Published by Createspace Independent Pub Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Source: ecopy from Author
You think seeing ghosts is weird? Tell me something I don’t know.My childhood best friend Jeremy happens to be a ghost.My life is a puzzle, and the biggest piece missing has been my dad. Since his disappearance when I was six it’s been tough, but Jeremy has been by my side through it all.But now Jeremy has gone missing too and I feel like I’m never going to get all the answers I’ve been looking for.Fate intervenes when Hugh, a real live college beefcake, starts taking an interest in me. He divulges that he also shares my little “gift” of seeing the dead and I know I’m finally getting closer to finding all the pieces.However, the more the puzzle is completed, the more questions I have.Senior year is hard enough as it is, but clearly I like a challenge.
Cryptid tales is a really interesting concept. At first, it seemed like it was going to be your average girl can talk to ghosts story, but it is so much more than that. I really enjoyed learning all the backstory and throught that went into the description of the cryptids and their unique abilities. I thought the romance aspect of the book was a bit rushed but I will see where it goe in the next installment. I read this book in the omnibus so it had the first four books all in one volume on my kindle. I have only read the first book so far, but I plan on reading and reviewing each book separately. It is nice having all the books in one place but having them all in one kindle file did make it kind of difficult to see how much I had read in that one book, instead of just how much I had read in the whole omnibus overall.
Shay can talk to ghosts, she can see them, she can touch them, and that is just the beginning. Throughout the book as she learns more about what she is, she developes new powers and new features. She kind of starts to change. I liked that the first book, Reveal set up the stage for the rest of the series. You learn about the cryptids, and you also learn all about Shay and her life. The bad guy is revealed and the book ends in a run in with him, but leaves you with a cliffhanger ish ending that makes you want to turn the page and just start the second book immediately. Shay was my favorite part. She is so sympathetic and you can easily tell that she really wants to help all the ghosts that she sees. I loved seeing her interact with Jeremy. And I thought it was adorable that he was her “best friend” growing up. (honestly, I liked Jeremy more than I liked her love interest Hugh)
I loved that the cryptids were more than they appear at first glance. These are not just people that can talk to ghosts. They can shift and they have different powers that are unique to the individual. I thought that concept was really interesting and I thought it was developed into the sotryline really well. I thought that the romance aspect was kind of rushed though. It felt a little like insta love to me. Shay has an instant connection with Hugh, for reasons that we find out later, and that was fine. It didn’t bug me at all, but what did bug me was that after she started to talk to Hugh, her infatuation turned right into love without any development. Now I know there are three more books, so I am sure that their relationship will get a lot more page time and hopefully it will grow into something that I feel is more substantial, but I thought it was lacking a bit in this book. Other than that, I thought Reveal was a great start to what seems to be a really interesting series. There are secrets and a bit of mystery, some creepy spookiness and lots of paranormal goodness.
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