Sunday, December 22, 2024

Of Mountains and Monsters: Nine Levels is a mythological quest of courage and survival

 

Nine Levels

Elana Gomel

Mirror World Publishing, 2024

ISBN-13: 978-1998360024

Ebook, 282 ppg.

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“There was power in knowledge.” This is a thought that strikes the main character of this novel, Cleo, as she is hiding from a group of harpies that would no doubt attack her without mercy.

 

Yes. That’s right. Harpies. The same creatures in Greek mythology. And, in Cleo’s case, her knowledge of Greek mythology becomes handy. As she eventually discovers that she is trapped on what she learns is the very first level of a mountain called Orcus, where myth becomes reality. She eventually finds out that there are nine levels which she must ascend in order to escape from this hell she is in, and her attempts to do so are a matter of life and death.

 

If you know Greek mythology, you know that there are some pretty sketchy and dangerous creatures. Not to mention those who like to knock boots with anything that breathes. So Cleo definitely has quite a few scary adventures to contend with.

 

But it’s not just creatures from Greek mythology which are in this story. Other figures, such as Hekate, are in it too. Which sort of complicates things for Cleo in trying to figure out the puzzle she has to solve in trying to survive each adversary she faces! She can’t rely on what she knows every time; she has to sort of study them and try to pick up on clues to understand who she is dealing with on each level.

 

It seems like each new level she reaches is harder than the last. Still, she presses on. She does try to figure things out along the way, perhaps so she can have some kind of edge against her opponents or the next thing she faces, but she knows that this can slow here down. “She forced herself to fall into the same mindless rhythm that had saved her on the rockface. Don’t think, don’t feel, don’t fear. Touch the wall, pull yourself up, feel the last ledge dissolve under your feet, touch the wall…But while her body, toughened by her stay in Orcus, labored to keep her alive, her mind churned like a pond of muddy water with a stone tossed in.” Even so, Cleo keeps facing one setback after another, one difficulty after another, and one failure after another. She is exhausted, mentally and physically, and constantly fighting to keep going. She is tempted to give up but she won’t because she knows her sister is out there somewhere, and she needed to help her:

 

My sister is not dead.

It came to her with absolute conviction. And together with it, the

determination to stay alive. She owed it to Cora. Twins always stayed together, in life as in death. Even the Dioscuri, with one brother immortal and the other mortal, refused to be parted. If Cora was alive, she would try her damndest to stay alive too.”

 

One lingering thought I had as I read this book was this: How did this even happen? How was Cleo suddenly on Orcus, a mythological mountain where a warped sense of mythology reigned, and how was her sister lost? This is all explained, at some point. Not right away, but as I read, pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Her memory lapses are also explained, and I was surprised to learn the cause of it. I also appreciated how the author touched on the fact that Cleo has a twin sister, and tapped into aspects of things that can only happen between twins – even one being mistaken for the other. (There’s actually a lot involved on the subject with twins and the author touched on some of these aspects beautifully. It’s not overdone and has just the right balance.)

 

This was an extremely interesting story! The author knows her Greek mythology very well. Each level that Cleo ascends to is ever more interesting than the last, and the big reveal in the climax was very surprising. I definitely did not see it coming, and the image of Cleo standing with Medusa and Lamia was jarring. Almost surreal. Humans in Greek mythology are often looked down upon, seen as sex objects or as pawns for the gods and goddesses in their many battles. So to see this in the story was really unusual, if not a reminder of just how different all of the mythologies are in this fictional albeit mythological universe this author has created for her story. It is so well done and leaves a lasting appreciation for the Greek mythology which we all know and love.

 

Masterfully told and captivatingly pieced together, Nine Levels by Elana Gomel is a novel of adventure, myth, legend and courage. A story that twists together fantasy, mythology, folklore and contemporary fiction, this novel is an unforgettable quest holding reader interest and entertaining the imagination. Every level of this story reaches ever higher than the last one, enriching the enjoyment of the story right along with it.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Of Silk and Bondage: Blood & Lust is a Sensual Fantasy of Blood and Bone

 

 

Blood & Lust: Silken Chains and Splintered Bones

Annabelle Craven

Dark Desires Press, 2024

Ebook, 84 ppg.

