Customer Reviews

Wither's Rain : A Wendy Ward Novel

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[CAUTION: minor spoilers!]

I was elated upon my discovery of Wither, Passarella's first novel in what I believe will be a trilogy of horror/thriller novels centered around the ever-diabolical witch Elizabeth Wither. I had searched high and low for a quality story about witches, and here it was, embodied in this wonderful novel. You can imagine, then, the absolute euphoria that swept over me when I read Wither's Rain, the sequel to Wither, and found that it involved not one, but two of my mythical interests, beautifully adding a young werewolf to the mix.

Well, maybe not a werewolf per se. Nine year-old Abby MacNeil, changed irrevocably by her first encounter with Wither, has become a shape-shifter, taking on the form of a white wolf. Also changed by their earlier encounters with the evil witches of old Windale, Massachusetts are Karen Glazer and her daughter Hannah, who seems to be maturing in both body and mind at an exceptionally accelerated rate. And, of course, there's Wendy Ward, the teenage Wicca whose body had been chosen by Wither herself to inhabit after her three-hundred-year nap in a farm outside of the city. Wendy thought she'd rid herself of the evil witch, crushing her in the final chapters of Wither, but she was wrong. Now, Wither has taken refuge in the body of high school student Gina Thorne, and continues on with her chaotic behavior, and her prideful pursuit of Wendy, the woman who almost destroyed her. With the aid of a watchful old woman from the future, Wendy must destroy Wither once and for all, before its too late and no matter the cost.

Passarella is incredible in his ability to make his characters come alive on the page. I could literally feel the fear that swelled through Wendy as she raced to save her parents from Gina's wrath, and oxygen seemed a rare commodity to me as little Abby lie dying on the cold floor of Wendy's cabin. More than once I found myself whispering such phrases as No, don't go in there! Hit him, hit him! Look out! You'll be okay, it'll all be okay. Passarella has a rare knack for making his readers empathize with his characters, and an even rarer talent for scaring the hell out of us.

The characterization of Gina Thorne was purely magical. The indifference with which she regarded her victims, the whimsical way she expelled them and moved on, the sexy wiles with which she engaged her intended "Keepers" or simple play things. Never have I liked a villain so much, she has become my newest guilty pleasure.

My only qualm with this book was that it had to end, as do all good things, they say. From page one to the final confrontation, the chills never stopped coming. Passarella is making a name for himself in the horror writing industry. If it were up to me, that name would be bathed in light, the light reserved for only the best.

Scarier, sexier, and equally as enjoyable as it's predecessor, John Passarella is sure to please fans old and new with 'Wither's Rain', the stand-alone second novel in the critically-acclaimed Wendy Ward series.

In a welcome return to his fictional town of Windale, Massachusetts, Passarella greets us with a much darker side to his Bram Stoker Award-winning writing, delving into the deepest and darkest of human emotions with the introduction of a human host for the demonic entity once known as Elizabeth Wither.

Frightfully as un-predictable and suspenseful as ever, 'Wither's Rain' is another highly recommended novel from the new master of horror.

Passerella has done it again with this utterly gripping and sometimes gruesome horror novel pitting Wendy Ward, the college student and struggling white witch against the ancient evil called Wither! Wendy thought the terror was over when she destroyed the Wither in the first book only to find that true evil never dies and Wither's evil spirit has now taken up resident in body of a immoral young woman named Gina Thorne and now wants revenge against Wendy and her family and friends! Passerella's chilling sequel to his hit Wither has all of the ingredients:
a brave young heroine who must rise to occassion to save her life and the lives of all the people she cares for against a
unspeakable evil. This novel also boast scenes of Gina under the guidance of Wither capacity of evil as she targets her family for death and she corrupts her boyfriend. Other characters shine in this book such as young abby, the nine year old girl who
shapeshifts into a wolf thanks to the powers of the witch coven and the crone, invisible spirit that guides Wendy in her uses of magic and warns her of the dangers poses by Wither.
This novel also has a very memorable climax as Wendy has a fight through the death(through magic) between herself and Wither. Please bring us another Wendy ward book!

