Witch Wood (Excerpt Included)

Click for Harvesting Series on Amazon

 

  *I got this book from the author for free, this in no way effects my opinion of the book.*

*Do not read this book until you've read the previous three books, The Harvesting, Midway, and The Shadow Aspect.*

 

Witch Wood

A "Harvesting Series" Novella  

Melanie Karsak 

• Published October 1, 2015 by Clockpunk Press 
•  Post Apocalyptic
•  13+ Interest level
•  5/5 ★★★★★
•  Includes mild language, zombies and witchcraft.

     Amelia isn't an average teenage girl, she's a witch. She's been practicing Wicca, a type of magic, since she was 13. With a flu sweeping the nation with deadly and strange side effects her mother, a nurse, is working 24/7. Once at Witch Wood to take care of Madame Knightly, an elderly women who can't clean the house or shop herself, she finds out her mother's sick. She go's home only to find her mom and step-dad in a zombie-like state in her backyard. The world is going down in flames, will Amelia go with it?

The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting 2)

The Shadow Aspect by Melanie Karsak

Genre- Post-Apocalyptic 

Published- Clockpunk Press (July 15, 2015)

Interest Level- 14+

 

Warning includes mature content, zombies, vampires, cussing, and spoilers from The Harvesting (The Harvesting 1) and Midway (The Harvesting 1.5).

     "When Layla took the final step through the labyrinth, she thought she was saving the ones she loved.
     She couldn’t have been more wrong.
     The unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons, Layla and the other survivors now find themselves in a war for our world. With vampires lurking and shapechangers plotting vengeance, if mankind has any hope of survival, Layla must decide whom to trust: the carnie girl? The quiet doctor? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves? And then there are the voices. What does it forewarn if the dead can speak?"- Melaniekarsak.com

      I give The Shadow Aspect 3.5/5 stars for good characters and plotline. We meet Tristan at the end of Midway, but really get to know him here. He has a big secret; a  secret that could be the key to life or undeath. I believe that we really get to know Cricket. She, like anybody, has insecurities and Karsak plays on that giving her life. As for Layla, we already knew her and she's just as awesome as always! 


     As a standalone, I think The Shadow Aspect could be good. However, when compared to the first two books in The Harvesting Trilogy, it was kind of dissapointing. You know that one book in a really good series that is good, but not quite as good as the rest? I feel like The Shadow Aspect was that book; good but not great. In spite of the fact that it wasn't the best, I can't wait to read Witch Wood (The Harvesting 2.5), to be published October 1, 2015 by Clockpunk Press.

 

The Harvesting Series Reading Order: 

Book 1: The Harvesting

Book 1.5: Midway (can be read before or after The Harvesting)

Book 2: The Shadow Aspect

Book 2.5: Witch Wood

 

 

Midway by Melanie Karsak

I had the very special privilege of winning signed copies of The Harvesting and Midway by Melanie Karsak as she worked up to the release of The Shadow Aspect. I had begun reading the first in the series a few months ago, but honestly, reading on a kindle is not my forte and quit rather quickly. However, I love Melanie Karsak's writing style and jumped at the opportunity to win signed copies. Little did I know, I was going to lose them to my twelve year old bibliophile and book reviewer! -Victoria Allred

Enough about me. Here is Makenzie's review of Midway!

Genre: Post Apocolyptic
Published: October 25, 2014 by Clockpunk Press
Interest level: 13+

Cricket's always been a carnie; she grew up on. However, when the world gets taken by "sick" people turned cannibals, she has to leave the carnival behind. With the help of Vella, a tarot reader, and her faithful dog, Puck, they find shelter. A sick world, criminals on the loose and a need to survive. Can Cricket survive the apocalypse or will she die trying?

Midway is a novella set at the same chronological time as The Harvesting giving readers a new view of the apocolypse. I give Midway four out of five stars only because I didn't feel I got to know Cricket as well as I did the characters of The Harvesting. Overall, it was a good story and I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect (which I've already downloaded!) which is the second book in The Harvesting Series. 

*Read my review of The Harvesting.

 

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak (#1 in The Harvesting Series)  

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic  

Published: January 8, 2014 by Clockpunk Press  

First edition: September 13, 2012 by Steampunk Press 

Interest Level: 13+

     Layla Petrovitch hoped she would never see Hamletville again. However, when she gets a desperate call from her grandmother, she is forced to return home. With an epidemic sweeping the country making infected people turn cannibalistic and danger at every turn, can Layla survive? With the help of whats left of the town they finally escape, but is it worth the risk?

    
      "Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling steampunk series The Airship Racing Chronicles, the award-winning horror/dark fantasy Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth. She grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master's degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, Shakespeare nerd, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College."-Melaniekarsak.com


     I give The Harvesting 5/5 stars for great writing and a unique plot. It had me gripping the edge of my seat. With a variety of paranormal creatures, from vampires to shadow creatures, and a unique twist on zombies, no stone was left unturned. Many people classify it as zombie story, but it's so much more. It's vampires, post-apocalyptic, and could even be considered a coming-of-age story. In the end, I got so much more than I expected. I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect the second story in The Harvesting Trilogy. 

*Review for Midway coming soon.*
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