NBTM Virtual Book Tour + Review + #Giveaway: Friends to the End by Cherie Colyer @CherieColyer @GoddessFish

Friends to the End

by Cherie Colyer

GENRE: Middle Grade Action Adventure

BLURB:

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he'll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach's concerned, it's his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach's not worried. He doesn't believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what's real and what's not.

Excerpt:

We scrambled to our feet and ran to the front door, stopping with the toes of our gym shoes just outside the worn threshold. If the house vanished at that very moment, would we vanish, too, or did we have to be inside to disappear forever?

A long table rested next to the wall in the foyer. Several black-and-white photos in tarnished silver frames sat on top of it. The women in the pictures wore large floppy hats and long dresses. The men wore white shirts and jackets like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The children had on sweaters and knee-high socks. No one was smiling.

“I thought you wanted to go inside,” I said. “Now’s your chance.”

Josh shook his head. “Not so important anymore.”

“Yeah, I can see just fine from here,” Dom said.

But Morgan was inside.

A stomp of my foot on the aging wood confirmed we were standing on an extremely solid porch. We were peering through a very real doorway. If this was the vanishing house, shouldn’t it be translucent like Ghost Girl or hazy like the car?

“Maybe we’re overreacting,” I said. Just because the welcome sign happened to have the same name on it as the guy in the graveyard, and just because the date on it was a couple of centuries old, that didn’t mean we should assume the worst. Right?

Only, the evidence in front of us said otherwise. The house was lit with candles and oil lamps. There were no televisions or radios or phones visible. The more I noticed, the more it looked wrong. The fancy armchairs and matching sofa, the family portrait above the stone fireplace, even the shoes left near the door were unlike anything I’d seen before.

Dom mumbled something inaudible and then screamed Morgan’s name.

The air in the house was cool. It pushed against the warmth of summer, fighting to keep it outside. With it came a whispered, “Don’t.”

My Review:

Friends to the End was a fun, sweet, sad little read that drew me in from the first page. Once I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down as the mystery of the disappearing house had me racing to the end trying to find out as much as I could about that house.

The disappearing house thrilled me to my bones with all its mysteriousness. Friends to the End held on tight to its secrets about the disappearing house which gave me a run for my money from beginning to end. Oh, man I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Friends to the End is a story about a scary, spooky house that swallows anyone who enters or that is how the story goes. The story is that there is a house that only appears on occasion and anyone who enters will disappear with the house never to be seen again.

Friends to the End opens with Zach and his family moving to a new home in a new town. Zach wasn’t too happy about moving but of course didn’t have much of a say about it. Zach has more on his plate than moving to a new place.

Moving to a new place means no friends but that is not bothering Zach very much because the last thing on his mind at the moment is friends. A few months ago, Zach lost his best friend and he believes that it is his fault that his best friend will never to see his next birthday.

Zach hit it lucky on the first day of school as he made friends with a great group of people. Zach’s new friends told him about this disappearing house. They had plans to go find the disappearing house and ask Zach if he wanted to come along. Zach doesn’t believe in ghosts so has no problem following them into the house. Well, that is if they are lucky enough to see it. They might not think they are so lucky if it does let them see it.

I would have like to have known more about the background on the haunted house that kept disappearing and swallowing up everyone who entered. I would like to have known more about the people who used to live there. I would have like to have known the houses origins.

Friends to the End may have had some very sad moments it also had some very fun, scary and adventurous moments as well. When I pictured the kids on their bikes it reminded me of the kids from Stranger Things.

Friends to the End is a great story for middle grade readers or well for anyone who loves a good scary, fun adventure for that matter. If you like Stranger Things then I would suggest you give Friends to the End a try as I do believe you will enjoy reading it as much as I have. One-click your copy of Friends to the End today for a few scary adventures!

Interview with Cherie Colyer

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

Friends to the End combines two themes. First, the idea to create a character who is dealing with loss and guilt was sparked by the news and the loss of young lives. I wanted to create a character who was going through a tough time and who finds the inner strength to carry on. And I wanted to do this without writing an issues book. This character had to be an average child others could relate to.

My other story idea was a ghost story that included four friends creeping around a spooky old house. Would they make it out alive? Even I didn’t know. This story is very much Goonies meets Stand By Me. It’s a grand adventure shared by four friends.

By combining the two themes, my young protagonist has to concur the ghosts of his past if he hopes to fight the very real ghost in the infamous vanishing house.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

I wanted to write a fun adventure with characters readers could relate to, and I wanted to entertain children and adults alike. Based on the feedback I’ve received, I think I accomplished this.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

There is a scene where Zach tells his new friends about his past that was hard to write. I don’t want to give away anything, so all I can say is there is a good reason why Zach will never see his childhood friend again.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

It’s a tie between the friendship that grows between Zach and the other characters and the scene in the haunted house.

Were there alternate endings you considered?

Not so much an alternate ending, but I did make changes to the final chapters based on feedback from my editor. I can’t go into detail here without spoiling the ending. I will say that I’m glad I made the change. The ending is stronger for it.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

My favorite genres are middle-grade fantasy and paranormal romance. I’ll check out any book with witches and magic. Vampires, ghosts, angels and demons are a close second.




Thanks for having me on your blog!

Thank you for being here!

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

She lives in Illinois with her family.

Keep in Touch:

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ BookBub

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram 

Giveaway:

$15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.