A Supernatural book review

Today I was thinking about a topic to write about, but I couldn’t think of anything. My mind was blank except for the (unofficial) Supernatural theme song that kept playing inside my head. Then I figured that maybe that was exactly what I should be writing about (Supernatural I mean, not the theme song).

First though, listen to the song. Don't you just love it?

When I was a maybe twelve or thirteen years old I first watched a few episodes of Supernatural (some random S2 episodes on the television). I remember liking the story about two brothers fighting monsters, since it was fun and exciting, but I mostly loved it because it really was all about family and the message of never giving up.

A few years later one of my best friends told me she was watching Supernatural and thought I would like it too. I think we either watched the trailer or the first episode together (but I think the trailer) and I knew I needed to watch more of it.

When I came home I watched S01E01 and was hooked from the start. It didn’t take long before I had caught up with the entire show (which was five seasons long at the time) and now almost ten years later I still watch it!

It’s at its final season now (season 15!!), so I am going to have to say goodbye to Sam and Dean soon (SAD), but thankfully there are also a lot of books (and of course I can always rewatch the show for another thousand times so I’ll be okay one way or the other).

But that’s where Supernatural gets relevant for this blog: the books!

I can only review the ones I’ve read so far, so that’s what I’ll do, but first I’ll review the books I’ve read over the past two weeks (because let's not forget those)!

Book Reviews

1. Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This is the cutest little book I've read all year! At the end of every chapter I thought "one more and then I'll stop" but I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Like most contemporary romances Meet Cute Club is cheesy, but it's cheesy in a good and believable way. I simply loved it. 4,5 stars.

2. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

3. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

What a wonderful book with a wonderful story. It made me laugh and it made me cry, but most of all it made me fall in love with the kindhearted gentleman that Nicholas is. This book reminded me once again why Dickens is one of my favourites.

3. Birthday by Meredith Russo

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

4. The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I adore this book! It’s everything I love in a book mixed together—historical fiction, time travel, Italy, art, a sweet romance... I could go on for days. One of the best books I've read this year.

5. Kingdom of Scars by Eoin C. Macken

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It's a great struggle to rate this book. I usually give a book 5 stars when it's a) one of my favourites and/or I LOVE it, or b) even though I didn't LOVE it, it's still such a good book and it deserves more than 4 stars (because sometimes whether you like a book or not has more to do with your personal taste than how good a book truly is, right?)

A Darker Shade of Magic is written so well. It has great characters and a solid plot, and it's simply just a really good book. Even though I liked it very much (at times even loved it), I didn't LOVE it. But then, it was great, so I can't rate it 4 stars, can I?

7. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Dad wants us to pick up where he left off...

Okay Dean, let's do this! (I doubt John Winchester ever reviewed a book in his life, but oh well...)

There are 17 books in the 'Supernatural series', but I've only read five so far. There are three other books I also want to discuss, since they have everything to do with the series, so I'll add those to the list.

I'll simply start with the first book that's on the list, even though it's not the first SPN book I read (that would be Witch's Canyon).

1. Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

I've got a bit of a love-hate relationship when it comes to this book. I really enjoyed reading it, because it was funny, easy to read and it (mostly) felt like reading an episode of SPN. BUT, the way DeCandido describes Sam and (especially) Dean sometimes seriously pissed me off. I easily would've given it four stars if he'd gotten them right, but this was just annoying. (At some point Dean even calls Sammy 'Sammich,' what in the world was that about?!)

2. Witch's Canyon by Jeffrey J. Mariotte

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Sam and Dean have set out on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but this is no vacation for the brothers. On a stretch of deserted ranchland just beyond the canyon's stunning vistas, mysterious murder sprees have occurred every forty years. The area's inhabitants have been few and far between in years past, but a nearby mega-mall is about to celebrate its grand opening—and attract thousands of fresh victims.

The Winchester boys are determined to protect locals and shoppers alike, but they never anticipated they'd be fighting a group of killers this vicious, this vindictive, this . . . dead. A deadly horde of animal spirits and human ghosts has arisen to terrorize this tiny corner of the Arizona desert. If Sam and Dean can't figure out why, the wide-open spaces of the West will once again become a desolate frontier . . . and the witch's canyon will be the brothers' final resting place.

I read this book ten years ago, so I might have a different opinion when I reread this, but I remember loving it a lot. I can't really say much else. For now.

3. Bone Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Sam and Dean are headed for Key West, Florida, home to Hemingway, hurricanes, and a whole lot of demons. The tropical town has so many ghouls on the loose that one of its main moneymakers has long been a series of ghost tours. But the tours are no more, not since one of the guides was found dead of an apparent heart attack . . . his face frozen in mid-scream. No one knows what horrors he saw, but the Winchester brothers are about to find out.

Soon they'll be face-to-face with the ghosts of the island's most infamous residents, demons with a hidden agenda, and a mysterious ancient power looking for revenge. It's up to Sam and Dean to save the citizens of Key West . . . before the beautiful island is reduced to nothing more than a pile of bones.

