Eric Jansen is an alien. Offworlder. Take me to your leader, fall from the sky, space invading, phoning home, UFO jockey. A swipe of the tattoo on his arm will reveal his true form which locals call Mothman, a winged creature formed of ashen gray skin and glowing red eyes. So when the recently deceased of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, start walking and talking, the Men in Black mark Eric as … Eric as suspect number one. It will be up to Eric and the girl-next-door book blogger to solve the mystery before the black suits lock him up and throw away the key.
Are you ready for some campy fun? Fans of Doctor Who will love Wrong Side of the Grave, a suspenseful Teen Paranormal Mystery with a sci-fi twist that turns the Mothman prophecies of old on its ear, err wing. Grade 5 and up.
Check out the paperback with Special Edition cover designed by Joshua Labello of Envy Ink and behind the scenes commentary on the making of the cover on the author’s site.
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Butler’s characterization writing kept me turning pages. I enjoyed the quirky hero and loved the way this story that any pair of mother/daughter readers could share with one another. The author has a way of writing things so what could be confusing is actually crystal clear. Great read!
One of the best YA books I’ve read. Super fun with vampires AND alien beings (actually, the vampires ARE some of the alien beings which is a really cool idea), this took me just a few hours to read as it was so light and easy. I absolutely loved it!
It’s a very unique take on the whole vampire tale which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat for sure. I totally fell in love with Eric, he is such a likeable character with his cute rocker look (he carries his drumsticks in his back pockets and then uses them to kill…. no that would be telling you too much!) and swagger. His best friend is a bit of a geeky book blogger which really appealed to me (for obvious reasons) and he lives in a space ship! What’s not to love? The waking dead, graveyard visits, funeral homes and Men in Black just makes this a really quirky, fun read.
I’m trying to find something negative to say but I just can’t… there isn’t a single thing I didn’t like about this book.
I also love the fact that it’s suitable for every age group with no profanity and no sexual content. I highly recommend it!
Growing up just down the road from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, it’s impossible to not have heard about the Mothman. In fact, there are probably as many stories and theories about Mothman as there are about Bigfoot or the Jersey devil. Stories, movies, TV shows – all with various ideas about this creature’s origins. So, yes, I’ve seen and read my fair share of tales about the mysterious Mothman, but I have to say that Bryna Butler’s Wrong Side of the Grave is the most fun and entertaining that I’ve come across.
The story is fast-paced and engaging from the beginning, and it doesn’t let up. Plus, it’s totally clean. We get aliens, the dead rising from the grave, vampires, men in black, and a pretty crazy villain, and I didn’t hear one single thing that I found objectionable in any way whatsoever. Aliens and the dead rising are completely outside my wheelhouse, and I usually shy away from both, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this one. The story reminded me a bit of the teen detective books I read when I was growing up and even made me a little nostalgic for those stories and that simpler time.
James Fouhey is the narrator for this entertaining listen, and he does a terrific job as Eric, the Mothman’s cover. He somehow manages to sound like a teenage boy while also being a creature who has been here for ages, and he does it while sounding like he’s telling us his story, not just reading us a book. In my head, that is Eric’s voice, he does it that well.
To sum it up, Butler’s story and Fouhey’s narration work wonderfully together. So well that it made for a nice little bit of escapism from this chaotic world we live in. As an added bonus, I managed to get my thirteen-year-old to listen, and he loved the story as much as I did. That’s a feat in itself, and it became an even bigger deal when he asked me get the next book in the series – not something that happens very often. Wrong Side of the Grave is a story for any age. It is a mystery, but it’s also a story of friendship, loyalty, and protecting those we care about. It’s a great listen, and I can’t recommend it enough.
STARS
Wrong side of the Grave was something I mainly chose to read because of the book blurb.It sounded so different to anything I had read before, Vampires and Mothman Type things who are all aliens and to top it off the vampires for once are not top of the food chain. Well, it just tickled my fancy I had to find out more.
So Wrong side of the grave is a totally clean, no hanky panky, no bad words, just wholesome fun and mystery sleuthing aimed at I would say the teen genre.
It reminded me a bit of a nancy drew novel if nancy was an ashen skinned, red eyed 7ft winged creature oh and male he he.
So we have Eric Jansen aka Mothman and his meddling sidekick Bridge. colluding together to solve the local mystery of why the local dead are mysteriously coming back to life.
This was an interesting read, I would have liked this story more if it was aimed at an older audience.But for the market, Wrong Side Of The Grave was geared towards it did an excellent job.
I would certainly recommend this story to my Sons I think they would find it super cool and fascinating. This story does what it says on the tin a good solid teen read.
I receive a free e-copy of this book and this is my honest unbiased opinion.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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