Scan barcode
A review by charshorrorcorner
The Preserve by Patrick Lestewka
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars!
I'm conflicted about this book that I read with my Shelfari group this week. I admit, I probably would not have chosen this one for myself.
This is a story about Vietnam vets and oh so much more. The first half of the book covers both a "now" and a "then" segment for each veteran. I do enjoy that type of format, but I dislike getting bogged down in a bunch of military stuff. Luckily, this book didn't do too much of that.
The second half of the novel is where things started getting wild. I don't like to read much about a book before I start it, and I have to say I was surprised and delighted that this one took the turns that it did. It was unpredictable and fun. A mysterious offer brings the vets together some years later and then, (literally), a whole new chapter begins. I won't go into the plot any further because it should be discovered as the author intended. I will say that the creativity and imagination displayed here were impressive. There were a couple of scenes that were just...unspeakable! (A plus for any horror fan.)
Lastly, I want to mention the outstanding editing. I don't remember seeing one typo or editing mistake. This is something that used to be taken for granted, but in this era of the independent author, I have learned to appreciate great editing more than ever.
All in all, this book impressed me. Even though it was not something I would normally choose to read, due to the military angle, I'm glad that I did! (This is why reading groups rock!) The character development was great and the creativity knocked my socks off. I enjoyed the second portion of the book much more than the first, which resulted in a 3.5 rating, rounded up to 4 stars to allow for the fantastic editing. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
This review can be found online at Ravenous Reads: http://ravenousreads.blogspot.com/
and also at Char's Horror Corner: http://charlene.booklikes.com/
I'm conflicted about this book that I read with my Shelfari group this week. I admit, I probably would not have chosen this one for myself.
This is a story about Vietnam vets and oh so much more. The first half of the book covers both a "now" and a "then" segment for each veteran. I do enjoy that type of format, but I dislike getting bogged down in a bunch of military stuff. Luckily, this book didn't do too much of that.
The second half of the novel is where things started getting wild. I don't like to read much about a book before I start it, and I have to say I was surprised and delighted that this one took the turns that it did. It was unpredictable and fun. A mysterious offer brings the vets together some years later and then, (literally), a whole new chapter begins. I won't go into the plot any further because it should be discovered as the author intended. I will say that the creativity and imagination displayed here were impressive. There were a couple of scenes that were just...unspeakable! (A plus for any horror fan.)
Lastly, I want to mention the outstanding editing. I don't remember seeing one typo or editing mistake. This is something that used to be taken for granted, but in this era of the independent author, I have learned to appreciate great editing more than ever.
All in all, this book impressed me. Even though it was not something I would normally choose to read, due to the military angle, I'm glad that I did! (This is why reading groups rock!) The character development was great and the creativity knocked my socks off. I enjoyed the second portion of the book much more than the first, which resulted in a 3.5 rating, rounded up to 4 stars to allow for the fantastic editing. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
This review can be found online at Ravenous Reads: http://ravenousreads.blogspot.com/
and also at Char's Horror Corner: http://charlene.booklikes.com/