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The Raventree Society #1A
The Strawberry Lane Hotel
Kyle Hanson was not a believer.
That was a bit hypocritical since he made his living as a paranormal investigator on a TV show that was highly rated among it's demographic of unemployed college dropouts and late-night drinkers. Despite that, he was quite proud of his resilient doubt until the night his brother disappeared while recording an episode in the supposedly haunted woods around Greensborough, Louisiana.
That wasn't what shook his stalwart lack of faith. No, the event that changed his perspective was the night that followed three months afterward, and what he saw at the Strawberry Lane Motel.
The first in a Supernatural Thriller, Short Story Serial.
That was a bit hypocritical since he made his living as a paranormal investigator on a TV show that was highly rated among it's demographic of unemployed college dropouts and late-night drinkers. Despite that, he was quite proud of his resilient doubt until the night his brother disappeared while recording an episode in the supposedly haunted woods around Greensborough, Louisiana.
That wasn't what shook his stalwart lack of faith. No, the event that changed his perspective was the night that followed three months afterward, and what he saw at the Strawberry Lane Motel.
The first in a Supernatural Thriller, Short Story Serial.
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
31 pages, ebook
Published January 23, 2018
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
J.E. Purrazzi
36 books58 followers I grew up on a steady diet of adventure both real and imagined. It was never quite enough. So what is a girl to do? The answer: live in a fantasy world.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 11, 2021
Frightening!
I know these ghost stories always say that the room or air gets cold whenever a ghost is near, but that has never been the case with me.
Still, this book is very scary.
Kyle is a reality TV ghost hunter. Whether he is truly talented, or not, the story never says. Regardless, it no longer matters.
While staying in a rundown motel as he searches for Tyler, his missing brother, he has a supernatural encounter. A REAL supernatural encounter!
I know these ghost stories always say that the room or air gets cold whenever a ghost is near, but that has never been the case with me.
Still, this book is very scary.
Kyle is a reality TV ghost hunter. Whether he is truly talented, or not, the story never says. Regardless, it no longer matters.
While staying in a rundown motel as he searches for Tyler, his missing brother, he has a supernatural encounter. A REAL supernatural encounter!
May 20, 2019
Holy crap on a cracker Batman ..... that scared the beejeezus out of me!!!! 😱👻
The author has set out this series episodically, this novelette being the first story to outline the premise, although I see she has also collected all the episodes of a series into one book at years end.
The start of our journey begins with our protagonist, a skeptic ghost hunter with his own TV series called Raventree Society, looking for his missing brother. Said missing brother was sent on an investigation 3 months earlier and has completely disappeared of the face of the earth. Our main character is joined by a colleague from the show and while searching come across a scary and dangerous haunting in the motel they are staying at.
I am literally chomping at the bit to finish this series and guess what? I have now downloaded the whole first season!
The author has set out this series episodically, this novelette being the first story to outline the premise, although I see she has also collected all the episodes of a series into one book at years end.
The start of our journey begins with our protagonist, a skeptic ghost hunter with his own TV series called Raventree Society, looking for his missing brother. Said missing brother was sent on an investigation 3 months earlier and has completely disappeared of the face of the earth. Our main character is joined by a colleague from the show and while searching come across a scary and dangerous haunting in the motel they are staying at.
I am literally chomping at the bit to finish this series and guess what? I have now downloaded the whole first season!
November 1, 2018
I would like to personally thank the author for scaring the shit out of me 😂😂😂😂
February 3, 2018
A story with strong Supernatural vibes, though it never feels like a rip-off. Like the powerhouse TV show, there are two brothers chasing paranormal phenomena here, but they’re very different from Sam and Dean. First, their backgrounds are completely different from the Winchesters. Second, they’re stars of a ghost-hunting “reality” show rather than secretive vagabonds living out of an Impala. And third, one of the two has vanished without a trace. Ghost-hunter Kyle ( 😀 😀 😀 ) and his long-suffering assistant Hannah find themselves trapped in a hotel by a homicidal wraith as they grapple with the mystery of Kyle’s brother Tyler’s disappearance. I love a good ghost story, and this is most definitely a good one. It doesn’t skimp on the creep factor and really dials it up to eleven in the final scenes. The storyline isn’t quite resolved in the conclusion, but as this is just the first episode of a serial work, that’s to be expected. I’m impatiently awaiting the next installment. This series is already one of my new favorite indie things.
April 19, 2018
This is a great first episode to the Raventree Society series. It was easy to become invested in the main character right off the bat, and he has a strong point of view that carries the story well. This particular episode reminded me a little bit of Stephen King's short story '1408' (which happens to be one of my favorite horror stories and movies, so that was a pleasant surprise). The author's vivid descriptions create an appropriate atmosphere of suspense and dread, which left me eager to read more and delve deeper into the mystery.
