Review of ORANGEVALE Dead & Alive

[Carissa Ann]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "ORANGEVALE Dead & Alive" by Jay Steven Brown.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Orangevale: Dead & Alive by Jay Steven Brown is a collection of short stories following a Halloween theme. There are 24 different tales, some of which share locations or characters. The stories range from a radio talk show host sharing ghost encounters campfire style to bizarre tales of strange animals in not-so-faraway lands. Although some of the stories have overlapping settings, each haunting tale is unique and strange.

Brown presents some truly unique ideas in this book. I do not want to spoil any of the stories, so I will stick to vague statements, but these stories were unlike anything I have read before. Brown certainly toes the line between haunting and thought-provoking. Although all of the stories are eerie or bizarre, he also subtly brings up topics such as love, revenge, forgiveness, and owning up to your mistakes. A few of the stories border on comical while still following the Halloween theme. I know I did not provide too many specifics, but I highly recommend this book as it is truly an enjoyable read.

As for the negative aspects of this book, conversations are not Brown’s forte. The longer sections of dialogue lack authenticity. It felt as if Brown was adding some of these conversations just to add length to the book, and I cannot imagine anyone talking like some of these characters. Additionally, there were too many mistakes throughout the text to simply overlook them. These mistakes range from grammatical errors to misspelling characters' names.

Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. The stories are unique and extremely interesting; however, the book could use a professional editor to help with the errors and the dialogue. I would recommend this book to those looking for a quick read of eerie Halloween tales. Although some of the stories are about darker topics, the book does not contain the extreme gore or violence typically found in similar collections.

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ORANGEVALE Dead & Alive
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[Emmanuel olowolayemo]

As a prospective reader, this review gives me mixed feelings about *Orangevale: Dead & Alive*. The unique and thought-provoking nature of the stories sounds intriguing, especially with the Halloween theme and the range of topics like love, revenge, and forgiveness woven into eerie tales. The blend of haunting, bizarre, and even slightly comical stories piques my interest.

However, the mentioned issues with dialogue and the noticeable grammatical errors give me pause. It seems like the storytelling itself is strong, but the execution could detract from the reading experience, especially if dialogue is a significant part of the stories.

Despite these flaws, I’d still consider reading it for the novelty of the stories and the eerie Halloween atmosphere, but I’d go in with tempered expectations, particularly regarding the writing quality. It might be a fun, quick read for the spooky season.

[NetMassimo]

This is a collection of stories that sometimes are connected by setting or characters. It seems in need for more editing work to improve its dialogues and have proper proofreading. Despite that, the eerie atmosphere might still make it a thrilling read. Thank you for your honest review!