John Gone by Michael Kayatta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
John Gone(The Diaspora Trilogy)by Michael Kayatta
John is a simple teen living on an island in the Florida Keys. He finds a strange watch, with leather strap, and does what any level headed teen might do and tries it on. This is no ordinary watch and once it seats itself on his wrist it refuses to let go. Having no time to worry about it, because his mother has set him up for a summer job (think internship at a computer company-except the company is anti computer and would probably do everything by string phone if they could work that out; but as it is being the 411 of a wiki-pedia replacement for old folks is hard enough without that whole ball of string thing.) John’s new boss has bought him a motorized scooter from which he can facilitate house calls as their instant messenger; but is that a low enough reason for John to kill his boss. Before we discuss the demise of Virgil, John's boss; we'll discuss Molly, John’s girlfriend.
We see Molly quickly when she surprises John while he's leaving for his job and she comes to announce she and her father are here to pick him up for their three week anniversary-they've been together a whole three weeks. John is distracted by the obsessive clingy watch and his mothers coaxing to get ready for her to take him to his new job; and though it might look like John might have overlooked this anniversary he covers well by insisting that Molly wait for the surprise he has for her that evening at six. Molly agrees and does what any girlfriend of three weeks might do when she calls Johns mom 'Mom'.
Seriously though; I liked this book despite some elements of the beginning and the fact that warming up to John takes a long time because he's just a bit self-centered and somewhat clueless about a number of things that are just not right about his life before everything goes crazy on him. I would love to give it five stars but for now 4 is being generous and I'll try to explain.
When John arrives to his semi-non-tech job his new boss Virgil sweeps him up and gives him the grand tour including a corkboard display map that he refers to as Face-board. And the reader realizes things are likely to enter the strange when John immediately notices that the spot where his home should be has been marked as a cemetery: Priscilla’s Prestigious Plots. But to add to the insanity Virgil informs John that he gets the scooter but is not allowed to have his cell phone or other electronics because they have to keep up the image and...you guessed it...Virgil insists John take off the clingy watch. This starts to border on comic when Virgil become so adamant that he brings out some large cutters when he finds the watch to be overly resistant to his attempts to help John remove it. Fortunately for John and his limbs sake this causes the watch to retaliate by shocking John's boss; unfortunately it causes cardiac arrest at the same time it seems to activate another feature of the watch and John passes out only to awaken in a restroom in Tallahassee Florida. Twelve hours later John is on a buss(loaded with other people) on his way home when the watch strikes again and returns him to the scene of the first crime where John finds he's being sought for questioning and suspicion of his ex-bosses murder. Later, because the watch knocks out everyone within a specific radius around John, he's is being sought for questioning on the deaths of people who were on the bus that crashed when the driver passed out.
There are reasons for all of this that comprise the world building of the science involved in the watch that is the result of a long story that actually is a bit more interesting than Johns story; but in fairness we have to share so we get the two stories together. Getting the two stories to converge is a somewhat convoluted plot that in many ways makes a lot of sense; but also includes a lot of side trips with John shifting back and forth across the world every twelve hours with each jump going a longer distance and John has no control. This could go on forever except that the watch is using John like a battery and each time he jumps it draws more energy because the distance is longer and it will soon be critical. There's a way out of this but when John discovers it, it sounds like the cure is worse than the disease. And this is not to mentioning the strange goons that also have watches and are chasing John when he goes on his jumps.
There is murder and mayhem afoot and if I have one quibble about the novel its all the side trips John takes that take up a large portion of the narrative and don't always seem to add that much to the story. It might be that, since this is a trilogy, these trips will make sense and figure in down the road, but presently they just look like something to bulk up the real story; which, as I said, is the more interesting story of how the watch comes about and the rather insane group of people involved in the development. And even though John has fell prey to the madness of the scientists it is often difficult for this reader to feel sympathy for him based on his own attitude, which means the only redeemable character, is one who gets a smaller billing in the story. But I should leave that for other readers to find and judge for themselves.
This is a neat yarn with plenty of good pacing even though it lacks in some character development it still is an interesting Science Fiction novel once the initial silliness is left behind. John could use a heavier dose of growth but keep in mind there are still two more novels for that to pan out.
J.L. Dobias
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The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Bullet Catchers Daughter (The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire-book 1) by Rod Duncan
I'd like to say this is a great addition to my steampunk library, but in truth it just adds to the confusion of trying to understand Genre's in general. Truth be told the best way to understand them is to realize they are for publishers and book stores and possibly even libraries; to help them slot the work into a place that might maximize the discovery by readers with common interest in the story. In a nutshell this novel falls closer to the definition of Gas-Light or Gas-Lamp than it does Steampunk and that's where a majority of what I've read from the steampunk genre actually fall. That much said I can say this is a fine addition to my Gas-Light collection of books. And upon sampling the second book in the series I can see that it's a Gas-light Alternate Universe that is occurring in present times and I'm not sure that this first book The Bullet Catchers Daughter was that clear in it's world building to have established that distinction as I read.
But in the first two chapters of the next book, the Unseemly Science, there is a declaration during an execution that the date is the Forth of March 2009 so I have to keep that in mind as I try to slot this novel in some category; so Gas-Light Alternate Universe is good.
I'm not at all sure that the thread about Elizabeth's disguise as a man is anywhere near to cross-dressing in any conventional sense. The story and the fact that the world has frozen in place and time against specific social conventions demands that she cannot own a number of things on her own and certainly she would not be allowed to run a business out of a houseboat; so the disguise is the simple means through which she stays free in a world that would have her married and under the thumb of whatever capricious desire her husband might have; or in this case possibly ruined by a Duke who thought nothing of abusing his privilege and imposing himself upon her. The whole concept of a woman investigator posing as a man to gain clients is nothing new if one remembers Remington Steel from television (Though she had less of the constrictions upon her than Elizabeth does). And I think that it's clear from both the storyline and the character herself that she only does this for the convenience of obtaining work and in this instance some measure of freedom which can hardly equate to the thoughts derived from the normal usage of the notion of cross-dressing. Although when stepping progress back so far it becomes cross-dressing in a greater sense than today in a society where the normal attire of women tends to criss-cross across the cross-dressing lines to become fashion.
An interesting side note to all of this is the unmentioned, though possibly implied, notion that circumventing industrial progress and limiting invention and innovation might have retarded any movement toward suffrage. In this instance I would wonder where Christianity fell if not somehow to the wayside when the Ludite movement takes hold. The reason I say this is that despite much of Christianities insistence on remaining dogmatically in the past on such issues, it also manages to account for the revolution of many of the aspects necessary for the development of all the steps that led to the rapid rise of intellect and dissemination of knowledge that were instrumental in furthering the industrial revolutions that may or may not have helped bring us all to a level that still has a way to go before we can truly expect to claim that woman are equal to men. Still this notion makes for an interesting reason for man to be still living in the dark ages.
One of the main things this story has going for it is the fine characterization of Elizabeth and it's weaker point is that it almost falls into a thin mimic of a Sherlock Holmes tale and could easily have been entitled The Case of the Bullet Catchers Daughter. Unfortunately Elizabeth lacks the seeming innate insight into human nature; or she might not have failed to see what was happening around her. On the other hand had the character of the Duchess of Bletchley been portrayed a bit stronger than she was; then it may have easily become something to compare with some of Holmes more notorious cases and the reveal of an ultimate deception may have been forgivable.
A second strong point is the world building of the traveling shows, which are heavily figuring into the very character of Elizabeth. Because of that: this thread monopolizes a majority of the reader’s time muddling along with the circus and almost using this portion as an excuse to withdraw any focus on the Duchess who is unfortunately very integral to the whole plot of the story. So instead of using some of that time to create the subtle foreshadowing that might help a mystery like this, we have a character with no shadow at all that unfortunately should be heavily shaded for when everything comes to light. In a way the threaded notion of diverting the attention of the audience to facilitate the illusion seems to have crossed over to the whole novel trying to divert the reader from the illusion within the plot. But to say any more would be to spoil the whole.
I really did enjoy the novel as a whole and would have loved to give it a five star, unfortunately if I were to look back at Steampunk and or Gas-Light or Gas-Lamp stories that I've read this one falls in the middle somewhere. This causes a double problem for me in that because it is published by a traditional publisher of sort it normally would be overpriced from my standpoint. Most especially for me in that I have available many books in his muddled genre that shine and are usually priced in a much lower range where these are being price just on the lower side of the usual traditional ebook and if I'm to believe the projection for the third novel the price remains the same when the novel has been whittled down to one third the narrative of the first two books. Though these prices are probably lower than some traditional publishers, with the overabundance of equal quality books in this genre the price becomes questionable and for now I'll likely go to other authors works rather than continue with this series that for me is overprice both for the genre and its overall quality.
Keep in mind that this still is a fair offering in the genre and for those that don't like to take the risk of self published books and have fewer choices in this genre; it might well be something they can add to their library. Also the pricing issue is only my opinion and in honesty I have to admit that the price falls quite fair when compared to other traditional offerings. I tend to have this problem with all traditionally published books and have to see a lot of promise in the sample I read before I'm even tempted to purchase them as e-books and often the sample is inadequate to that task, which means that it is the rare thing that I buy traditionally published e-books; but for a handful of authors that I know well.
This is reasonable Steampunk and Gas-Lamp fiction that makes for a fair light read that is good for any fan of the Genre. Keeping in mind that those favoring the dark and seedy side of the genre might be disappointed, though that was one of the things I did find refreshing about the entire piece.
J.L. Dobias
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The Children of the Moon by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Children Of The Moon (The Girl In Between : Series Book 3)by Laekan Zea Kemp
This novel continues from the end of the second novel and this review contains my review of all three novels.
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I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn:In the first book; The Girl In Between; I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
In book two the story begins to dip deeply into world building as Bryn and Roman come to terms with the struggles in their own lives while uncovering the truth about the illness that has for so long mimiced KLS. This novel also begins delving into the darker side of what might be described as a Paranormal Horror as Bryn's struggle moves from trying to be normal to trying to survive. Though Bryn and Roman have some natural bond formed between them, their lives and pasts are creating a gulf that leaves them to fight their battles separately. Bryn has a possibility of help from a duo of doctors who are researching, not just the KLS but something quite similar to what she has experienced. One of the doctors lost his daughter to something similar and has promised not to let that happen to Bryn, but in this story we will find that there are many players with their own agenda and Bryn will soon find out she has few people she can trust.
The writing remains solid in this novel that should pique the interest of those who love paranormal and the elements of the horrific. But even for those who find the genre out of their sphere of interest the writing is compelling enough to draw any reader into the story. So much so that even with the second cliffhanger ending I had to continue on to see where Laekan Zea Kemp was taking all of this.
I started the third book with a bit of reluctance, not knowing how many more books there might be. At the time I didn't realize the author has made at least one statement suggesting things will be wrapped up in the forth book. With that in mind my usual caution to those who dislike the never-ending stories that some series have carried on into can be tempered in that this one might have satisfactory conclusion in the next volume. For me as a reader this, the third book, though not quite a full wrap did end on a note that made it a good place to pause; because the ending, though ambiguous in nature, was quite close to endings I’ve seen in other similar books and leaves enough satisfaction and room for the reader to thoughtfully fill in their own notions about how things will end for Bryn.
Still it will be interesting to find out what happens next.
The third novel does a fair job of wrapping the Paranormal, sort of romance and sort of horror into something that should leave the reader anticipating the final outcome while remaining somewhat satisfied with the continuing growth of the main characters up to this point.
J.L. Dobias
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The Boy In Her Dreams by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Boy In Her Dreams (The Girl In Between : Series Book 2)by Laekan Zea Kemp
This novel continues from the end of the first novel and this review contains my review of that novel with a small amount about this novel added to the end.
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I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn:In the first book; The Girl In Between; I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
In book two the story begins to dip deeply into world building as Bryn and Roman come to terms with the struggles in their own lives while uncovering the truth about the illness that has for so long mimiced KLS. This novel also begins delving into the darker side of what might be described as a Paranormal Horror as Bryn's struggle moves from trying to be normal to trying to survive. Though Bryn and Roman have some natural bond formed between them, their lives and pasts are creating a gulf that leaves them to fight their battles separately. Bryn has a possibility of help from a duo of doctors who are researching, not just the KLS but something quite similar to what she has experienced. One of the doctors lost his daughter to something similar and has promised not to let that happen to Bryn, but in this story we will find that there are many players with their own agenda and Bryn will soon find out she has few people she can trust.
The writing remains solid in this novel that should pique the interest of those who love paranormal and the elements of the horrific. But even for those who find the genre out of their sphere of interest the writing is compelling enough to draw any reader into the story. So much so that even with the second cliffhanger ending I had to continue on to see where Laekan Zea Kemp was taking all of this.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
The Girl In Between by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Girl In Between (Series Book 1)by Laekan Zea Kemp
I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn: I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
Angeli by Amy Vansant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Angeli: The Pirate, the Angel and the Irishman by Amy Vansant
This is yet again one of those paranormal, even a bit romance(y), novels. I've come to realize it's not that much of a reach for me to be reading these; as much of the science fiction I read ends up reading a lot like paranormal rather than hard science; and, though I have a respect for the Simon pure Science Fiction, it seems that the novels that tend to lean in the paranormal direction have more interesting characters. For me it's all about the characters so this book hooked me. Anne Bonny is nearly immortal. Let's think something along the line of Highlander; I use Highlander as an example because this novel has a lot of world-building that takes the shape of darting back and forth through time in her life to give us a bit of scope of that life and some of the rules in this world’s landscape.
In the beginning Anne is just an ordinary girl. Well, maybe not ordinary, but the simple type that gets involved in piracy and other exciting things; until she is chosen by the sentinels to carry on with their work after they save her from her own self destructive path.
This is a simple world where Angels dwell and are here to help and guide mankind. But something has happened and a number of the Guardian Angels have rebelled and have begun to prey on the human race. Normally Angels do not or cannot harm other Angel; so when the problem becomes unmanageable the decision to use the human race to create a means to solve the problem creates the sentinels, who are able to disrupt the Perfidia-bad angels-from their earthly form into a spirit form that theoretically will eventually come back cured from their temporary madness. The sentinels are not able to kill the angels, but they are able to drain enough power from them to cause them to be dispersed from their; earthly form and it is not all that pleasant for the angel.
Anne is trained for this by Guardian Angels who are in turn guided by the higher Arch Angels, in this case Michael. Michael finds Anne to be one of his most effective tools and Anne finds herself working with him more often than most Sentinels; and she is inexorable drawn to him, because Arch Angels are made that way. But there might be more to the relationship. Still Michael puts her in the maximum danger; and eventually because of this, another Sentinel, Con Carey someone whom Anne cares for, is lost to the world and ends up as a disembodied spirit: rather than dying. And Anne begins to have second thoughts about her fated life with the Angels. All of her life she has been led to believe that only Guardian Angels have fallen and that might not be as much a truth as professed; and it may prove to be a deadly omission in her training.
And as if that weren't enough problem; there might be a number of Guardian Angels and Arch Angels who are having second thoughts about creating a race of humans who have any amount of power over them. One thing is clear; the war in heaven is not yet over and the battleground has moved to earth.
Excellent writing and character development wrapped into a somewhat typical paranormal tale that is only tainted by the length and depth of world building and back-story that have bits and pieces that are integral to the main plot and are rendered necessary in the long run. Overall a good read.
J.L. Dobias
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The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Soulkeepers(The soulkeepers Series book1)by G.P. Ching
As I grouse around for good reads, I've come to quite a number that have the flavor of the paranormal. This one falls in that category with the emphasis on fallen angels and watchers and horsemen. It has mostly elements of magic and mystic along with a tad of divine intervention. It all falls together enough that the feel of Deus Ex Machina is forgivable.
Jacob wakes from near death, he is certain he died, to find himself alone; his mother has vanished leaving only traces of blood around the car and vague recollections in Jacobs mind as to what might have occurred. The next time he awakes he is no longer alone, but is with his new-found uncle whom he'd never known he had. He also finds that his last name Lau is really Laudner and that he'll now be moving from Hawaii to Paris, Illinois.
He inherits a family who never wanted him and a whole bunch of trouble he never wanted. Life is bad and he's definitely not helping himself with his horrible temper and mean response to other peoples bad attitudes. This is definitely one main character who is hard to feel empathy for in the early parts. His anger, directed at his cousin Katrina, is released on a neighbor who proceeds to help take him from a miserable life to a miserable yet interesting life.
Dr. Abigail Silva is a professor of Ethnobotany at the university and she is very strange; to say the least. Along with that is her strange fixation of Jacob; whom she has enlisted into gardening in payment for the damage he's done to her house. Everything about Dr. Silva is abnormal and her's is the strongest tie to paranormal that the story begins to unfold. If not for his new friend Malini, another uprooted ethnic import to Paris, Jacob would have gone off the rails in no time.
Malini's story is another intersting story, but she's not a token girlfriend for the main character; she's a the missing piece in the puzzle that is Jacob. I don't think he understands how much he needs her until she follows him nearly to hell and back-but that's telling too much.
In a small way this is a coming of age story that comes at it from a rather slanted approach. It's also a mystical and spiritual tale that wants to say that even if you don't believe in something, and perhaps especially because you don't, it is easy to become the instrument of that in which you don't believe.
Quite well written and definitely paranormal in nature this was and interesting and somewhat thoughtful look into something that has only occupied a small portion of my shelf. It does help peek my fondness for the genre.
J.L. Dobias
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