Blurb:
January 1, 2000.
May 21, 2011.
December 21, 2012
These are just a few of the days humans prophesied as bringing catastrophic events that would end the world. We predicted nuclear warfare. Drastic climate change. A call from God.
We were wrong.
Cue the gargoyle invasion—laboratory bred mutants designed to slaughter humans. When the government goes AWOL and gargoyles are swarming by the hundreds, it’s up to the citizens of the United States to regroup and save themselves.
Meet Cliff Matthews, a teenage boy separated from his entire family with the exception of his younger sister, whom he is desperate to keep alive. Along the quest to save their lives, he encounters people who aren’t all that they seem. Everyday’s a battle, but if he can’t trust his own species, where does that leave his family?
And we can’t forget the man who may be willing to sacrifice Cliff’s life, if it means world domination.
In terms of doomsday, no one could’ve seen this coming.
~~~
My Review
At first I thought this was going to be a simple story. It’s told from the point of view of Cliff, a fifteen year old boy, so I figured it would be uncomplicated. Not so.
This story has heart and well developed characters. I found myself skeptical at times about how Cliff reacted to events. Then I realized this was a young man, protecting his little sister, unsure if his parents are dead or alive, and coping the best he can. At times he seemed almost cowardly, but he wasn’t. He was just acknowledging his fear and then moving past it, becoming a brave young man.
While at the train station with his parents, his older brother, Todd, and his two young sisters, there’s a horrible explosion and Cliff loses track of his family. A mysterious girl rescues him from the fire and he’s able to locate one sister. They rush home to find his useless brother watching TV, seemingly unconcerned about the rest of the family. He did bring their other sister home, but there’s no sign of their missing parents.
When the gargoyles attack in their neighborhood, Cliff bumps into the girl who saved him at the station and along with one of his sisters, they flee.
Be prepared for lots of carnage. These gargoyles are intent on one thing only. Ripping, rending, tearing us to pieces. They don’t turn to stone in the daytime and are near impossible to destroy. Genetically engineered monstrosities bring on a bloody apocalypse.
I became very curious about Hunter. That’s the only name she gave Cliff. She seemed to pop up at opportune times. Close mouthed about herself, Hunter was a mystery to me and I wanted to know more about her.
Todd, the older brother, was a bully and an immature jerk. He heaped abuse on Cliff with gleeful malice and I looked forward to the day he met his downfall.
As these young people try to survive the horrific attacks of the gargoyles and the seeming abandonment by their government to protect them, they discover the gargoyles aren’t the only monsters they have to fear.
It’s important to me that the human dynamics play a big role in an apocalyptic story. If it’s just about what caused it, there’s no depth. How people react, whether good or bad, is true in real life and should be there in fiction.
I found myself putting the book down to take a break and picking it right back up to read a little more. The gargoyles were a nice touch to bring something different to an apocalypse and the characters kept me caring what happened.
4 Stars
~~~
Excerpt
Angel’s chest was rising and falling rapidly as the gargoyles circled them silently. Hunter
had never wanted something more in her entire life than to live for another day. She
couldn’t even entertain the idea of little Angel being gobbled up by the big bad
gargoyle…
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Please, please, please, she chanted silently over and over.
She knew the type of wound a scratch had given Cliff. What type of pain would they
concur on her entire body? Would they eat her right away or save her for dinner? Would
they pluck out her limbs and eat them one by one?
Time stopped as the door creaked open. The gargoyles soundlessly cloaked themselves
back in the shadows. The stairs groaned as someone walked down the stairs without a
care in the world. Hunter could practically hear the gargoyles lick their lips.
She wanted to cry out and warn the person. But it was beyond her control.
That’s what you get for walking down the stairs so loudly. That’s what you get for
walking in the dark during a damn invasion, she reasoned. But her heart was saying
something else.
The person reached the bottom of the stairs. The gargoyles uniformly shifted through the
shadows. “Hey…” he said suspiciously.
He had realized his danger a second too late. He broke into a run, but the gargoyles
would be on him in a second. And he’d be dead.
“C’mon, sweetie.” Hunter whispered to Angel, crawling out from under the stairs.
Ignoring the cries of agony, pain, and sorrow, she raced up the stairs. The wood banged
against her ankles, but she didn’t stop. There was the cruel sound of cracking. Hunter
shielded Angel’s eyes from the scene and dared to look behind her.
The gargoyles were circled around the man. The predominantly bigger gargoyle bit his
neck. A gush of blood spewed across its face. The man’s eyes still stared at her, his
mouth formed in an O, as if he was trying to speak to her.
“I’m so sorry.” She choked.
She hurried up the steps, slamming her body into the door. The light washed over her
body, as did her relief. But her nerves did not settle.
~~~
About the Author
Being the daughter of an accomplished author, E.S.P. grew up listening to stories and telling her own to classmates. After writing for several years and even publishing some short works, she finally decided to take the plunge to write (plus finish!)a full length novel. Thus, Dawn of the Apocalypse was born. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading books, blogging at whoistheserialreader.blogspot.com, or watching eighties movies.
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