7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Passarella has a hit!, January 14, 2003
[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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Open the floodgates..., October 17, 2004
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wendy Vs. Wither part 2!, February 11, 2003
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!
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