Customer Reviews

DFF: Dead Friends Forever (Extreme Hauntings)

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In Wisconsin, Marsden Middle School skateboard fanatic Kaylee Hensler wants to skate in the nearby park, but several bullies led by Jimmy the Giant refuse to allow anyone on their turf. She challenges several of the boys to a skate off, but instead Jimmy dares her to enter haunted Larson House and take something form the top floor; though she knows this is insane she accepts.

Her best friend wheelchair bound Davey tells her this is insane and Kaylee agrees. Still she enters the house, goes up to the third floor, finds a mirror, and thinks all is well until a young teenage ghost scares her. She flees, but begins seeing the ghost elsewhere. Davey learns the ghost is probably Isabelle Larson killed in 1897 by Clarence Stillwell. As she tries to help the spirit an evil paranormal essence wants to stop her and her parents, her swimming team coach and her dwindling friends believe Kaylee has lost her mind while Isabelle wants to be her BFF; only neighbor Madame Maggie and Davey understand that there is a paranormal presence.

This is a terrific young adult horror thriller starring an intrepid heroine and a strong support cast including her DFF. The story line is fast-paced with a great finish as Kaylee knows if she survives she still has to explain to rational skeptics. The key characters are fully developed so readers understand them and their motivations. Though her parents are purposely exaggerated so that they come across as how their daughter perceives them, this makes them act stilted. Still fans will enjoy Kaylee's dilemma.

Harriet Klausner

Do you love a great ghost story? Do you love a book that will not let you out of its clutches, once you have opened its cover? How about a story that is so engrossing, that time passes like the blink of an eye? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, I suggest you run, quickly, to pick up a copy of DFF: Dead Friends Forever by J.R. Turner. In all honesty, this is one of the best ghost/paranormal stories I have read in a very long time. Yes, it is geared toward young adults, but at the age of 35, I loved it. DFF contains suspense, horror, realistic and believable ghost and paranormal occurrences (yes, I am a believer in such things), as well as friendship, determination and loyalty.

Kaylee Hensler is a normal girl with a normal life, until one evening, she is dared to go into a haunted house - the Larson House. If she doesn't go through with the dare, she will not be allowed access to the skate park - so says the town bully. Swallowing her trepidation, Kaylee enters the decrepit old house and all goes well until the presence of a murdered and decaying young girl makes herself known to Kaylee. If that isn't bad enough, there is a malicious presence that has nothing but torture and murder in mind, which seems to suck the very air from the house and surrounds Kaylee. Running from the house, she swears never to return. The ghosts, however, have different ideas and ones that will change Kaylee and her life forever.

J.R. Turner does such an excellent job using description and characterization that the reader is quickly and easily transported into the story itself. The mystery, the intrigue and haunting aspects are phenomenal. I love both Kaylee and her friend Davey. They have such a tight and loyal bond and Kaylee's strength, emotionally, is outstanding. Watching as she grows and learns about her true self is incredibly rewarding. The reader will even come to love the ghost of Isabelle as they realize that she is reaching out with an aching heart to break free from the eternal damnation she is facing here on earth, none of which is her fault, but the fault of her vicious murderer. Her only desire is to have her soul set free to spend eternity in peace, rather than pain and fear.

Truly, I cannot say enough great things about DFF: Dead Friends Forever. I was in a horrible reading slump when I received this book. I could not get into or focus on any book - nothing would hold my attention. After a bit of thought, I decided to pick up DFF and began reading. Before I knew it, I was almost 100 pages into the book and so completely hooked that I did not want to put it down. I am so thankful to both the author and this story for bringing me out of my slump. DFF: Dead Friends Forever is the first in the Extreme Hauntings Series and I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series (I have been told it is to be released this Fall, so my fingers and toes are tightly crossed).

Any one who loves a great ghost story, I highly recommend DFF: Dead Friends Forever - whether you are a young adult, adult, male or female, this book will appeal and burn itself within your memory. A new favorite book for 2009 for me!

Quick Thinking: Nerve-wracking and blood-pumping are tame words to describe The Reader's experience while delving into Dead Friends Forever. Saturated with creepy supernatural elements like earthbound ghosts and dark entities, grim mysteries and suspicious deaths, and chilling circumstances, this novel has a very spooky and thrilling air. Slowly discover the truth of long ago alongside Kaylee, the heroine, a seemingly average girl with a 'headshrinker' of a father and an overwhelming mother, as she comes into her own abilities and as she fights for the freedom of a young ghost girl imprisoned by evil.

My Thoughts In-Depth: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* My heart's still pounding; my pulse was drumming so loudly I could hear it so clearly. One word for this book would have to be intense. While I secretly say that I'm not very much into the horror/thriller/mystery type of books, I'm so lying. I love the little thrill, that dark edge you get when you finish a book that fits into those categories. My problem... well, I'm a scaredy cat. I'm easily frightened. So, I was a bit skeptical coming into this book. But, man, what a book DFF turned out to be!

