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Happy Holiday Homicides!: Special Edition
Murder is on the list of gifts this holiday season. At least it is when you're apart of the deadliest gang in town. When young Anuaka's family discovers her involvement with the local criminals, they give her an ultimatum. Get out of the gang or get out of their lives. However, removing herself from the gang is inconceivable. The only way out is death. Anuaka must choose between her loving family and a new family promising something she truly desires. A life out of poverty. On the surface the decision is unimaginable. Underneath lies something more sinister. Anuaka is powerful, stunning, and downright conniving. Happy Holiday Homicides takes you to the land of Serenium. An island of gods, pharaohs, and ancient power. An incredible short, that releases and action-packed opening to Anuaka's twisted world.
35 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2019
On an island populated by the children of the Gods, the people are born with something akin to Banshee screams. The women use the vocal cords in their mouths, whereas the men use slits in their hands to direct the native scream. Anuaka and her family live in destitution, in the poorest city of Wabaton on the island of Serenium. They have fallen far, lost their parents, and now Anuaka is putting the rest of her family in danger. Anuaka must complete one last job for the most dangerous gang in the city, and then she will be out for good. Will she be able to lift her family out of the ashes of its former glory?
Since this is a short story, I did not include a First Chapter Challenge, as basically the entire book is one chapter. The story and its setting/characters are very intriguing, and I would be interested in hearing more about this land of Serenium and its inhabitants. It sounds like there is a rich mythological backstory behind the land and its people, and I want to know more! In the novel, we get glimpses of this history in pieces; actually every bit of information we glean is dealt out marginally in small doses, normally through dialogue. This serves to create and sustain a state of tension and curiosity throughout the entire novel, and I have to admit that it enhanced the story.
The plot was intriguing and unique, especially with the decorative mythological history sprinkled throughout. The ending was surprising (in a good way) and left me wanting more. The characters all seemed to be unique, and I wanted to learn more about them! Anuaka seems to be a restless, ambition young woman who will do anything for her family. Audritta must be the sweetest person alive, and Horus is the responsible caretaker of the family. Natality and Miko were somewhat of enigmas, though they seem to be smart and powerful young adults. These main characters (as well as the side characters) left something to be desired as they were not fully fleshed out in my opinion, but I attribute this to the length of the story, rather than any fault of the book itself. I wanted to learn more about each of the characters and their backstories, but such is not feasible in a short story. If I were to rate the book on solely its story, I would give it 5 stars. However, there were some errors in mechanics that really slogged down my reading and decreased my interest.
For one, there were many small grammatical errors throughout the entire novel… And as a future English teacher, that is one of my pet peeves. For another, the sentences and dialogue tended to be very choppy. Perhaps it was simply the culture of the island that influenced their speech and thoughts/narration, which I can definitely get behind, but it was just very stop-and-start for me. I prefer my reading to flow along nicely, without anything getting in the way of me taking in the story. This book was nothing like that, with lots of short sentences, jumping scenes/thoughts quickly, and simply choppy transitions in general. So, if you do not mind occasional bad grammar and a more short and rough writing style, then this book would be perfect for you (assuming you enjoy fantasy short stories)! Especially if you enjoy mythology.
Since this is a short story, I did not include a First Chapter Challenge, as basically the entire book is one chapter. The story and its setting/characters are very intriguing, and I would be interested in hearing more about this land of Serenium and its inhabitants. It sounds like there is a rich mythological backstory behind the land and its people, and I want to know more! In the novel, we get glimpses of this history in pieces; actually every bit of information we glean is dealt out marginally in small doses, normally through dialogue. This serves to create and sustain a state of tension and curiosity throughout the entire novel, and I have to admit that it enhanced the story.
The plot was intriguing and unique, especially with the decorative mythological history sprinkled throughout. The ending was surprising (in a good way) and left me wanting more. The characters all seemed to be unique, and I wanted to learn more about them! Anuaka seems to be a restless, ambition young woman who will do anything for her family. Audritta must be the sweetest person alive, and Horus is the responsible caretaker of the family. Natality and Miko were somewhat of enigmas, though they seem to be smart and powerful young adults. These main characters (as well as the side characters) left something to be desired as they were not fully fleshed out in my opinion, but I attribute this to the length of the story, rather than any fault of the book itself. I wanted to learn more about each of the characters and their backstories, but such is not feasible in a short story. If I were to rate the book on solely its story, I would give it 5 stars. However, there were some errors in mechanics that really slogged down my reading and decreased my interest.
For one, there were many small grammatical errors throughout the entire novel… And as a future English teacher, that is one of my pet peeves. For another, the sentences and dialogue tended to be very choppy. Perhaps it was simply the culture of the island that influenced their speech and thoughts/narration, which I can definitely get behind, but it was just very stop-and-start for me. I prefer my reading to flow along nicely, without anything getting in the way of me taking in the story. This book was nothing like that, with lots of short sentences, jumping scenes/thoughts quickly, and simply choppy transitions in general. So, if you do not mind occasional bad grammar and a more short and rough writing style, then this book would be perfect for you (assuming you enjoy fantasy short stories)! Especially if you enjoy mythology.
January 29, 2020
This was an entertaining fast read. Non-stop action, with a dash of supernational in it, this is a read that truly transports the reader to a different world. Great characters and loved the premises. Anuaka has joined a gang, to try to get her family out of poverty, but things take a turn. In a last gamble to leave the gang, she essentially embarks on a suicide mission, where she is determined to succeed to regain her family's wealth and status, or die trying. She is a fascinating character, well-written and I felt a connection to her right away.
I received a free copy of this book
I received a free copy of this book
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews