A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass – Book Review

Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses

(A Court of Thorns and Roses, book 1)

Author: Sarah J. Mass

Publication date: 5 May 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Synopsis:

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Book review by Nadaness In Motion

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first instalment in a series of the same name by Sarah J. Mass. It's my first read for Mass. It might take me a while it pick something else by her, although I was planning to read Throne of Glass.

The beginning opens with Feyre hunting and then a scene with her family, both revealing her character. Feyre is harsh on the inside and because of her hard life, a useless father, two useless sisters, she's also created a prickly exterior (not literally). I actually liked her then but the beginning trailed too long and I started getting bored. I wanted "the action", which came in quite late.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is narrated from the first person perspective of Feyre, the youngest of three with a broken father, and whose mother passed away without offering her a chance of education. Feyre has learnt to survive and taught herself to hunt. One day in the forest, she is tracking a deer but instead finds a wolf following the same deer. She kills both but the wolf isn't what it appears and Feyre is now indebted to the High Fae of Prythian.

"We need hope as much as we need bread and meat," he interrupted, his eyes clear for a rare moment. "We need hope, or else we cannot endure. So let her keep this hope, Feyre. Let her imagine a better life. A better world."

"There is no such thing."

While there was some fresh imagery in the book, there were A LOT of repeated images. I liked the "tore me to ribbons" image, and thought it was creative, but it was used once per chapter for six chapters! That's just overkill. The word 'feral' was used 17 times in the book. 17 times! I mean the English language must have some other words to replace this.

These are the most notable examples of repetition that really bugged me in the book. They also made me feel like I was not progressing. Didn't I read this before?

Despite never seeing fae in her life, Feyre is able to determine who is high fae and who isn't, which didn't appear logic to me.

Image via the Throne of Glass blog

There is a bit of a Beauty and the Beast theme in there. Although Tamlin, the masked High Fae, is not entirely a beast. He's actually more likeable than Feyre. The romance in the book is ok.

Even though we see Feyre as selfless with her family, when she meets Tamlin, she becomes selfish in her selflessness. I liked her varying character traits. In the end, her fight and strength are admirable.

Her thoughts and the endless repetition of the need to go back home after being sent to live with the fae are tiresome and could be trimmed down, though. 

His eyes became clearer and bolder than I'd seen them in years. "You were always too good for here, Feyre. Too good for us, too good for everyone." He squeezed my hands. "If you ever escape, ever convince them that you've paid the debt, don't return."

Feyre has an oversized inferiority complex. Despite that, she's a strong but emotionless and harsh character. Her development is slow but there. I loved Tamlin and Lucien. We also meet Rhysand, the trickster Highlord of the Night Court, who is set to appear in future books. I liked and disliked him at the same time. A kind of Snape character with a wry sense of selfishness and humour.

I felt that A Court of Thorns and Roses went on and on and on. I'd read several pages and then check the percentage completed and I'd find I haven't progressed much. The novel took a while to unfold to get to the important and interesting parts. Even towards the end, I felt that Mass had strained certain parts beyond the limit. The book was at an important turning point and the events needed to move faster.

I did like, however, how Mass kept throwing problems in Feyre's way. Testing her to very last breath.

I think I might have had higher hopes for this book. The length didn't help. When I checked book 2 and realised it was over 600 pages long, I was totally put off.  

Overall, I felt that A Court of Thorns and Roses could have been better. As I read books, I try to learn from them. I learnt the cost of repetition. I totally docked one star off my review for that.

Overall rating: 3 stars

Riker's Calling by Rico Lamoureux - Book Review

Riker's Calling by Rico Lamoureux is fast-paced thrilling crime-mystery novella with a mastermind of a villain. Brilliantly wicked!

Bullied in his teens, 21-year-old Jeremy Riker looks to become a police officer to do some good and stop bullies. But an injury renders him slightly deformed and obliterates his dreams of joining law enforcement. Despite extensive training, he is denied the opportunity to join law enforcement several times. So he becomes a kind of vigilante and considers opening his own private investigations (P.I.) firm with his friend and mentor Max.

