Customer Reviews

Ghostland

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like one of the other reviewers, I bought this book without realizing it was an erotic fantasy romance. The pretty cover and title were deceptive. Also B&N had it in the new release table.

The fantasy angle was really strong. The world building was fascinating. I love the concept of a Shaman as a heroine (one of my other favorite fantasy novels is Urban Shaman). I also really like the sexy Djinn hero. The mystery aspect of the book kept me engrossed.

Now, the bad part. Do we really have to read about the hero's cock twitching every other page? We get it that he is attracted to her. Reading about his appendage twitching, engorging,etc each time he sees Aisling was repetetive and cheesy. The sex was steamy and there was a lot of it. After about the 3rd sex scene, I skimmed these to get back to the real story. The scenes in the ghostland were really fascinating.

The ending sets things up with a possible sequel- probably based on the other Djinn character Irial.

If you like a some good fantasy mixed with your erotic romance, you will enjoy this book. Also the cover art is not embarrasing, so if you are in a public place, no one will know you are reading about the heroine having sex doggy style!!!

Jory Strong has written a post-Apocalyptic tale that deals with fears. These fears are everything from loss, death and isolation. There is a great deal of isolation in Ghostland seen through the eyes of the heroine Aisling McConaughey. Aisling is very special. She is an orphan shamaness who lives on a farm in the outskirts of the city of Oakland, California. Aisling has the ability to walk in the spiritlands, a world where the dead wait for judgment or to be reborn, where they find heaven or hell depending on their belief. The spiritlands, or ghostlands is the afterlife. Think of this more like purgatory, a gateway in between heaven and hell. As a shamaness Aisling bargains for answers and help from these dead.

Aisling lives during a time after The Last War that was started by religious zealots who wanted to cleanse mankind. The date is unknown, but I would say it is a hundred years or so after the war has ended. Because of this war the supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves and demons have come out of the shadows. These creatures of myth have taken over the night and because of it, humans lock themselves away in their homes after the sun sets. The United States is no longer what it was. The country, or at least California, is run by martial law. The Church, which is made up of a group of very powerful humans have total control of the remaining human population. The Church needs Aisling's services and if she doesn't do what they want, they may kill her and her foster family.

Aisling takes her spirit guardian and pet ferret Aziel with her and will go to Oakland. The only person she can trust for the moment is Father Ursu, a priest who works for the Church. He really does seem to care for her well being. Perhaps it is because he needs her safe and whole for what he has in store for her? Aisling is given shelter and money to buy precious commodities like food. If she excels at the services expected of her, she can keep the house and remain in Oakland in safe keeping under the watchful eye of the Church.

An important woman by the name of Elena has disappeared. They need Aisling to find her either alive or if her soul has left and entered into the spiritlands. When Ailsing returns to the spiritlands she sees some dark-robed men wearing goat heads about to sacrifice Elena. Aisling has no choice but to summon a demon to stop them. She calls for Zurael en Caym, son of the dark prince. Because she has summoned Zurael she can command him at will.

Zurael saves Elena by killing the goat headed men. But that means he is at Aisling's beck and call until she decide she is done with him. Zurael is not just a demon but also a Djinn. He hates Aisling because she has such power over him. When the time is right, he will kill her. The thought of being tied to a human, a child of mud, as he thinks of her is unfathomable. Zurael finds out that the dark priest that he killed was trying to summon an entity from the spiritlands and make it human. Because he stopped this sacrifice Zurael is given an important task where he must retrieve an ancient stone tablet that has been lost to the Djinn. In order for Zurael to search Oakland for this tablet he must remain with Aisling. For the time being he won't kill her.

Aisling is not sure how to handle the present situation she is in. She has accomplished what she was set out to do, but now she has a beautiful and powerful demon male basically as her slave. All she wishes for is to have her old life back, but now that is no longer possible. And when Elena comes to Aisling asking her to investigate her kidnapping, Aisling again has no choice; she must accept. Part of it has to do with the type of person Aisling is. She wants to help those around her even if she may endanger her life. What Elena wants Aisling to do may kill her because she must venture into a world filled with kinky sex and drugs. The drug of choice is called Ghost. A person takes Ghost and will find themselves in the spiritlands to enjoy the kinky S&M type pleasures that await them there. Elena was ghosting when she was taken and wants to know why. The spirits that walk in the spirtlands also want Elena to find those who are creating Ghost and kill them.

