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Phobic by Cortney Pearson
Fifteen-year-old Piper Crenshaw knows her house is strange. As if never needing repairs since 1875, or lights flickering in response to things she says, aren’t creepy enough, it’s also the place where her mother committed murder.
To prove she’s not afraid of where she lives, Piper opens a forbidden door and soon after begins to witness a string of flashbacks—including a love affair between two young servants. Not only did these servants used to live in a set of rooms just down the hall from her bedroom, but they happen to be hiding a deadly secret.
This secret is pulling Piper deeper into not only their story, but also her house. To sever her link to it, she must unravel the clues in the flashbacks and uncover the truth about her mother’s crime before becoming a part of her house for good.
Open the door to this striking, unstoppable mystery, but remember: sometimes a house…isn’t just a house.
My Review. 4 Stars.
Phobic is an enjoyable, paranormal novel for young adults. It is narrated in the first person and in the present tense, which makes for a very dynamic reading experience. First person narrators are unreliable, because they just can’t be everywhere and know everything, yet they are more authentic, because the reader knows and accepts their limited yet honest version of the story. On the other hand, the combination of their unique voice and the use of present tense, if it’s pulled off well, can be two powerful tools which the author uses to drag the reader into and along the story. Fortunately, both are combined to great effect in the case of Phobic. The story is well written and keeps you turning the pages avidly.
I felt I was rushing through events with 15-year-old Piper, her brother, Joel, her friends, especially, Todd, Jordan, and Sierra. Her mysterious 19th century house is literally alive, and she bumps into the ghosts of former inhabitants, while coping with her mother’s imprisonment, supposed lunacy and cryptic messages, as well as school and some spiteful classmates. As you read, you’ll discover how this capable and resourceful heroine must face a vicious house full of ghosts, her brother’s disappearance, her father’s death, and unravel a mystery before she can find any peace. There’s tension, sometimes chaos, and lots of suspense right to the end.
A fun and spooky read for young adults.
Cortney Pearson is the author of Phobic, about doors that shouldn’t be opened, and the Stolen Tears series, about a vial of enchanted tears and the only girl who can wield them. She is a mother, a musician, and a lover of pink and sparkles, and she lives with her husband and three sons in a small Idaho farm town.
As Cortney is visiting my blog I’m asking her a few questions to get to know her better:
(i) What would you say to potential readers to convince them to read your book?
Phobic is meant to be for people like me who want something a little creepy but can’t handle/don’t like hard-core horror. I call it “creepy-clean,” meaning you can still go to the bathroom by yourself when you’re done reading it, lol. 🙂
(ii) Where did the idea for writing Phobic spring from?
Growing up we would visit my great aunt’s house in Utah, and she had the creepiest basement! I always wanted to write a creepy story, and for some reason the concept of forbidden doors leading to creepy basements meshed perfectly. I also got inspiration from the Winchester Mansion in California, which I’d love to tour someday!
(iii) What are you working on now?
I’m working on sequels right now! Phobic’s sequel is called INTRINSIC, and is about a haunted bookstore (and there’s also the possibility of a haunted movie theater…). And I’m working on the sequel for my Stolen Tears series.
(iv) What would you like readers to know about you?
I love books, I love pink and sparkles, I love being a mom; cold weather makes me happy because I can bundle up in sweaters and beanies; I’m not outdoorsy at all–my idea of a fun time is curling up under a blanket with a good read–although I do enjoy camping and other things like that once in a great while.
Top Ten Places I’d Love to Travel To
1. Mount Rushmore
2. Disney World (and Harry Potter World, both in Florida)
3. New Orleans (I’ve never been to the southern US!)
4. Hawaii
5. Giza, to see the Great Pyramids
6. Venice, Italy
7. Stratford-upon-Avon, England, Shakespeare’s birthplace
8. London, England
9. Haworth, England — more specifically, the Bronte Parsonage to see the museum there
10. Paris, France!!! Ultimate destination!
Connect with the Author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cor2ney
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cor2ney
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cor2ney/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8304331.Cortney_Pearson
Newsletter (Sign Up and Get a FREE Copy of My YA Romance, HER MOON, a Retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale”: http://eepurl.com/W4pxj
Thank you for visiting my blog today, Cortney. It was a pleasure to have you, and I’m looking forward to reading your next novel about a haunted bookstore!
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I came into contact recently with Loving the Book when I launched my second novel, Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall, and I was looking for marketing that combined popular Social Media like Facebook and the more ‘bookish’ Blogging Universe to get our books noticed! I think it’s a great idea which they are doing very effectively.
Rereading Jane Eyre 
Sounds good, and the haunted bookstore sounds like a fabulous idea!
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Yes, it does. I don’t usually read YA, but now and again I check a novel out. I taught teenagers for too many years to want to know what they get up to after (or during) school😂😂
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