Book Review: Dark Child by Adina West Episodes 1-3

Dark Child Adina West

About the book:

Episode 1

Kat can run a marathon without breaking a sweat. Catch anything you throw at her. Differentiate blood types by smell alone. And she’s spent years hiding the fact. But secrets from the past have a way of slipping out when least expected … and a simple blood test is enough to turn her quiet life in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains upside down forever …

Episode 2

Kat doesn’t want to question her luck too closely when she lands a fabulous Manhattan apartment only blocks from her new job, even if cab drivers do have a funny habit of driving right past her antiquated apartment building without seeing it. 

But the quiet building hides a deadly secret, and when Kat meets Char from down the hall, she’s drawn into a hidden world where humans aren’t welcome, populated by beings as dangerous as they are beautiful. Soon Kat’s neck-deep in trouble and on the run, and discovering the truth about her own unique heritage might just make things worse …

Episode 3 

Dead? Kat clenched her fists, her stomach a writhing tangle of knots. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Had this all been an elaborate ruse to trap her? The platelet study; the offer to come and work at the Hema Castus Research Institute; the special attention from Director Norris ... Surely they’d have had no way of knowing who she was. Still, if the Directorate controlled Hema Castus, and the Directorate wanted her imprisoned, even dead, everything took on a much more sinister light. And anyway, why did the Directorate want her dead? 

Kat has always known she’s special. Different. But finding out why is still a shock, especially when she discovers the malevolent Directorate, a clandestine organization of untold power, have put a price on her head.

Forced into hiding in the remote White Mountains, Kat’s life is suddenly in the hands of the wild and dangerous unalil. But trusting her new protectors isn’t easy, since they seem almost as terrifying as the killers who pursue her . . .

3/5 

My Review: 

Having picked up this series of shorts from Netgalley, I found the concept and blurb interesting. I have currently read the first 3 installments and am working on the 4th (Review of 4 and 5 will follow). 

After picking up my kindle on a short flight, I was looking for something that I could read in short bursts and this is a great book to do just that. Each of the episodes is just long enough for you to be able to sit and read on breaks, yet it also manages to pull you into the story and want to continue reading. The only downfall with having it in smaller episodes is that you lose some of the flow from one book to the next, I almost would have prefered to have the entire story in one book, two if the length would have been too long. 

All of that being said I am so far really enjoying this series of shorts. The characters have been engaging and made me want to see where they are going and how they develop and progress. There could be a little more description and depth to each of them as well as the secondary characters that are in the background. I really feel they have more depth and the description of the characters looks, abilities and background could be gone into more depth. This would help me to visualise and delve into the story more as I picture the sights and sounds. 

The world building and storyline are really good, but again although I want to continue reading and fall in love with the book. I find I can't, with more description and depth I think the author would have a winning formula. 

I love the way the relationships are so tangled and interwoven together, although it is not clear at first and seems to be a little hazy about who and where people fit into the whole system. 

I do like seeing the book from two different perspectives, though there is a lot of back and forth between what is happening in the US and what is happening in Europe. I know the stories will eventually come together and merge (Or at least that is my thoughts on where it is going.) Maybe having it broken down into two book, one from Europe and everything there (Expanding on all that happens, I ma sure there is so much more than we see) and one covering the happenings in the US, would help swapping between one and the other and causing me to need to remember what I read two chapters ago about Kat in the US. 

Overall I gave the books so far a 3/5 based mostly on the fact that there was a considerable amount of hopping between the countries, the depth and story telling as well as character building and world building could be built upon. 

I am still invested in finishing the last two episodes,  in no way has it stopped me wanting to read or not want to know what will happen in the end. I would like to see more by this author and see how she grows and develops her writing style. 

This I would recommend to paranormal fans, who are looking for a light and quick read. Don't let that deter you from reading and enjoying this work.