Token of Darkness

This eerie paranormal fantasy from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is about the strange and startling experiences of Cooper Blake. Cooper is a high school athlete who has just awakened from a near-fatal injury, only to discover that he's being haunted by a female ghost. He had been in a coma after a car accident that resulted in the death of two people, and by all rights, he should have died with them. Miraculously, he managed to cling to life (or was he saved by someone?). It's a mystery that he survived at all. Cooper remembers little about it and awakens to his broken body. Cooper's life has since become a kind of hazy dream. His doctors have warned that he won't return to football again and that some of his injuries will be permanent. But Cooper is now seeing things that sane people just don't see, leading to the question of whether or not he has totally lost his grip on reality. He awakens to a caring, pretty girl by his side, someone who has never left him since he woke up in the hospital. Samantha seems about his own age and he doesn't know her, yet for some odd reason, she has chosen to stay while he recuperates. Cooper's multiple injuries require intense physical therapy as well as prolonged bed rest. Through crippling pain and frustration, Samantha is there every day to support him. She's his guide, his source of encouragement, an inspiration. But Cooper knows immediately that something is wrong with this picture: Samantha is no ordinary girl. In fact, she's not even living; she's an apparition whose colors change with her moods. After Cooper's discharge, Samantha follows him home. Strangely, he is the only one who has been able to see her thus far, and this is the main reason why she has stayed. But she soon begins to feel stir crazy, wanting to live as a real person and experience what others do. It's with this motivation that Samantha pressures Cooper to find a body she can possess. Cooper is ambiguous in his answer to this but begins researching paranormal theory. It's a mystery to both that he alone is able to see ghosts while others can't and where he never could before. The city library is where Cooper's research starts, and he runs into a student from a nearby school there. Brent recognizes Cooper, though Cooper seems not to remember him. After being questioned thoroughly, Cooper finds himself revealing important information about Samantha. Though the two are somewhat wary of each other, meeting brings the discovery of a whole world of others with similar special abilities. After Cooper unintentionally harms Brent in the library, Brent offers his help, intending to introduce him to others he knows. Delilah is one witch who Cooper already knows from school as she's the head of the cheerleading squad but has managed to keep her powers hidden. The revelation that Cooper has similar gifts to her own brings on new attention from her, though Brent is more interested in introducing him to Ryan. Ryan, a friend of Brent's in his early 20s, d

Amelia has done it again! I was expecting a good fantasy story and I certainly wasn't let down. I've always liked that her writing style is simple yet flows well. The reader is captivated in the first paragraph of each chapter and I've noticed I will often read several chapters before I realize that I am totally immersed in the story and can't wait to finish it. And that's the great part - her stories are short enough to be read in one day, often just an evening sitting. Well done! I've been buying the books as they come out since I was a teenager and I'll be first in line to buy the next one this author writes.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' TOKEN OF DARKNESS tells of Cooper, who wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious girl by his side - a girl who's a ghost. Nobody understands his dilemma - and the secrets that are being kept. A chilling mystery evolves.

Great flow and wonderful story telling. Just what I have come to expect and she has not let m down yet!

When an author begins by using or quoting The Raven, (my favorite), then I automatically know I'm in for a wild ride. Cooper Blake is a young man who is beginning his senior year of high school. He's had an absolutely horrible time trying to get back on his feet after a near-fatal car accident that almost left him dead and buried. When he wakes up in the hospital room, Coop not only has to struggle to try and heal his body and mind, he also has to deal with the very real fact that a ghost named Samantha has materialized by his side. In fact, Samantha is a big part of why Coop is still alive. She sat by his side in the hospital room every day, being his friend, and telling him that he could overcome any amount of pain no matter what. She did everything within her power to keep him alive and support him through the darkest time of his life. Not only is Coop grateful to Samantha for that, but having an invisible friend is also beneficial during, say...a quiz, where she can "pop" around the room and retrieve the correct answers for him. Now that Coop has somewhat recovered, there's a part of him that wants to help Samantha. You see, Samantha is tired of being a spirit; she believes that there must be a way to "create" a body for her - perhaps, out of clay - so that she can be human again. Trouble is, Samantha has no idea who she was before she went to the "other side." She has no memory of what happened to cause her death, only the fact that she wants more than anything to be in a live body. Going to the library, trying to investigate a way to help Samantha get her dream, Coop runs into a young man by the name of Brent in the paranormal section. Not only is Brent interested in the same strange subjects as Coop, but he also seems to be a little "odd" himself. As Cooper is introduced to Brent's world - the world of telepathy - Coop gets even more confused. Whatever happened to his nice, normal, boring life - playing football and prowling after cheerleaders? Speaking of cheerleaders...Coop also discovers that the head of the cheerleading squad, Delilah, is also knee-deep in this mystical paranormal world, and she is on a path that no one could possibly comprehend. Bring into the mix a man named Ryan le Coire, who is a mentor for all these teenagers with "special gifts;" and demons that come in all different shapes and sizes searching for a way to "feed" on the innocent, and you end up with a fantastic story that not only deals with the trauma and challenges of teenage life, but also offers a spell-binding story in the process. This author published her very first work at the age of thirteen; I must say she's truly a one-of-a-kind writer. This story is powerful, fun, frightening, and intriguing all at the same time, and I can't wait to read her next one. Until Next Time, Amy Lignor, Bookpleasures.com Reviewer