Highly trained in martial arts, spotting bad guys, and a host of other skills, Riker is seen as the perfect person for law enforcement despite his injury.

"I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the past several hours had been anything but random. Someone out there knew my history."

Unknown to Riker, a killer, named The Spyderco Killer because of the Spyderco (a kind of knife) he leaves in his victims' backs, has set his eyes on him but continuously eludes him, until he – the killer – decides to go on a killing spree, hitting close to home for Riker.

Although the novella is called Riker's Calling, there are only two instances where the narration is from Riker's perspective. We get the killer's views, movement, and action, but in the third person.

One of the things I liked about Riker's Calling is Lamoureux's way of giving the reader information through a variety of sources such as a news anchor, tweets, and people talking about events. We even get bits of Riker's history from the killer's perspective.

I thought the novel was a bit gritty at times, especially since the killer slashed his victims' throats but there was a little more than just throat slashing.

"Fifteen cigars – nine with red bands, to represent the past nine years of silence and therefore the nine victims to come, and six with yellow bands, for any collateral damage that might occur."

The novel spans almost two decades but starts in the present time with bits of flashbacks and Riker and the killer playing cat and mouse.

I liked Riker's narration, especially how relatable he was, using examples from crime series like Law & Order, and mentioning notes on crimes and criminals. The irony in the novella was mind-blowing at times!

Overall, Riker's Calling is meticulously connected; it's brilliant! Lamoureux is lauded for his twists and for creating a genius killer. It is definitely a five-star action-packed must-read.

"Truth is rarely blossoming with flowers. More often than not it's cold, it's hard, and if you're not in alignment with it, it'll smash you to pieces."

Note: I received a free copy of Riker's Calling from its author in exchange for an honest – overdue – review.

Note 2 to readers: There is a significant amount of profanity and curse words.

Find Riker's Calling on Goodreads.

Connect with author Rico Lamoureux via Goodreads and Twitter.

5 Steps to Profiling a Serial Killer by Carolyn Arnold - Guest Post

Today, I'm featuring mystery author Carolyn Arnold. I was first introduced to Carolyn when I began exploring cozy mysteries; however, she has a wide array of police procedural mystery novels, one of them is the Brandon Fisher FBI series, which is the main focus of this post.

Along with the synopsis, there is a guest post by Carolyn on the 5 Steps to Profiling a Serial Killer and a short interview.

Synopsis:

All that remains are whispers of the past…

When multiple body parts are recovered from the Little Ogeechee River in Savannah, Georgia, local law enforcement calls in FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team to investigate. But with the remains pointing to three separate victims, this isn’t proving to be an open-and-shut case.

With no quick means of identifying the deceased, building a profile of this serial killer is more challenging than usual. How are these targets being selected? Why are their limbs being severed and their bodies mutilated? And what is it about them that is triggering this person to murder?

The questions compound as the body count continues to rise, and when a torso painted blue and missing its heart is found, the case takes an even darker turn. But this is only the beginning, and these new leads draw the FBI into a creepy psychological nightmare. One thing is clear, though: The killing isn’t going to stop until they figure it all out. And they are running out of time…

Five Steps to Profiling a Serial Killer

BY CAROLYN ARNOLD

He’s five seven, in his thirties, walks with a limp, works in temporary placements, and is single. He targets women because he was abused by his single mother, who slept around with men while he was growing up.

If you’re a fan of serial-killer fiction, whether it be on TV or in books, you are probably left shaking your head sometimes when the FBI sees some crime scene photos and immediately has a profile of the killer. What are they, psychic?

As it turns out, profiling is actually a science, though not an exact one. In fact, many profiles prove to have been wrong once the unsub is caught. So why bother profiling at all? Well, even if some facts are off, profiling establishes a foundation from which investigators can begin their search for—and hopefully catch!—the killer.

So what do investigators consider when building a profile?