Aisling may be able to go back and forth into the spiritlands, but she is still fragile on the mortal plane. Zurael becomes very protective of Aisling and begins to care for her because of her giving nature. Something as simple as Aisling sharing her meager food with Aziel and himself really touches Zurael. Zurael will aid her in her quest. Soon they are waking a fine line between the dead and the living. Something more powerful then the Church wants Aisling. Aisling and Zurael have entered into a very dark world where reality and fantasy become one. And Aisling's fantasies are become more real because Zurael is hungry for Aisling's tender flesh where he can give her endless pleasures in his arms.

Ghostland is a complex and descriptive world filled with desperation and the unholy needs people have. Jory Strong really does a great job with her writing. Her world building is great and the story is intense. Not only is there a paranormal element, but there is fantasy and some really hot sex scenes between Aisling and Zurael. Some may call this an Urban Fantasy because of the setting, but this is more of an Urban Fantasy Romance. Perhaps even an Urban Fantasy Erotica. Aisling is a worthy heroine but she is very different from those other types of heroines in the past Urban Fantasies I have read. She is a bit too quite and broken in a way. Every trip to the ghostlands drains her. Some may think she is a victim because of the situation she has been placed in, and if Zurael wasn't there to save her, Aisling may have not survived. I wouldn't say Aisling is weak but she comes across scarred and emotionally unattached, as if she doesn't know how to interact with those around her.

Zurael is definitely an alpha male who looks out for Aisling's best interests, but when it comes to sex, he pushes her to the limits. From the moment he meets Aisling, he is all over her. The lust he has for Aisling is intense and she feels the same way.

Ghostland is a strong debut by Jory Strong, who has a background in writing erotic romance.

Katiebabs

Many here would have you believe that the downfall of this book is the presence of too much hot sex - and I'd say they got that backward. What this book suffers from is poorly written erotica - the use of the 'C' word over and over and over to the point where I wonder if the author has ever read a run of the mill romance. She needs to, because the connection between the two lovers here is forced and largely unsatisfying for the reader because it is instantaneous and sophomoric. While I do give her points for world building, the world she's created is interesting and has legs, Ms. Strong falters on character. And sex. It wasn't that there was too much - it was that it was all done badly. Our hero is hard constantly and our heroine "feels herself parting in readiness..." - and then this poor build up is served with no actual description of the act beyond wham, bam, thank you ma'am. We get a lot of bodies juicing up and then, "afterwards...". I could forgive this if, again, the author hadn't used the word C*** EVERY OTHER PAGE! It became old hat and boring - and here's a hint, Jory, it's offensive as well. Save your money, this book is a waste of time as erotica or even straight fantasy goes.

In a post-apocalyptic world Aisling McConaughey is ripped away from her simple life to use her gift as a powerful shamaness guide into the Ghostlands. When she unwittingly calls upon Djinn prince Zureal en Caym to help her discover the whereabouts of a high-powered politician's mistress, Aisling's not prepared for the price he will demand.

Zureal has never before been called upon, but the experience of being torn away from his world and thrust into the power of another is not one he will tolerate without retribution. He will make the child of mud pay for taking control out of his hands.

When Aisling and Zureal learn someone is trying to enslave a demon through the drug "Ghost", they must work together to discover who is behind the evil that threatens both of their worlds.

GHOSTLAND is a powerful story of the struggle between right, wrong, revenge, passion, and forgiveness. Jory Strong wrote a complex, emotionally charged tale, successfully creating a world and characters that captivated me. Aisling first appears as a fragile woman who has never really had much in her life, but she quickly shows deep strength and while her confidence waivers, she always does what she MUST do, even when she is scared. Zureal was pissed. He did not like losing control, and he was determined to make Aisling pay. What he wasn't prepared for was the scorching heat of desire that he felt when he tracked her. I could feel the sizzle of passion as I turned the smoldering pages. Not only was their passion hot, but the action was riveting as they struggled to locate the fiend responsible for "Ghost" and in the process came to realize the feelings they held for each other.

