Paranormal, Science Fiction & Fantasy Author
Getting a tattoo has been something I’ve wanted to do since I was eighteen and today I finally got one! It’s Super Sailor Moon henshin’s brooch in honour of my favourite anime, but with a couple of modifications that my tattoo artist suggested! I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, because it did but it certainly wasn’t as bad as the blood test that I had to have earlier this week!
Demon’s Blood has an awesome new cover that I’m excited to share with you!
Wind Down by Mark Ewig
Aaron Starks survived a near death experience when he was stabbed by an unknown assailant. All of his college roommates were suspects. However, investigators could turn up nothing to catch the attempted murderer.
Fifteen years later, Aaron is all grown up with a family. Things are going great until he starts experiencing strange blackouts and other paranormal visions. During the blackouts he still interacts with others, but he cannot remember anything he said or did. Doctors are unable to provide an answer. It is not until Aaron has an encounter with Ju’van, a local shaman, that he realizes what he needs to do. He is sent on a journey to meet up with all his old roommates to discover the truth on what really happened the night he was stabbed in the back.
Purchase Link: Amazon.com
Review
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Rating: 2 Stars
Fifteen years ago university student Aaron Starks was stabbed in the back and left for dead. His attacker was never caught and Aaron had always suspected that one or more of his friends and flatmates may have been involved. Fifteen years on and Aaron is married to his university sweetheart, has three children and his dream job. Then his perfect life is shattered when he starts experiencing blackouts. When doctors are unable to find a reason for these, Aaron learns that his blackouts are connected to the attack on him all those years ago.
I really liked the concept of this novel. The ideas are very clever and original, and this had the potential to be an excellent paranormal/mystery. Unfortunately there were quite a few things that let it down.
The grammar is very poor. It jumps between tenses almost constantly making it very difficult to read, and also punctuation has been used incorrectly throughout. Whilst the characters have potential they are undeveloped and very immature for their age. They act more like primary school children than university students. The writing itself isn’t bad, but it yo-yo’s from either rambling long descriptions to very short sentences.
However, as I said this has great potential. In my opinion it needs to be longer with a lot more time taken to character build (especially the university part of the novel). A revision that adds to this good start combined with addressing the points I made above would make this a really unique and page-turning read.
And I loved the twist at the end! I never saw that coming!
Those Who Remain by Ian Blackport
Mallory travels forests and abandoned towns with her little sister as a lone companion, scavenging for meager food scraps. Almost one decade has passed since civilization collapsed in the wake of an incurable pandemic, leaving behind a ruined world without meaning or hope.
Only one thing in this unforgiving existence is worth protecting, and no line exists that Mallory is unwilling to cross for her sister. Compassion is a fatal weakness when each day might be her last and the only protection comes by way of a loaded gun. Every stranger is a threat and each human an adversary. In this bleak life, Mallory follows one rule: trust will get her killed. There can be no alternative, because she learned long ago that survival meant sacrificing her humanity.
Purchase Link: Amazon.com
Review
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Rating: 4 Stars
Those Who Remain is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has almost been wiped out by the stricken. Sisters Mallory and Mckayla are taking a perilous journey across America to reach the cape in the hopes of finding a permanent and safe home. Mallory is the older sister and forced to grow up at a young age she will do whatever it takes to protect her sister. Mckayla is younger and possesses more compassion and empathy than her older sibling. On their journey they come across a group of fellow survivors and for the first time the sisters are divided. Mallory wants to push on to the cape whilst Mckayla wants to make a home with their new friends.
Those Who Remain is predominately an action novel with generous descriptions and well-crafted scenes that draw you into the dystopian world. The sisters and their comrades are well-developed characters whom you find yourself really caring for and hoping they all survive.
The only thing that I found slightly disappointing was the ending, which felt to be somewhat abrupt and I would have liked to have this extended somewhat.
Overall, Those Who Remain is a gripping and action-packed read and a great addition to the post-apocalyptic genre.
Shari Sakurai 