Sam Stone

A brilliant thriller, with a touch of the supernatural mixed in. When you think of past figures from history trying to return with murder involved, I doubt Picasso is the first person who would spring to mind. I love how unique the premise is - an artist accidentally mixed up in murder, a tense investigation in a race to find the killer, and...Pablo Picasso trying to return from the grave. I enjoyed Stone's writing style, and enjoyed getting to know Chandler and Juniper. I don't want to give any spoilers, but if you're looking for a new author to try out, and love thrillers, then you should definitely grab this one!… (mehr)

What I Thought:

Stone is an exceptional writer, creating stories that have so much depth and detail you're instantly pulled into the world, hooked on every word she's penned.

Jinx Town is yet another example of her beautiful work. In a dark, post-apocalyptic world, a teacher named Jas finds herself in a world she never expected. From being an underpaid, under-apprciated and knocked down teacher, Jas becomes the protecter of herself and small boy, both the sole survivors of an attack unlike any other. They watch, in horror, as the women and girls are forced through a portal and the men and boys are slaughtered. The world is ripped apart, and the two of them barely escape. Soon, they walk the streets of a ruined city, wondering exactly what happened and what those things where that popped through the portal.

Little did they know it was happening all over the country, wreaking havoc on even the best trained military. Would the world survive?

Stone has created a world that is completely an utterly believable. We are always questioning the possibility of other life, other dimensions and more, and this story creates that fantasy and uses it to rip apart everything we know.

The pace of the story was excellent. Just as I would expect, when anything is threatening the life we know, this story has a fast pace. It moves swiftly enough that I could actually feel the urgency in the issues they were experiencing, making it even more real.

The level of detail Stone put into both the world, the Jinx and the characters was perfect. She has made sure that we know and see everything that is around us, everything that would happen in this situation, from the ground buckling to metal moulding to a man, due to heat and interaction with the portal. I swear, I could almost feel the world shaking, she's made it so realistic. The characters have depth and personality, making it easy to fall in love with them.

From the moment Jas was forced to apologise to an angry parent, I was hooked on this read. I wasn't able to put it down, until the last page was turned. I cannot wait until the next instalment of the series. This is such a brilliant book. I highly recommend it to anyone who love Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Sci-fi and Horror.… (mehr)