Book Name: Betraying Innocence
Author: Airicka Phoenix
Publisher: Fire & Ash Publishing
Release date: October 30, 2013
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Romance
Warnings: Contains language and sexual content. 17+
Formats: e-book, paperback
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Betraying Innocence Synopsis

October 31, 1983, seventeen year old Johnny Baits vanishes without a trace, leaving the slumbering town of Chipawaha Creek, British Columbia reeling with his mysterious disappearance. Twenty-nine years later, The French family moves into his home, never realizing they're not alone in the house.

For seventeen year old Roseanna French moving to a strange new town is a problem she can handle. But even she's not prepared for the evil that has been sitting dormant for years... waiting. When seemingly harmless noises and creeping shadows at night leads to the murder of the people closest to her, Ana has to find a way to stop the evil before it can consume her completely and she can no longer wash the blood from her hands.

Rafael Ramirez is battling his own demons. Unlike Ana's, his has been haunting him for years. But running isn't an option. He has a mother, a brother and a sister looking to him to keep them safe. He doesn’t have time for pretty girls with issues, even if the sight of her makes him hope for things a guy like him doesn’t deserve. But when Ana asks Rafe for help, what can he do except give it? But what happens when the evil comes after his family? Can they stop it before it's too late or will it claim them the way it had claimed Johnny?

Excerpt

“Shh,” he whispered into her temple. “You’re not crazy. I saw him, too.”

My Review

Betraying Innocence is a young adult horror novel by Airicka Phoenix. It tells the story of Roseanna French and her family. They move to a small town in Canada called Chipawaha Creek, where, in 1983, a young boy named Johnny Baits has disappeared. He also happened to live in Ana's house. At first, Ana isn't too thrilled about leaving her old friends and life behind, but she realizes there isn't much she can do to change it.

On one of her first nights there, Ana stumbles across Rafael Ramirez, her new neighbor and a boy she cannot stand. He's in her yard with another girl, and it's quite obvious what they've been up to. Ana yells at him, and eventually, he leaves.

However, Rafe is the least of Ana's worries. Things start to happen, and Ana cannot tell if she's just stressed from the move, or if perhaps she's going crazy. The basement terrifies her, she hears tapping in her walls, and she starts seeing things. Horrible things.  And when those horrible things start showing up at school, causing her to end up in the hospital with a serious head injury, Ana starts to worry that maybe she should be locked up.

It isn't until one night, when  Rafe, who Ana is slowly starting to like, saves her from drowning in her pond. She had gone out to yell at a boy she saw standing near the pond, only to discover he wasn't really there. When Rafe sees the boy, though, Ana knows she's not going crazy.

Realizing her house just might be haunted, and what the townspeople claim happened to Johnny isn't exactly true, Ana has to try and figure out the mystery behind Johnny Baits before it's too late.

Overall, I thought the book was really good. It was a bit slow for me at first, but once I got a little more into it(about 25% of the way in), I was hooked and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

Now, I will say this: There are at least two characters that will piss you off immensely, one moreso than the other. And said character, for me, is the reason this book is in the horror genre. Sometimes horror isn't ghosts or demons; it's human, and there isn't much you can do to make that horror go away...unless it's something illegal, of course.

Anyway, I won't spoil anything more for the readers who may not have had a chance to delve into Betraying Innocence yet. Will Ana and Rafe solve the mystery? Is their tentative relationship doomed? You'll just have to rad and discover the answers for yourself.

I give Betraying Innocence 4 out of 5 stars. Such a good read. And I definitely recommend it. Plus, it's only 99 cents for a limited time! So get your copy today!

Author Bio

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