May 25, 2018
This short story was very, very well-written, and it makes me really hope I can get my hands on J.E. Purazzi's other work in the future! :D
The author does an excellent job creating a creepy atmosphere, and although we don't get the chance to know these characters well, she does manage to make you care about them~
That being said, I did see a couple of issues: the first of which being a number of glaring typos taking me out of an otherwise high-quality work.
The second being...I didn't really understand the ghost by the end?
Like, I could see there was some kind of logic at play here, but I couldn't really wrap my head around it. What did the spirit want? What exactly did she do to her victims? What did the things she was saying mean? What were her motivations and how did she function? And who even was she?
Maybe I'm just stupid, or maybe these were left blank intentionally. I mean, the protagonist obviously isn't a real ghost-hunter (despite his profession) so I guess I couldn't expect any Winchester/Lockwood & Co.-style paranormal detective work on such short notice. Still, as a paranormal writer who hates most horror for it's lack of plain, logical story-telling, I can't help but feel a lil' frustrated.
But who am I to complain? I got my copy for free. And it was still really good otherwise!
And who knows? Maybe this haunting will be explained in later episodes. And you can bet I WILL be reading other episodes (when I get the chance)!
The author does an excellent job creating a creepy atmosphere, and although we don't get the chance to know these characters well, she does manage to make you care about them~
That being said, I did see a couple of issues: the first of which being a number of glaring typos taking me out of an otherwise high-quality work.
The second being...I didn't really understand the ghost by the end?
Like, I could see there was some kind of logic at play here, but I couldn't really wrap my head around it. What did the spirit want? What exactly did she do to her victims? What did the things she was saying mean? What were her motivations and how did she function? And who even was she?
Maybe I'm just stupid, or maybe these were left blank intentionally. I mean, the protagonist obviously isn't a real ghost-hunter (despite his profession) so I guess I couldn't expect any Winchester/Lockwood & Co.-style paranormal detective work on such short notice. Still, as a paranormal writer who hates most horror for it's lack of plain, logical story-telling, I can't help but feel a lil' frustrated.
But who am I to complain? I got my copy for free. And it was still really good otherwise!
And who knows? Maybe this haunting will be explained in later episodes. And you can bet I WILL be reading other episodes (when I get the chance)!
March 13, 2018
This was a lot of fun. A scary ghost story similar in vibe to Supernatural...except I generally can't watch Supernatural because it makes me uneasy and I was able to read this without problem. The character voice was spot-on and I can't wait for more Raventree Society stories!
February 25, 2018
If you like ghost stories and creepy scary things... I would keep an eye for for more episodes... this thoroughly creeped me out!!!!
March 27, 2018
This is probably the first ghost story I've ever read, and man it was a great introduction to the genre! The characters were all very unique and well written, the story is fascinating, and the story is just creepy and suspensful enough to send a slight shiver down my spine while still allowing me to sleep at night. Can't wait to read episode 2!
March 9, 2018
I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
I've struggled with what to say about this first "episode" in The Raventree Society. First, let me assure you that J.E. Purrazzi's writing is and continues to be beautiful, powerful, and insightful. Her characters seem so realistic that it's like she found a way to transfer living humans into 2-dimensional words. She never shies away from hard truths and is committed to putting forth absolutely stellar works of fiction.
Purrazzi has a unique way of weaving description and suspense so that you feel like you've been drawn into the story as an invisible bystander. It's incredible. I love it when I forget where I am in a book.
In this case, that very power of her storytelling was why I could not finish reading this story. I'll admit that I'm sensitive to creepiness and probably didn't think it through enough when I picked up this read. I had to stop watching Supernatural because it was too much for me. The same was the case for "The Strawberry Lane Hotel."
This is entirely a personal preference, and beside that, this story was incredible. If you enjoy Supernatural and ghost stories, I can say with confidence that you will absolutely love "The Raventree Society."
Purrazzi remains one of my favorite indie authors, and I look forward to more from her.
I've struggled with what to say about this first "episode" in The Raventree Society. First, let me assure you that J.E. Purrazzi's writing is and continues to be beautiful, powerful, and insightful. Her characters seem so realistic that it's like she found a way to transfer living humans into 2-dimensional words. She never shies away from hard truths and is committed to putting forth absolutely stellar works of fiction.
Purrazzi has a unique way of weaving description and suspense so that you feel like you've been drawn into the story as an invisible bystander. It's incredible. I love it when I forget where I am in a book.
