THE WRAITH OF
CARTER'S MILL
BY C. EVENFALL
GENRE: PARANORMAL/SUSPENSE
The Wraith of Carter’s Mill chronicles
five generations of women from the turn of the century to present day. It
depicts in startling detail the result of an old curse and the wraith that
haunts the family. Sensitives, The Guardians and The Forgotten tell the tale
while the fourth shocking segment, Carter’s Mill provides the back-story. It
reveals the shameful truth behind a century of sorrow and the curse of revenge
that plagues the Carter women.
Zeb, the Carter family patriarch, is a
hard, callous man. He runs his thriving sawmill, farm and family with an iron
fist. When he commits an incredible act of cruelty, he ignorantly brings a
terrible curse down upon all his kin. Martha Thompsons’ prophecy proves true as
the family falls into ruin, and the women pay the price.
Almost a century after Zeb’s death, a
Carter daughter is born with notable yet uncanny gifts. It will be up to
Shyanne to unearth a long buried family secret and set an old wrong back to
rights. Will she find a way to lift the curse and banish the accursed wraith
that haunts her? If she fails, she risks losing her own little girl to the dark
entity forever.
A small North Carolina community,
where everyone knows everyone sets the perfect stage for this suspenseful
drama. Rich in history and southern culture, The Wraith of Carter’s Mill
harkens back to a time when life was simpler, and superstition was part of
everyday living.
REVIEW:
This
review is part of Sage’s blog tours. And I would like to start it by thanking
the organizer for actually sending me this book. When I took this up, little
did I realize that I would fall in love with a ghost story. The book was a 435
page PDF document (provided as a review copy). I was a bit skeptic about such a
big book holding my interest completely.
But thankfully, ‘The Wraith of Carter’s
Mill’ is divided into what I would call are 4 novellas. They chronicle the life
of women of Carter family over generations. This book is exactly like the
summary promises it is. And there was no doubt about the book holding my
interest – I couldn’t put it down even if it were a running novel of 435 pages.
How serious could a curse get? Are all
those superstitions real? The story starts with ‘Sensitives’ that is about
little Libby who sees a dark shadow man chomping threateningly. Her mother, Julia
is very unsupportive when she comes to know of it and here we see the
relationship strain between a parent and a child.
Libby grows up and has Shyanne, who
has a curious gift, born almost a century after Zeb, who was the reason for the
curse. The same dark man seems to haunt Shyanne too. By then we as readers realize
that this curse of the family is seriously paranormal.
Then the next generation arrives and
Shyanne has Melody who is haunted by the same dark shadow that loomed over her
family and Shyanne realizes that she has to find out and eliminate the root
cause with the help of her unique gift.
Even after repeated gruesome deaths,
this book held my fascination. The paranormal element has been included
beautifully in term with the story. The timeline is maintained perfectly and
for a story that spans generations, thankfully, this doesn’t jump between time
periods easily.
The streamlined flow is aided by a
perfectly crafted story with intricately woven details. I really love the way
the story progressed and keeping the best bit (that is the origin of the curse)
for the last is a great strategy to not only explain things but also hold the
interest. It seems ironic that women of a family suffer over generations for a
man’s callous deed.
Also, special mention to the initial ‘Carter
Family Bible’. That was a nice touch. I was never in doubt or confused with the
characters or timeline, but even if I had any mild difficulty, I always had the
guide of sorts to confirm. I would recommend this book to all paranormal
lovers. This is one of a kind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
C. Evenfall grew up on the Crystal
Coast of North Carolina. In many ways, her community was isolated from the
outside world, and time simply stood still. The old ways of “doing things”
surrounded her, and she was both fascinated by the rich history and influenced
by it.
As with any such place, the area was
rich with ghost lore and old tales of “people done wrong.” C. Evenfall, a child
seen and not heard, hovered as close as she dared, listening to the old stories
when the adults got together talking about old times. She also spent many
nights with the sheet pulled over her head in childish fright.
A paranormal encounter when she was
just six years old, experienced by two other people at the same time, convinced
her that ghosts really did exist. C.
Evenfall has been seeking answers ever since. Her fascination with the unexplainable,
coupled with her love of history and southern culture and the role women play
in both, have inspired her to write The Wraith of Carter’s Mill, a series of
novellas. Each inspired by tales from her childhood and the family members who
passed them down.
Life has taken her many places, but
today, C. Evenfall resides with her husband in the same fishing village where
she grew up. Together they enjoy hiking, camping, gardening and the outdoors in
general. She forgives his skeptics’ dismissal of things that go bump in the
night and loves him dearly in spite of it. They complement one another
perfectly.
Social Media Links:
Author’s
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEvenfall
Author’s
Blog: http://cevenfall.wordpress.com/
Amazon
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/C.-Evenfall/e/B00MSV6YT0
Twitter:@CEvenfall2
Book
Trailer: https://youtu.be/5sO-swDNQPY
BOOK LINKS:
The
author is giving away 5 digital copies of The Wraith of Carter’s Mill & a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
Thank you Dhivya, I really loved your review of "The Wraith of Carter's Mill", and I appreciated you hosting the book today as well!
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