O. L. Eggert

Full of fun, this wacky dystopian novel pulled me in from the first page. Vincent and his older brother Dante practically grew up on the streets. With all the violence, disappearances, and his brother getting locked up in jail, Vincent assumed that his city Oakwood would kill him eventually. But that's where he's wrong. Evil forces have come into the world through magic portals and he has to dodge minotaurs and ghouls. He wishes he had to worry about gang violence, because this is too weird even for him! All he has is his smart ass mouth, a pistol packing elder by the name of grandma, a talking pug that is supposedly the greatest wizard ever, his brother, and the cute girl next door. Together they must try to escape the city to get to a sanctuary they heard about on the radio or risk getting torn to bits. Full of adventure, ridiculousness, sarcastic comebacks, and general badassery; this book will appeal to readers of comedic fantasy, Christopher Moore and Douglas Adams. Lots of fun and a great debut by O.L. Eggert. The books ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so get ready for the next book; this is the first in a series!

I received this book for free from the author in return for my honest, unbiased review.… (mehr)

*I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Vincent, Survivor follows Vincent Li as he navigates his life in Oakwood, trying to avoid the local gangs that are out to get him.

But then everyday life starts to go awry. People are dying, getting kidnapped, and going missing - and Vincent starts to think that maybe something's not quite right. When creatures that had previously existed only in fantasy and mythology begin cropping up, the world turns into a deadly battlefield. With the few allies he has, Vincent must learn how to not only find safety, but also put a stop to the portals that are being opened between earth and the magical world.

But of course, in a world where people are fighting to stay alive, who can you trust?

First of all, I think the cover is amazing. Such beautiful artwork, and it's really unique - but I do think it fits the story very well.

The plot of this story was definitely very engaging; there were numerous twists and turns that left me shocked.

I also really like the premise of this book; it was also developed in a really clear way. We saw events from Vincent's perspective as everything around him fell into chaos.

There was a sort of surreal transition from realism to urban fantasy. Although I knew it was coming (because of the synopsis), I still thoroughly enjoyed Vincent's journey as he gradually learned more about the magical world that was seeping into his reality.

I felt like the writing style of the book could be described as straightforward.

The descriptions were relatively direct and easy to understand. For people who enjoy more flowery language, deep symbolism, or heartwrenching quotes, the writing may come across as too straightforward or simple. I would honestly say that I am one of those people who have a weakness for beautiful quotes and tearjerking writing. and for me, while the story was solid and the writing was clear, it didn't quite blow me away - and hence, four stars. (However, this is dependent on personal preference, so this writing style could definitely be right up your alley.)

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the sassy and hilarious dialogue, especially by Flea, the magical talking dog wizard.

How could you not love that little fella?
For example: "I will not parade myself around naked with my privates flopping about," Flea shrilled.

That line actually made me laugh out loud. Bottom line is, I love Flea. He's adorable.

Now, in terms of the main character, Vincent was definitely not your typical hero. He was brave and risky, but he was also tough and angry and realistic - and that, I think, is where the author really succeeded in making an original character.

There were other supporting characters as well, and they were definitely all well developed and portrayed. Another positive of this was that the author established a powerful balance between the personalities of the characters. As the focus of the story, they definitely complemented each other very well, and the characters worked well simply as characters as well, whether it was as allies or as enemies.

Overall, I would say that this was a very enjoyable read! It was definitely a unique story and I will never forget such unique characters. (Especially Flea!)… (mehr)