Angels, Ghosts and the Otherworld

by S. Vest

For most of us, the supernatural and all of its trappings are the stuff of late night movies and paperback chillers. For some, the forces of the spiritual and occult are elemental like the seasons; shifting between lightly ethereal and harshly icy. Forces that are a constant reminder of a distant past and a foreboding of the darkest future. Angels, Ghosts and the Otherworld is a memoir from the life of author, S. Vest. Read with both mind open...and lights on. Spanning childhood through to womanhood, Shannon's vivid prose draws back layer upon layer of spiritual mystique, expertly guiding the reader on a journey toward Edgar Allan Poe's ultimate "Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?"

Genres: Horror

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2014

About the author

Shannon Vest has lived and traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. She earned her degree in World Business, then ran off to London to become an actress. After years in the film and television industry, Shannon has rediscovered her original passion, storytelling. Her favorite past time is photographing the fabulous landscapes she visits and meeting fascinating people from this world and the otherworld.

Haunt Shannon's page on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/svestauthor

Reviews

[John Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.

I found this book to be a fascinating account of the author's experience with ghosts and other things that (in her own words) go bump in the night. The hardened sceptic in me will always discount ghost stories and talk of curses but it is also an area that interests me. As Neil Gaimon said: "Fear is a wonderful thing, in small doses." There was a genuine chill from some of these accounts and that is in full praise of the author.

I accept I run the risk of being called 'closed-minded' by certain people by saying that I don't believe in ghosts or the paranormal. I also have 'seen' two ghosts but I have reasonable explanations for them both from inside my own mind. It is interesting to note that the author herself using the words 'No one can convince me otherwise' when talking about her belief in animal souls. It would take proof for me to be convinced of anything paranormal which I have not seen yet but I keep an open mind that it is a possibility.

The actual writing is consistently good and the book is short enough that a lot of people could finish it in an afternoon. I enjoyed the book without believing in the content and I think it deserves 4 stars.

[Phil Oakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

* I won a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. *

I'm not entirely sure what to say about this book... while I did enjoy it for the most part, it seemed to be more like a partially fleshed-out first or second draft than a completed work. The author has certainly led an interesting life and has wonderful experiences to relate, but I really wanted more of her backstory than I was given and I felt that almost every anecdote had important (or at least interesting) bits left out.

[Becky Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bump in the night

This was a quick read and very enjoyable taking the author from a toddler to adult. She gives the story of her hearing and seeing ghosts, angels and what evers. It kept my interest from beginning to end.

[Liz Milan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by the characters, both earthly and otherwise, and almost felt as if some of them were looking over my shoulder and reading right along with me. S. Vest takes you with her to some memorable and poignant places in her life. Fasten your seat belt!

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like chatting with a really interesting friend over coffee. It's a lot of little stories about the author's experience with the other side, including my favorite which involves Rudolph Valentino, and they're not too long so it's always easy to squeeze in just one more. The author says she's working on a novel based loosely on her experiences and I'll be keeping my eyes open for that as well.