1. Investigators focus on the crime itself. What do the crime scene photos show? What are the autopsy findings? Are there any witnesses, and if so, what are they saying? What have police officers noted in their reports?

2. Investigators visit the crime scene. They use their six senses—sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, and intuition—and make a record of their reactions. They analyze where the body was found, whether the murder was committed in the same location that the body was found or the body was dumped. They question any and all aspects of the location and what it might tell them about the killer and/or the killer’s victim selection, aka victimology.

3. Investigators look for a signature or method of operation (MO). Don’t confuse these two terms, though, as they are not the same thing. Every crime has an MO, which is how the murder was carried out, but a signature is not present in all cases. A signature only exists when a killer chooses to leave behind a personal mark.

4. Investigators consider what kind of unsub might commit the crime at hand. For example, are they organized or disorganized? Are they a hunter or a sexual sadist? Is gender, age, or religion relevant? Is there is a geographical element to the crimes?

5. Investigators take a closer look at the victims. They factor in similarities and determine whether the victims are low-, medium-, or high-risk people. Can any of the victims be connected to one or more person or place? How were the victims approached? Is there evidence of resistance, or is it possible the victims knew their killer?

Sometimes the answers to all these questions can be harder to piece together than others. In my most recent novel, Remnants, Brandon Fisher and his FBI team struggle to build a profile on the killer they’re hunting, as the identities of the victims are unknown and aspects of the MO vary among the murders. But when a torso painted blue and missing its heart is found—something they haven’t seen in any of the previous deaths—the case takes a dark turn that begins to provide them with some new leads.

As the story unfolds, the FBI is drawn deeper and deeper into a creepy psychological nightmare. One thing is clear, though, even if they don’t have all the facts yet: The killing isn’t going to stop until they figure it all out. And they are running out of time…

I invite you to read Remnants and profile alongside the FBI to stop a serial killer in Savannah, Georgia.

Interview with Carolyn Arnold

Have you ever been on a manhunt or at the scene where a dead body was found?

Carolyn Arnold: I took part in my local police department’s Citizen’s Academy. As part of this, I received an inside look at seventeen divisions over a ten-week period. As an added benefit, each student was afforded a ride-along. And mine… Well, I went on the perfect one for a crime writer.

My ride-along actually started out with a manhunt. I experienced the excitement of wanting to find the guy and found myself scrutinizing every male I spotted in the area just to make sure he wasn’t the one we were after. Unfortunately, the search moved to the downtown area from the eastern end of the city where the hunt had begun, and the sergeant signed off the investigation. By the end of my ride-along, about five hours later, the man still hadn’t been found.

After the sergeant left the investigation, he turned to me as he was driving and asked if I had ever seen a dead body. I told him I had at memorials and funerals and then asked why. I soon found out that our next stop involved one.

I figured I’d catch a glimpse of the deceased under a tarp or being wheeled away, but I got far more than that. I received a front-row seat to a death investigation. For hours, the sergeant and I were mere feet away from the body. I witnessed firsthand how it changed color over time, but I also found that I went into detective-mode. The forensic identification unit—essentially CSIs—was called in and arrived with collection kits. The team members gloved up, snapped photographs, took fingerprints from the deceased, and more.

The entire time that I was on scene, I noticed myself going into a detached state—the result of adrenaline. Later that evening, it began to sink in that I had spent hours with a dead body, and I was nauseated. As more time passed, I became weepy as it sank in that the deceased had been a husband, a father, a lover, a friend…a person. That night I dreamed about the man. It wasn’t a nightmare, but I was an officer trying to figure out what had happened to him.

I couldn’t imagine returning to the field the next day and having a similar experience or witnessing something even worse, like a violent murder scene or that of a fatal car accident.

What do members of law enforcement say about your books?

Carolyn Arnold: Many testimonials attest that I am pleasing readers in law enforcement. They love that my mysteries are accurate in that regard, and they view that alone as a sign of my respect for them.

