Urban Fantasy / Horror
Title: Vestige
Author: Deb Hanrahan
Date Published: 6/13/2012
Synopsis:
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
Civil Authorities have issued a Civil Danger Notification Until Further Notice.
The following message is being transmitted by the request of The United States Government. An unknown number of citizens have gone missing. Authorities are trying to locate the missing persons. Residents are asked to stay in their homes. If you must go out, do not travel alone and carry proper identification.
Please do not call 911 to report missing persons. Emergency Call Centers and local law enforcement agencies are no longer fully staffed. The United States Military has been dispatched to assist local authorities.
This notification applies to all receiving this broadcast. Please stand by for further instructions.
Vestige is the first book in a two book series.
"This is the first book in a two book series. This book contains strong language that may be offensive to some."
EXCERPT
Micah didn’t know how long he’d been sitting on top of the
kiddie slide. A pile of crushed cigarette butts mounted on the ground below
him. The park was empty—no pictures today. If he wanted to restore his daydream
of ordinary, he would have to conjure up his own images.
He was just about to move on when he noticed a girl walking
through the park. As she drew closer, Micah recognized her. Not only did she
attend the same school as him, but she was also the same year. He didn’t have
any classes with her, but he frequently saw her in the hallway. Micah had never
talked to her before. He didn’t even know her name. Usually, she looked as if
she had just rolled out of bed but not today. Today, she looked good…maybe even
kind of cute.
“Hey...did you ditch too?” Micah asked as she passed in
front of the slide.
“What?” Clarke jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked
around for a moment before she saw Micah. “Yeah, I guess…I have a good reason
though.”
“Let’s hear it.” Micah hopped down. Upon landing, he hiked
up his jeans and approached Clarke.
“I’d rather not.” Clarke flipped her hair back over her
shoulder.
“Do you want a smoke?” Micah pulled the pack from his jacket
pocket.
“Um...sure.... Why not? The way my day is going, I might as
well.”
Micah took a cigarette out of the pack, put it between his
lips, and lit it. He then handed it to Clarke.
Clarke hesitated, so Micah extended his hand farther. She
took it and studied it for a moment before taking a drag.
Micah watched as she put the cigarette to her lips. She
closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. At first, she looked like she knew what she
was doing, but then she didn’t exhale. Instead, her cheeks puffed out and her
face turned red. She gagged and coughed as smoke spouted from her mouth and nose.
Micah put his fist to his mouth and tried not to laugh.
“So…I’ve never…smoked…before. What’s…the…big deal?” Clarke
continued to cough in between her words. “Do I…know you?” She took another
drag.
“I don’t know. Do you?” Micah asked, wounded that she didn’t
recognize him. He liked to consider himself as somewhat notorious.
“I don’t have time for this.” Clarke tossed the cigarette
onto the ground and crushed it.
Micah watched as she twisted her foot in a tiny circle,
grinding her toes against the ground. He caught a glimpse of her ankle under
the edge of her jeans. She had a fragile, damsel-in-distress quality that Micah
liked. He wanted to save her but from what; he didn’t know.
Author's Bio
Deb lives with her husband and three teenagers in
the Chicagoland burbs. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a
B.S. in Chemistry, she worked at a nuclear power plant for five years. She then
left her career to stay at home with her kids.
Seemingly, overnight, she went from being
crazy-busy to having way too much time on her hands. With her husband working
long hours and her kids pursuing their own lives, she decided to write that novel
she always wanted to write. Vestige is her second novel.
My Thoughts
What can I say. This is the second book I've read be Deb Hanrahan and I am definitely a fan.
Vestige is not only for readers who love dystopia. It's for any reader. It will drag you in and consume you - in a good way - that you don't want the story to end even though you know it has to. Maybe it's just me but I don't think so.
The picture and imagery that Deb paints in her story of the end of the world and how it happens is captivating. The plot was very well developed; the book is a page-turner that will grab you and drag you in until the very end.
The book begins with the homeless man announcing to the townspeople that the end is coming. But he can also "see" the aura that people are carrying. When I read that I knew I was in not because I enjoy reading dystopia or about the end of the world. I was able to visualize what the homeless man was seeing himself. The story continues with the three main characters who seem torn with what is going on. Micah, who was being "raised"for the end of times, Clarke who was caretaker for her father and wakes up to find him missing and Father Thomas who became a priest for the wrong reasons and pretty much despises his role to the people. The good characters were so easy to like and the bad characters, well, you love to hate them and Vestige did this for me.
You can reach Deb at the following:
You can purchase here:
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteDeb