***The Tales Compendium blog is currently on hiatus. However you can still following along via the Instagram feed!***
Showing posts with label Released. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Released. Show all posts

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Chaos by Megan Duncan

Title: Chaos
Series: Agents of Evil #2
Author: Megan Duncan

Release Date: 30th June 2012

My Rating: 4/5

Previous Book: Released #1

Blurb:
Is any shot at living, worth dying for?

They thought they’d be safe, but a world ruled by chaos doesn’t die easily.

When Max turned on the radio transmissions assuring safety, they came. But, it wasn’t just survivors of the demon apocalypse that crawled their way into the abandoned military base. A myriad of beastly demons unlike any they’ve ever seen, came as well. Abby, and her companions, struggle to survive as the evil around them grows. Desperate to endure, and to defend their fellow survivors, Abby and a squad of fierce fighters, take on a dangerous mission that has deadly consequences.

In A Nutshell: An excellent sequel to Released.

My Review:
In post-apocalyptic America, small groups of survivors hide amongst the ruins in an attempt to live through each day as demons destroy the world they once knew. After finally reaching the military compound, only to find it deserted, Abby, Max, Taya and Carter make it their base, welcoming newcomers as they trickle in, creating some sort of home for those who have already lived through more than anybody should have to in a lifetime.

Abby is tough and doesn’t like to show weakness, mostly because she recognises that as a leader, she needs to stay strong for those around her, otherwise the life they have tried to maintain for themselves will crumble. Like most people, though, Abby has a breaking point and she can only stay strong with the help of Max, Carter and Taya by her side. Along with newcomers Drew, Grant and Remie, the group fight to keep their new charges safe and survive the demons that have decimated their lives.

On a routine outing to scout for supplies, things go horribly wrong when the group accidentally exposes the hiding place of other survivors to a territorial group of spider demons, destroying the safe haven and injuring the group’s leader. Abby offers them safe haven and medical treatment at their compound but it quickly becomes apparent that their basic medical supplies won’t be enough to heal the wounded. Abby’s promise to do everything she can to help the injured, results in Abby and her group ignoring warnings about a potential new breed of demon and entering a deserted hospital in search of medical supplies. When you’re at war with demons, surprises are around every corner and once again, the group run into trouble that not only surpasses anything they have seen before, but proves fatal.

With death always a possibility, our characters learn to appreciate the little, simple things in life and have to wrestle with the possibility that every time they venture out of their base for supplies, someone may not return. Many characters still have their own personal demons to sort through as everyone has lost someone they loved or was important to them. No matter how much danger there is on the outside, internal demons need to be addressed before they resurface at crucial times. In the first book we saw the memories that plague Abby, Max, Carter and Taya and this time the readers are given the opportunity to get a glimpse of Drew, Grant and Remie, which provides depth and heart to their tough, warrior-like personas.

There is plenty of action and suspense with a focus on helping other survivors and doing what they can to improve their shocking living conditions. The return of a character from Released is welcome and provides some comfort for our heroes in such a chaotic time.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Released by Megan Duncan

Title: Released
Series: Agents of Evil #1
Author: Megan Duncan

Release Date: 1st April 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
After a demon apocalypse kills their parents and everyone they know, 17-year old Abby Phillips, her brother, Carter, and friend, Max flee their home to travel through what has become the wastelands of America. When radio transmissions of a resistance offering shelter and safety cease, Abby is tempted to give up. Struggling to overcome life-threatening obstacles in their dangerous journey, Abby and her companions quickly discover there are much worse things lurking in the dark than they could have ever imagined.

In A Nutshell:
A kick-butt girl, a post-apocalyptic America and a hot boy who will make you swoon and sweat. Released has plenty of action, suspense, demons and death, with a little romance thrown in as well. Can't wait for the sequel!

My Review:
Released was a novel that got my attention straight away as I love reading books about girls that kick butt and post-apocalyptic-fight-to-survive type stories.

Strange demons have taken over the world and Abby, Carter and Max decide the time has come to set off across America and find other survivors and a place of refuge. As they travel from Washington to New Mexico using whatever means necessary to survive, they each have their roles to play; Carter, the brains and the one his sister and best mate turn to for ideas, and Abby and Max, the ‘brawn’, with their unspoken agreement to watch out for Carter who is less skilled in the self-defence/fighting department. The developing relationship between Abby and Max is sweet and a ray of light in the grim reality of what awaits them around every corner.

As the trio get closer to New Mexico, they stumble upon other survivors and take in the distraught Taya who joins them on their journey and turns out to be more capable than originally thought. They also come across what appears to be a well-organised refuge, although something about the relationship between the leader and those who live there doesn’t fit right with Abby, Carter and Max. When they try to help, they are thrown into a whole unexpected bout of trouble other than the demons. Fighting for their survival suddenly got a lot more complicated than they thought it would and Abby has to question which lines she will cross, and how far she will go, to protect the ones she loves.

Released has plenty of action, suspense, demons and death, with a little romance thrown in as well. Our characters have managed to hold on to their humour despite their dire circumstances and they are smart and tough teenagers who readers will become attached to. There are no boring bits and I can’t wait to read the sequel, Chaos, when it is released early 2012.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...