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Review: Skinshaper

by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publish Date: 15th of March 2016

Title: Skinshaper
Author: Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Publisher: Gelineau and King
Book: #6 of An Echo of the Ascended, #2 of Rend the Dark
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Found: Netgalley/Series
Rating: 4 Voodoos

Skinshaper is the second novella of the fantasy series Rend the Dark. It is a fast-moving action adventure tale, and it continues the story of Ferran and his team as they continue their hunt for ancient demons across Aedaron. It is recommended for readers who enjoy fantasy, action, and good old-fashioned scares.

Barricades broken.

A mining town empty.

One survivor swings in a cage, waiting to die.

Ferran’s tattoos burn as horrors near. They should run. They should seek help. But to save a few, they must journey deeper into the heart of the nightmare to face an ancient foe.

-Netgalley

My review of book 1 can be found HERE. Ms4Tune’s review of this book is HERE. This is book 2 in the Rend the Dark series, which is a branch of the An Echo of the Ascended series, making this book the 6th in that series. Each series is a different type of fantasy. This one is a Fantasy Horror.

I have to say that this series is my 3rd favourite of the 4 – or so I’ve worked out so far. (I’m yet to read book 2 of the next two series). But having said that, I still found it enjoyable – if horrifying! Though I’ve given this book the same Voodoo rating as the first, I enjoyed this one less. Perhaps because I felt like it wasn’t long enough. I know I complain about this a lot, but this time I have a more legitimate reason other than just wanting more! This is the heavy storyline, the one that deals the most with the horrors of the past. It feels like this is the one that is likely to reward us with the most information about the history of this world. Getting this in tiny sections along with the horror of this story works well, but we get so little with each instalment it’s kind of hard to know what to do with it.

We’re also leave our heroes in a sticky situation, not a cliff hanger per se, but it’s a little rockier than the other 5 books – or, at least that’s what it seemed to me. They’ve also separated from their ‘third wheels’. In Rend the Dark they had with them 3 civilians. They kept one and gained another, but they’re currently of little use to them. As previously with this section, this is told from the point of view of an outside character, Riffolk instead of Hil this time, as Rif was the one to stay with them. This keeps the mystery of Ferran and Mireia going, though we see some things through Ferran’s eyes. And even Rif is initiated a little further into their world than he thought he would ever be, which I found fascinating.

We do find out something big in this story, something I don’t know what to do with yet, but I’m actually pretty sure it will link in with the ‘luck’ that Elinor has been having over in the A Reaper of Stone section of this series. I’m holding out for a big, giant group finale with lots of magic and lightening and luck and smarts. After all this is AN ECHO of the Ascended.

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