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    The Children's Book Review

    The Hypnotist, by Alyssa Devine | Book Spotlight

    Guest PostsBy Guest Posts5 Mins Read Author Showcase Teens: Young Adults
    The Hypnotist by Alyssa Devine Book Spotlight
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    Author Showcase

    Article provided by Alyssa Devine
    The Children’s Book Review | May 22, 2017

    Something for everyone: The Paranormal, Fortune Telling, Magical Realism, Reincarnation, a Budding Romance . . . and Murder!

    When Tom Lassiter hypnotized his friend Amanda Wilcox, the last thing he thought she would reveal were an abduction and murder that took place 25 years earlier. But who were the murderers, and why did Amanda and Tom have them to fear now?

    “A great story . . . entertaining, fresh, and crisp, even fascinating at times.”—Lee Ashford for Readers’ Favorite

    The Hypnotist

    Written by Alyssa Devine

    When, on an afternoon outing in Bayou Vermillion, Lafayette, LA, teenager Amanda Wilcox has her fortune read by Madam Zu-Zu, she and her classmate, Tom Lassiter, never thought it would lead to her having a nightmare in which she dreamed she was being choked to death. Under hypnosis, Amanda reveals to Tom that she once was a woman named Kyla Decker, who disappeared 25 years earlier after being stopped by a policeman while driving home early one morning after partying with her girlfriends. An Internet search reveals the name of another woman, Cindi Lathrop, who disappeared some years after Decker under similar circumstances. As their relationship blossoms, Amanda and Tom uncover evidence linking a former Lafayette, LA, policeman and a funeral home employee to the abductions, men who they suspect murdered the two women. But then, in what appears to be a real-life enactment of what the fortune teller told Amanda, Amanda and Tom find their lives threatened by one of the two men they think was responsible for the murders committed 25 years earlier. Can the teenagers survive, knowing the last of the five tarot cards read to Amanda by Madam Zu-Zu was Death? The only way to learn the answer to that question is to read The Hypnotist.

    bigstock-Road-With-Trees-Overhanging-Wi-113596121
    Excerpt The sign on the fence at the entrance read Psychic Readings Beyond it was a rutted stone covered drive overshadowed by large moss covered old growth oaks that judging by their height and girth were well over 100 years of age many no doubt approaching 150
    Alyssa Devine
    Alyssa Devine

    The Hypnotist is the debut novel of Alyssa Devine and the first offering of the Wood Bridge Division of TJC Press. True to the Division’s credo—“Bridging Generations with the Printed Word”—the novel, while written for young adults between the ages of 13 and 17 years, inclusive, also will appeal to adults of all ages. “Make no mistake,” says Devine, “this is a murder mystery/thriller through and through, and it should keep you on the end of your seat right up to the last page.”

    When asked about the characters, Devine was quick to note that Amanda and Tom are not your typical 17-year-olds. “They’re both ‘transplants’ to Lafayette’s Langford Creek High School,” she said, “Amanda from New York City following the ugly divorce of her parents and the return of her mother to her family in Lafayette, and Tom from overseas following his father’s assignment to manage his company’s oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. In short, the teenagers are ‘outsiders’ and so, it’s only natural they should gravitate toward one another. The problems start, of course, when Tom wants to hypnotize Amanda and experiment with the concept of reincarnation . . . the idea that people have led previous lives.”

    bigstock-Battle-Of-Aiken-40947319
    Excerpt So did you end up back in prison for his murder asked Tom A sad look came over Amandas face Yes she whispered And then she brightened But when the Union troops seized New Orleans the military governor directed that the prisons should be emptied They let me go and I left the city

    Hypnotism is not something one normally sees as the subject of a YA novel. When asked where she got the idea, Devine said she once knew a senior in her high school who was fond of hypnotizing classmates under circumstances not unlike those described in the book. The boy’s activities were brought to an abrupt halt two weeks prior to graduation when a teacher caught him hypnotizing a student in the hallway after school. The principal not only threatened to suspend the hypnotist but also, to stop him from graduating. However, given the boy’s academic record and his promise to stop practicing the art of hypnotism on school grounds, the principal eventually relented. “I never forgot the incident, though,” said Devine, “and earlier this year I thought it would make the perfect subject for a novel. Throw in a few abductions, some murders, a tarot card reading, reincarnation, and voilà, you have the makings of a great YA novel!”

    Hypnotist - Cover v5 - FINAL-page-0The Hypnotist is available in the paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon.com.

    The book carries a Lexile® measure of 930L

    Also available is a special paperback edition for readers with dyslexia.

    Wood Bridge, a Division of TJC Press

    “Bridging Generations with the Printed Word”

    122 Shady Brook Drive

    Langhorne, PA 19047-8027 USA

    Contact us at www.alyssadevinenovels.com

    Read our exclusive interview: Alyssa Devine Discusses ‘The Hypnotist’

    What to Read Next:

    1. Alyssa Devine Discusses ‘The Hypnotist’
    2. The After House, by Michael Phillip Cash | Dedicated Review
    3. Spellbook of the Lost and Found, by Moïra Fowley-Doyle | Book Review
    4. Hush Puppy, By Lisa T. Cresswell | Dedicated Review

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Alyssa Devine Dyslexia Magic-Realism Murder Books Paranormal Reincarnation Stories Romance Young Adult Fiction
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    The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by a guest author.

    1 Comment

    1. Bianca Schulze on May 22, 2017 12:58 pm

      Lol! No problem! Corrected. 🙂

      Reply
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