Honestly, I never expected to thoroughly enjoy this book or become so absorbed in it. It was a pleasant shock. Reading as Kaylee dug for the truth, as she struggled to deal with all the trouble helping a ghost brought to her, I became more and more invested in the story. In the beginning, Kaylee is just your pretty average girl, one who's in love with skating, hates math homework, and enjoys swimming and the competitiveness of it. And all because of these sexist teenage male pigs who claim all rights to the skating park unjustly so, Kaylee is forced to enter a haunted house as a kind of 'initiation'. Then, pardon the cliche, but her world gets turned upside down: Kaylee encounters her first ghost!

And this ghost is not just your average pale-skinned, dark-eyed earthbound spirit. No, no. This ghost has the skin-crawling, spine-chilling effect down pat with her decaying skin and dark eyes brimming with black fluid that appears to be blood. I nearly jumped out of my skin the moment I read that! And from then on, Kaylee gets no peace of mind. I could do nothing but sympathize with the poor girl! All this girl wanted was to be able to skate when she wanted, attract boys, do well in school and in swimming, and find a date for the Harvest Dance. And that no longer becomes an option, when the aforementioned earthbound spirit starts popping up at random, spooking the hell out of her...and me!

But, I have to admit, Kaylee was a pretty strong heroine, especially being that she had never dealt with anything paranormal in her life. I've had my share of supernatural experiences in old houses and so forth, and let me say they are not pleasant. But reading as Kaylee saw this ghost with such vivid clarity was enough to have me shaking down to the marrow! Plus her getting tossed around and abused by a dark entity wasn't much fun either! That's where the intense word comes in. As for the other characters, I loved Davey! I also empathize with the poor guy but I loved how supportive he was of Kaylee, how loyal and sweet. A true best friend to the core. Watching him endure his temporary paralysis was heartbreaking, seeing as he wanted to help Kaylee so much when things got so huge throughout the plot.

Kaylee's parents really grated on my nerves! Considering how well they thought they knew their daughter, you'd think that they'd try harder to help Kaylee instead of constantly offering a psychoanalysis. And then I just got more ticked off when they didn't believe their daughter's story when she finally decides to tell them what the heck's going on. How anyone can make up such an elaborate story to explain all that's happened seems pretty impossible to me. So the fact that Kaylee's parents didn't even try to give the notion that maybe Kaylee was telling the truth a try angered me. Aren't you supposed to believe your child before anyone and everything else, even when it seems irrational? Especially when said child is clearly scared and earnestly seeking comfort?

A few characters I wish I would've gotten to know more were characters like T.J. and Will. More particularly T.J. being that he was friends with both Kaylee and Davey. I would've like to seen him a bit more fleshed out like the two main characters.

But the two aspects of the novel which captivated me the most was the plot and the ending! Both were thoroughly done, well-written, and flowed very well! I ached for the ghost-girl, Isabelle, who had been cruelly murdered so long ago, had dealt with so much pain, loss, and fear. As Kaylee slowly unraveled the big mystery behind Isabelle's death and killer, I couldn't help but get engrossed in her quest and findings. Then, toward the end when everything comes together, it was rewarding and exciting to see all the pieces slide into place, if not terrifying! And watching Kaylee come into her power was the best part of all!

Since it ended...well, sort of sadly, I'm eager to get to the next installment! I want to see how Kaylee is going to deal with her new abilities regarding the dead, how she'll get together with her best friend again. I miss Davey already, for crying out loud! Luckily for me, I have access to the second book. Watch out for my thoughts on School's Out 4-ever coming up!

I loved Kaylee; she was such a regular girl caught in such extraordinary circumstances. I always think that makes for the best kind of thriller -- some random person called upon to do amazing things. Will she be up to the task? Will her parents believe her? Will her best friend continue to help her? The great thing about author J. R. Turner is that, in DFF: Dead Friends Forever she really does keep you guessing. This haunted house story really keeps you on your toes wondering how Kaylee -- who seems woefully under-prepared for the task -- will survive, let alone free Isabelle from her ghostly torment. The resolution was thrilling and I particularly look forward to what happens when Kaylee gets to Barclay Hall.

This was a fast-paced supernatural tale that starts with a bang and never lets up. From the minute Kaylee is dared to go into that haunted house, her troubles start and never let up. How she resolves them, for better or worse, is what elevates DFF from the average "ghost story." Why? Because there's nothing "average" about it!

Kaylee Hensler is a skater, and a swimmer, and a general all around good athlete. She may not be the best student or miss popular but she is head of the girls swim team at her high school. And she has one very good friend, her wheelchair-bound neighbor Davey. That's enough for her, except... she wants to use the new skate park. To accomplish this, she has to convince the school bullies that she can skate there.

They agree to let her use the park if she enters the town's famous haunted house at night and brings back something to prove she was there.

Kaylee, not believing in the supernatural, agrees to the stunt and finds a little more than she bargained for. Now the ghost of a murdered girl is haunting her, and the ghost of the murderer is also haunting her, and he's intent on doing more than just scaring Kaylee.

With the help of Davey and a new friend, Kaylee discovers she has a deep reserve of power that might just allow her to survive this encounter and help the ghost, but at a high cost.

Dead Friends Forever by J. R. Turner is a really engaging book. I found her characters extremely compelling. Her ghosts were frightening, and the reactions of the adults truly believable. The story itself moves at a fast pace and manages to bring the reader into Kaylee's normal life and feel the pain, indecision, and triumph as her normal life is turned upside down. I highly recommend this young adult horror novel.