While I enjoyed the first book, the ending felt definite to me. I didn't get the feeling that this was to be a more than one book storyline. And to a degree I can still stand by that statement. DREAMING ANASTASIA can still stand on its own, HAUNTED however cannot in my opinion.

There is a matter of disconnect between to the two books that I didn't feel was fully addressed. The ending of DREAMING led the reader to believe the happily ever after love that Anne and Ethan shared would continue. HAUNTED is really quick to disprove this. Its not so much they aren't still in love, but they are still in love and not together. Anne is trying, really desperately, to be normal. To put all the crazy supernatural stuff behind her and focus on being normal. This is her mantra. Ethan, the poor fool, spent time roving Europe in hopes of coming to grips with his intense feelings for Anne and failing rather spectacularly at that.

Their reunion is not quite what either one expected.
Ethan surprised me with how well he took being mortal again. His core self didn't change--his primary mission and want was to protect Anne. He tried to be what Anne needed, but that was hard because Anne wasn't even sure what she needed.

Anne was less of a trial this time. Her angst made more sense this time around and I truly felt for her. I think if Ethan had stayed gone...well her plans may have worked out. It doesn't mean it was any better than the life she has, or that Ben is any better than Ethan. Nor does it mean that she didn't genuinely hold affection for Ben. Problem is in paranormal books destiny is what destiny is.

Knowing that there is a third book to be released, I was more prepared for the ending to not be a closed loop. In some ways this could also be considered an 'end'. If book three isn't released I don't think there is enough to make fans cry foul, but there's enough threads that could be expanded upon to make a third book an interesting read. For myself, I wish to see where Anne and Ethan's path is taken, but I am content to wait. This is not an 'autobuy' or dying to read now' series for me. It’s predictable and enjoyable, good for lazy afternoon reading. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A rusalka is “haunting” Anne while she tries to fight her destiny. Two men also fight for her heart.

Opening Sentence: Through the skull in my fireplace, I watch her.

The Review:

It has been a year after the incident in Dreaming Anastasia and Anne has been trying her best to forget that it ever happened. Unfortunately, weird things are beginning all over again. The powers that Ethan told her would go away are not only still there, but are growing stronger. She is also dreaming again of Baba Yaga and her amazing hut. If that wasn’t enough to give Anne a bad feeling, then the crazy wet lady that’s seems to be stalking her most likely will. Just great. What could “fate” and “destiny” want with Anne this time? Hasn’t she done enough?

The story should have been done. Anastasia was released and Viktor was taken in her stead. So why are strange things still happening to Anne? This book is where Anne is forced to admit the path that destiny has lain out before. Up until now, Anne could walk away from her “purpose” and live the life of an ordinary teen: going to school, part-time jobs, hanging out with friends, and dating boys. Now she must not only decide, but also commit. This book follows her struggle against the truth of her situation. What will Anne choose in the end, a life less than ordinary and safe or one that is extraordinary and dangerous? Does she even have an option?

Anne’s struggle mirrors in a love triangle as well. Ben is a cute guy that adores her. He is smart, funny and not aware of any of Anne’s past “craziness.” They have been dating for some time now and things are looking good. That is, until Ethan walks back into Anne’s life. Ben represents all that Anne thinks that she wants and Ethan is all that she wants to hide. Her love for Ethan is mixed up within her feelings about magic and it’s like. While Anne deliberates between the two men, she is also pushing each of them on either side of the line. It parallels her inner turmoil over magic and its place within her life. If she gives up Ben, does that mean she is giving up any chance of reclaiming her life before Anastasia? Could she and Ethan sustain a normal relationship even without all the extra life-and-death madness blowing around them?

The use of Russian folktales makes this series stand apart from the rest. Not only do we have the famed Baba Yaga involved, we also get to see some rusalka. Rusalka’s are the Russian version of mermaids. Their reason for being are tragic and their purpose equally so. They lure people out into a body of water and then they drown them. So why is a rusalka stalking Anne? Why does she know so much about Anne and her mother? Where does she fit in the grand scheme of things?

