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Clarissa's Warning

Isobel Blackthorn (Goodreads Author)

4.57 · Rating details · 7 ratings · 6 reviews

A lottery jackpot changes Claire Bennett’s life.

After she buys an ancient stone ruin on Fuerteventura - the island of her dreams - her mystic aunt Clarissa warns her of danger.

Claire pays no heed, but soon after she moves to the idyllic island, she is confronted by a mystery. As the sinister story of her home slowly uncovers, Claire enters a world of inexplicable events

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Kindle Edition, 257 pages

Published November 30th 2018 by Creativia

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4.57 ·

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· 7 ratings · 6 reviews

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Dec 10, 2018 James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1-fiction, 7-creativia-authors, 8-authors-i-know, 9-read-2018-12-december

Clarissa's Warning is a new novel by Isobel Blackthorn published in 2018 by Creativia Publishing. I saw the gorgeous cover on a Facebook post and took a chance on reading someone new. Part mystery, part paranormal, this book focuses on the re-building of a beautiful but decaying island home off the coast of Africa and Spain. Claire, a middle-aged single woman who lost her mother very young has been raised by her distant father and her Aunt Clarissa, a somewhat gifted visionary. Claire fell in lo Clarissa's Warning is a new novel by Isobel Blackthorn published in 2018 by Creativia Publishing. I saw the gorgeous cover on a Facebook post and took a chance on reading someone new. Part mystery, part paranormal, this book focuses on the re-building of a beautiful but decaying island home off the coast of Africa and Spain. Claire, a middle-aged single woman who lost her mother very young has been raised by her distant father and her Aunt Clarissa, a somewhat gifted visionary. Claire fell in love with the house and developed a strong desire to restore it to greatness. After she won the lottery, Claire convinces the owner to sell her the property against his better wishes (and for close to double what it's worth), then moves to the island against her aunt's warning. It's a simple warning really... someone is out to dupe her, so don't trust anyone.

The book traces the ~6 month period from when Claire moves to the island until the semi-completion of the renovations. I won't say why the book ends before the renovations are complete... Does she die? Does the house implode? Does she sell and run away? Or does she solve the mystery and find a compromise? So many things could happen... which makes the book have a light suspense factor overall. You know something bad is gonna happen, but when will Claire be most in danger? Claire gets to know the building team members who are afraid of spirits haunting the house. She befriends the local cafe owner who's reticent to share the truth about past. And she meets a reporter / photojournalist who for the first time symbolizes potential love in her life. Is one of these people trying to harm her? Or is it something from the Great Beyond?

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the way in which the author catalogs two things: (1) past owners of the home and (2) re-modeling and construction of the new home. Both are handled with careful detail and imagination. The building comes to life through Blackthorn's beautiful descriptions. The previous owners are frightening and empathetic. Just who owned this place and what kind of horrific thing happened to create so many near-death experiences for future owners and inhabitants? Blackthorn keeps the pages turning with curiosity and a hope for a successful venture in Claire's future.

I enjoy paranormal adventures and this was an easy yet immersive one to follow. While a few scenes scare you, others seem a bit normal in occurrence. When you add it all together, it's easy to understand why Claire would be scared but also choose to stay... at least until the major one happens where she's put in grave danger. I would not have gone back after that happened and I tend to be a stay-and-fight/protect kinda guy. When there's a mean ghost after me, I'll kick it's rear end... at least until I end up in the hospital. Then I might take a breather. Not Claire -- she wants her house back!

I'd recommend this for a wide variety audience. You need an interest or acceptance of paranormal activity, a curiosity about different cultures and the renovation process, and a love of a good story. Put all those things together and you've got a fantastic read that will show you something you probably haven't experienced -- I'm not sure many have met a ghost, to be honest, which makes this an even stronger concept to dive into. Kudos to the author for making it pop and draw me in. I bought the book a few weeks after it was published and will definitely read more from this author. ...more

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Nov 25, 2018 Anthony rated it really liked it

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A woman’s good fortunes turn dire when her dreams of owning and restoring old ruins leads to a dangerous situation in author Isobel Blackthorn’s “Clarissa’s Warning”. Here is the synopsis.