Here are a few testimonials that I have received on Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI series):

“I spent thirty-eight years with a major police department in Missouri, fifteen of which were in the homicide section. I also had numerous dealings with the FBI throughout my career…Eleven kept my interest piqued throughout… Loved it.”

–Richard Bartram, Sergeant (retired), St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis, MO

“A great police procedural! … Full of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and a mix of interesting personalities. … Holds your interest to the end!”

–Mark Davis, FBI Special Agent (retired), Washington, DC

How do you know so much about what criminals think?

CA: I can’t answer that without incriminating myself… Just kidding.

Everyone has what we call a “dark side.” In writing these books, I suppose you could say I tap into this side of my psyche. Whatever I can scheme up is possible, and I write that which scares and excites me.

When did you know that you had hit the big time with your books?

CA: When I got to say good-bye to my day job! Even before I fully resigned, I had cut back a five-day a week job to four days, then to three. It got to the point, though, that I loathed going in for that many days, and I knew it was time to make the move and become a full-time author. That was in the summer of 2014. Since then, I incorporated my own publishing company in the summer of 2015, and, at the start of 2016, my husband joined me there full time.

Remnants is available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats from popular retailers, including: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Google.

About the Brandon Fisher FBI series:

Profilers. Serial killers. The hunt is on. Do serial killers and the FBI fascinate you? Do you like getting inside the minds of killers, love being creeped out, sleeping with your eyes open, and feeling like you’re involved in murder investigations? Then join FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for serial killers.

This is the perfect book series for fans of Criminal Minds, NCIS, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Dexter, Luther, and True Crime.

Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Eleven, Silent Graves, The Defenseless, Blue Baby, Violated, Remnants (2017), On the Count of Three (2018), and Past Deeds (2019).

Updates:
Here's my book review of On the Count of Three, the 7th book in the Brandon Fisher FBI series and Past Deeds, the 8th book in the series.

If you're looking for a lighter read, check out my book review of Carolyn Arnold's Coffee Is Murder, Money Is Murder, Exercise Is Murder, and Halloween Is Murder.

About the Author

Carolyn Arnold is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series and has written nearly thirty books. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark, POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Connect with Carolyn Arnold via her website, Twitter and Facebook.

And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters

Author Interview with Excerpts - The Good Dictator by Gonçalo Dias

Today, I'm excited to be featuring a new author. Meet Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias, author of The Good Dictator (The Birth of an Empire), the first book in a trilogy, originally published in Portuguese.

Gonçalo has answered a few questions and provided excerpts from his novel especially for Nadaness In Motion.

Book: The Good Dictator (The Birth of an Empire)

Author: Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias

Publication date: 25 November 2016

Genres: Action, Adventure, sci-fi, dystopian/utopian

Synopsis:

An unidentified object parked on the moon - and no one seems to know where it came from. Gustavo, a middle-aged computer programmer with a comfortable and grey life, decides to make a list of what he would need to survive a hypothetical attack. He becomes obsessed with the list, spends a fortune, robs a drugstore: his own family thinks he is going insane. After the attack, it’s the insane who are well-prepared for a new era in society. First book of a trilogy. 

Note: The Good Dictator was originally written and published in Portuguese. The book is currently available in both English and Portuguese.

Exclusive Author Interview with Excerpts

Nadaness In Motion: Tell us about Gustavo, the main character in The Good Dictator

Gonçalo Dias: Gustavo, the main character, is a regular person with a comfortable job, nice house, and kids. However, he is no longer in love with his wife, Marta.

“… he had not loved her for some time. He did not think about getting divorced, Marta was a good mother for his sons, they had both gotten a good home, they even had a comfortable life; he was sure that. [Were it not] for the children, he would have already filed for divorce.”

“He had committed many mistakes in his life, he had failed in many aspects, but he wanted to be a good father, and the best thing for his kids was to be close to their mother, even if this meant he had to spend the life with someone so futile like Marta.”

