Reviewed By Erin Nicole Cochran for Readers’ Favorite
Whispers In Verse by Cynthia A. Morgan is a collection of poetry that reads like a combination of poetic Shakespeare and a mysterious conjuration of a magician from the medieval era. The two blend into one unique writing style, which creates a sense of peace and serenity, as though a meditative mantra surrounds the person reading, except there are many words spoken instead of only a handful. One of my favorite poems is on page 101 and is called The Wondering Bystander. The last two lines, in particular, flood me with life, time, and memories tangled together: “Merging Past and Present to Kiss the forehead of The Wondering Bystander.”
Cynthia A. Morgan’s Whispers In Verse was like no other poetry book I have read. It pulls you into the story and out of the present entirely, drawing you into a place you haven’t seen or been before, another world of time where things slow down, and the rushing here and rushing there of life pauses. Whispers In Verse finds a way to tap into our circadian rhythm and creates a place we can be without reaching out to text, email, or field a call. Also accompanying the poems are tranquil and beautiful images of nature that help keep readers in peaceful respite from the rest of the busy world. The vibrant colors of nature and the sun bring a measure of warmth to readers as they flip the pages.
In the year 2446, the world exists as a mere shell of what it used to be. The Great Cataclysm tore the human race apart as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse rode. War, Pestilence, Famine… Only Death has yet to ride.
Archangel Tzadkiel, Angel of Mercy, takes the task upon himself to find one human on the planet who still understands mercy. Humans are a treacherous species and as his journey nears its end, he fears he may never find that person. When he is captured by soldiers of the ruling tyrannical faction, The Eminent Protectorate, hope wanes even further.
A mere scullery maid, Lourdes, hears screams from her room every night. They break her heart and haunt her nightmares, and though she doesn’t know who they come from, she longs to find him and help him.
When she does, Lourdes discovers she’s opened a door she might regret and entered a world darker than she ever imagined.
***Caution- This book contains brief scenes of violence and rape. Though not explicit, these may be triggers for some readers.***
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Today I’m bringing to you an exclusive interview with Samuel Darte, lead character of M Jonathan Lee’s upcoming release ‘337’. When Sam was just a boy, his mother disappeared without a trace leaving him and his younger brother, Tom, at home with their father. This forced family relationships to breaking point to fracture. The disappearance of Sandra Darte changed his life forever.
Hi Sam, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Please make yourself comfy!
Thank you.
So we’ve read all about what happened to your mum and the events after, but how would you describe your experience of it all when you were just a young boy?
Well, I guess like you said, I was quite young when it all started and there are bits that don’t remember all that well. When she first disappeared, I just remember being scared and confused, I just couldn’t fathom how she could leave us. I think that’s why I pursued it for so long – none of the conclusions answered all my questions. It was a weird feeling of betrayal too, when Tom and I read that note addressed to Dad it just said “I’ve left you. Look after the boys”… glossing over the fact that she was leaving us too. Then with everything that came out afterwards, some things made sense and other things just didn’t fit, it was so confusing.
I can only imagine how overwhelming it was for you. If you could go back and change anything, is there anything you regret doing, or not doing, during that period of your life?
It was a tough time for all of us and I’ve definitely done things I’m not proud of. But my biggest regret is not talking to Gramma sooner and trying to make things right. It’s shameful that she had to be on her deathbed for me to be brave enough to go and talk to her, but at least I did go in the end. Better late than never. But yeah, I wish I’d been kinder to her, understood more.
You were just a boy, it can’t have been easy. Now you’re older, how do you think the events of your youth changed you?
Well I’d never heard voices before it all, I can tell you that much. [He chuckles grimly] I think it’d be impossible to pinpoint something it didn’t change. I’ve lived with it for so long now that what happened… it’s part of me. I guess after going through so much, I felt justified in closing myself off from stuff, relationships and all that. But I don’t know what I’d have turned out like if it hadn’t happened so who knows, just got to work with what I’ve got and make the best of it.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sam. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you today. I can’t wait to read more about your story when 337 is released on 30th November!
My Review: 5-Stars!- One added simply for ingenuity!
What’s unique about 337 is the simple fact that you can read the book from both directions. Yes, you can start at the beginning or you can start at the end. The cover is cleverly designed to be the same, with the exception of color, no matter which way you hold the book. It’s an intriguing device to get you to think ‘outside the box’, to consider what you wouldn’t usually consider the norm as the norm. The characters step out from the crisp pages like person you meet on your travels through the day. Some stay, some disappear, but you are left with an indelible memory of them.
Emotive and poignant, the gentle story picks up its pace, weaving imagery like a painter transposing a landscape. I became aware of a heaviness within the main character, Sam, and quickly understood how sad he was, how the confusion he faced as a child permeated his entire life.
A powerful story about perceptions and learning how to look beyond, 337 is a quiet thriller…. if that’s possible. A mystery memoir…so to speak. It’s not what you anticipate when you dive in and suddenly, just when you think you’ve got things sorted, the ending happens.
Beautifully written and ingeniously devised, 337 is a book you need to experience.
Author Bio and Handles: @mjonathanlee @hideawayfall
M Jonathan Lee is a nationally shortlisted author and mental health campaigner. His first novel The Radio was nationally shortlisted in the Novel Prize 2012. Since that time he has gone on to publish five further novels with ‘337’ being his sixth novel. Jonathan is a tireless campaigner for mental health awareness and writes his own column regularly for the Huffington Post. He has recently written for the Big Issue and spoken at length about his own personal struggle in the British national press on the BBC and Radio Talk Europe.
Endlessly fascinated by the human condition and what leads people to do the things they do to one another, Jonathan is obsessed with writing stories with twists where nothing is exactly how it first appears.
. I confess, this is a blatant, no holds barred Invitation to Readers/Reviewers who find themselves interested in my books to provide a review in return for a FREE Ebook. BooknVolume now has a new dedicated page (At the top of the homepage) to REVIEW MY BOOKS that I am sharing with all of you today. Thank You for your Kind Support, For Any Shares/Reblogs you choose to Offer, and, if nothing else, for humouring me 🙂
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This page is information about Dark Fey and The Mercy Series for those who may be interested in providing a review of my books. A FREE Ebook is available in return for an honest review. My only proviso being, please post your review on your Amazon marketplace, Goodreads and your blog or website.
After looking through the provided information, if you find yourself interested, please contact me via the contact info at the end of this page.
Ayla was discovered at a very young age to have an especially rare combination of gifts: empathic telepathy, discernment, and the gift of healing. She was dedicated by her parents to become a Guardian of Childfey and spent her young years in the seclusion of the Temple where she studied magic and the ancient rites; where she was taught about the mortal enemy of all Fey of the Light, The Reviled; and where she attempted to learn how to protect herself from the emotions and thoughts of others, although never successfully.
Gairynzvl is a Fey of the Light who was abducted by The Reviled at the age of seven and suffered the intentionally cruel process of neglect, abuse and deprivation is designed to turn childfey from the Light and twist them into monsters. Now fifteen years later, he is a Dark One. He comes in shadows and silence; lingering near Ayla and trying to communicate with her. After many months and while she is alone guarding a childfey, Gairynzvl crosses into her home, but he is also unlike anything she ever imagined a Dark One could be. Rather than opening a portal for his Legion so they may enter and take what they want; he commits an act of treason against his own kind and closes it; protecting her as well as the youngling in her care from their cruelty, but what he wants from her is just as terrifying and equally as dangerous as a full Legion of Reviled. Through her extraordinary gifts she listens to him when no others will; she touches his pain and discovers she cannot turn aside from helping him, but the conflict that unfolds is vicious and exceedingly costly, pushing them to their limits and forcing them to grow beyond them.
Dark Fey The Reviled is an epic fantasy filled with suspense, mystery, action, magic and romance. It shares the inspiration of positive hope; the resilience of love, and the power of forgiveness through a tale that is rich with beauty and horror alike.
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Gairynzvl risked everything to escape his captivity in the darkness, including committing an act of treason against the Reviled. Yet, in spite of the dangers involved and the very great risk of sparking full-scale war with the Reviled, Gairynzvl has an irrepressible need to go back into the darkness to rescue as many of the childfey trapped there as he can find. The success of his plan will hinge upon more than courage and military strategy; it will call upon the unique skills and magic of each individual who chooses to join his band of Liberators, and it will require a level of dependence upon each other for which few of them are prepared. Their actions will test all of their limits, could easily divide loyalties, and will shake the foundations of everything The Fey of The Light have accepted as truth for thousands of years.
Slipping into the darkness through darkness is easy. Escaping out again with terrified childfey is another matter, but if they are captured by the Reviled, the band of Liberators will pray for death long before it comes. The risks are enormous and the possibility for success is doubtful, but the compulsion to do what is right and what is necessary is too great to ignore.
Inspired in part by the true-life events of the Lord’s Resistance Army or LRA, a rebel militant group in Uganda that commonly abducts children and forces them to commit horrifying acts of violence against each other and their own people in combat, Standing in Shadows reaches deeper into the darkness, but never strays entirely out of the Light. Relating a tale of both fear and hope, the story allows readers to share Gairynzvl’s journey into a restored life; his challenges in making new friends and forging alliances, and the struggle to trust, rather than fear, those around him.
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Breaking into the Light relates the inspiration of Hope and the power of forgiveness through a tale that is brutally beautiful.
The Reviled are the enemy; merciless, untrustworthy. They embody brutality and devastation. The Fey of the Light have lived with these truths for millennia. Daring to think otherwise invites tragedy.
