it sparked so many emotions (also tons and tons of notes) so I knew I had to post a review.

I could not wait to read Old Blood because I figured it would answer so many of my questions about her. Plus, I wanted to get to know her more. This book was not so much scary as it was heartbreaking. With that said, I was very captivated by this novella. Not only did it bring tears to my eyes (many times) but it also put a smile on my face. This heartbreaking story sucked me into Pippa’s world and I felt so connected to her. As I was reading I imagined Pippa’s voice as if she was telling me her story personally. I loved that this book is written, as if she is talking directly to Dex and Perry. I think it would be really fun if during future EIT books, Dex and Perry acknowledge this story and let readers know they received her message.

Reading the scenes from when Dex was a little boy and the troubles he faced broke my heart. Granted, I was fighting away tears pretty much the whole story, but when it got to the scenes with Dex as a child, I could no longer fight back the tears. Also, while reading EIT, I very much disliked Perry’s parents. I found them to be very rude and inconsiderate. After finishing this book, I hate them even more. We also get a much better understanding of Dex’s parents, who are just plain evil and sinister, I truly hope both Dex and Perry’s parents get theirs in the end.

Overall, Old Blood was a fantastic Experiment in Terror novella and I am very thankful that Karina Halle gave her readers an opportunity to really connect with one of her secondary characters. I no longer will think of “Creepy Clown Lady” as some strange old woman who follows Perry around. She is an amazing woman and is a huge asset to this series. I give Old Blood a 5 out of 5 and recommend it to everyone who has read the Experiment in Terror series and would like to know more about Creepy Clown Lady.(less)

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Mar 08, 2013 JennyJen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: and-it-all-falls-down, blah, booooring, disappointing, darkside-challenge-accepted, barely-finished

Huh? Yeah! I'm totally listening. So, in 2nd grade, you tripped on a rock, you say? Fascinating...

Bored photo sleepy_zps1339e426.gif

Man. After so much creepy clown lady creepiness throughout the series, I expected her story to be frikkin awesome. It wasn't. It was boring and long.

The details. The incessant insignificant details! She's so frikkin long-winded and I would have loved to have gotten this story in half the words. It could have been told that way just fine. Even with all those words, I felt zero connection to this char...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Amanda Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-pnr

Before I started with this novella, I had finished up Into the Hollow. This actually answered our curiosity as to why was Dex suddenly turned into a Hulk in On Demon Wings and Into the Hollow. LoL.

Old Blood is like a biography of Pippa aka the Creepy Clown Lady, who is Perry's maternal grandmother and Dex's nanny back in New York. Pippa had a hard life as a child, without the love of both her parents. As you see, Pippa can see ghost and this does not bode well with the family. Her father thinks...more Before I started with this novella, I had finished up Into the Hollow. This actually answered our curiosity as to why was Dex suddenly turned into a Hulk in On Demon Wings and Into the Hollow. LoL.

Old Blood is like a biography of Pippa aka the Creepy Clown Lady, who is Perry's maternal grandmother and Dex's nanny back in New York. Pippa had a hard life as a child, without the love of both her parents. As you see, Pippa can see ghost and this does not bode well with the family. Her father thinks that she is seeing evil and her mum is not supportive either. But apart from seeing ghost, I think that Pippa was a very fortunate lady as she had a few lovers who really did love her. Stava, her first love back in her hometown, who wanted to marry her, but she decided to follow her dream to become an actress and high tail to Stockholm. Despite not able to become an actress as she had planned, she love her job as an makeup and wardrobe assistant. There she met Ludie, an aspiring actor, her one true love, but he turned out to be a jerk. Later on, she met Karl, who eventually become her husband. But she still doesn't feel happiness in her life. (view spoiler).

She gave birth to her first child, Ingrid, despite warning from Jakob. Jakob is this spirit or ghost that appeared at random times during Pippa's life. He warned that Ingrid will be her death or something and she might be passing down her 'gift' to her future generation. I can't imagine that at such a young age, Ingrid had started to despise her mother and thinks that she should be lock up somewhere.

When Ingrid decided to pursue her modelling dream in New York, Ingrid insisted to follow along, leaving Karl back home. When Ingrid wanted to let her boyfriend to move in, Pippa had no choice but to move out. There is when she had to take up the job as a nanny for Dex's family. Here we met Dex, the 6 year old boy, who had a workaholic father, a drunk and mentally unstable mother and a big brother who is the father's favorite. We finally found out what's the deal with Dex's mum. Dex is practically being mentally abuse by his parent. No wonder he turned out to be a little crazy and manic himself. Pippa had a partially towards Dex partly because he can see ghost like she do. She instantly felt a connection to the boy and she wanted to be a mother, which he doesn't seems to have.

I think Pippa was Dex's nanny for about a decade when Dex's father decided to leave his family behind and Regina, Dex's mother no longer can pay for Pippa's service. All this while, Pippa had been seeing ghost and she's getting more and more mentally unstable. Ingrid took care of her for a while, but in the end her daughter decided to send Pippa to the mental institute. At this time, Ingrid was married and already gave birth to Perry. Jakob warned Pippa that Perry might inherited her 'gift'. Pippa spent a decade in the institute before she (view spoiler).(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Cristina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-subject, companion-to-series

After a week of reading denied, I now know the background of Pippa, aka The Clown Lady.

At first reaction, Pippa's tale is not the adrenaline page turner that has been experienced with the others in the Experiment in Terror Series, but I don't think it was meant to be. Old Blood is the cautionary tale of Pippa Lindstrom, Perry's grandmother (as learned in On Demon Wings).

Pippa has not led a charmed life. Born in Sweden to a father who essentially could care less of her, and a mother who cared as...more

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Karina Halle Addi...: Old Blood (Experiment in Terror #5.5)	1	2	May 16, 2013 05:38pm
"And with ma...: * Old Blood~ EIT #5.5	3	14	Oct 04, 2012 10:30am
"And with ma...: * Quotes from Old Blood	1	9	Aug 02, 2012 08:02pm
"And with ma...: * Old Blood~ EIT #5.5	1	15	Aug 01, 2012 07:26pm

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Old Blood (Experiment in Terror #5.5)

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