The infusion of this aspect makes the story a little more complicated than the first book. There are so many new twists and turns that pressures Anne into new and more difficult decisions. Anne’s character is bombarded with “secrets within secrets” and “stories within stories” that reflect in the swift pace of the book.

The inclusion of Baba Yaga’s point of view brings a wonderful new voice to an already enriched tale. Each new discovery is explored and related by three separate characters that the reader can experience. Baba Yaga brings a more surreal and otherworldly aspect that the first was lacking. Without this added view point, this story would feel overdone. Baba Yaga introduces us to the idea of “more to come.” Anne’s position becomes that much loftier and nobler than before.

Haunted is a rich blend of mystery, magic, and the bonds between people. Preble brings forth more than a few surprises that leave the reader breathless at the end. The ghosts of unresolved issues will haunt us until the next installment.

Notable Scene:

“No!” I scream. I know it’s not real, and I can hear Tell yelling at me to stop, by I’m wading in after my mother anyway-wading up to my waist in the sludgy pond water before Ethan can grab me and pull me back. All I can see is the image of my mother disappearing in the water. It blends in my head with the image of Ben at the bottom of the pool. It doesn’t look like swimming. It looks like drowning.

The rusalka resurfaces as suddenly as she went under, floating on her back, arms stretched out. Still as death. It’s really her again, the lilac gown sagging beneath her, wild black curls dipping this way and that in the current. For one brief second, she raises her head, opens her eyes, and looks at me. “Please,” she says. “Oh, please help me.” And then she’s gone.

Ethan drags me up onto the grass. “It wasn’t real,” he says to me over and over.

Tess just strokes my hair and tells me it will be okay.

“I don’t know what she wants from me. I don’t know how to help her.” I realize I’m not sure which woman I really mean.

So I do what I’ve wanted to do since I first saw Ethan this afternoon. I sit down in the grass, my wet denim skirt heavy against my legs, and cry.

Dreaming Anastasia Series:

1. Dreaming Anastasia

2. Haunted

3. Anastasia Forever

FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks graciously provided me with a copy of Haunted. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys. ( )

Haunted by Joy Preble is the second book in the Dreaming Anastasia series. This book picks up a few months after Dreaming Anastasia ends. Anne is still trying to deal with the aftermath of what happened in book one. She feels guilty over what happened with Anastasia. She is angry at Ethan, but she still misses him as well. Anne wishes her life would go back to the way it was before magic, before Baba Yaga, before Viktor. However that doesn't happen. In fact she's now being stalked by a rusalka, which is a Russian mermaid. Before you start singing "Under the Sea", you should know that these mermaids are more like sirens from the sea. They are more likely to lure you to your death than anything else. Anne, Ethan, and Tess have to figure out why the rusalka is after Anne before it hurts someone that she loves.
One of the things that I love most about these books is that they introduce me to Russian mythology. In the first book I learned about Baba Yaga, a powerful witch. In this story, a mermaid out for vengeance. Preble does a fantastic job of incorporating these myths into the modern-day story line. Haunted is full of action, mystery, and suspense. It's the perfect second book to this series. The only complaint I have is the love triangle. Love triangles are done so much that I almost expect them when reading books. I feel as if this story would have been fine without it. Other than that everything else is good. ( )

I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to reading YA books in the Paranormal sub-genre, that I should be careful before I pick up a book that deals with "Immortals" or incorporates folklore into a modern setting. Most of the time the results aren't great and the way it was done in Haunted wasn't done tastefully. As I mentioned in my review for Dreaming Anastasia, I consider myself a fan of all things involving the mystery and history of the Grand Duchess and the Romonav family. When I finished reading Dreaming Anastasia, I really found myself disappointed as a reader.

