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The Descendants
A mashup of Adventures in Babysitting and Drag Me to Hell that blends chills, humor, and romance all wrapped around a curse one century in the making.
From the moment Logan meets Eloise, he is transfixed by her beauty, sense of humor, and magnetic personality. Of course, he’s unaware of the darkness that lurks in her life since she hunts the supernatural. Logan doesn’t believe in the paranormal, but after that fortuitous meeting with Eloise, strange events begin occurring, situations that stretch his understanding of the otherworldly.
Soon, Logan and his siblings are stalked by something inhuman, and he’s going to need Eloise’s expertise because this entity won’t stop pursuing them…until they’re all dead.
From the moment Logan meets Eloise, he is transfixed by her beauty, sense of humor, and magnetic personality. Of course, he’s unaware of the darkness that lurks in her life since she hunts the supernatural. Logan doesn’t believe in the paranormal, but after that fortuitous meeting with Eloise, strange events begin occurring, situations that stretch his understanding of the otherworldly.
Soon, Logan and his siblings are stalked by something inhuman, and he’s going to need Eloise’s expertise because this entity won’t stop pursuing them…until they’re all dead.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2019
44 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Kilgrave
29 books24 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Sydney Bristow.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 6, 2019
THE DESCENDANTS is an engrossing horror novel with a creatively inventive premise. Throughout are several characters striving to do what's best for the Family (past and present characters) and villains. It's not until nearly the end that we discover who is actually the true villain; and the denouement that follows will wrench the emotions of even the most jaded of readers. Realistic family life and characters with integrity (with the exception of the villainous) steer an entrancing paranormal horror.
December 27, 2019
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Logan has a comical, rom-com-y moment with the mysterious and beautiful Eloise, he thinks it's the best day of his life. However, when strange things begin to occur in his home, he and his two younger siblings must reach out to Eloise for her paranormal expertise.
This book is...fine. It's pretty bland, predictable, a little frustrating at times, but ultimately harmless. The book's biggest flaw is that it's told from the wrong POV. Logan is harmless enough, even endearing at times (poor boy just wants to be a good big brother), but he's comically inept at coming to terms with the fact that he's being haunted, and just comes off as superfluous next to Eloise. Eloise, by contrast, is a rockin' chick who actually knows what's going on. She's confident, she's funny, and she clearly has connections to a larger, more interesting world. I'd much rather read about her adventures than read about our whitebread MC bumbling around.
That flaw aside, the author does make other amateur mistakes. There's a lot of telling instead of showing. The narrative is constantly pausing for us to hear Logan's thoughts on whatever has just been said. Conversations often grind to a halt so he can muse on every line that's being spoken. Moreover, he's generally not reacting in interesting ways - just kinda nodding along and dissecting everything in a very clinical but agreeable manner. It becomes a chore to read after awhile.
Those complaints aside, the story is otherwise perfectly passable. The characters' motives are clear, the narrative is straight-forward, and the characters are realistic enough. There are a lot of contrivances (Logan's mom has a deep dark secret she needs to tell him, but keeps getting cut off every time she tries, Logan continually stalls in coming to terms with the fact that they're being haunted, and the rom-com beginning to the novel that sets everything in motion) but nothing that actively ruins the story. I would say this is a fine novel for younger readers (preteens to maybe teenagers) without anything offensive or too scary in it. Anyone else probably won't find enough to capture their attention.
When Logan has a comical, rom-com-y moment with the mysterious and beautiful Eloise, he thinks it's the best day of his life. However, when strange things begin to occur in his home, he and his two younger siblings must reach out to Eloise for her paranormal expertise.
This book is...fine. It's pretty bland, predictable, a little frustrating at times, but ultimately harmless. The book's biggest flaw is that it's told from the wrong POV. Logan is harmless enough, even endearing at times (poor boy just wants to be a good big brother), but he's comically inept at coming to terms with the fact that he's being haunted, and just comes off as superfluous next to Eloise. Eloise, by contrast, is a rockin' chick who actually knows what's going on. She's confident, she's funny, and she clearly has connections to a larger, more interesting world. I'd much rather read about her adventures than read about our whitebread MC bumbling around.
That flaw aside, the author does make other amateur mistakes. There's a lot of telling instead of showing. The narrative is constantly pausing for us to hear Logan's thoughts on whatever has just been said. Conversations often grind to a halt so he can muse on every line that's being spoken. Moreover, he's generally not reacting in interesting ways - just kinda nodding along and dissecting everything in a very clinical but agreeable manner. It becomes a chore to read after awhile.
Those complaints aside, the story is otherwise perfectly passable. The characters' motives are clear, the narrative is straight-forward, and the characters are realistic enough. There are a lot of contrivances (Logan's mom has a deep dark secret she needs to tell him, but keeps getting cut off every time she tries, Logan continually stalls in coming to terms with the fact that they're being haunted, and the rom-com beginning to the novel that sets everything in motion) but nothing that actively ruins the story. I would say this is a fine novel for younger readers (preteens to maybe teenagers) without anything offensive or too scary in it. Anyone else probably won't find enough to capture their attention.
June 12, 2019
This was a very interesting book from start to finish, and it kept me invested the whole time, trying to figure out what exactly was going on with this family. I have to say, I didn't see some of it coming, and it played out in a fascinating way.
My criticism is that it seems like the author really depended on their thesaurus, and considering we're following a 19yo boy's POV, it sounded stilted and pompous in a lot of places, while in others it came across as a typical teenage boy would think and/or speak. (Spoiler-free example: This new conundrum disentangled the other concerns from his mind and freed him to probe this new development.) Just my two cents, for what it's worth. Still a good book regardless, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling story.
4 stars
My criticism is that it seems like the author really depended on their thesaurus, and considering we're following a 19yo boy's POV, it sounded stilted and pompous in a lot of places, while in others it came across as a typical teenage boy would think and/or speak. (Spoiler-free example: This new conundrum disentangled the other concerns from his mind and freed him to probe this new development.) Just my two cents, for what it's worth. Still a good book regardless, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling story.
4 stars
June 9, 2019
This book has everything you would want in a paranormal horror fiction book. Also had me guessing from the beginning but still didn't have a clue until close to the end.
It had everything you would expect plus more including family drama, psychics, witches and more.
Definitely worth a read and another great book from Kirk.
It had everything you would expect plus more including family drama, psychics, witches and more.
Definitely worth a read and another great book from Kirk.
June 1, 2020
Another Thriller!
Eloise and Jocelyn are helping another family with a bit of a different haunting - a curse that has been going on for a long time. Eloise has met an amazing young man with a problem. It takes a long time to figure out what is going on. Once they figure it out, how to get rid of the ghosts is the next problem!
Eloise and Jocelyn are helping another family with a bit of a different haunting - a curse that has been going on for a long time. Eloise has met an amazing young man with a problem. It takes a long time to figure out what is going on. Once they figure it out, how to get rid of the ghosts is the next problem!
April 30, 2019
Thrilling, chilling, nerve-wracking but I couldn’t put it down! I was terrified the whole time! And that ending? I LOVED IT
April 27, 2021
scary as hell. Love reading about eloise.
December 13, 2021
Cute
I loved it! This book was really sweet in its own way! I'm glad Eloise has found someone!! She deserves happiness and love!
I loved it! This book was really sweet in its own way! I'm glad Eloise has found someone!! She deserves happiness and love!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews