Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Afterlife by Aaron Burdett My rating: 4 of 5 stars Amber Blackwood has tried to put her past behind her, but the anniversary of her brother’s death always puts her in a foul mood. Especially this year, when all of her family members have left her alone with her grief. She thinks she might be crazy when she hears Toby calling her, but when she finds the present he left her - 10 years after he died - and she is chased into Afterlife by a horrifying masked man, she knows she must find him to save herself. Afterlife starts with a somewhat typical high school girl sucked into a dark, paranormal world that resembles purgatory, but ends up spanning more dimensions than the murky space between heaven and hell. I found this to be a fascinating and fast paced read, with a not totally shocking twist at the end but a good one nonetheless. I really enjoyed the interplay between the realms of the living and the dead, and found myself following the spiritual politics easier than I thought it w...

Wracked by Louis Puster III My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s hard to sort things out when you wake up with a mouth full of dirt, and quickly ascertain it’s from your own grave. Fortunately someone fills him in on his name, but why is Wrack here, exactly, and more importantly, who is he? How did he come by the strange powers he has, and will he ever be sure if he is a good guy or a bad guy? Wracked is the first in the Saga of Ukumog and leaves you with far more questions than answers - which is excellent for setting up a sequel, obviously. It is a dark fantasy with characters who both are on a quest and finding their own talents, set in a somewhat ambiguous political climate where dark lords are constantly fighting each other. I really appreciated that the main character is not your typical “knight in shining armor” hero type, but clearly has his own history and back issues that point to some pretty dark deeds he seems to be escaping. While I found the beginning writing to be a bit c...

End of Eternity by Loretta Lost My rating: 3 of 5 stars Walking in on your husband’s lifeless, post suicide body swaying in the breeze of the open door is bad enough, but pregnant Carmen now has to deal with both the funeral and her sister’s car accident on the same day - as well as take care of her father while he deals with her sister’s crash as well. Can she navigate the stress as well as the obvious attempts of the men in her life to soothe a grieving widow? I was intrigued by the idea of an inner monologue for someone experiencing life that included suicide, pregnancy and potential fatal car crash of someone she loved, but quickly found myself disenchanted with Carmen’s character. I honestly thought she was well written and well developed, just not someone I could relate to, personally. While I could not predict how I would react in the same circumstance, I just had a hard time processing the obvious lust and inappropriate relations with what seemed like any man who wasn’t ...