In this case, that very power of her storytelling was why I could not finish reading this story. I'll admit that I'm sensitive to creepiness and probably didn't think it through enough when I picked up this read. I had to stop watching Supernatural because it was too much for me. The same was the case for "The Strawberry Lane Hotel."
This is entirely a personal preference, and beside that, this story was incredible. If you enjoy Supernatural and ghost stories, I can say with confidence that you will absolutely love "The Raventree Society."
Purrazzi remains one of my favorite indie authors, and I look forward to more from her.
March 28, 2018
This didn't do much for me.
I don't think it was a good idea to have such a long flashback in the middle of the first story, especially about characters I don't think we'll see again. If we do see them again, that should have been hinted at so we know why we care.
That made it harder to connect with the present-day characters. Although Kyle definitely has potential, I didn't see enough to be invested in him.
Also, the background wasn't stated as clearly as it could have been. It's a fun concept, with the reality tv ghost hunter realizing there are actually ghosts, but old disbelief and the shock/realization was glossed over.
That being said, I love the idea of 'episodes' and 'seasons.' It's a fun way to tell a story, and I hope Purrazzi is successful.
I don't think it was a good idea to have such a long flashback in the middle of the first story, especially about characters I don't think we'll see again. If we do see them again, that should have been hinted at so we know why we care.
That made it harder to connect with the present-day characters. Although Kyle definitely has potential, I didn't see enough to be invested in him.
Also, the background wasn't stated as clearly as it could have been. It's a fun concept, with the reality tv ghost hunter realizing there are actually ghosts, but old disbelief and the shock/realization was glossed over.
That being said, I love the idea of 'episodes' and 'seasons.' It's a fun way to tell a story, and I hope Purrazzi is successful.
February 25, 2019
Great things come in small packages..
Although a short story, if this is a true example of the author's talent, we have a new giant entering this genre. I can't wait for the next episode. The pain of a missing brother, the downhill spiral that is the search, and finally, the exquisite terror from the ghost is felt physically as you read. By the end of this short story you are rung out from the emotions experienced and want to go immediately to the next installment, but maybe a few hours sleep (ha) and a lighthearted comedy to prepare for the next course. So pleasantly surprised, I don't enjoy horror, but do enjoy psychic thrillers. On par will Willow Rose or Gabriel Farago.
Although a short story, if this is a true example of the author's talent, we have a new giant entering this genre. I can't wait for the next episode. The pain of a missing brother, the downhill spiral that is the search, and finally, the exquisite terror from the ghost is felt physically as you read. By the end of this short story you are rung out from the emotions experienced and want to go immediately to the next installment, but maybe a few hours sleep (ha) and a lighthearted comedy to prepare for the next course. So pleasantly surprised, I don't enjoy horror, but do enjoy psychic thrillers. On par will Willow Rose or Gabriel Farago.
June 27, 2021
As one does when they can’t sleep at 4am, I decided to read a story and spook myself, and felt it was the perfect opportunity to dive into the Raventree Society. Having read part of Purrazzi’s Malfunction series, I’m no stranger to her descriptive yet swiftly-paced writing style.
There’s little to say without spoiling the story of this short serial piece, but an uneasy atmosphere was well-constructed within the first few pages and with a simple, though chilling premise to the protagonist’s stay in the Strawberry Lane Hotel, I can say that my 4am endeavor was satisfied. I’m spooked and ready for more.
I’m already confident that Raventree Society will prove to be an excellent recommendation for the Halloween season!
There’s little to say without spoiling the story of this short serial piece, but an uneasy atmosphere was well-constructed within the first few pages and with a simple, though chilling premise to the protagonist’s stay in the Strawberry Lane Hotel, I can say that my 4am endeavor was satisfied. I’m spooked and ready for more.
I’m already confident that Raventree Society will prove to be an excellent recommendation for the Halloween season!
November 4, 2018
Actual rating 3.5/5, but rounding up because I really enjoyed it on the whole.
A compelling story. Very creepy and atmospheric. The ending left a little to be desired (ie some sort of explanation) but on the whole I enjoyed this. I like the way this author tells stories (with the dreams and or flashbacks etc.).
Also could use a bit of editing for typos.
A compelling story. Very creepy and atmospheric. The ending left a little to be desired (ie some sort of explanation) but on the whole I enjoyed this. I like the way this author tells stories (with the dreams and or flashbacks etc.).
Also could use a bit of editing for typos.
June 9, 2019
Scary Ghost Story
Not exactly what I expected and probably shouldn't have read it so close to bed time. Properly spooked now. Can't wait to read the next one.
Not exactly what I expected and probably shouldn't have read it so close to bed time. Properly spooked now. Can't wait to read the next one.
July 31, 2022
This was good.I enjoyed it. T.Bill James was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews