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Perfection Unleashed: A Double Helix Novel (Volume 1) - Jade Kerrion
This is the first volume in what, I believe, will prove to be a very exciting series. The action starts right at the first sentence and rolls through all 20 chapters. I couldn’t pick out one main character, but I don’t think that affected the quality of the storyline one bit.
This series is a mix of Humans, Mutants, In-Vitro beings and Clones. A group of mercenaries set out on a mission to get a tissue sample from Galahad, a being made from hand by scientists at Pioneer Labs. Galahad is rumored to be the ‘perfect’ being, a being with the ‘perfect’ genetic code, and Zara is the human operative sent in to collect the sample. When she gets to lab she is stunned to see Galahad’s living conditions are less than perfect. He is poked and prodded and then left in solitude. Of course during the mission things take a turn for the worse and Zara is forced to take all of Galahad with her, not just a small sample. Unfortunately Galahad and Zara were both injured in the escape.
What follows is a rush of intrigue, deception and blood baths. Zara’s friend Lucien is the money behind the scenes and treats Zara like a little sister. She takes Galahad to Lucien’s home and meets up with Xin, her computer expert. Xin is a clone of Fu Hao, an ancient Chinese military general, queen and high priestess. Lucien calls his mutant friend Danyael from New York to come assist them at his home outside Washington D.C.
Danyael is a mutant, but not just any mutant. He is an Alpha level Empath, with healing capabilities. He is quite possibly the strongest mutant on the planet. He is also a twin to Galahad. This throws another twist into the mix as now this small band of friends not only has to find a way to save Galahad from his would-be captors, but to find out how their friend Danyael is involved and how his genetic code was obtained to be used in Galahad.
Our small group soon finds out that prior to Galahads creation, there were several unsuccessful attempts, resulting in five sub-human abominations. These abominations gain their freedom the same time as Galahad and start a reign of terror in downtown Washington D.C. killing everything and everyone in sight bent on finding their lost brother.
In addition to trying to save the perfect being, figure out Danyael’s connection to him, save the city from the abomination killing spree, the friends soon get a visit from Miyira, a telepathic clone from the Mutant Advisory Council sent to capture or kill Danyael. After an attack at Lucien’s home by the abominations, Miyira quickly convinces the M.A.C. that it’s in their best interest to side with this group of mercenaries.
During a mission to prevent another attack, Xin is captured by an extremist group lead by Jason, the son of Galahad’s creator. During the rescue mission to save Xin, Danyael is captured by Roland, Galahad’s creator, and taken back to Pioneer labs. When Galahad returns to Pioneer Labs to rescue Danyael, all of the plot components fall into place and everyone finds out that Galahad is a military project funded by DARPA. Now begins the flight for their lives.
I am leaving this one as a RAFO (read and find out). What is Roland’s 25 year old secret? Will they be able to get Galahad out of the country safely? What will become of the Abominations that Galahad has formed a brotherly bond with?
Those are the questions to be answered in this book: Perfection Unleashed: A Double Helix Novel.
I can hardly wait for December 2012 for the release of the sequel Perfect Betrayal to find out:
Parasouls – Divine Intervention – Michele Richard
This book didn’t necessarily capture me in the beginning. I felt there could have been more strife in the relationship between Shane and our Heroine Angelique. Now with that being said, I loved this book!
Angelique is a human, but not quite a human. She is a member of an advanced species of human with various ‘talents’. Her talent is one of cold fire\electricity. She leads a team of freedom fighters who go out into the world and ‘recruit’ other Parasouls. Once they were called witches and warlocks and persecuted as such. Now they are secured and controlled by the government, used for study and research.
Shane is Angelique opposite in every way. Shane is a Parasoul who works with the government. He leads a team of government hunters that go out in to the world and capture other Parasouls. Shane’s talent is regular fire.
Angelique’s and Shane’s teams are sent after the same Parasoul and their worlds quickly combine in a strange and unexpected way. With Parasoul’s, everyone has a ‘polar opposite’; someone that they are destined to be with, that can share or negate their talents. There have been very few polar pairs in recorded history. These two soon learn that they are a destined pair.
Angelique is captured by Shane’s team and taken back to their government facility where she soon discovers the true meaning of pairs. Shane is drawn to Angel; heart, body and soul. He would give his own life to save her, and kill anyone who threatens his relationship with her. Angel feels the exact same things, but she refuses to admit she is in love with the enemy.
After some tense situations at the government facility Angel soon realizes she doesn’t want to fight her feelings and gives into Shane and becomes his wife. They run their first mission together, and make their escape from government control. With the help of friends, they escape to Angel’s home compound of freedom fighters.
That is where this book leaves off… Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cliff hanger but it’s left just enough unsaid to leave this reader wanting more chomping for the next book in the Parasouls series.
What lies in store for Shane and Angel? Who is the leader that will save them from prosecution?
The action is just beginning; the first battle has been waged; how will the friends fair with an all-out war? Are their more traitors in their midst? I, for one, can’t wait to find out.
Dark Lord: The Early Years Jamie Thomson[Hardcover]
Dark Lord was, I believe, written for children between the ages of 8 and 12. However I decided to read it anyways and I am glad I did. I found this book compelling as I was thrown into a Dark Lord’s worst nightmare. The author’s writing drew me in and I loved feeling like I was part of the action.
The Dark Lord was thrown from his plane of existence by the White Wizard and deposited on Earth, either by accident or as a punishment. On Earth his soul was incarnated in the form of a young boy and deposited in a parking lot. When found by Law Enforcement he was assumed to be an orphan with a severe mental defect and deposited at a foster home.
The Dark Lord, referred to on Earth as Dirk Lloyd, was placed with Chris and his family and sent to school to live the life of a normal child. Dirk, however, was far from a normal child. He quickly befriends Sooz, a Gothic girl who likes Dirk just because he is a little strange, sort of like her.
For months Dirk tries to convince the boys and girls his age he really is a Dark Lord from another plane. No one believes him, however his millennia of experience with strategy and battle techniques quickly earns the friendship of Sal, the school sports hero. With these three, he has his inner circle of minions complete.
Dirk spends his time trying to find a way back to his plane, but he is plagued by nightmares of a hideous monster chasing him down. After a failed attempt to create a doorway, he burns his cloak in anger and opens a window home. From the window pops the King of the Goblins and after a conversation and a bargain, Dirk finds out that the monster from his dreams is real and hunting him down.
Is Dirk really a Dark Lord of Evil from another plane? Will he have enough time to convince his friends… sorry, minions… that he really is a Dark Lord before this hideous monster finds him and finishes him off? Will he be able to create a portal home in this world without the magic he is accustomed to using? I couldn’t put the book down until I found the answers to these questions, and I am glad I didn’t. The ending was completely unexpected and left this reader wanting more. So, Dirk Lloyd, I hope your Nightgaunt did not indeed kill off your slave editor and that your minions quickly produce your next book.
This is the first book in The Dark Sea Annals series. The story starts off with Alastair Coldhollow seeing the blood moon in the night sky and the sword in the sky pointing to the village where the Halfainin would be found. The Halfainin was foretold to come into world as a reincarnation of the First One, a great and powerful leader that forged the kingdoms that made up Myriad. Alastair, also known as the Iceman, was told he would be the Caller, the one to announce to the world the name of the true Halfainin.
Alastair was once a cold-blooded assassin in the employ of King Morlan. Morlan has a dislike for anything relating to the theories of the First One, and, in the past, ordered Alastair and his Wolfguard to kill any and every person in villages following the religion. Morlan is King of Vulmarrow. King Morlan is twin brother to King Aravel the High King Overlord of all. Morlan would have been High King had he been born half a min earlier, but Aravel was given the title by birth, something that has always fueled Morlan’s animosity towards Aravel.
These murders weighed heavily on Alastair and caused him to turn to Witchdrale, a vile alcoholic concoction that lays waste to one’s mind. After seeing the signs that told of the Halfainin’s coming, Alastair spend days testing boys and girls from the village of Thel-Mizaret only to come up empty handed. Now doubting he is the true caller, he spends a drunken night on Witchdrale and ends up outside the roadway protecting a young female and her infant from Gorracks. The woman hands the infant to Alastair and runs off into the forest where she is killed by the attackers. After defeating the attackers, Alastair tracks down Abbagael, a young maiden that used to admire him from a far. He figures he can leave the child with her and then retire somewhere far away with a cash of his favored drink.
Circumstances change, as they are apt to do, and Alastair finds himself the hero of an attack in a nearby market town, King Aravel appoints him as a general in the kingdom’s army and he heads off to war in the Gorrack’s territory. While he is at war, Abbagael and Telwyn stay at Anglinore and become fast friends with Queen Maren.
Morlan finds the lair of the Shadow and becomes allied with Sabryne, the Finger of Shadow. Using his link with Sabryne’s mind, Morlan learns the secret of the Shepherds, that if you kill a Shepard, you gain their power. With this information Morlan plans his invasion of Anglinore and revenge against High King Aravel for his time of birth.
Queen Maren is told of Morlan’s deception and is flown to see Morlan, but upon her arrival she discovers Morlan is already on his way to overthrow her husband. Morlan’s servant throws Maren in a cell and it is here that she must have her child in dingy, dark conditions.
During the battle, Morlan is captured and his Wolfguard is defeated by the combined forces of the inhabitants of Myriad – the Humans, the Wayfolk, the Windborne, the Stonehands, the Marinaen, the Elladorians and the Shepherds. After Morlan is sentenced to his one-way journey across the Dark Sea, High King Aravel repeals the charges against Alastair for his murders and crimes years past.
