[Review] 'The Shadow Minds Journal' by Kia Carrington-Russel
"When you decide to become a monster, Mr. Greenhouse," I purred. "Make sure you're the biggest one out there."
"Anyone can turn into a monster," I said. Members of his own had become dark angels. Good turned evil all the time. "Don't think you are better than me because you have some glitter wings strapped to your back Angel Boy."
The Shadow Minds Journal by Kia Carrington-Russel is a sensually dark paranormal fantasy debut in the new novelette series. Its quick paced story with luscious characters and a rich world of demons and angels will draw you right in for a dark and twisted adventure.
[I was offered an ARC by the author for an honest review.]
SYNOPSIS:
In this world, there are creatures that lurk in the shadows. As a child, I once played with them. As a teenager, I began to fear them and became victim to their attacks. As an adult, I now learn, that no matter how much I try to escape the grasp of this world, I inevitably was born into it. They are what only I see of a night. They are the reason I fear sleep. At times my dreams are not my own, they creep into and distort my vision and understanding. They trick me to lower my guard so they can attack me. They have many names and are spoken about in many religions. I only think of them as one: My Nightmare.
***
I knew, from the moment I read the synopsis of this book that this would be a story I would enjoy. As a fantasy lover, I love myself a good old story about demons and angels, and Kia brings this to us in a new and original way that grabs you from that very first chapter. The Shadow Minds Journal follows the story of Guardian Vivian, enslaved to the Demon Lord himself to do his dirty work: killing demons who don't abide by the rules. And it doesn't take long for the secrets to start piling up, awakening the curiosity of the reader who wants nothing more than to unravel them all.
I ended up giving this book 3.5/4 stars for the following reasons;
Overall I really enjoyed this story. It had just the right amount of darkness and sensuality that I love in a fantasy story and think it definitely has the potential to turn into something great. I loved this dark and twisted turn on this classic demon-angel and loved the lush sensuality added to the story, making it addictive and dazzling. I'm excited to see where the story will go in the next books.
However, the writing style managed to put me off at times.
The lack of commas now and then made it tricky at times to fully understand the sentences and I found myself needing to reread parts to understand it completely. Another thing that threw me off was the unnecessary switching from past to present tense in the middle of a sentence.
But aside from this, I fell right into this dark world and found myself swooning over the sexy characters (even the villain because you all know I'm the biggest sucker for a sexy villain who makes my toes curl).
So to sum it up, if you're looking for a story with:
- demons and angels
- Sexy male characters
- A badass main character
- Just that right amount of sensuality to make it a delicious guilty pleasure read
- An originally created and new fantasy world
Then this book is definitely one you need to put on your tbr pile!
The Shadow Minds Journal comes out August 26 so mark your calendars!
