Reviewed by Anthony Elmore for Readers' Favorite

In Haunted: The Horror Diaries Book 1, Chase Macmillan is a fifteen-year-old girl who loves nature in the story Ghost Park. She will do anything she can to keep it untouched. Contrary to her feelings for the environment, her father, a landscaper, levels trees and mows lands for the government. One afternoon, Chase overhears the news that her father has received a new contract to clear out some abandoned land. Secretly she follows her father down to the plot he is supposed to clear out and tries to stop him. Determined to save the property, Chase decides to write a petition to prevent her dad from desecrating the land. Frustrated with her results, Chase is disheartened. The next day while her father is working, he discovers an old wooden playground. While listening in on her father’s conversation, Chase hears about the playground. Deciding to investigate the oddity, she becomes entangled in an adventure that will be sure to shock readers! Will Chase be able to escape or will she become a ghost forever?

While the first story in this anthology of ghostly encounters, Ghost Park, was very enjoyable to read, the next story stirred my interest just as much when Truce was being chased by an evil ghost chief named Bear in A Haunted Past. I liked the ending to The Manor On The Rocks. Calla Lily not wanting to live in such an old and depressing haunted house is very understandable, but the ending has a wonderful twist to it. The Medieval Nightmare was very thrilling, since the museum castle comes alive after two hundred years, when Brandon Wilkinson and Ellie Seater get trapped while on a field trip. Out of all of the five stories written in this most magical, Halloweenish genre, the most terrifying story of all was the last one about two young girls being chased by a native girlish looking ghost.

Haunted: The Horror Diaries Book 1 is a creepy, ghostly horror story collection written by Heather Beck. Fans of Stephen King's horror tales will enjoy this YA short story collection. I enjoyed reading every one of the five stories, each of which were about ghosts haunting the main characters. Fans of the TV series American Horror Stories will not want to miss this collection which includes murdering ghosts, ghostly possessions, and a reanimated medieval castle. The stories were the perfect blend of terror and thrills. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat to the blood-curdling conclusion. The ghosts in it were realistically terrifying, while the whole story arc still held together well. I was drawn into this book from the first page and I was hooked until the last. I would recommend this book to fans of Ghost Whisperer and Medium.