This was an excellent tale, one that I feel is sure to become a famous epic series and renown with authors such as Tolkien, Martin, Rowling and Jordan. The storyline flows perfectly from one scene to the next and the character development is quite realistic. My favorite chapter in the book had to be the chapter of letters exchanged by Alastair and Abbagael. It drew me in (more then I already was) and I felt as though I was actually in the war, receiving a letter from home. This chapter definitely prompted the empathy I’m sure it was meant to convey.
The ending was quite a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to purchase book 2 of the series – The Errant King. This book left quite a few unanswered questions in my mind.
Is Telwyn the Halfainin? If not, who is? Is Alastair the Caller? What happens now with the High King Overlord’s brother sentenced to an un-death? What does life hold for this world now torn apart and ravaged by war? Do the inhabitants of Myriad live happily ever after? I really doubt that could happen after they discover the identity of the skeleton pulled from the well in the last few chapters of book 1 – Sword in the Stars.
‘Mystic City’ by Theo Lawrence
A thrilling tale of a Romeo\Juliet romance enhanced by adding a magical element in modern times.
Socialite Aria Rose wakes and find she has no memory of the past few months. Aria’s parents are one of two families that control the now deteriorating island of Manhattan, NY. When she wakes, her family convinces her that the memory loss she is experiencing is due to an overdose of ‘Stic’, a new drug made of mystical energy. As her parents fill in the gaps in her memory she is told that she is engaged to Thomas Foster, son of the other family that controls Manhattan.
The Roses in the West, the Fosters in the East…. Below them, forced to live in the Depths in poverty and drained of their powers twice a year, are the Mystics. The island of Manhattan has been slowly sinking since global warming so the elite classes of citizens, non-mystic, live in skyscrapers in a bridged community called the Aeries. The Mystics were forced below after the Conflagration, a mystical bomb that killed thousands. Aerien’s, fearing for their lives and values, forced Mystics to register and have their powers drained twice a year keeping them sickly and placid. Those who do not register and refuse to be drained are considered Rebels and hunted by the Aerien government.
After years of being separate a Mystic, Violet Brooks, is running for Mayor of Manhattan. With Aria engaged to marry Thomas, the Roses and Fosters form a union to keep the Mystics oppressed and vow to have Thomas’ brother Garland Foster elected as Mayor.
As Aria tries to live her life, using the stories from her family about her relationship with Thomas, questions start to form in her mind. She takes a trip to the Depths with the intention of crossing to the West side to seek answers from Thomas. After arriving in the Depths to make the crossing, she is attacked and then saved by a handsome blonde, Hunter Brooks. She soon discovers she has feelings for Hunter that far exceed the feelings she doesn’t have for Thomas.
Aria and Hunter quickly develop a relationship that they must keep hidden from her family as well as the public. Unfortunately she is soon found out by her father when she starts asking too many questions about what happens to the mystical energy that is drained from Mystics.
During this rollercoaster of a story Aria makes new friends out of old friends, reignites a lost relationship, tries to correct the holes in her memory and helps to ignite a war between her family and the Mystics. What side will Aria join when it comes down to it? You won’t know who to trust until the final battle when you are dealing with double\triple agents and families with ulterior motives. Is love strong enough to win out in the end? Will Romeo and Juliet meet the same fate as their namesakes?
I hope Theo writes at least a second book to this, as I am now totally enthralled with what the future holds for our Mystics whom have been oppressed for far to long.
This riveting tale is about a British constable, his pregnant wife Anna and his partner Mark and their strange run-in with Norse Vikings.
This takes place in modern day England with Constable Stuart and his wife fretting over the imminent birth of their son. While out on a routine patrol, Stuart encounters a group of Vikings that he assumes to be a part of Mark’s reenactment group. Little does he know that thanks to Loki, the God of Mischief, a board game between Thor and Tyr is being played out in their small town of Hopfield.
This short story is packed with action from beginning lines through to the end of the book. The small town is plagued with time-transported Vikings; lead by their hero Ivar the Boneless, in a pitched battle with a pack of wolves lead by Fenrir, the wolf god son of Loki.
As Stuart becomes folded into the game\war he receives a phone call from his wife – the baby is on its way. As he and Mark rush home to deliver her to the hospital the encounter rogue groups of blood thirsty wolves and battle hardened Vikings. All the while their small, puny lives are being put at risk, Thor and Tyr are trying to find a way to end this deadly game they are now being forced to play.
Will the Gods be able to end this bloodshed on the planet they are sworn to protect? What of Stuart and Anna – will they make be able to make it to the hospital alive? If so, will it be in time to have a healthy baby? What will become of the Vikings and wolves – who will win this horrible battle and what will happen afterwards?
Waiting for the answers to these questions and more will keep you from putting this book down until you reach the stunning conclusion.
