I
won’t tell you what happens as that info is in the book blurb and I don’t want
to ruin any surprises, but I can say that this story is a definite page turner
and will steal your attention. Towards the end, I was so rushing to get to the
finale and find out what was going to happen that I missed my train stop!
I really liked
the character of Avatar, the wolf. He’s a rounded, thoughtful character who
introduces the book and the sets the eerie, ‘what’s really going on here?’
atmosphere from the beginning. The personalities of Jeff, Garrison, Freddie,
Darian and Jodi are all well-rounded individuals, especially the two central
characters of Freddie and Darian. We watch as they lead their separate lives
while the threads connecting them are secretly weaving more tightly.
What does a
woman do when she finds that she can no longer keep chaos at bay with the
forceful control she spreads over everything? The author tells us that Freddie
had “spent most of her time trying to orchestrate her life in an attempt to not
feel empty, to not feel like a failure despite her success, to not feel
lonely.” In the book, she begins to learn new things about herself, her
strengths and weaknesses, and the dark secrets that she has never been told.
Who is the mystery shadow that comes to haunt her, which she nicknames Mr
Personality?
Then there’s
Darian. What does a man do when he is broken and becomes a fragment of those
parts he once was? Ms Williamsen tells us: “Feelings were all Darian had that
he could call his own. So he guarded them carefully, treasured them. Whenever
an experience evoked a new feeling, he studied the experience and savoured the
feeling in his mind until he could determine where it belonged. Each feeling
had a place and a purpose in his mind. It was like putting together a jigsaw
puzzle. One day he would have all the pieces.”
There is a lot
of philosophy and deep thinking in this novel, lying in the background, which I
found interesting. I was underlining many things for the ‘notes’ section. The
story investigates the yin and yang, the two sides of the coin; the dark and
light of the human character. What makes us do what we do?
It also steps
into the nature versus nurture debate. Who are we really? What creates a
person? Are people’s characters innate or do our experiences shape us? If
someone’s experiences are only dark, how will they turn out? Can we sympathise
if they also turn out dark?
Then there is
the idea of fate. What is fate, are we fated to take a certain path no matter
how many choices are offered to us?
And what is
choice? Do we all deserve a second chance? Would everyone actually want a
second chance? Everyone has choices. As Ms Williamsen writes, “Our lack of
understanding of our relationship to the Universe is why we make choices that
aren’t healthy.”
There is a lot
to tickle your thinking buds in here besides the actual story.
So, all in all,
a good storyline, some fascinating ideas, a good plot, interesting and rounded
characters, good pace and a definite page turner, along with some creepy
scenes, a drop of romance and some genuinely spooky goings on.
The
only downside is that this book is a little too dark for me. This genre of book
is not one that I normally read. But, that's just me. Anyone who does read
horrors and supernatural dark stories will absolutely love it.
Fans of this book will be happy to know there is a follow-up, called The Threads That Bind.
Book links:
Second Chances is available in ebook and paperback format.
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Dannye-Williamsen/e/B004KEAFE8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1342438803&sr=1-2-ent
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48468
Thanks for your kind review, Vickie. Glad you picked up on the underlying themes. :-)
ReplyDeletePS - sorry about the weird icon. Can't seem to get Google to cooperate.
Lol! That's ok. It stands out! It's a fab book :)
Delete