First of all let me start out by saying that the first book of this series, Wither, was just phenomenal. One of those books that were really hard to put down and one that I couldn't wait to get home to read after work or doing whatever it was that had to be done. Wither was such a welcomed novel after reading a few dismal books that hardly kept my attention and would dare never warrant a second reading. Wither on the other hand, grabbed my attention from the start, and never let go. Mr. Passarella has a sharp sense of what it's like to be Wendy Ward, protagonist of Wither and Wither's Rain. He makes this character seem so alive and someone you might have known personally. With this being said, I would just like you to know how jazzed I was to read that a Wither series would be starting and the announcement of a second book to come out. With a devilish grin from ear to ear, I couldn't wait to devour this new one up. He's reprised the role of Wendy Ward, a very strong character that is smart, funny and great to read about. Picking up where Wither left off, Wendy's hometown of Windale, Massachusetts is in trouble again. That wicked witch Wither is stirring up some bad blood yet again, and it's great to be a reader and be along for the ride! Wendy thought that she had taken care of Wither, but she was very wrong and now Wither has a new "host." She has taken up with Gina Thorne, who was once a caring and nice girl, but now has an unwieldy streak of evil running through her cold veins. Now Wendy (with the help of a cosmic friend) must do battle with Wither yet again.

Wither's Rain is just as good as Wither and I highly recommend reading both as soon as possible. Mr. Passarella is breathing much needed new life into this genre and it's exciting to be reading great things from him, and I suspect we'll be reading many more in the years to come!

On Halloween night in 1999, a group of young people defeated an ancient evil known as Elizabeth Wither. They thought they had destroyed it. They were wrong!

The second book began on the same night. After her defeat, Wither escaped her human host's body. Wither's blood had but a short wait before a new host arrived. Angelina "Gina" Thorne changed the instant Wither entered her body. Any good within Gina was quickly corrupted. Slowly, Gina learned about the demonic entity, as well as, the extent of her new powers. Wither needed a new coven. Wither wanted revenge!

Wendy Ward was a college student, gifted with white magic. Wither had left Wendy with doubts as to her magical abilities. When "the Crone" began appearing before her, Wendy thought she had finally gone mad. Instead, the Crone began teaching Wendy the lessons she must learn - QUICKLY! For Wither was on the hunt and Wendy was to be her prey.

***** Nine year old Abby and baby Hannah was not left "normal" after their ordeal in book one. They appear in this exciting sequel to John Passarella's first novel, "Wither". The story mainly targets Wendy and Gina though.

Be forewarned of dark magic and hard sexual scenes, but that is expected in any book that I could ever consider as a "true" horror novel involving the dark arts. The story clearly showed that Passarella did a lot of deep research in his Wicca topic. The casual referrals to subjects, such as making the circle, and steps detailing rituals, make the story even more realistic.

John Passarella is a powerful voice in the horror genre of today. I expect him to quickly become the Master of Horror! Highly recommended reading here! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

From the first page, Passarella does a fabulous job hooking the reader and dragging them into a nail-biting world of shape-shifters, Witches, and terror. Wendy Ward is a wonderful heroine, a beam of light in a dark story. It is easy to identify with her, and even to feel some sympathy for Gina Thorne, the antagonist. If I have one complaint, it's that the book simply wasn't long enough!

"Wither's Rain" is the second book in the Wendy Ward saga which began with "Wither". As the story opens, we find Wiccan college student Wendy dealing with the traumatic aftermath of her good versus evil battle against the creature-witch Elizabeth Wither and her coven. Wendy thinks the ancient evil has been laid to rest, and now it is time to pick up the pieces of the shattered lives Wither left in her wake. But soon Wendy begins to suspect that all is not well in Windale, Massachusetts. Has Wither managed to cheat death again and returned to rain havoc upon those who survived her earlier rampage? Has a new force of darkness moved to town? Or is it merely Wendy's overactive imagination and lingering guilt revolving around the amount of damage Wither managed to inflict before Wendy found a way to stop her? Wendy must reclaim her wavering faith in herself and expand her magical talents to find the answer to that all important question before time runs out.

"Wither" was one of the very few novels that I've ever found so engrossing that I literally could not put it down; "Wither's Rain" follows in what will hopefully be a long tradition of excellent horror writing. Wendy is a realistic and decidedly human heroine, with all of the foibles and flaws that come entangled in flesh and blood. Her Wiccan practices are realistic to a great extent, with some dramatic flair mixed in to make the story exciting. Her opponent is a witch of a different color and character, leading to interesting contrasts and comparisons between the two. And the tension generated will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. A definite must-read for any horror or pagan fiction fan.

I also recommend Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, M.R. Sellar's Rowan Gant series, and Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series.

