100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Something strange happened on the day of Douglas Stanton’s birth.  A rift between life and death has opened causing a mass haunting at Oceanside Memorial Medical Center.  The haunting caused his mother to strangle him and the haunting revived his spirit in order to create a portal between the worlds, Earth and the Phantom Cabinet.  The spirits follow Douglas around for his entire life, earning him the nickname of Ghost Boy and a life of ostracization from fellow students.  As Douglas grows, more spirits filter through Douglas and the town, spreading their influence.  One spirit in particular needs Douglas for her own nefarious deeds.  Death spreads around Douglas, but when he finds out the spirit’s true purpose, he may not have the strength to do what he needs.

This haunting story was a great blend of horror and science fiction, perfect for a Halloween time read.   At first, I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going; on a space mission a crew is tearing themselves to pieces in horrendous ways, committing suicide one by one.  This book does not lack gore for sure, it is not an all-out gore fest, but it is there.  Back on Earth, we meet Douglas the day of his birth, death and revival.  Even as a young child I was drawn into his story.  Douglas is constantly bombarded by ghosts, apparitions, reflections and simply seeing things that should not be there, yet he manages to carve out a life for himself.  As the malignant spirits grows in strength, a hidden horror unfolds leaving terror in its wake for anyone that Douglas cares for.  Through slowly unfolding drama, great characters and relationships, the dread of the Phantom Cabinet kept me reading and thoroughly interested.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.