The Change (The Four - Book 2)
by Margaret Millmore
Description
The Four - A Series
They do exist and they always have. They live, love, and work amongst us and they are part of us. But they are different too, they are stronger and they live longer. They are the topic of many books, movies and myths, but their existence remains a secret, not everyone would accept them. And like us, they have those that are simply evil. Keeping these evil ones under control is the price they must pay to continue the lives they love. They must protect their human brethren from the Dark Ones, those that would rather kill than preserve.
Century after century the good battled the Dark Ones, always prevailing and preserving the lives of their beloved humans. In the 17th century, two powerful Dark leaders emerged, they organized their forces and a bitter war ensued. It was a fight to the death and the good thought they'd won. Four warriors led the battle, four warriors whose strength was beyond anything they knew, four warriors whose legacy had to be protected...
The good formed a consortium and with the help of a powerful sorcerer, a spell was cast; a spell that would follow the warriors' lineage in case their power was needed again. The warriors are long dead, but their heirs are not, and now they must fight. The Dark Ones have re-emerged, they are more powerful, more resourceful and they want to control mankind and the world.
The Beginning (Book 1)
Read about the first book in this series in my earlier blog post.
The Change (Book 2)
Knowing that your life will change forever, that you will change forever is just part of what the Four must endure. Now they must leave their home and their families to journey to the fortress deep in the Tatra Mountains.
Clare, Sal, Sam, Collin and Kate will need to learn all they can to battle the Dark Ones and to survive the change and the inevitable loss of those they love. With the help of Charlie, the Elders and the community of vampires and werewolves throughout the world they hope to discover who is behind the Dark Ones and what their nefarious plans are for humanity.
Clare, Sal, Sam, Collin and Kate will need to learn all they can to battle the Dark Ones and to survive the change and the inevitable loss of those they love. With the help of Charlie, the Elders and the community of vampires and werewolves throughout the world they hope to discover who is behind the Dark Ones and what their nefarious plans are for humanity.
Review
By David Ramsey
Clare, Sam, Collin, and Sal, along with their staunch supporter Kate, have been moved by The Consortium to a fortress in the Carpathian Mountains. This is so that, when The Four undergo their individual changes, they can be monitored and aided by the more experienced of their kind. Kate is brought along because of her brilliant strategic mind and abilities to take charge. The Dark Ones - the more stereotypical human-feeders - are gaining power and are on the brink of attack. It is up to The Four, and their new cohorts, to stop them before they destroy all of humanity.
Once again, Ms. Millmore has wrought a beautifully-crafted book. The characters are fleshing out very nicely, and the book moves along seamlessly. I also find her angle on the vampire/werewolf myths very intriguing. Not to give anything away, but - I don't care what the denizens of the fortress say, I still think it would be an unfortunate place to get a paper cut.
I sincerely hope the third book is out soon. As a personal tribute - I like to read while I'm on the exercise bike. Usually I am aware of every minute I am on it, no matter what I read. Not this time; twenty minutes passed while I was reading The Change, and I had no awareness of it. Just so you know.
I guess the only raisin in the chocolate-chip cookie would be that Ms. Millmore used a few words and phrases a little too often. Other synonyms could have been put in their place, or left out entirely. But that is just a minor ailment in a masterfully written book by a highly-talented author.
About the Author
The author states, "Reading is an addiction for me, and one I'll never give up. I've had an active imagination since childhood and often made up stories that I only told to myself. After ending a successful career, I found myself with the time to pursue those stories, and the floodgates opened. I love just about every kind of story, but especially fiction, throw in some supernatural or paranormal overtones and I'm in heaven."
Margaret is the grandniece of Irish author Benedict Kiely and the second cousin of Irish author Sharon Owens.
Margaret is also the author of Doppelganger Experiment, a psychological thriller (World Castle Publishing September 2011, revised and re-edited in February 2012). There are three more books in this series. The first book, The Beginning, was released in August 2012, with the next two expected to be released by January 2013.
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