When I finished reading GHOSTLAND, I so looked forward to revisiting the post-apocalyptic world Ms. Strong had created that ran out to buy SPIDER-TOUCHED, book 2 in the Ghostland series, which I also loved...now I just have to wait patiently until September 2010 for the next installment, HEALER'S CHOICE.

When author Jory Strong is not writing, you might find her reading or working with her horses on her ranch out in the boondocks.

reviewed for Enchanting Reviews

Since the last war, Aisling, a shamaness, and other supernaturals like her have been fighting for survival. They are different and it has become essential that they hide what they are from society. Aisling and her family do well in hiding until a priest comes to find her. Against her wishes and certain she will not survive, Aisling leaves her home with only her spirit guide Aziel.

Aisling is needed to locate a missing woman, to see if she is dead or not. In the process of searching the Ghostlands, Aziel gives Aisling a name to call for help. It is Zureal en Caym, a demon of the House of the Scorpion, son of a demon prince. And he vows to kill her for summoning him.

Zureal feels an urgency to find the one who summoned him and destroy her before she can bind him to her will. He is given permission to seek her out and has every intention of killing her. But first he must locate a stone tablet that could be detrimental to the Djin. And he needs Aisling to help him find it.

As they search for the tablet and those who are creating a substance called Ghost, they are drawn to one another. Their attraction is forbidden by his people and abhorred by hers. Both know this and fight the attraction until they are swept away by the lust and the other deeper feelings they have not acknowledged yet. Will they overcome the barriers they face or will they succumb to the dangers they are challenged by?

I'm new to urban fantasy. I've heard other people talk about liking it. I have to say that, for me, Ghostland was a great introduction. It has many of the elements that make a book really stand out for me. Strong characters, an intricate storyline and love that triumphs over all obstacles. But there is so much more tugging at the edges of my mind and imagination. The set up is there for more. This is only the beginning of the story. I personally can't wait to see where it goes from here. I Joyfully Recommend Ghostland.

Willow
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Jory Strong has put a great deal of time and thought into the worldbuilding and story of Ghostland. It shows on each and every page: a post-apocalyptic Oakland ruled by corrupt Churchmen, guardsmen, and the privileged rich. Magic workers are tolerated, but they're ghettoized into the "red zone" part of the city and often used on the sly by the power elite. She does a good job of showing us this familiar but unfamiliar world.

Aisling, a young shamaness orphan who grew up on a farm in San Joaquin, has been used to hiding her magic nature from her less tolerant country neighbors. She is unwillingly recruited by the Church and brought to Oakland in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a important man's mistress. This draws her into conflict with Zurael, a powerful Djinn prince whom she unwittingly summons to do her bidding. This kind of summoning power is dangerous to the Djinn and so Zurael vows to kill her, but not before she can help him solve another mystery concerning those who have taken possession of an archive of black magic and are using it in dark rituals. They band together to solve their separate mysteries, and grow much closer than either of them thinks is wise.

I found the narrative to be compelling and interesting. The characters are a bit generic, but not so much that it bothered me. Mostly, I was a happy little clam reading this book.

Except for the sex scenes. I'm not at all prudish when it comes to sex writing. Crude words to describe anatomy don't bother me, explicitness doesn't bother me, a little BDSM--no problem. So those things weren't what felt off to me. I guess it's because these scenes seem to lack the pizzazz and presence of the rest of the writing. There are a lot of throbbing ****s and slick ****s here, but I got more of a feel of "insert plug A into sprocket B" then anything erotic. And there were a number of scenes! Not a problem with that, either, if they are justified. Character-wise, I suppose they are, because they built on he obsession the two main characters have with one another, reinforced their bonding, and etc. But I did wind up skim reading them towards the end.

So, great story--good enough that I'd buy a sequel as I'm sure there will be one--but curiously flat sex scenes.

The world that Aisling and Zurael inhabit is nothing short of breathtaking. In a genre so filled with vampires and shapeshifters that, frankly, one series often seems to run into the next, I don't think you'll mistake Ghostland for any other book! Even now, a handful of days after I finished reading it, all I have to do is casually call it up in my mind and I can feel and see it almost as clearly as though I'd been there on a visit. Jory Strong's talent for worldbuilding is fantastic, and I very much look forward to reading more of her work!

