Escaping Darkness
She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy–just fearless. Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian–who everyone has gone to fight. Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared. He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…
My thoughts: This novella took the plot from the first book, The Stone Guardian, to a darker route. There were serious issues that were described: torture, human trafficking, drugs, and depression. It was well written that I found myself hooked to the story from page one.
Tara's character was more developed in this story. We came to learn what really happened to her when she was taken by Sarian. The details of her captivity were gruesome and one could not help but shudder at what she went through. Tara's emotions and fear were portrayed well that I completely found myself wanting to go over to her and hug her. Her opinion of herself for not being worthy of Peter's love was understandable since she had lead a life of just pain and betrayal. Though Tara went through very horrid things in her life, she was still caring and as sane as one could be in such circumstances.
The plot in this novella was very interesting. Not only did it concentrate on what happened to Tara but it also brought up the issue of human trafficking. Of course in this case, young women were taken to be human sacrifices for Sarian. The details of the girls that were taken and how they were treated were pretty horrific. It made me recognize that even though this is fiction, things like this actually happen in real life. Also, I found it interesting how the supernatural was mixed into the story, which would make more sense if you read the first book.
Overall, this novella was well told. It was dark and creepy but yet entertaining. My only complaint about this book was that it could have been a little bit longer. It did intrigue me at the end to make me want to read the next book in the series. I rate it:
When myth becomes reality, reality becomes a nightmare. Like any other teenager in America, Ashley just wants a normal life. But growing up in an orphanage for the insane is anything but normal. After endless therapy and increasing medication, her nightmares have only gotten worse. Probably because they’re not nightmares. When Ashley’s mysteriously abducted, she finds a reality even less normal than the orphanage. And she discovers something else—she’s no ordinary orphan. Faced with enemies thought to only exist in fairy tales, Ashley discovers she possesses a powerful Maya bloodline. She’s the daughter of an ancient Maya Guardian, whose duty is to protect the Stone of Muuk’ich, an enchanted relic blessed by the gods. But first she must get it back from Sarian, a power-hungry demigod who slaughtered the last guardian—Ashley’s mother. Without the stone, all will be lost. When she meets Arwan, a hot Belizean time bender, his delicious olive skin and dark eyes make her feel a little less alone. But his gentle whispers and reassuring touch might not be all they seem. How can she balance love and duty when it’s up to her to prevent the rising of the underworld? Especially when the guy she loves might be its crown prince…
You can read my review of The Stone Guardian here.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review both The Stone Guardian and Escaping Darkness. I loved both of your reviews, and can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact you understood and voiced the human trafficking aspect of Escaping Darkness. It was something I wanted to bring out of the shadows, because human trafficking is such a huge problem here in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, and i'll be hanging around, chatting and talking with you and your readers. Hope you guys have a chance to comment, ask questions, or just say hi!
-Theresa
It's scary to think that human trafficking also occurs in our own country. Horrors like this need to be told more so people could become more aware of them. So thank you for adding it into your novella.
DeleteI'm glad you liked the reviews. Do you have a blog?
Never mind; I just found your blog lol
DeleteHey Vonnie,
ReplyDeleteYep! As you've already discovered, I do in fact have a blog. www.theresamcclinton.com/blog. You can find it by visiting my website and just clicking on the Blog tab on the top (for your readers' knowledge. ;)
I totally agree with you. Many people don't believe trafficking happens here in the US, but nothing is further from the truth. But it's not only sex trafficking. Labor trafficking is very prominent here as well--where foreign workers are promised a good job with high wages to send to their families back home, but once they are brought here, they are forced to work 15 hour days, stuck in an overcrowded house with dozens of other "workers" and then are charged "rent" for their room and board, which equals the full amount of their wages. Many of these people have no idea they were even trafficked, and they go to the police complaining about withheld wages. That's when it is uncovered. It's a very sad situation, as these men and women are truly seeking a better life for them and their families.
Children are trafficked every day, as well as women, who are forced to prostitute or clean houses for nothing. Many of these young "maids" end up pregnant by the man of the house, and then are fired, kicked out on the streets, and left to fend for themselves.
You raise a very important issue about labor trafficking. Though I have been aware about foreigners coming to the U.S. and working way below minimum wage, I would have never thought of labeling it as labor trafficking. This is completely true!
DeleteMany people only see immigrants as illegal who are only here to make trouble and take jobs away from good all Americans. This not all true. The majority of them only come to the U.S. to try to get a better life for themselves and their families.
I know. My mother and I were immigrants. My mother came to the U.S. legally but I was brought in illegally at a very young age. I remember my mom cleaning houses all of the time trying to support me. So I do relate with this immigrant issue.
I just hope that many Americans who are biased and have this misconception about labor trafficking and immigrants to go away and instead have them be educated to what is really going on.
Well, unfortunately, all America hears about immigrant workers is how they are taking American jobs. If the media would focus a bit more on how they came here to begin with, I think it would be helpful to spread some truth about not all, but at least some of the immigrant population.
ReplyDelete