Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/I have commented numerous times over the years that I have a hard time with the “horror” classification because I don’t find many things horrifying. Books seem to fall into other genres for me - thrillers or mysteries or, in the case of a previous Ania Ahlborn I read, super-barf-baggy-cannibalistic-hillbilly (that should totally be a bookshelf at Barnes & Noble because I have read a bunch of those stories). Even the Master of Horror hi...

This was the CREEPIEST Ahlborn I’ve ever read!!! Ohmygod. Chills on chills. Required reading if you like a good, scary haunting story!

Student Maggie returns to her childhood home and is forced to confront a secret she has been trying to run away from. A secret that involves a ouija board and some deaths in the family.This story started off quite strong and I was certainly intrigued as information about Maggie and her family and her past slowly unfolded. However, the slow release of information at times made me think I had missed something important only to find it revealed later on. This style of storytelling can work really w...

This is my 5th Ahlborn book. And I officially think she can do no wrong. Creepy, fast paced with paranormal elements. Prepare for your fear of Ouija board to increase. I love the use of past and present chapters as well as how she writes young characters. Man, she really knows how to write that scare factor.

This was a gripping, spooky read that I could not put down. Ouija boards always freak me out, and this serves as an excellent cautionary tale. I really enjoyed how this was tied into the entire family and a specific location. The local cemetery scenes are all top notch. The parts written about Maggie as a child resonated with me because the character motivation is pitch-perfect. I do wish that at some point Maggie had sat down and made an itemized list of events that have occurred, created a tim...

4.0 StarsI loved this creepy little horror story. Drawing on childhood innocence, the intimate narrative was incredibly compelling. The horror was ambiguous, which will appeal to readers who prefer realistic story-lines. I listened to this on audio, which was a wonderfully unsettling experience. This is currently my recommendation where to start with Ania Ahlborn's work!

This horror novella was unputdownable. Moving back and forth between her 22ish year old self and her 12 year old self, the reader gradually uncovers what happened to make Maggie never want to return to her family home to Georgia again. The good and bad thing about the horror in this book was that it was ambiguous, something that could be good or bad, depending on your reading preferences. This book definitely had the creeping sense of unease I look for in horror books. There were some unanswered...

This novella can be summed up in one word: Creepy! Ania Ahlbiorn knows how to write a story that gets under your skin and lives there. This is a quick read that packs a terrifying punch and well worth your time if you're a horror fan.

This one is tough to rate I enjoyed the overall story but it felt rushed like really thats it? I wanted more the family Maggie thats all we get? Plus it was sad too it just left me going hmmm.

It starts with scratching sounds, then the tapping begins.  The odor of an extinguished candle follows the waft of char that hangs in the air.  The darkness lies in wait, cunning, swirling, and grinning.  Small wonder that Maggie wanted to get away from the old home place and stay gone.  But now, circumstances dictate that she return.As kids, we all loved board games.  From the sappy Candyland to the brainier options of Scrabble and Risk, we spent endless hours playing.YESAnd then there was the

True Horror! Let's begin with the Author's Notes....but first, how do you feel about Ouija boards? About calling upon the dead? I had one and remember being glad when it was gone too. "I CALL UPON THEE is a work of fiction, but it's the closest thing I'll get to an autobiography of how my "strangeness" came to be. The board was real. The cemetery, real. The night I watched The Exorcist, real as well. And the part where twelve year old Maggie suddenly realizes she's in way over her head? Yeah, th...

Maggie Olsen's life is one marred by tragedy. She left the remainder of her family far behind, as she continued with her studies far from home and plotted a bright future for herself that did not involve them. However, she is awoken one stormy night first by the remembrance of another and then by a phone-call heralding a new disaster. She must return home, no matter how reluctant she is to reconcile herself with the ghosts from her past, both metaphoric and literal.Few events in this novel were

Creeeeeeeeeeeepy!  I think this might be one of my favorite novellas to date.  I feel like we have all at one point or another in our childhood have played with dolls and Ouija boards.  I think the difference is whether this experience propelled us into the dark and macabre love that I have, or chased us in the opposite direction, arms flailing and constantly being all bright and glittery and happy... or whatever it is that's the opposite of me.  Ania does it again.  Pulls you right in and doesn...

Spooks and Shadows!A backstory:Maggie Olsen's world is turned upside down when she gets an urgent message from her sister, Arlene that she needs to come home as tragedy has struck the family and there has been a terrible accident. When Maggie finds out that her sister Brynn has passed away she is devastated so she hurries home for the funeral leaving her boyfriend behind in the middle of a hurricane, but storm or not she needs to get home to be with her family. Once Maggie steps foot in the old

4.5i loved this book! I could relate so much to Brynn, well during my teenage years at least. i guess i should apologize to my little sister for always trying to scare her and making her watch scary movies (she doesn't like them now). All the characters were great in their own way. The story was great and i really loved the ending. if your looking for something scary to read for Halloween, this is IT! the only reason i didn't give this a 5 star rating is that i felt near the end, things got a l...

This gave me the chills in such a delightful way.While technically a novella, I Call Upon Thee is on the longer side at 256 pages, which is very welcome in a book I enjoyed so much! With a nice balance of character moments and scares, it's an efficiently spooky and easy read. Three deaths in less than a decade, all under the same roof. It was unheard of, like one of Brynn’s weird stories brought to life. Had what Maggie done been so bad? Had she incited something unthinkable? Maggie Olsen come...

SCARY!!!!

Maggie is going back home. She should have never left. She should have never gone back. A cemetery doll, a Ouija board, old friends, creeping shadows and burning guilt. I am a big fan of Ania's work. She can definitely write a creepy tale. This one started out a bit all over the place, but it came together eventually and even had a trademark Ahlborn ending. (sort of) I really wanted to like this more than my 3+ Star rating, but it felt rushed in places and meandered in others. Still an enjoyable...

Most people thought that Maggie Olsen had a normal childhood. What they did know is, one day some thing evil followed her home from the cemetery. Maggie had been away from home for three years. She had wanted to get out of her house, as quick as she could. Maggie had been at school, when she received a phone call from her sister Arlene. Maggie sister told her, that she must come home right away. Another tragedy has struck the Olsen family. Maggie sister Brynn, had committed suicide, by jumping f...

Another first with this author and once again delighted. I shall be reading more. This is a perfect example of character-driven stories; 2 sisters reunited after a family tragedy that also brings sinister childhood memories for the main protagonist, Maggie. Memories of messing around with a ouija board that refuses to die or go away.It starts with incidents and flashbacks that one wonders their importance but everything comes together perfectly for a scary and creepy finale. The detail in each c...