REVIEW
NEW RELEASE
Gargoyle: The Gathering Series
by Lorraine Beaumont
I came across Gargoyle through the Read It & Reap program of the Shut Up & Read group on Goodreads. The prequel to this series, A New Beginning, is currently FREE. This is the way the author initially wrote the beginning of the story; with each scene in reverse order, starting straight into the action and then going back in time. It isn't necessary to read it first, as all of the scenes are found at the beginning of Gargoyle, in chronological order.
Description
When Evie Harrington agrees to help set up for a huge party at a creepy Gothic manor house she has no idea what lies in wait for her.
First: She gets stranded with the guy of her dreams ... but is it a good thing?
Second: She is attacked by a monster ... or so she thinks.
Third: She meets an unbelievably handsome boy she can't help being drawn to ... turns out, he may not even be human.
Briar Cliff Township, New England's best-kept secret ... has a few secrets of its own.
Excerpt
Centurions
In unison, they jumped down onto the gravel, landing soundlessly, their naked bodies straightening slowly. One moved swiftly after the car, weaving quickly between the trees as briars ripped into his skin. The pain, he ignored, reveling in it instead. At least he was feeling something now.
The second one, more cautious, followed at a slower pace, not wanting the briars to mar his flawless, new skin - puffs of white flowed in the air from his breath as he tried to keep up.
The one in the lead ran faster, tearing through thicket, closing the distance between himself and the car, at an unnatural speed. His agile body maneuvered around trees, and vines, eating up the ground, barely making a sound. He caught up, running just alongside the rumbling vehicle, his body hidden from view. Blood raced through his veins as he poised for attack … instead he caught sight of his reflection in the glass - A sharp pain speared into his chest. He stopped abruptly, ending his pursuit. His hands shook as he pushed them through his hair and down across his face, holding onto the sides of his head, to stop the flow of memories from invading his mind.
He leaned forward, shaking violently, feeling too much suddenly. It had been too long - he did not recognize himself any longer. A harsh laugh tore from his throat it was bittersweet.
Book Trailer
Review
By Lynda Dickson
Evie and her friends gather at the abandoned Briar Cliff Manor on Halloween, which also happens to be Evie's birthday. A fun night of music and drinking quickly turns into a nightmare as, under a full blue moon, the Gargoyles start coming to life. First come the Centurions Alistair, Simon, and Adriane, who are the good guys. Their mission is to protect the humans from the evil Degare', who will feast upon human flesh if given the chance.
When Evie is attacked she is saved by Adriane, a beautiful and mysterious stranger. As soon as Adriane meets Evie, he knows she is special. What is Evie's role in all of this? Will she be the one to finally break the curse of the Gargoyles?
The Prologue uses beautiful poetic language and led me to think this would be a wonderful book. Unfortunately, things go downhill from there. There were numerous editing errors, including the incorrect use of apostrophes, commas, and hyphens, and incorrect word usage.
The narrative is repetitive, the action is confusing and progresses too slowly, the characters' motivations are not clear, and nothing is explained or resolved. In addition, the omniscient point-of-view changes too frequently, often from sentence to sentence within the same paragraph. It really isn't necessary to know what every single minor character is thinking at every single moment.
Too much unnecessary information is provided. For example, characters are introduced in detail and then never heard from again (they may appear later in the series, but who knows?); characters' backgrounds are revealed for no apparent reason (it may become apparent later in the series, but I'm not convinced); and clothing and music are described in detail. On this latter point, the Kindle version contains clickable links to the music and other pop references, which may be why the details are provided in the first place. I think this is a fantastic idea because I had never heard of any of the indie bands mentioned. I believe this feature is the future of ebooks, and I'm surprised I haven't seen it used sooner. I do think, however, that the author needs to be judicious in the use of these interactive links, rather than just using them because she can.
The story ends abruptly. It's not even a cliff-hanger ending, enticing us to read more, as nothing of any significance has yet happened. In fact, the end isn't even the end. This book includes the beginning of the next book, Degare', which actually explains more in the first few pages than the whole book that precedes it.
Warnings: sexual references, coarse language, violence, gore.
About the Author
Lorraine Beaumont is a New Adult/Young Adult writer. She is the bestselling author of the Ravenhurst Series - a New Adult time travel romance filled with dysfunctional hotties and heroines who simply aren't normal. Forgotten Time, Shadows of Yesterday, and Time to Remember are available now with special interactive features. Dreams of Tomorrow is coming later in 2013.
Lorraine is also the author of The Gathering Series - a Young Adult/New Adult, paranormal fantasy romance with a bit of Gothic influence about New England's best-kept secret: a place called Briar Cliff Township and its occupants, as well as a few Gargoyles to make things really interesting. Not to worry, these aren't your normal ugly Gargoyles either. They are hot, witty, and tortured and will make you wish you had one for yourself. Elyograg and Gargoyle are now available with special interactive content. Degare' is coming later in 2013.
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