Gustavo is also a competitive person, even with his friends:

“Everybody turned to Gustavo waiting for a serious answer, without jokes. Everybody knew he was calculating, practical and very logical. Gustavo, in turn, was sometimes rather competitive and knew that if he exposed his theory, they would want to do the same and this could lower his percentages of survival. At this very moment, he hated himself for thinking in such a selfish and competitive way with his old friends and that he probably would not see them again.”

When the object got parked on the moon, he got obsessed with the list:

“The creation of the list had brought some adrenaline to his life, some hope in something new, in some sort of change. And now, there he was in one of his favorite places, was thinking that he had failed, that the poor emotion he had for life had led him to the exaggeration of spending too much money, putting at risk his work place, and even worse, risking his freedom after an unnecessary robbery.

While he was immersed in these thoughts, he saw his father open the old gate of the property and approach him. Gustavo sighed and thought that he would now have to hear his old father give him a moral lesson about life; accept your mistakes and don't fly into paranoia or exaggerations. That was exactly what he did not want right now, he had come to that place to be alone and now he would hear his father in a speech about common sense.”

Nadaness In Motion: What are Gustavo's strongest and weakest traits?

G.D.: Gustavo’s strongest aspect is probably his ability to quickly adapt to any new situation. He is also planner-type of person.

 “Gustavo laughed again, he looked down with an amused look and saw the great hate that emanated from The Fatty.

- Do you know why it came down to this? You on your knees and me standing and observing your village in flames? Because you’re the weakest link. You know, you fatty, in the animal world, the ones who adapt the better to the environmental conditions are the ones who survive, and just between you and me, we both have the best example of it. You still think you are the GNR commander and that someone will come from the past to make me pay for my deeds, while I have quickly adapted to the new reality: as soon as the craft landed on The Moon, I made a list of indispensable things, I spent a lot of money in this list, I robbed a drugstore and was considered to be crazy by my family, but when the attack occurred, this crazy one was the one who had adapted the best to the new environment. And, let me tell you: I longed for this attack; I was fed up with living my comfortable and gray life behind a computer.”

Gustavo’s weakness is probably his inability to improvise.

“Gustavo remained quiet, feeling uncomfortable that Ramiro was better prepared than he was. He would've liked to have had a few minutes to think about some excuses, but he remained still, with no excuses, awaiting another wave of accusations and with some fear of what would come.”

Nadaness In Motion: Is The Good Dictator a dystopia or utopia?

G.D.: I think dystopian and utopian at the same time, and depends on the perspective of the reader. When the book was released in the Portuguese market, some said: it’s a post-apocalyptic novel, others a dystopian, while others claimed it was a utopian novel. Gustavo and his friends can be seen as utopian, because they try to build a better society. In one of the instances in the novel, Gustavo says:

“- I don’t do this for the power, Ramiro, I do this for our children, so that the future generation doesn't have to live in an unequal, corrupt and unprincipled society. I don’t want to be in power forever, I’m in favor of creating a law that one will only be able to be in public positions no more than eight years; after which, no privileges or special treatment are reward so that they have to go back to their work. Politics will be seen as a contribution to society and not as an opportunity to get rich and find well-paid state jobs for your friends. I do this so that your daughters and my children only hear about Swiss banks, tax havens and stock exchanges, like Wall Street, as things of a dark and greedy past from a lost society. I won’t allow you and your friends to change my view of the future.”

Connect with Gonçalo Dias via Goodreads, Twitter and his blog.

Add the book on Goodreads.

Purchase the book (in English or Portuguese) via Amazon. The English version is currently FREE for kindle and the Portuguese one is for $0.99 (as at the date of publication of this post). 

Novus - The Cresecren Chronicles - Excerpt Blitz

Today, I'm featuring author Crystal Marcos and her new book Novus with a book excerpt. 

Novus by Crystal Marcos

Synopsis:

Ideal for Hunger Games and Divergent fans, Crystal Marcos delivers Novus, a riveting novel set in a dystopian future of action-adventure, suspense, and romance. Intriguing characters and a gripping storyline keep the reader turning page after page.