The characters are wonderful, no matter how incidental; even those that appear only briefly have quite a bit of personality and uniqueness to them.

It's funny--despite the fact that this is a highly erotically charged book, the plotting and worldbuilding are so strong that I have trouble primarily classifying it as a romance or erotica novel. Those just aren't the aspects of it that come to mind first for me. Yet Zurael and Aisling make a powerful couple, and their scenes together sizzle. Jory succeeds in depicting a dom/sub relationship with grace and style, and without compromising Aisling's strength as a character and a person. Unlike Feehan's Burning Wild, Strong's Ghostland depicts a healthy "alternative" relationship.

As long as you don't mind a book with a fair amount of blood and (occasionally kinky) sex, this is a fantastic novel for fans of the paranormal genre. The world is gorgeous, the characters are fantastic, and the plots will draw you in!

Strong has once again given us a deeply sensual romance with a strongly detailed world and an engrossing story. Her ability to combine the two togather will surely keep me buying her books. She is definitely on my must have list.

Aisling McConaughey is an orphan, she is also a shamoness. She lives in a part of the world where gifted people are often harmed or simply disappear. She is taken from her only home and convayed to Oakland, California. A part of the country ruled by the church. She is told that she is needed to help find a missing woman. For Aisling can walk in the other world. The ghostlands where the dead go before being reborn. She is accompanied by a small ferret, Aziel, who is really her familiar, and the only one she truly can trust.

There is still a USA but it is fragmented and parts are ruled by vampires, some by the church, and some by a form of government. Many years before a cataclysam brought the ghostlands closer and revealed many with talent. Witches, vampires, shamons and many other gifts are practiced today. There are those who would practice a black type of magic. They search for power over people.

Asling finds the woman being sacraficed on an alter. As she is a shadow in the ghostlands she whispers a name given to her by Aziel. Zureal is a Djinn Prince, only someone who knows his name can summon him and the Djinn have not been summoned in many years. They always kill the one who summons and binds them. Zureal saves the woman but he promises Aisling that she will die for her summons.

There are several dark threads moving through the story, and Zureal and Aisling are forced to work togather to find something important to the djinn. Everything in or from the ghostlands must be paid for. There is always a price and it must be paid.

I loved the story and the way it moved, there are alot of sensual encounters so be warned. But the book is excellent, and I would encourage all readers who like urban fantasy to try this one on for size. The surprises keep coming all the way to the end. Do not miss it.

The author builds a world that is in the future and amid the chaos and supernatural, the author weaves a good story of how character changes with conquering fears, dealing with corruption and death of innocents, and finding love with a person who should be the enemy. I also liked the secondary character of the animal who watched over her. I loved how the author builds the story up and then at the end leads into the explanation of all our questions as readers. I thought there was a mention of the characters' engorged sex too often that it became intrusive to the story so towards the middle I started speed reading through those scenes so I could get back to the story. My preference is for the sex to be part of the story and there is a flow and balance to the mix between the two. And the cover art is beautiful! This is the first Jory Strong book I've read. I picked the book up while I was browsing in the book store because I liked the cover and found the title intriguing. I'm glad I did.

I've never been a fan of the post apocalyptic genre, but when Jory Strong gave me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Ghostland, I figured "It's Jory Strong, so its got to be good -- right?" Well, let's just say this book isn't 'good'. It's AMAZING!!!!!! I ended up reading it all in one day and am already slavering for the next in what I hope will be a series!!!

As usual, her writing captures your attention from the very first page and introduces you to a fascinating, imaginative world where Vampires and Were's exist, but are secondary (at least in this story) to the Djinn and 'Angels'. In a genre that is glutted with Vampires and Were's, it is refreshing to read about the Djinn and 'Angels' and Jory's take on them is creative and unique -- I can't wait to learn more about them!

The main characters, Zurael and Aisling are courageous, honest and likable, and the passion that burns between them is visceral and hot (burning up the pages HOT!). Even more important to me, you don't have the game-playing and misunderstandings that happens so often in romances -- the strong feelings between the two main characters may not be what they initially wanted and can actually lead to their destruction, but I love how they don't try to deny it or do something stupid to drive the other away.

Whether you're already a Jory Strong fan, or thinking of trying her out, I can't recommend this book enough!!!