What do you think?
Rate this book
Life Force Preserve; Anna and the resurgent of the precious blood
Anna confronts the mysterious people blending into scenes following several near-death incidents, only to learn they're a part of a world-wide organization, that's been covertly safeguarding her endangered bloodline against another invading presence.
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2019
About the author
Courtney Leigh Pahlke
4 books4 followersCourtney Pahlke graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in psychology and a secondary in creative writing. She worked at the Crisis Center in Iowa city leading to graduation day, where she went back home to Illinois with a plan. Courtney hoped to gain her masters degree in forensic psychology at a school in Chicago, while working for her dad, to pay for school. After the first year working for her dad’s company, she decided not to continue on with school and grow the family business instead.
When Pahlke is not brainstorming the next plot for the Life Force Preserve series, she is growing her father’s empire with her brother Garrett at Top Coverage, taking pictures of food or taking a crack at a new recipe.
Courtney also writes for The SHOP national automotive magazine.
When Pahlke is not brainstorming the next plot for the Life Force Preserve series, she is growing her father’s empire with her brother Garrett at Top Coverage, taking pictures of food or taking a crack at a new recipe.
Courtney also writes for The SHOP national automotive magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 28, 2019
Anna has had a series of near-death experiences. It seems at every turn there's an accident waiting to happen, with her as the target. She's becoming far too familiar with hospitals, but even more than that, she feels as though she's being watched. And the faces of those watching her seem eerily familiar. But learning the truth behind the accidents and the full realization that she is indeed being followed is even more unsettling. Anna soon learns she's at the center of a mystery that transcends continents and defies medical science.
Author Courtney Leigh Pahlke's Life Force Preserve is an eerily suspenseful book that will keep readers guessing with every turn of the page. Recommended for home and school libraries, this book has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.
Author Courtney Leigh Pahlke's Life Force Preserve is an eerily suspenseful book that will keep readers guessing with every turn of the page. Recommended for home and school libraries, this book has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.
May 20, 2019
What an amazing read, I am surprised to see such a well written story from a first time author. Keep up the good work! Highly recommended!!!
December 20, 2022
To be fair, I’m going to say off the bat that I had a little difficulty with this book. As I’m not in the habit of providing an opinion without elaborating I’ll certainly do so, but first, let’s talk about the strengths of Life Force Preserve.
There is most certainly a compelling story to be found in this book. You’ve got suspense, tension, danger, and conspiracies; all focused around our intrepid protagonist and her secret bloodline. The storyarc makes reference to a great span of human history dating all the way back to ancient Egypt, and has a healthy dose of “Ancient Aliens” to boot (if you’re into that). If you’re patient, there’s a reward to be found here.
Now, my elaboration. First and foremost, I’m quite concerned regarding the frequency of technical errors in this book. The fact that there’s a grammatical error in the *title* was the first warning sign: “resurgent, precious blood” or “resurgence of the precious blood”—not “resurgent of the precious blood”. The punctuation error in the short plot description posted to both Amazon and Goodreads was the second sign. In reviewing the text itself, I found myself subject to myriad errors in everything from spelling, to grammar, to tense, and back again, to the point that I can’t bring myself to believe that this manuscript was passed under a solid proofreader microscope before it saw publication. As a reviewer of fiction I’m well aware that even the most well-polished books by the most careful professional publishing houses will always have an error or two—it’s just not possible to catch them all. With that in mind I maintain a certain threshold of acceptability, but this book went way over my limit, to the point that I found myself unable to reconcile myself to the idea that this is a finished piece, ready to be enjoyed by the reading public. The fact that the story is described as ‘gripping’ and ‘able to draw readers in’ despite the fact that almost nothing action-packed happens in the first four chapters (until chapter five I wasn’t even sure what the plot was) doesn’t help, especially when combined with such jarring inconsistences as a shifting perspective that goes from first person, present tense, all the way to to third person, past tense (without the presence of our narrator at all).
Don’t get me wrong: Life Force Preserve has potential. Additional beta-testing and a solid proofread would do wonders for bringing this story to life. Unfortunately, in its current state, I can’t in good conscience recommend it to discerning audiences. As for the award the book won, I can’t speak to that, other than to work from the assumption that I may have been given a draft version of the manuscript? That doesn’t appear to be the case, but if there is a more polished version out there, I’d be willing to give this book a second chance!
There is most certainly a compelling story to be found in this book. You’ve got suspense, tension, danger, and conspiracies; all focused around our intrepid protagonist and her secret bloodline. The storyarc makes reference to a great span of human history dating all the way back to ancient Egypt, and has a healthy dose of “Ancient Aliens” to boot (if you’re into that). If you’re patient, there’s a reward to be found here.
Now, my elaboration. First and foremost, I’m quite concerned regarding the frequency of technical errors in this book. The fact that there’s a grammatical error in the *title* was the first warning sign: “resurgent, precious blood” or “resurgence of the precious blood”—not “resurgent of the precious blood”. The punctuation error in the short plot description posted to both Amazon and Goodreads was the second sign. In reviewing the text itself, I found myself subject to myriad errors in everything from spelling, to grammar, to tense, and back again, to the point that I can’t bring myself to believe that this manuscript was passed under a solid proofreader microscope before it saw publication. As a reviewer of fiction I’m well aware that even the most well-polished books by the most careful professional publishing houses will always have an error or two—it’s just not possible to catch them all. With that in mind I maintain a certain threshold of acceptability, but this book went way over my limit, to the point that I found myself unable to reconcile myself to the idea that this is a finished piece, ready to be enjoyed by the reading public. The fact that the story is described as ‘gripping’ and ‘able to draw readers in’ despite the fact that almost nothing action-packed happens in the first four chapters (until chapter five I wasn’t even sure what the plot was) doesn’t help, especially when combined with such jarring inconsistences as a shifting perspective that goes from first person, present tense, all the way to to third person, past tense (without the presence of our narrator at all).
Don’t get me wrong: Life Force Preserve has potential. Additional beta-testing and a solid proofread would do wonders for bringing this story to life. Unfortunately, in its current state, I can’t in good conscience recommend it to discerning audiences. As for the award the book won, I can’t speak to that, other than to work from the assumption that I may have been given a draft version of the manuscript? That doesn’t appear to be the case, but if there is a more polished version out there, I’d be willing to give this book a second chance!
May 25, 2019
Great read. Highly recommend. Great protagonist and unique plot! Now I'm ready for the next book :)
June 26, 2019
While the novel begins a little slowly, and the prose is a little awkward at the start, it warms up and quickens pace in the midst of Anna’s confusion with the appearance of numerous strangers. She also seems to have a difficult time between memories and the present, and those strangers only make things worse. Part of the plot seems a little rushed – a friend convinces her to go out for the night to a bar only a day after Anna gets released from the hospital – but these are ultimately minor concerns. It is while out at the bar that the pace of the story genuinely picks up rather than merely feeling rushed as Anna encounters members of the CIA who have the task of protecting her from enemies beyond her imagining. The idea that Anna is herself a hybrid being, the result of interbreeding between aliens and humans stretching back to ancient Egypt is also interesting – as is the secret that her blood holds – and this makes up for the rough start to the novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2019
The title is a little confusing for this high concept sci fi novel about a girl named Anna and a series of events that happens around her after she gets in a series of serious car accidents.
I really enjoyed this book but its a very hard plot to explain and not give too much away. Its starts off seeming to go more in the thriller direction, but once Anna finds out the truth about what is really happening it goes straight to sci fi and the author has tackled some really interesting concepts dealing with blood and aliens and Egypt. Anna takes the truth a lot better than I would have, and I think it proves how strong she is and makes me look forward to reading the second one to see her growth and where she goes from here.
I really enjoyed this book but its a very hard plot to explain and not give too much away. Its starts off seeming to go more in the thriller direction, but once Anna finds out the truth about what is really happening it goes straight to sci fi and the author has tackled some really interesting concepts dealing with blood and aliens and Egypt. Anna takes the truth a lot better than I would have, and I think it proves how strong she is and makes me look forward to reading the second one to see her growth and where she goes from here.
January 14, 2020
The book was totally enjoyable for the characters, settings, plot and descriptive style and a great first novel for Courtney Leigh Pahlke. It's an easy read that you won't want to put down. Waiting for Book #2!
November 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. You want to know what’s going to happen to everyone. Can’t wait for the next one!
July 14, 2019
In this book the main character, Anna confronts the mysterious near-death incidents in her life along with mysterious people, only to learn that there’s a world-wide organization, that’s been covertly safeguarding her endangered bloodline against another invading presence.
This story has a very interesting concept that had me intrigued from part one. The main character Anna comes to terms with all of the issues in her life and starts to question everything that has happened to her. When she learns about her true nature she puts herself in more danger being more aware of the threat that is coming closer.
The story is fast paced and the novel was action-packed. It keeps the readers on edge with the aspect of danger of looming around every corner. The bloodline plot was unique and I liked how it tied into a larger concept of being able to heal viruses. I enjoyed the cast of characters and how the organization team worked as a family to keep Anna safe and each other as well.
This story has a very interesting concept that had me intrigued from part one. The main character Anna comes to terms with all of the issues in her life and starts to question everything that has happened to her. When she learns about her true nature she puts herself in more danger being more aware of the threat that is coming closer.
The story is fast paced and the novel was action-packed. It keeps the readers on edge with the aspect of danger of looming around every corner. The bloodline plot was unique and I liked how it tied into a larger concept of being able to heal viruses. I enjoyed the cast of characters and how the organization team worked as a family to keep Anna safe and each other as well.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews