Redemption
By JR Turner
Blurb:
Half-angel Savannah Mantas smells the sulfuric stench
of wrath when it enters her city, Iron Point. Resurrected by the archangel
Michael, she’s hunting for redemption and half-demon Nico Montenegro is her
prey. He comes from the Fringes, the border between the city and the toxic
wasteland beyond. When they meet, Nico tells her a story, one of genocide and
confiscated bodies. Not revenge, but justice is his purpose and his target is
the most admired family in the world–Commander Hathaway and his daughter.
Hathaway’s soldiers are slaughtering Fringers and
secretly feeding them to Revenants, mutants who survived the bio-bombing of
2120. They have a twisted idea they can train these clever creatures like dogs
and keep them out of the city long enough to mobilize an evacuation for the
wealthy and well-connected. Savannah knows better. Revenants are what killed
her. When they attack, the last of humankind may be wiped out completely.
Stopping Hathaway might just be enough to gain her redemption and escape a
hellish fate.
Createspace https://www.createspace.com/3830999
The green eye overhead scans me for obvious weapons. My tawny hair glows emerald in the
reflection on the glass, my pale skin an
alien
sea-foam green.
Security clears me and the doors open. Instantly the smoky
haze thickens and the
music is deafening.
thud–thud–thud–thud
There
are
no words to this
melody–it's the
sound of prowling for relief
and release, the rhythm
recognized by humans
for centuries.
I may
have changed, but I'm
not so different from the
couples writhing
on the dance floor.
My human half responds to
the
seduction of losing
myself in the throng, to pretend I
don't know what I
do. The temptation is
delicious.
Wrath waits.
His scent comes from my right, not far. I squeeze into the crowd, wondering if I should return once I've dispatched this
man.
Why I wasted most of my mortal life working so hard is a
deep regret. Perhaps
if I had indulged in
more
normal interactions with non-military personnel, or if… If, if, if. I've
done this to myself a million
times and I'm not going there now.
The music changes–new song, same beat. The couples, threesomes, and foursomes never pause,
riding
a wave of wantonness.
Clean
sweat, colognes, and
perfumes assail me from
every
direction–a heady
mixture
not entirely
unpleasant.
My heart wants to fall into the faster beat, pick up this pulsing noise.
thud–thud–thud–thud
At the bar, I
shove a token across the scarred top and watch my
peripheries. Waiting.
He will make himself
known.
This close to him, I gain another scent, one deep from within his veins. He will sense me, if he hasn't yet and act soon.
The
wrath builds.
A girl, hardly
out of her teens, maybe still a teen, all of five feet tall and weighing as
much
as a bottle of Amethyst (named
after Commander Hathaway's daughter) hollers
above the music.
"What'd you
want?"
I shout,
"Black on
red."
She turns, long black hair fans from
a high ponytail as she fetches
the
bottles and pours a healthy base of Amethyst, then
adds the colors. The black
entwines with the red in a sea of plum
liquor. Orgiastic figures form
and fade within the liquid clouds. I watch the hypnotic blend, like I'm not seeking the source of the
thick, wicked aroma. By the time she slides my drink to me and takes the token, I know where
wrath stands.
He
is behind
me.
I spin the thin straw in my glass as if he and I don't know
we
are there with a purpose: I and my need for redemption, he and his need
for revenge. He is a Halfling–part man part demon. He
can heal, but he
can't
regenerate.
A swift slice
between certain vertebrae, severing
the
brainstem, and he is another death in
a dying world.
My impatience flees
and I'm willing to
wait. Is he?
thud–thud–thud–thud
Am I choosing my moment or is this hesitation based on human
vulnerabilities
I no longer have? The
relics of these mortal emotions are a struggle for me. Not so long ago I feared the same possibilities as everyone: injury, sickness, a return of
The
Wasting, and death. My determination is stronger than these
fears, I
tell myself. Yet without the duster, only my long hair
covers the bare skin above my corset. Awareness of him and of
my
true frailties increases. Immortal yes, impervious to pain, no.
I sip my
black
and red, feel the tangle of opposites flowing
down my throat, nearly hear the soft moans of pleasure–and he takes one step closer. A couple beside us are making out. His hand is beneath her spangled top, forcing her back against the
bar.
For one brief moment, as the drink hits my system, I feel his
hand on my breast and then the sensation is gone. They are
oblivious to everything, including the wrathful Halfling
and the dark angel beside
them.
thud–thud–thud–thud
"I
know what you are." He speaks loud
because
of the heavy bass, but the
words
come on a wave of warm breath
against my neck.
Deep, his
voice is
filled
with darkness and
need, despair and
determination. I want to close my eyes, indulge in more of the sense-heightening Amethyst
and listen to the
rich
baritones
smooth all the roughness
from my edges, dampen
all my thoughts like an exotic shroud
over
my mind.
The Guest Post:
My favorite Xbox360 game is Left 4 Dead 2 and I love both
the Resident Evil games and movie franchise. When I first saw 28 Days Later and
saw how the infected weren’t just slow-moving starving monsters but
exceptionally fast and vicious, I got a huge adrenalin rush. So when the idea
for Revenants hit me when writing Redemption, I knew exactly how I wanted them
to behave.
Revenants were created from the humans who survived the
bio-bombing. Their genes were altered by the toxin and each generation became
more feral and less human. When Savannah
Each scene with the Reves denotes some of my most favorite
moments in the book. Savannah Savannah
I hope you have fun reading Redemption. Thanks so much for
hosting me!
Warmly,
Jenny
Thanks Jenny. I did!
Overall:
From the first page of the book, you can feel the wind in your hair and the sensations that Savannah experiences. Her awareness of the happenings in her city and the tactile language author Jenny Turner uses to bring Savannah to life is epic and I really loved being drawn into the story like I was.
Reading is my vacation and this book took me there. I love the age old battle between angels and demons. This is a story that will keep you turning the pages. The plot is engaging, the dialogue spot on and the descriptions of the scenes are perfection. The use of music brought the story to a higher level as I read the scene where Savannah enters a club and she could feel the pulse of sounds around her. Excellent!
If you love a book filled with pulse pounding moments of Revenants in a dystopian society with an eternal battle of good and evil then you have a story that will keep you up nights. I was late getting this post up because I read too long.
4.5/5
About the
Author:
J.R. Turner is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin
Writers Association. She writes in a variety of genres including middle-grade
adventures, young adult horror, romantic suspense, horror, military action, and
urban fantasy. In her spare time she enjoys arts and crafts, traveling, and
movies. Few things in life compare to her passion for the written word, except
perhaps the pursuit of chocolate.
Website: www.jennifer-turner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRTurner17
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRTurner
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