Title: Children in the Park
Author: Rosemarie E. Bishop
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1796018882
Pages: 406
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Fiction
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina

Read Book Review

One of the most talked about, highly contested and heavily explored aspects of the supernatural have to be the belief (or non-belief) in the existence of ghosts. Some can easily believe in the paranormal, while others see ghosts as nothing more than figments of the imagination. As Ruskin Bond once said, “Ghosts are all around us. Look for them, and you will find them.” In author Rosemarie E. Bishop’s book Children in the Park, the author explores the iconic ghost story with a unique supernatural twist.

This book follows Steve, an architect who along with his interior decorator wife Elaine find themselves forced into a business trip to Maine to visit a new client of Steve’s, Marcia Cranston. The mystery of the Cranston Home and her decision to hire Steve in particular only heighten the greater mystery of Steve’s life. He has secretly been seeing the spirits of dead children in a park near his office. Soon a simple ghost story turns complicated as powerful entities as old as the world itself and the fate of the spirits of children and the world at large come into play, as beings from other worlds fight together to stop a powerful threat.

The novel takes a great turn as it delves into the iconic ghost story and infuses it with a fantasy/horror twist. Offering up the classic New England haunted home with ghosts and a protagonist who can interact with them, the story feels like the beginning of a classic haunted house tale. Yet the mix of otherworldly beings, supernatural threats and iconic figures from mythology and religion turns this story on its head and keeps readers invested in every page.

This is a book for anyone who enjoys tales that involve fantasy, horror, mythology, ghosts and complex characters overall. The overall blend of so many genres with fantastic writing that plays across an evenly paced novel makes this story engaging throughout its entirety, and allows the reader a chance to invest in these characters both heroic and villainous throughout the book. As a fan of the horror and fantasy genres, it was great to see the layers of iconic imagery and storytelling devices throughout the story infused with a dramatic and heart-pounding twist on the story’s direction overall.

This is a fantastic read that readers will not be able to put down. Written in a natural and relatable way that readers will be able to identify with, the author does an excellent job of presenting a cast of complex characters that readers will be interested in while providing a problem or threat that will instantly draw these characters together and test them in ways that were never thought possible. Pick up your copy of Children in the Park by Rosemarie E. Bishop today and see for yourselves this amazing tale of ghosts, powerful supernatural entities and the one man who finds his life turned upside down in ways he could never have predicted.