Being a teenager is hard enough. And what if your life's path is predetermined? On top of that, you aren't even Human?

Cayden was given life as a Cresecren. He expected to live out his days with the dysfunctional Human family he was assigned to serve. One fateful night, however, landed him in Gavaron, the home of maimed, elderly, or defiant Cresecren.

Beyond its borders is the Den, an area much more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now seventeen, Cayden unwittingly becomes involved in a conspiracy and is one of a handful of survivors fleeing a deadly attack. They set off on a perilous journey in search of refuge and the truth. Along the way, Cayden begins to comprehend the difference between fully living and merely surviving, while trying to balance his emotions and a forbidden love.

  

Awards:

~"Official Selection" Winner in the Young Adult category, 2015 New Apple Book Awards!~

~Winner Best Books in the Young Adult category, 2016 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards!~

Praise for the Book:

“Novus by Crystal Marcos is one of those gems that make you care about the characters within the story, and while you definitely want to know what happens to them, you can't help but also not want to get to the end of the book. It's the kind of book whose characters you miss when you finish the book.”

~Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite- 5 STARS

Excerpt from Novus - The Cresecren Chronicles by Crystal Marcos

“You can’t go into the Den to the Supply Depot. At least, I feel you shouldn’t go.” Kayella rubbed her forehead with the sleeve of her blouse.
“Let me get you a drink.” I pulled down a metal can and filled it with water.
Before I turned around, Kayella’s hand was on my arm. Her footsteps were so silent that she startled me. I pivoted to look at her as she spoke a single word hauntingly. “Death.” Kayella looked so serious that I did not speak my initial thought of “nonsense.” Instead, I handed her the can and asked her to tell me about her dream.
“It won’t make any sense to you. How can I explain something I don’t understand? They are bits and pieces of a puzzle.” Kayella became flustered, her hand began to tremble, and water sloshed to the floor. “I came because I felt I needed to warn you not to go tomorrow.” She grabbed my arm tightly. “Have someone go in your place. I have to go and warn Alecander.” She dropped the can into the sink, splashing water along the wall. Before I could stop her, she ran out the door and down the corridor. I stood there, taken aback. The Kayella I knew was timid and sweet. I knew nothing of this Kayella.
Death. Such an ominous word. Is it that I might die? Or Alecander? What exactly had Kayella seen? Did it even matter?

About the Author 

Award-winning author Crystal Marcos has been a storyteller her entire life. As the oldest of five children, she had to do a lot of entertaining. She lives on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State with her husband, daughter Kaylee, and infant son Jaxon. Crystal is the author of BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale and HEADACHE: The Hair-Raising Sequel to BELLYACHE. Novus, her third book and first Young Adult novel, is Book One of The Cresecren Chronicles.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Revelations by Jennifer Carole Lewis – Book Review

Book: Revelations
(Book I of The Lalassu)
Author: Jennifer Carole Lewis
Publication date: February 2015

"Wherever there is prey, there are hunters. Jungle, ocean, city – the location doesn't matter. Predators will always find the vulnerable." – The opening line for Revelations and one that rings true on several characters and lines in the story.

Revelations (Book I of The Lalassu), by Jennifer Carole Lewis, is a quick-paced action-packed adventure mainly about a dancer with super human abilities. For years, Dani has been fighting her family's nagging that she take up the role of High Priestess for the lalassu people in order to serve as their guide and connection with the goddess. However, she wants no part in that and prefers her life as a burlesque dancer.

Dani also has a darker core, which she calls the Huntress. Often described as a slithering being, the Huntress is meant to be Dani's connection to the goddess. But something is wrong with the Huntress and it appears to be evil or as we later discover, is "corrupted".

"Concentrating, gathering her personal self… Dani reached deep into her psyche.

And touched a monster. The Huntress: terrifying, insatiable hunger; ancient rage howling for blood. Linked to the Goddess of her ancestors, it was part of her family's bloodlines, a genetic curse worse than any cancer or disease."

