Jeanne's Review of The Land of the Shadow by Lissa Bryan

The Land Of The Shadow

The End Of All Things II

By 

Lissa Bryan

Release Date: 21st August 2014

Genre: Dystopian

ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-264-8

Published by: The Writers Coffee Shop

Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

Summary:

After surviving the Infection and a perilous journey through the wasteland that was once the United States, Carly and Justin have found a safe home in the isolated town of Colby.

Even so, balancing the duties of survival and a growing family isn’t easy. As they emerge as leaders, they face difficult questions about justice in a lawless land, basic human rights, and freedom in a world where strength defines worth. More than ever, they have to rely on one another for strength and support during the darkest of times.

The Crisis is far from over. Their fences won’t keep the world out forever, and a new threat is emerging—a gang of predators who see the town as easy pickings. When danger looms over Colby, Carly must decide how far she’ll go to protect those she loves. 

It’s a journey down the long and broken road through The Land of the Shadow.

Jeanne's Review:

I have to say this book is a terrific continuation of the first novel The End of All Things.  Let me start off by saying that I know everyone says these books can be stand alones and while that could be true, I feel that much would be lost if you didn’t read one without the other. Lissa is great at bringing back important pieces of information from Justin and Carly’s past from book one, but if you hadn’t experienced those memories with the two characters then you would feel sort of lost in regards to the emotions behind the them and the true bond between our hero and heroine.

The Land of the Shadows takes place two years after the Infection has overtaken the world and destroyed most of its population, both human and animal.  Carly and Justin have strived to reproduce a similance of normal life in the town of Colby.  They have gathered with a small group of people and worked together daily to make the community a home for their families.  Of course, in a world where law no longer exists, Justin and Carly soon discover that they must be willing to fight and defend their new home at all cost.

Overall, I give this book four honeypots.  The writing is amazing.  Lissa a true wordsmith.  The premise and plot are believable and have a way of drawing in the reader into a new order of life.  And above all, I love the characters of Carly and Justin.  They compliment each other and their love for one another is magical.  Lissa left us open for a third book, and I truly look forward to what she has in store for the next installment of this series.

Rating:

Author Bio: 

Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot...though only in her head. Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

She is the author of three other novels, Ghostwriter, The End of All Things, and Under These Restless Skies.

Connect with Lissa Bryan on: 

Facebook, Twitter, Blog and Goodreads

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Praise for The Land of The Shadow:

"What a ride! Carly and Justin are people that I'd like on my side, and on the side of my community. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a story that will keep you glued to your reader or flipping pages in a paperback just as quickly as you can." -Kathie Spitz 

If you haven't already, check out:

The End Of Things Book I

By 

Lissa Bryan

Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

Jeanne's Review of A Season Without Rain by Joe Schwartz

Title: A Season Without Rain

Author: Joe Schwartz

Genre: General Fiction

Length: 348 pages

Release Date: November 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1493513390

Imprint: Enigma Press

Jacob Miller is angry with himself, the world, and God. Life seems so unfair, so cruel, that he can’t imagine why anyone even tries. After having a nervous breakdown, selling his business, filing for bankruptcy, having a baby, and finding out he owes over twenty grand in taxes, he is hardly happy to be alive.

In the span of a year, Jacob will discover three very important things about life. Things can always be worse. There really is a God. And if you wait long enough anything can change.

A Season Without Rain explores that gray area between poverty and middle class life, the struggling underclass for whom there are no advocates. A powerful story told in a modern, everyday voice that will entrench readers in Jacob Miller’s black world of anger, hate, resentment, lies, and violence.

A Season Without Rain is Joe Schwartz’s first novel. His previous short story collections Joe’s Black T-Shirt, The Games Men Play, and The Veiled Prophet of St. Louis have been acclaimed vulgar as Bukowski and visceral as Carver. Joe lives and works in St. Louis happily writing stories exclusively about the Gateway City.

A St. Louis native, I write exclusively about the Gateway City. I prefer the style of fiction deemed transgressive fiction. That is my stories protagonists generally find a solution to their problems through either illicit or illegal means. I personally prefer stories told through a criminal's point-of-view. It is never the crime that fascinates me so much as the motivation to do it and the terrible, almost predictable outcomes to such actions. Just as I have an expectation of writing to be read I believe that it is as important, if not more so, that you as a reader should have the expectation of being entertained as you read. Anything less is such a disappointment.

Life is short. Stories are forever. -Joe

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I wish I could say that I got lost in the characters of this book, but sadly, that wasn't the case for me. Jacob Miller is your everyday guy, living an everyday life, but he's been thrown a few curve balls and carries around a lot of anger over his imperfect life. So much anger, in fact, that I often struggled to connect with him as a character. The writing was good, but over-extensive descriptions of people, places, and things bogged down the storyline for me. This book read more like a mémoire than a work of fiction.

The major plus for me in this book was the author's ability to highlight the emotions of the character. I might not have connected with Jacob on the personal level as I would have liked, but I can't deny that his emotional state affected me. Jacob struggles with his faith in God, something I think we've all felt at least once in our lives. His sadness, his anger, his despair, are all beautifully displayed, leaving a reader aching along with Jacob.

Overall, I give this book three honey pots. A Season Without Rain is a direct reflection of humanity at its highs and lows. In the end, it leaves a person with something to think about concerning faith and life in general, making it worth reading.

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