Gairynzvl was a Reviled Fey and lived the riotous life of all Dark Ones; yet now he is rescuing younglings from the darkness. The actions taken by him and his band of Liberators are fulfilling Ancient Prophecies and proving long-accepted beliefs to be inaccurate. Those who have lived in the Light all their lives, who enjoyed the luxuries of abundance, are suddenly faced with unavoidable questions.
How is Peace achieved? Can Light unite with Darkness?
Will the Fey of the Light sacrifice everything to achieve that which seems impossible or will they turn their heads and ignore the shadows weeping all around them?
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It’s the year 2446, and the first three Horsemen of Revelation’s Apocalypse have ridden. Pestilence, War and Famine have changed the world into a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist. Commoners have few rights, and liberty is a distant memory. Before the final Horseman is released, the Archangel of Mercy – Tzadkiel – makes a bold plea, asking for permission to find even one human who remembers the meaning of mercy and compassion. He is given 100 years, until Death will sweep across the land. Taking human form and coming to Earth, he finds a place ruled by greed, hatred and fear. With time running out and Death growing impatient, can Tzadkiel find what he’s looking for… and how much will he need to sacrifice?
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It’s the year 2446, and the final horseman of apocalypse – Death – is preparing to ride. The Archangel of Mercy, Tzadkiel, has come to Earth and found the last merciful person among the callous human throng. Together, Tzadkiel and Lourdes escape to the French countryside, but are relentlessly tracked by a sadistic officer determined to control the Archangel and claim Lourdes for himself. Forced to make choices neither ever anticipated, they discover more than simply how to survive. Yet while love blossoms, Death grows impatient. Unable to ride until released by the Archangel, he unleashes a calamity that will push them to their very limits. To succeed they will need more than hope and love. They will need a place of mercy. .
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It’s the year 2446, and the first three Horsemen of Revelation’s Apocalypse have ridden.
Pestilence, War and Famine have changed the world into a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist. Commoners have few rights, and liberty is a distant memory.
Before the final Horseman is released, the Archangel of Mercy – Tzadkiel – makes a bold plea, asking for permission to find even one human who remembers the meaning of mercy and compassion. He is given 100 years, until Death will sweep across the land.
Taking human form and coming to Earth, he finds a place ruled by greed, hatred and fear. With time running out and Death growing impatient, can Tzadkiel find what he’s looking for… and how much will he need to sacrifice?
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5 STARS – Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Misericorde is the first installment in the Mercy series. It is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy genre and was penned by author Cynthia A. Morgan. Set after the first three horsemen of the apocalypse have been let loose upon Earth and shifted humanity into a feudalistic series of dictatorships, the Archangel of Mercy begs for a reprieve for humanity before the final horseman is unleashed. Given a hundred years to find a human capable of mercy and compassion, the Archangel is dangerously close to the deadline when they meet one person on a planet filled with hatred who may meet their criteria. The novel contains some moderate content that may not be suitable for readers below a mature teen level.
Author Cynthia A. Morgan has crafted a lavish and detailed read which audiences are sure to devour from cover to cover thanks to its quick pacing and highly engaging plot. I particularly adored Tzadkiel as a central character, whose determined belief that humanity may have hope yet is a central theme that endears him and his quest to us. There is a great atmosphere in the writing and lexical choices made by the author, painting the pseudo-medieval world with a bleak and desolate brush. This makes the juxtaposition of hope all the more important and prominent when the search reaches its potential conclusion. I found the plot structure to be well-timed and with plenty of ups and downs to keep the story interesting. Overall, I would certainly recommend Misericorde for fantasy fans everywhere.”
Humans have always been obsessed with aging and death. Throughout history, the quest for a way to remain forever young has consumed mankind. What if two men stumbled upon a way to ensure eternal youth? What if it changes their lives, not only for the better, but in ways they never could have imagined?
Immortal is a story filled with adventure, mystery, and thrilling twists. Follow these men as they stumble upon not only their greatest discovery, but possibly their ultimate undoing.
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My Review- 5-Stars!
Through the shifting tides of time, humans have yearned for eternal youth. How does one achieve the seemingly impossible? Is youth a physical or mental condition? Immortal unlocks the mind to explore these questions and more. It challenges the reader to step beyond the box of contemporary thinking and reach beyond accepted limitations. Each page invites the reader to not only enjoy the tale unfolding around two compelling and relatable characters, but to question deeper and seek further along with the characters.
A thoroughly unexpected and satisfying page-turner, Immortal will tempt you to unlock the Fountain of Youth waiting in your own life. A highly recommended read, particularly for these challenging times.
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Immortal by David Boiani
David Boiani is an American author living in Coventry, RI. He writes Psychological thrillers mixed with a touch of horror. He has two short story collections available, Dark Musings and Darker Musings. His debut novel, A Thin Line and its sequel, The Redemption are also now available. He is currently working on two more novels: Immortal, which will be released in the fall of 2019 and Azreal’s Ledge, which will be released in the spring of 2020.
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