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After the silk is tied to Alina's wrist, it tightens, sending a sensual tingle to her chest. The host of the sex club, the Priestess, comments, "It will unlock everything you’ve been too afraid to feel." Up until that moment, Alina was timid and hesitant as she tentatively explored the sex club which her lover, Dorian, brought her to. Even after the ribbon's power courses through her very being, Alina still hesitates to act on her impulses and seek the pleasure which she truly desires. Her lover, meanwhile, is enraptured by the ribbon’s power, submitting to its seductive allure and ignoring Alina’s cries for them to leave.

 

Alina seems to be the kind of person who is guarded. As though she’s afraid to give in to her desires. I wondered if this is why Dorian wanted them to visit this club. He seems to have no problems giving in to his desires and his insistence to Alina to “let go” makes me also wonder if underneath his layers is a sense of frustration in their sex life.

 

Reading this story, one would assume that the ribbon offered at the beginning is just that: A simple ribbon. Some kind of marker to identify someone as belonging to another. But it would seem that what the person wearing a ribbon belongs to is not so much a person, but something more sinister and terrifying.

 

This novella is a lot like the club that Alina walks into: It offers pleasure and comfort, but ultimately delivers terror and alarm. It is written so well, with the seductive moments holding me captive while the horrifying scenes made me squirm. The author holds nothing back, unraveling the mysteries of the ribbon with an electric and terrifying intensity. Blood & Lust is a titillating story that held me in its grip, leaving me to struggle to stay on the very edge of my seat as I was suffocated by this tapestry of horror. It is an engaging mix of erotica and horror that I will not soon forget.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  

 

Saturday, December 7, 2024

The Source of Pure Evil: Toxic Maternal: The Beginning is the gut-wrenching and horrifying prequel we didn’t know we needed

 

 

Toxic Maternal: The Beginning

C.A. Baynam & Chisto Healy

Unveiling Nightmares Press, 2024

ISBN-13: 979-8332004902

Ebook, 165 ppg.

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They say that a sequel should be better than the first book. Maybe this applies to prequels as well. The prequel to Toxic Maternal, Toxic Maternal: The Beginning by C.A. Baynam and Chisto Healy, is an eye-popping, jaw-dropping and spinetingling read! I would not say it is better than TM, but it definitely gets awful close to it!

 

In Toxic Maternal by C.A. Baynam, readers got to meet the mother from Hell, one who sexually, psychologically, verbally and physically abused her children, Sarah and Andrew. In this book, the prequel, we learn just what it was that made Mother, whose name is Caroline, into the kind of monster that we see in the book. Toxic Maternal: The Beginning shows the kind of horrible life Caroline endured in a home with an alcoholic and abusive father, along with a likewise abusive mother. However, her mother’s anger and hatred come from her dissatisfaction with her marriage and her life in general. Readers get to find out the shocking secret behind what it is that turns her into something else entirely, and just how it affects the young Caroline!

 

Just as with the other book, there is a lot of extreme gore, violence and sex in this story. However, some of the sex acts in this book are otherworldly, having a lot to do with the driving force that turns Caroline’s mother, Elena, as well as Caroline herself, into dark, evil and sinister forces. It happens a lot faster for Elena than it does for Caroline, and for this, Caroline ends up suffering through this horrifying transformation.

 

If you feel the need for some good blood and gore, you’ll find it in this story as well. There was one scene in particular where a character was murdered and it was so gory with lots of detailed slaughter, I loved it! I enjoyed reading this part of this story, and not just because that particular character deserved what he got but because it was written so well. It’s not “one and done” but a slow killing, with the character suffering from each blow.

 

And I must add that the character, Johnson, is so resourceful. I mean, he just suddenly appears with a machete. LOL He’s definitely a keeper!

 

So, is reading this prequel to Toxic Maternal recommended? I would not force it on anyone, but reading this story helped me to understand why what happened in Toxic Maternal happened. As I read through one scene that explained it all, I was like, “Oh. Well, now it makes sense.” What kind of mother would do such things to her own children in Toxic Maternal? If you ever wanted to know, you will find out by reading Toxic Maternal: The Beginning! Read this book to get a better understanding of why those chilling events unfolded, and in doing so, read about even more chilling events that sets everything in motion for a family of pure evil!

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Then There’s the OTHER Hallmark: To Hell With Hallmark is a Collection of Terrifying Christmas Horror

  To Hell With Hallmark Brad Ricks Unveiling Nightmares Press, 2024 ISBN-13: 979-8345992654 Ebook, 228 ppg. Buy link      ...