The Synopsis

PREORDER SPECIAL: $2.99 (US) / £1.99 (UK)
A lottery jackpot changes Claire Bennett’s life.
She buys an ancient stone ruin on the island of her dreams. Her mystic aunt Clarissa warns her of danger, b I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A woman’s good fortunes turn dire when her dreams of owning and restoring old ruins leads to a dangerous situation in author Isobel Blackthorn’s “Clarissa’s Warning”. Here is the synopsis.

The Synopsis

PREORDER SPECIAL: $2.99 (US) / £1.99 (UK)  
A lottery jackpot changes Claire Bennett’s life.
She buys an ancient stone ruin on the island of her dreams. Her mystic aunt Clarissa warns her of danger, but Claire pays no heed.
Soon after moving to the idyllic island, Claire is confronted by a mystery. As the sinister story of her home slowly uncovers, Claire enters a world of inexplicable events and ordeals. Someone or something doesn't want her there.
But is it really a curse, or is there something else behind the events?

The Review

This was the kind of classic slow burn horror story that defines the horror/thriller genre. What starts out as a mission to fulfill a dream turns into a nightmare when Claire must struggle with the distrust of the locals, tales of an ancient curse and mysterious happenings that defy logic. The story flourished under the hopeful eyes of protagonist Claire. Peeling back the layers of this well rounded character, readers will love seeing the complex relationships with her parents, her close knit bond with her aunt Clarissa, the strength of taking a leap of faith and going after her dreams, and the struggle to merge her logical, scientific mind with the supernatural/curse nature of her new home.

The setting really brought this story home however. The Canary Islands take the center stage in this tale, an inspiration from the author’s own travels and mission to bring ancient structures on these islands back to their former glory. Themes of conserving our past, pursuing our passions and bringing the truth to light all shine through in this truly incredible horror thriller.

The Verdict

Overall I loved this tale. The novel soars as a classic story of love, passion and a promise to protect the places that hold our civilization’s history within it. With a heavy focus on character development with light doses of horror and thriller elements, this is a story readers will thoroughly enjoy. Be sure to preorder your copy of Isobel Blackthorn’s “Clarissa’s Warning” today. ...more

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Nov 24, 2018 Shalini rated it liked it

This was a very slow paced tale where everything was described in detail. The story had Claire winning the lottery and buying the ruins in an island, going about to renovate them with workers who were weirdly reluctant. And then strange things started happening to the workers which then moved on to her, reminding her of aunt Clarissa’s astro warning.

My first book by Isabel Blackthorn, I quite liked the main character Claire though I didn’t identify or connect with her. She had her own way of doi ...more

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Dec 07, 2018 Brian Porter rated it it was amazing

Things that go bump in the night

This book definitely had the wow factor for me. Lottery winner Claire announces her intention to leave England and move to the island of Fuerteventura where she intends to renovate and live in an old ruined 'mansion' style villa in a small village. Her Aunt Clarissa, a dedicated occultist, issues a warning of potential danger ahead which Claire dismisses as poppycock.
However, once work begins on her new home, she begins to wonder if her aunt was right in her assum ...more

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Dec 19, 2018 Terry (TBC) rated it it was amazing

I went on a tour in this book to a warm and humid place, lovely when I’m in the cold!
Claire has bought her dream home, she won the lottery, now the hard work begins. She meets Paco and a new friendship appears The builders are spooked, she is spooked and Aunt Clarissa did warn her......
The story gets spooky and dark as the house is coming along. Strange noises and happenings occur and disturb the balance of new and old lives.
Definitely recommend this, written so well and flows so good.

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Feb 10, 2019 Cindy Cipriano rated it it was amazing

Clarissa’s Warning

Claire Bennett, a bank teller for twenty years wins the lottery and buys the home of her dreams. She quits her job, sells her modest home, and prepares to move to the Canary Islands when her mystic Aunt Clarissa warns her about the relocation. Unfortunately, the warning comes after the deal is closed and so Claire is on her way. I mean, who wouldn’t love a view of a volcano!

Although she is newly and incredibly rich, readers can relate to Claire who continues to be “frugal,” in ...more

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About Isobel Blackthorn

Isobel Blackthorn

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Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of original fiction across a range of genres, including dark psychological thrillers, gripping mystery novels, captivating travel fiction and hilarious dark satire. Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism for her groundbreaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former ho ...more