Dani needs to feed the Huntress every few weeks. But because she knows what the dark being will do to her victims, Dani decides to hunt down men who need to be taught a lesson, or simply "predators". An example is given in the first few chapters with Josh.

As Dani exits the club with Josh, we meet Michael Brooks and his cop friend Joe. Michael is a developmental therapist for children. He is kind of like an empath, who is able to read emotions and minds when he gets in contact with others, which he constantly tries to avoid. He uses his gift to discover the secrets children can’t share with anyone else.

"For everyone else, touch was something casual. It could at times become sensual or intimate, but no one else had to fear it. Every time Michael's skin touched someone or something else, he became privy to their inner thoughts, their darkest secrets, fears and hopes."

Michael senses something strangely dark when he enters the club Dani has just left. People who were out to have fun were in a frenzy of sex and rage.

The novel shifts between Dani, Michael and Dalhard. The worlds of the first two soon collide especially after one of Michael's clients is kidnapped, and Dani's family is threatened, when her two brothers, both with inhuman speed and strength, are also kidnapped.

Michael discovers that his charge, Bernie is a medium. What he thought were imaginary friends were actually the ghosts of the dead, bringing her messages and warnings.

Revelations has an abundance of beautiful but different characters. There are layers upon layers of and character-depth. Although the story is mostly about Dani, and Michael might be a second protagonist or an equal to Dani, others like: Bernie, Joe, Eric, Dalhard and Gwen, all play major roles in the novel. The secondary characters are few, but everyone is important including Nada and Karan. Everyone plays a role and I loved that about the novel.

One of the things I enjoyed is how Dani, the independent woman, fears what she can do to others. Her gifts are curses. There is a strong character duality, she's both good and bad. She sees the Huntress as evil and fears becoming a Priestess would change her. She also develops feelings for Michael and sees him as naïve and too good-natured, making her over-protective of him.

One of the main themes in the novel is that of the "hero". Michael likes comic books, which have shaped his definition of a hero. "Inside the pages, people who were different became heroes, not freaks. He liked to imagine himself as one of the heroes, using his secret abilities to help others while maintaining a mild-mannered persona."

As the novel progresses, Michael's view of the hero changes and develops. He sees Dani beat up a man who had been stalking one of the dancers. In an instant, the comic book hero who beats the bad guys changes before him after he sees it in a real-life incident. Michael also wants to see Dani as the hero, his, Bernie's and her family's hero.

Meanwhile, Dalhard, the evil and rich businessman/mastermind, is working hard to "acquire assets" or people with superhuman abilities. He tricks Dani's brothers, Eric and Vincent, and we soon discover he has abilities of his own, ones transferred through touch.

Dalhard later has his eyes on Dani, although he doesn't know anything about her Huntress or her legacy to become the next High Priestess for the Lalassu people, but he sees her as a golden ticket and a vessel for his experiments.

Dani and Michael have to team up to save the ones they care about as well as the whole of the Lalassu people because Dalhard will stop at nothing to "acquire" them for his personal use and for bringing new game-changers to the world of politics.

On another note, Jennifer Carole also has a way with words and I enjoyed her imagery and word choice throughout the book. (making it hard to pick certain quotes)

"But she triggered an uncomfortable wariness, a subliminal warning shivering and shredding the edges of his interest."

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about Revelations and Jennifer Carole's style is her "show don't tell" technique. Something many writers struggle with. An example is "Up close, his looks were even better: easily over six feet with broad shoulders and well-used gym membership." And "She looked like every demonic little girl in a horror film."

Revelations is a quick-paced novel that changes the common perceptions of the "hero", with journeys of self-discovery, acceptance and finding romance in unlikely places and people.

Note: I received a free copy from author Jennifer Carole Lewis in exchange for an honest review.

Note II: This book is for adult/mature audiences.

Check out an excerpt from Revelations here.

Connect with author Jennifer Carole Lewis via her Website, Facebook and Twitter.