Community Reviews
I have been eyeing this novella since it hit the market last year. The cover always catches - and holds - my attention, but the premise is also arresting. A demon that crosses over into the realm between Life and Death by piggybacking on the soul of a child? A TALKING CAT? (Okay, it was the talking cat that got me the most...)
What was it that finally got me to pick this one up? Two things, actually: 1) The author reached out to me to see if I was interested in reading a copy in exchange for an honest review. 2) This story has been nominated for a 2022 Splatterpunk Award. I just had to know if it deserved the nomination.
Short answer - YES. Emphatically yes. I have always been a huge fan of stories utilizing Good vs Evil, Angels vs Demons - so we have that, but throw in the fantastic Dystopian setting of the In Between, the realm that exists between Life and Death, where souls await to see if they'll return to the land of the living or will be guided instead to the Black Door. Just the world building alone makes this one a stellar read, but GOOD FREAKING GRACIOUS at the character development and growth of our main character Alistair. It was tragic, heartbreaking, courageous, hopeful and inspirational...I have chills over my entire body just thinking of the change he underwent over the course of this tale.
I really enjoyed James G. Carlson's writing style and am very much looking forward to reading more of his work, which luckily I have more of waiting here for me to read. While I feel he nailed the pacing and length, it was just as long as it needed to be to tell the story, I do wish the encounter with the Carrion Kid had packed a bit more of a punch. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the resolution...I just wanted a bit more of a display. (I'm a greedy girl, I know!)
Fans of Chad Lutzke's Wallflower will thoroughly enjoy this story as well as fans of Dystopian, post apocalyptic settings...or if you're like me, talking cats and demons!
What was it that finally got me to pick this one up? Two things, actually: 1) The author reached out to me to see if I was interested in reading a copy in exchange for an honest review. 2) This story has been nominated for a 2022 Splatterpunk Award. I just had to know if it deserved the nomination.
Short answer - YES. Emphatically yes. I have always been a huge fan of stories utilizing Good vs Evil, Angels vs Demons - so we have that, but throw in the fantastic Dystopian setting of the In Between, the realm that exists between Life and Death, where souls await to see if they'll return to the land of the living or will be guided instead to the Black Door. Just the world building alone makes this one a stellar read, but GOOD FREAKING GRACIOUS at the character development and growth of our main character Alistair. It was tragic, heartbreaking, courageous, hopeful and inspirational...I have chills over my entire body just thinking of the change he underwent over the course of this tale.
I really enjoyed James G. Carlson's writing style and am very much looking forward to reading more of his work, which luckily I have more of waiting here for me to read. While I feel he nailed the pacing and length, it was just as long as it needed to be to tell the story, I do wish the encounter with the Carrion Kid had packed a bit more of a punch. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the resolution...I just wanted a bit more of a display. (I'm a greedy girl, I know!)
Fans of Chad Lutzke's Wallflower will thoroughly enjoy this story as well as fans of Dystopian, post apocalyptic settings...or if you're like me, talking cats and demons!
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