Another one by Keith R.A. DeCandido. My opinion on this book is much the same as the one on Nevermore.

4. Heart of the Dragon by Keith R.A. DeCandido

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

When renegade angel Castiel alerts Sam and Dean to a series of particularly brutal killings in San Francisco's Chinatown, they realise the Heart of the Dragon, an ancient evil of unspeakable power, is back! John Winchester faced the terrifying spirit 20 years ago, and the Campbell family fought it 20 years before that - can the boys succeed where their parents and grandparents failed?

Another book I read about ten years ago. I remember loving it, so DeCandido either wrote a better book or I was less of a critic as a teen. I will let you know once I reread the book!

5. The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground… Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand…

This was the best Supernatural novel I've read so far. It was an interesting story, Schreiber got the characters exactly right (which is a huge relief after some of the other books (read: DeCandido)), the pacing was quick and upbeat and (very important for people like me:) there were some great/funny Destiel moments. I loved it!

6. John Winchester's Journal by Alexander C. Irvine

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

On November 2, 1983, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. In the wake of the tragedy, their father, John, set out to learn everything he could about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and how to kill it. In his personal journal, he not only compiled folklore, legend, and superstition about all manner of otherworldly enemies but he also recorded his experiences—hunting the creature that killed his wife even as he raised his two sons.

Part prequel, part resource guide, John Winchester's Journal finally gives fans the ultimate companion book for Supernatural. It's all here: the exorcism Sam and Dean used in "Phantom Traveler," John's notes on everything from shape-shifters to Samuel Colt, Dean's first hunt, Sam's peewee soccer team . . . and John's single-minded pursuit of a growing and deadly evil.

I really liked the idea of this book and at the beginning it was super interesting, but the more I read the more I started skipping the parts about the monsters and symbols because it became a little boring. I recently gave it another try, but I ended up doing the exact same thing.

7. Family Don't End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Has Changed Lives by Lynn Zubernis

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

May 2017 marks the end of the twelfth season of the CW hit Supernatural, a television show about two demon-hunting brothers (and an angel) that is at the center of a fan community as tight-knit as family—a virtual support system that spans the globe. The three-time People’s Choice Award winner for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show and Tumblr’s 2015 Most Reblogged “Live Action TV” show has made a name for itself by supporting and encouraging its fans to “always keep fighting,” a main theme echoed in the show, and demonstrating the inspiring truth to a memorable line from early in the show’s run: “Family don’t end with blood.”

In twenty powerful chapters written by Supernatural’s actors and fans, including series lead Jared Padalecki, Family Don’t End with Blood: How Supernatural Has Changed Lives examines the far reach of the show’s impact over the last eleven years. Supernatural has encouraged fans to change their lives, from getting “sober for Sam” to escaping a cult to pursuing lifelong dreams. But fans aren’t the only ones who have been changed. The actors who bring the show to life have also found, in the show and its community, inspiration, courage, and the strength to keep going when life seemed too hard.

In keeping with the show’s message to “always keep fighting,” and to support the important work of combatting stigma and encouraging those who are struggling to speak out, a portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to charity Attitudes in Reverse, whose mission is to educate young people about mental health and suicide prevention.

Two words to describe this book would be "beautiful" and "inspiring"

As a long-time SPN fan I might be biased, but I honestly don't believe I am. This book really was wonderful. The stories brought me either joy or sadness (or both), but they all ended with hope. And I loved all of it. From Jensen's hugs to Jared's words of encouragement, and from all the inspiring fans to Misha's beautiful heart.

The SPN Family makes me so proud. They really encourage to go and do good in this world.

To help people and save lives.

You know, the family business.

8. There'll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural by Lynn Zubernis

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Fifteen years. Two brothers. Angels and demons. A story like no other. And one of the most passionate fan bases of all time.

That’s Supernatural.

There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural is an emotional look back at the beloved television show Supernatural as it wraps up its final season after fifteen unprecedented years on air.

With heartfelt chapters written by both the series’ actors and its fans—plus full-color photos and fan illustrations—There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done traces Supernatural’s evolution, the memorable characters created by its writers and brought to life by its talented actors, and the many ways in which the show has inspired and changed the lives of both its viewers and cast.

Both a celebration of Supernatural and a way of remembering what made it so special, this book is a permanent reminder of the legacy the show leaves behind and a reminder to the SPN Family to, like the series’ unofficial theme song says, “carry on.”

After reading Family Don't End with Blood I had to read this book as well. Once again the stories were wonderful and inspiring, and I loved reading all of them. Together, they perfectly described why Supernatural is such an amazing show, why the SPN Family is the most wonderful fandom of all time, and most of all, why Supernatural will never truly end.

I simply loved it. All of it.

That were all the SPN books I've read so far. Thankfully there are a lot more for me to read, and hopefully there will be more written in the future as well (I especially would love one with Jack in it!).

For now, I will end this post by wishing you a wonderful week!

Stay safe and be happy :)

And to everyone who's part of the SPN Family:

Love, Annabel