The author had some interesting and good ideas but she did not execute them well enough for the book to be memorable. With my disappointed, I admit that I did become hesitant in reviewing Haunted- the sequel to Dreaming Anastasia. First off, I'm going to bluntly say that this book had the same results as the first book.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand why Anne made certain decisions in this book or her behavior towards Ethan. She really seemed like a terrible protagonist. Even in this part of the story where she is developing new powers, she still seemed so...annoying. I was really surprised by the fact that she even had a new boyfriend! In such a short amount of time! Ben, who is a lifeguard is the complete opposite of Ethan but Anne's feelings for him are nothing compared to her feelings for Ethan (A silly Love triangle and a definite cliche').

Out of the blue Ethan returns from his trip (the one that he took at the end of Dreaming Anastasia, in order to get his life in order since he is no longer immortal) A crazy Russian mermaid haunts Anne wherever she goes and doesn't leave her alone. Ethan and Tess are once again helping Anne with this new mystery and they end up uncovering secrets of her family and how she still has a connection with Anastasia. I felt that there wasn't much of a point in having a sequel to Dreaming Anastasia (besides learning a few interesting things about Anne's family).

There wasn't much conflict or events occurring to keep the story growing, and the parts where there was "action" seemed bland. I just couldn't get into this story, no matter how much I tried. One last thing that I would like to point out is the ending of this book. Don't worry no spoilers! I kept asking myself WHY?! Seriously, I feel that the author is making this story DRAG. With the way this story ended, there seems to be another book coming up and I'm not going to bother with it.

I really think I'm done with this series. What is wrong with concluding a story with ONE or TWO books? Especially when the whole story feels ready to conclude after all of the events that occurred that lead to that moment? Why must some RANDOM thing occur in order to get the story's length to grow? WHY?! (I know I'm not the author and I don't know her intentions, but I don't think that's the case in this series).

I hope I didn't turn this into a personal rant. I just wanted to point out a few things that I felt needed to be stated with this review. ( )

Joy Preble has a knack for picking such intriguing creatures to act as her villains! After Dreaming Anastasia, I immediately hopped online and researched Baba Yaga, even though I was thoroughly freaked out by her gigantic detachable hands and iron teeth. This time, it's the Rusalkas...vicious mermaids who were once wronged women. No singing and giggling for these mermaids---these creatures cloud a man's brain, lure them to the water and drown them. Nothing cute about it. While this book wasn't nearly as creepy as the last, it has a few good eerie moments.

Anne is still a strong character, and I still love Tess and the fierce way she stands beside Anne. This time, Anne is a little lost---trying to deny her powers and do all she can to grasp any type of normalcy. She has started dating Ben, who is as normal as can be, bordering on simple. Not so much dumb, but just kind of uninteresting---lifeguard, hormones running on high, sweet but kind of doofy, and when Ethan shows up again, Ben pulls the usual possessive riot act. He didn't seem to match Anne at all, so it tipped the scales of this love triangle easily toward Ethan, as he was just as heroic and mysterious as always. But still, Anne wants normal and Ethan is anything but that, so you'll have to read and find out where she lands!

I really liked the mother/daughter angle of this story. Both of them lost for different reasons, and growing further apart by the day. I liked that the story behind her lost birth grandmother continues in this one and it made for a very interesting part of the plot!

Once again, as in Dreaming Anastasia, the chapters alternate between Anne and Ethan's point of view. I encountered the same problem as last time---their voices are not distinct enough from each other for this to really work for me. I often forgot whose point of view I was currently reading and would have to backtrack a little. I would come across something that I thought completely didn't make sense, and then realize that I wasn't reading who I thought I was reading.

There was also a lot of villain monologuing in this one. With a handful of villainous characters, they all had their moment in the sun. And while it was necessary in some aspects to explain what was going on, it was a bit tedious at times. I also had a hard time understanding the motive and purpose of all three villains, and the cryptic riddles that they spoke in were definitely no help in figuring this out. Still, the tidbits we learn about their histories are important and both answer and create more questions that will hopefully be addressed in a third installment.

I enjoyed this one, although not as much as the first---but I will definitely be eager to continue the story when the third book comes along! ( )