dark fantasy thriller – The Ultimate Reviewer

Fight for the militia? Or for a hidden agenda? Cabil knows Syreene all to well—her motives marked with the stain of vengeance of her murdered parents. But Syreene is bent on learning the craft of elemental-wielding for better or for worse, even though her pyro-dancing human foster brother keeps her under lock and key. How embarrassing, for an elf like herself to bare no earthly arms. It’s bad enough her kind is ridiculed already.

The life of a schoolgirl carries little excitement to spark her itch of finding the demon who slayed her biological parents. Cabil insists on letting go of the past, but the fire under the redhead’s furnace burns hot. Even hotter when her older brother comes home one night, unconscious, past town curfew, slung over a mysterious man’s shoulder and plastered with blood. It’s a lot to take in—having to see her high-ranked, on guard brother wounded for the first time, possibly hanging on the brink of death, and the sight of a man that left her stomach sashaying with fluttering butterflies. Déjà vu—the complexity of the moment follows the adolescent to a reckless encounter where she later finds herself kidnapped—a terrible consequence for trying to seek out her brother’s assassin, someone working from the King’s High Council. Her high-end impulsive trait falling in the hands of Cabil’s sworn enemy—smells like a perfect formula for chaos.

Not to worry, as long as she doesn’t tell anyone what happened in the dungeon that night, all will be well. Wishful thinking!

The story unravels, following the trio through battle, sorcery, adventure, and discovering of family secrets. How will Syreene handle her new persona, and face the man who haunts her dreams?

Title: Dessa-Spirit of Vengeance: A Dark Fantasy Thriller Series (Book One) (Shadowland Saga 1)

Author: Andreya Lombardi

Pages: 182

Genre: Dark Fabtasy

My review

A perfect piece of art!

Dark fantasy thrillers always offers their readers freshness, excitement entangled with suspense. Dessa- Spirit of Vengeance is the epitome of this creativity. A new world with a new system is built. The fight between good and evil gets an artistic turn here. I was completely absorbed in the story and enjoyed it beyond boundaries. This fantasy thriller invites you to a rollercoaster ride of emotions, survival, magic and mystery. Syreene and Cabil are the ones who drive the whole story. Cabil is fierce and courageous while Syreene is determined and strong-willed.

One of the striking feature of this story is the evolution of Syreene. She is a delicate kind soul at the beginning of the story. But she slowly transformed into a fierce warrior due to her circumstances. She is in a process of finding her own identity and existence. But what makes this character interesting is, she is only exploring her unexposed identity. Because of that, her innate qualities stays the same. In other words, Syreene is an extremely satisfying protagonist.

The narration and world-building is the two core pillars of this story. The author has created a foolproof world where elves, humans and demons are fighting for their supreme regime. Every character and the creation story was introduced in the beginning. This provides a comprehensive understanding of all characters beforehand.

In short, this is an epic story of mystery and vengeance. You can’t put down this thriller for sure.

Rating: 5/5

Being haunted by a sinister circus, ghosts and scary clowns wasn’t unusual for the spunky 18-year-old girl, Estela Nannette Sinclair. Neither was the physical and emotional abuse that she faced from her adoptive parents.
But, one was just a dream and the other would resolve itself in two weeks upon her eighteenth birthday… or so she mistakenly presumed. Her life was a complex façade of lies that hid how deeply she was entangled with three powerhouses of dark magic. Had she been that ignorant of the masquerade before her? An ignorance that wasn’t bliss. And an ignorance that meant her corpse would likely decorate an amusement attraction in a mere two weeks’ time.
Masqueraded is a suspenseful and deliciously dark psychological thriller and the first chapter of an emotionally-charged YA paranormal series that features a strong female lead character, who is looking for answers to her troubled past, while discovering new depths of deviant dark magic lurking underneath the surface in the carnival where she escaped the domestic abuse of her youth. Join Estela, as she explores a hidden magical world of teleportation, scrying, and telekinesis.

Title: Masqueraded: Act One

Author: Alexis Dees

Pages: 144

My review

A story like none other!

Masqueraded: Act One is simply redefining everything we know of the magical world. When I read the blurb, I mistakenly assumed that this will be a story like the Harry Potter series. But I was wrong. Masqueraded presents another level of story. More human and more realistic. Dark magic exists among us. Immortality and superpowers are real but they all come with a price. The price they have to pay to create a bond with it is their soul.

Estela is a soon to be 18-year-old girl, who is craving for her freedom like none other of her age. She is merely surviving with her abusive adoptive parents and dealing with constant nightmares every day. She has been associated with a traveling carnival for three years from now. This is the only place of freedom she has got. But what she doesn’t know is the dark truth behind her friends and associates from the carnival. Finally, she uncovered the truth behind their inhuman tricks and it is not what she imagined at all.

The author has developed Estela’s character very well throughout the story. Her transformation from a naive, innocent girl to a confident, fearless woman was smooth and convincing. She is vulnerable and fearless at the same time. Ignorance brings fear. The more she gained knowledge, the more fearless she become.

I really loved the climax of this story. The cunning and manipulative characters are unconventional heroes in the mainstream. But here they are justified and backed by situations.

Rating:5/5