#BOOK REVIEW BY @COLLEENCHESEBRO OF “WILL O’ THE WISP,” BY AUTHOR @VIRGILANTE

• Title:  Will O’ the Wisp
• Author: C. S. Boyack
• File Size: 3536 KB
• Print Length: 259 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN:
•  Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Publication Date: March 13, 2015
• Sold by Amazon, Inc.
•  Language: English
• ASIN: B00UPH6BNS
• ISBN-10:
• ISBN-13:
• Formats:  Kindle
• Genres: YA Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery, and Suspense

*The author provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review which follows*

Have you Seen a Will O’ the Wisp?

Eerie green phosphorescent lights have been seen hovering over Bergamot Holler in Virginia since the beginning of time. What are these lights and why are they there? Speculation is that the lights are just swamp gasses floating harmlessly in the stillness of an autumn evening, even though their appearance has foretold many stories about fairies, ghosts, and witches.

That is until Patty Hall, a not-so-average 15-year-old, witnesses the Will O’ the Wisp first hand in the mid-1970’s during a routine hike in the woods near her house while star gazing one night. Patty witnesses one of the mysterious orbs as it forces its way inside the body of an unsuspecting male college student. Terrified, she flees back to the safety of her home, afraid to share what she has seen for fear her mother will have her committed.

The next day, when Patty’s Uncle turns up dead, the college student is arrested for his murder. Accompanied by her Mother and Step-Father at the jail, Patty sees the murderer who appears to be sick as he spews up copious amounts of liquid from his lungs. The boy has murder in his eyes as he lunges for Patty through the bars of his jail cell yelling, “You’re next!” (Pg. 37).

The Mystery Deepens

In preparation for her Uncle’s funeral Patty helps her mother clean out his house. It is during this process that Patty finds extensive research on the Will O’ the Wisp her uncle had been working on for years. Horrified by what she finds Patty realizes that her family has been targeted for generations by the Will O’ the Wisp.

On top of all this, Patty has her own disabilities to contend with. She is not popular in high school and must wear leg braces to correct a congenital deformity. Tensions with her mother are at an all-time high, and her two best friends are growing away from her. For Patty, life has taken a chilling turn.

With every ounce of courage, she can summon, Patty embarks on a supernatural journey to find the answers she needs to save her own life, and those of her friends, and family.

Recommendation:

I was gripped with tension as I read “The Will O’ the Wisp,” staying up late into the night because I could not put the book down. The next day, I found myself wondering about all the possibilities that Patty had before her in trying to solve the mystery that was stalking and killing her family members. You could say, I was hooked by the story and the characters, even though the book was targeted for a young adult genre.

S. Boyack realistically spins this coming of age tale of a 15-year-old girl with the chilling supernatural happenings in a small town in Virginia, all the while, blending historical elements that draw you further into the mystery. Boyack is clever, though. He reveals the story writing almost as if he were the young girl himself seeing through her eyes. Patty becomes a character who is totally loveable and believable, teenage angst and all.

My hope was to read this story during Halloween. That did not happen, although I was pleasantly surprised at how the story did not need a holiday to reinforce the enigmatic vibes of the story line. This was one of the best young adult novels I have read. If you are looking for something unusual to read bury your head into “The Will O’ the Wisp.” If you dare!

My Rating:

Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 4
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 4
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 4.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

 

 

 

About C. S. Boyack

I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.

I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.

I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Make certain to connect with C. S. Boyack through his Twitter @virgilante

And his blog at: “Entertaining Stories,” coldhandboyack.wordpress.com

Book Review by: @ColleenChesebro of silverthreading.com