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sal_loves_books's review against another edition
4.0
This book absolutely wrecked my head. The first half of the book I struggled to keep up with all the characters and the different lands, don’t get me wrong I love a good complex book but I have to be honest and say I very nearly gave up on this one but being the stubborn cow I am I soldiered on and I was glad I did as the next 40 odd percent made me understand just why the first half of the book was written the way it was. The last half of the book was good, really good although I felt there were quite a few questions unanswered but I’ll let my own imagination fill in the gaps.
terryh's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook review
Absolutely loved this audiobook. It had me desperately wanting to listen to it when I just couldn’t!
The story just didn’t stop it was fast paced & so different. Vampires aren’t just run of the mill and the doorways to other places are fab. I love the weaving and mixing of old, new, creatures etc
I don’t want to give anything away, so hard to not spill it all though!
The narrator was great too, very nice voice, good tempo and with a name like Hannibal how could he not be cool!
I Have the ebook as well and I will be reading it some time soon as the story really grabbed me.
Absolutely loved this audiobook. It had me desperately wanting to listen to it when I just couldn’t!
The story just didn’t stop it was fast paced & so different. Vampires aren’t just run of the mill and the doorways to other places are fab. I love the weaving and mixing of old, new, creatures etc
I don’t want to give anything away, so hard to not spill it all though!
The narrator was great too, very nice voice, good tempo and with a name like Hannibal how could he not be cool!
I Have the ebook as well and I will be reading it some time soon as the story really grabbed me.
maorine's review against another edition
5.0
This book should not be as good as it is. There are many, many typos, so if you are a grammar Nazi, beware. The author also uses colloquialisms and terminology that don't translate into the story line. However, surprisingly, the story keeps moving along and taking you with it.
I picked this up primarily for the premise. The story follows Jake Stephenson an ex-cop who in investigating a gruesome murder gets pulled into an alternate world. Alternate world? Count me in. Puertorican vampire? What's not to like? Even with the questionable writing, the story did not disappoint. Best recommendation?
I immediately got the second book in the series.
I picked this up primarily for the premise. The story follows Jake Stephenson an ex-cop who in investigating a gruesome murder gets pulled into an alternate world. Alternate world? Count me in. Puertorican vampire? What's not to like? Even with the questionable writing, the story did not disappoint. Best recommendation?
I immediately got the second book in the series.
st3phsr3ads's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
I would recommend this book to any aspiring author who wants to study a good example of what not to do when writing. Some major issues with pacing, editing, and POV switching amidst a cast of flat, one-dimensional characters. The sex scenes later in the book are…cringey. Like put the book down, consider setting it on fire, roll your eyes, curse under your breath, and skip ahead a few pages to spare yourself more physical and emotional pain cringey.
Overall, it reads like a first-draft rather than a polished and complete novel. This comes through most strongly for me in two ways. Firstly, the atrocious lack of editing. Secondly, the main characters having the unfortunate emotional range of a walnut whilst navigating what would be complex and heartbreaking tragedies. I say “would be” because these tragedies are reduced to mere caricatures through the characters baffling lack of reaction.
If the premise still has you hooked, and you are dead set on giving this one a try, I would recommend reading it as a comedy or a spoof. In fact, this was how I was able to get through it! I imagined all the characters overacting like in a bad B-movie.
Overall, it reads like a first-draft rather than a polished and complete novel. This comes through most strongly for me in two ways. Firstly, the atrocious lack of editing. Secondly, the main characters having the unfortunate emotional range of a walnut whilst navigating what would be complex and heartbreaking tragedies. I say “would be” because these tragedies are reduced to mere caricatures through the characters baffling lack of reaction.
If the premise still has you hooked, and you are dead set on giving this one a try, I would recommend reading it as a comedy or a spoof. In fact, this was how I was able to get through it! I imagined all the characters overacting like in a bad B-movie.
btpbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
Firstly a big thank you to Emma and the author for allowing me to read this story and take part in this blog tour. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this story! I will start by saying I awarded four stars because I found the story confusing at first BUT, then the more I read the more I understood. Otherwise it would have been a 5 star rating. Unknown is written well and easy to read! I found myself getting into the story and hooked! This is the perfect story for readers who enjoy fantasy and vampires stories!! I will not forget this story in a hurry! I personally loved the character called Jake, what a man and a hero. I must also admit I loved the ending. A perfect story for me… Highly recommend! But don’t give up on the story if you find it confusing at first as it will all make sense shortly. Enjoy, I did.
vondav's review against another edition
4.0
What if there are other worlds and the only way to go there is by portal? Jake a former Police officer now a PI gets embroiled in a paranormal investigation which takes him to places he could never imagine. The start sets the scene to the story, two vampiric brothers battle to the death and their supporters are using any means to revive them to finally win the battle. Confronting vampires, and getting help from the most unlikely of creatures, a simple missing person case just got complicated.
We first meet Jake when he was grieving, this helped his decision to give up his career and work for himself. He was a likable character, a man of principles who gave 100% with everything he did. Throughout the story, I could not believe how much bad luck he had, but this just made him focused to get the answers.
Kathleen was sweet natured and can be only described as a home maker. Still, she quickly adapts to everything she confronted to. I enjoyed reading her reactions to things we take for granted i.e. having a shower, drinking a bottle of wine.
At the beginning I was a bit confused as the story jumped from place to place, however, stick with it as these scenes set the story for a great read. The style of writing makes the story a page turner and you will not want to put it down. The use of portals enables the author to use his imagination to create descriptive worlds and some great characters, one of my favourites was Uncle Wilf, an aged man who always stepped up to the challenge. As a fellow Brummie, it was great to read about places in Birmingham and it is not often you read about Dogpool lane. Due to my reading speed, I did have to re-read one scene again as I misread it and was shocked when Jake took Kathleen to Next and handed over a £20. I was going to let the author know that you could not even buy a jumper for £20 let a lone a complete wardrobe, then I realised Jake had tipped the £20 to the cashier to help Kathleen pick her clothes.
If you like your traditional vampires, then pick up this book. Whilst it is paranormal, it has a thriller feel to it which makes it an exciting read. Whilst it has no cliff-hanger, it leads nicely into book 2. As a first book this is a great read and I could see it being adapted into a TV series, with Jake using the portals to investigate paranormal events.
We first meet Jake when he was grieving, this helped his decision to give up his career and work for himself. He was a likable character, a man of principles who gave 100% with everything he did. Throughout the story, I could not believe how much bad luck he had, but this just made him focused to get the answers.
Kathleen was sweet natured and can be only described as a home maker. Still, she quickly adapts to everything she confronted to. I enjoyed reading her reactions to things we take for granted i.e. having a shower, drinking a bottle of wine.
At the beginning I was a bit confused as the story jumped from place to place, however, stick with it as these scenes set the story for a great read. The style of writing makes the story a page turner and you will not want to put it down. The use of portals enables the author to use his imagination to create descriptive worlds and some great characters, one of my favourites was Uncle Wilf, an aged man who always stepped up to the challenge. As a fellow Brummie, it was great to read about places in Birmingham and it is not often you read about Dogpool lane. Due to my reading speed, I did have to re-read one scene again as I misread it and was shocked when Jake took Kathleen to Next and handed over a £20. I was going to let the author know that you could not even buy a jumper for £20 let a lone a complete wardrobe, then I realised Jake had tipped the £20 to the cashier to help Kathleen pick her clothes.
If you like your traditional vampires, then pick up this book. Whilst it is paranormal, it has a thriller feel to it which makes it an exciting read. Whilst it has no cliff-hanger, it leads nicely into book 2. As a first book this is a great read and I could see it being adapted into a TV series, with Jake using the portals to investigate paranormal events.
helenrreads's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve really enjoyed reading Unknown, it is not like anything I’ve read before. There are multiple stories about different people, spanning different eras and even worlds that eventually merge together as the story progresses. The story is gripping, thrilling and kept me reading. It is really well written, I loved all of the characters in it and really loved the ending. I did find the jumping about between stories a bit confusing at first, but once I got to know the characters and could see how they were coming together it was easier to understand. It is definitely worth reading through the initial scene settings and confusion.
maorine's review against another edition
5.0
This book should not be as good as it is. There are many, many typos, so if you are a grammar Nazi, beware. The author also uses colloquialisms and terminology that don't translate into the story line. However, surprisingly, the story keeps moving along and taking you with it.
I picked this up primarily for the premise. The story follows Jake Stephenson an ex-cop who in investigating a gruesome murder gets pulled into an alternate world. Alternate world? Count me in. Puertorican vampire? What's not to like? Even with the questionable writing, the story did not disappoint. Best recommendation?
I immediately got the second book in the series.
I picked this up primarily for the premise. The story follows Jake Stephenson an ex-cop who in investigating a gruesome murder gets pulled into an alternate world. Alternate world? Count me in. Puertorican vampire? What's not to like? Even with the questionable writing, the story did not disappoint. Best recommendation?
I immediately got the second book in the series.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
Worth a read
A tale of parallel worlds and vampires that hark back to Brian Lumley's Necroscope series. The author has written a well-crafted story, peppered with both humour and action in equal measures.
A tale of parallel worlds and vampires that hark back to Brian Lumley's Necroscope series. The author has written a well-crafted story, peppered with both humour and action in equal measures.