You Won't Breathe Until the End ~ It is THAT Gripping
I have long been an avid fan of Blak Rayne. Her work is unbelievably phenomenal and always draws us into the world between her artful pages, submerging us in carefully selected words crafting a world none of us could even imagine. And yet she can. In Kiss the Reaper, she has written a very dark yet hopeful world of retribution, redemption, love and hope. How the Hell are all those contrasts even possible in one piece?! I don't know; you'd have to ask her. But, she does it and like an artist with a bare canvas, oils and brushes, she transforms her images into fast-paced words that are so moving, they latch onto us by our fears and curiosity and don't let go until the last page is turned and we sigh...wanting more..
The story is compelling, gripping, dark...and yet not, The words are strung together like jewels: carefully, artistically, one enhancing the other and in need of the other’s brilliance. Her way with words is, I don’t really know…magical? I saw everything she described and felt the tension, the relief, the resignation, the determination—the love and hope--the pain. I felt the rain pelting, felt the concrete sidewalk rise up to meet the face of a falling Z, I heard the approaching footsteps while my own terror mounted. Brody's calm determination was a frozen wave that washed over me. I didn't breathe for 5 chapters so I couldn't put it down. I had to find out how it ended so I could breathe again.
If you don't read this book, you will do yourself a tantalizing disservice on this emotional roller coaster that is her imagination. This book will bring you to the core of the dark side of human nature. But, there is promise in retribution; there is hope in redemption. In short? I friggin' loved this book and cannot wait for the next one. 5 stars plus!
(reviewed the day of purchase)