I love to curl up with a nice, steaming cup of tea and a free book to review. In fact I subscribe to three book review sites: Book Crash, Book Rooster and The Bookplex just so I can indulge in my favorite leisure activity. What’s even better is when an author contacts me for a review. If you’re an author looking for someone to review your book or short story, check out my Request a Review page.

Because I like to share the great reads I’ve found (and warn readers of the not-so-great finds), I developed a system:

• One cup — worse than a cup of luke warm black pekoe
• Two cups — it may be hot, but you’ll need plenty of sweetener just to tolerate it
• Three cups — it’s not my favorite, but it beats going without
• Four cups — nice and hot and only needs a smidge of sweetener to be perfect
• Five cups — loose leaf vanilla Earl Grey, yummy

Sometimes a book or story doesn’t warrant a five cup rating, but it’s so good it can’t be missed. For those I include the “Must Read” starburst in front of the cup rating. You’ll find my cup rating above the picture of the cover. Enjoy!

The Witch’s Curse a mystery/thriller short story by Edwina Ray

Here is the description that made me want to write this book review:

In this new short supernatural thriller from Amazon Best Selling author Edwina Ray, when fifteen-year-old Alex is caught out in the secluded forest admiring the giant ancient tree set in a moss-covered clearing, she is sure Josh is pulling a prank on her.

Be careful of the witch’s curse, he says. The tree has the power to kill you in the most horrible of ways.

Alex didn’t believe him.

Maybe she should have.

The Good…

This has the feel of a classic ghost story. While there is always a question of what will happen in the end, the conclusion is inevitable, as it should be.

Edwina once again captures the characters through dialogue, making them seem realistic.

The Not-so-good…

The one thing that bothered me was the how abrupt the ending was. It’s understandable, I suppose, since the story is in first person and the conclusion is what it is. One could hardly expect a longer or more subtle end in the case of this story. Still, I felt a little cheated.

The Overall…

If you enjoy classic ghost stories and an abrupt ending doesn’t bother you, The Witch’s Curse by Edwina Ray is a fun read that fits great in short amount of free time.