First of all, before I get into my long review, I am going to start with saying this is a great book that any horror or avid book fan for that matter, should enjoy. In only his fourth novel(3rd solo, he was co-author of Wither), John Passarella breathes fresh air into the horror genre that even the most jaded fan should enjoy. The story of Wither's Rain centers around Wendy Ward, a college student with a gift for magic. She thought she had taken care of Elizabeth Wither when she watched her get crushed under falling stone, but it would not be the last she would see of her. Wither's physical form may have been crushed, but her blood survived. Unknown to Wendy, Wither's blood has found a new host in Angelina Thorne, and this time Wither's power grows more quickly. Wendy is going to have to face the same evil that she has not been able to get out of her nightmares since that one Halloween Night. In order to face the evil, she will need the help of her friends, Abby a young girl with the new found ability to turn into a wolf, Hannah a baby with extremely accelerated growth, and a crone figure from the future. That is a real simple explanation of where the book begins. One important thing to mention is that Wither's Rain stands alone really well. Meaning that you didn't have to read Wither in order to understand what is going on. Passarella does a great job of leading you into the story, and offering the vital information you might have missed not reading the first. Though since Wither was so great, I would think that you would enjoy going back and reading it anyways. Wither's Rain is one of those books that grabs a hold of you and just doesn't let go. From the first page, it engulfs you, and you just can't stop flipping the page. I would pick up the book to read just a few pages before I go to bed, and next thing I know, I have read over thirty pages(which is a lot of pages when you read as slow as me) and still can't seem to stop. Passarella just does such a great job of setting situations up, that you continue to read just a few more pages to find out what happens. The suspense throughout Wither's Rain is of a cailiber rarely seen or even approached. Then there is Wendy Ward, who is a great main character to base a series around. She has that extra something that helps to put her in a catergory with some of the best leading characters of today, such as Buffy and Anita Blake. John Passarella is a great author, and is personally responsible for my new found interest in books. Wither's Rain is a completey enjoyable and satisfying experience. John Passarella continues to prove why he belongs to be mentioned with some of the great writers of today.

Wither's Rain, the second book in the Wendy Ward saga, begins with Wendy and her friends resuming their lives after their confrontation with Elizabeth Wither. While they are battered, injured, and exhausted, they are relieved to move on with their lives again, free of the evil that was Wither. Their relief is short lived, however. Wither's black essence was able to escape the fire that supposedly destroyed it, and it strives to live again.

Wither is an ancient evil which awakens every century from its slumber to wreak havoc upon Windale, Massachusetts. Wendy Ward is a practicing witch and is beginning to realize that there might be more to the powers that awoke in her on All Hallows Eve, during her battle with Wither. These two adversaries are destined to fight again, although Wendy is unaware of her destiny. Will she realize what is going on before it's too late?

Jack Passarella weaves a tale of Horror and Suspense that keeps you turning the pages. His writing style is smooth and engrossing. It pulls you into the world of Wendy Ward and won't allow you to leave until you live the tale with her. This second book in the series expands upon the main character of Wendy, but also focuses in on the others who opposed Wither: Alex, Hannah, Karen, Abby, and Sheriff Nottingham. We see the lingering effects of Wither's curse upon these unlikely heroes, and we know their lives will never be the same again.

If you are a fan of horror and suspense, strong characters and story, then you can't miss Wither's Rain and its predecessor, Wither. You will find yourself unable to tear away from this masterful tale. Jack Passarella is making his mark on the literary world; expect more to come from this talented author.

Every century Wither and her coven come back on the anniversary of their death to commit murder and mayhem on the Massachusetts town of Windale. In 1999, Wither needed a new vessel and tried to take over the body of Wiccan witch Wendy Ward but as untested as the teenage was, she still was able to defeat the evil witch. Wendy thought that she destroyed her but will soon learn that the essence of Wither lives on in the body of eighteen year-old Gina Thorne.

Gradually, Wither's essence spreads throughout Gina's body, allowing the teen to access the witch's powers. She plans to start a new coven but knows that to succeed, she must destroy Wendy. Thanks to the Crone, Wendy realizes that she will battle Wither once again and this time she must learn how to control and use her powers if she wants to destroy her adversary permanently.

WITHER'S RAIN is one of the best horror books of the new millennium. John Passarella has an uncanny knack of tapping into our hidden fears on the pages of his books, especially this one. His talent is on a par with Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Bentley Little. Gina/Wither is the epitome of evil and the allies she converts to her cause makes her even more dangerous to the heroine who like in High Noon needs to fight by herself.

Harriet Klausner