Monday, December 19, 2011

Words Devoured: Near Death


I am totally excited (and a little nervous) to be reviewing a the book of a good friend. My friend Marybeth--I call her MB--Mulhall wrote a book called Near Death. She asked me if I wanted to review it for her, and I jumped on the chance.

When Aya, a Japanese-American high school student, and her circle of soon-to-be friends begin seeing a mysterious young man with striking green eyes, they don't know what they are in for.

The young man, Christoph, is an Angel of Death so-to-speak. That is he helps people pass, even if it means being the one that causes their passing. However, Christoph is there to warn against dangers, and is sent back to the living world as punishment.

He joins Aya and her friends, and learns to live as a human teen again, just with his abilities still intact. These abilities help him to prepare for some terrible deeds. Even deeds he, himself, must commit... Much to the pain of his friends.

MB writes believable, relatable teenaged characters. Their interactions are natural, and their relationships are not forced, though they might move on a little quickly--then again, these are teenagers we're talking about.

The back stories of the characters, Christoph in particular, are well developed, and a bit heartbreaking.

MB's supernatural elements are very natural, as well. (That is an odd idea... naturally supernatural). And enough of the supernatural elements remain...secret...as something that might not have a real-world parallel should do. It keeps the reader wondering how things work.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed Near Death. I hope that more stories come from these characters (Do you hear that, MB?!) because I would like to find out what has been going on with them.

If you would like to pick up a copy in e-format, please visit:  MB's Smashwords Page and download it for your e-reader as soon as you can!

5 comments:

  1. Squeee! Thanks John Boy! I'm glad you enjoyed it! There will be a sequel eventually. The rough draft is mostly done :D

    Next in the works is the editing process for Tears of a Clown! :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. HAHAHA You're welcome, MB! Awesome! Can't wait.

    Also, Tears of a Clown?! AWESOME! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I may have been convinced to check this out in 2012. Is it on Kindle????????

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes it is! :D That's how I read it--I thought I mentioned that! Haha

    ReplyDelete