Title: The Waters Edge
Author: K.V. McMillan
Author Website:
http://www.goodreads.com/KVMcMillan
Reviewer: Zach Tyo
Reviewer website:
http://indiebookreviewer.blogspot.com
Reviewer twitter: @ZachTyo
Reviewed by Zach Tyo originally for Indie Book Reviewer
As writers we all look towards family for that initial "You can do it"
when it comes to our work. Most of us have at least one person that swears our
work is worthy of publication and that we are on the right track. The writer of
my next review, K.V. McMillan, had a friend take a story she had written for her
'love' and build a whole new publishing company around her work
The Waters
Edge.
We have all read stories by authors that were never intended to be
published, and the fact that the author was writing for his/herself sometimes
enhances the story since the stresses of worrying about the audience is
drastically reduced.
The story follows Cedwynne McKenzie, a young deputy U.S. Marshall, in
the 23rd century. Cedwynne is not a typical 26 year old woman, and it becomes
apparent early on as she slowly reveals her ability to see the Aura's of living
things in addition to a few physical traits that are considered relatively
common mutations, known as G-3 mutations, that give her an enhanced muscle and
bone density.
Soon into the story Cedwynne is called into her bosses office and
offered a position with a new branch of law enforcement, Counter Section. Little
is known about this secret agency, and its clear early on that, despite her many
qualifications, Cedwynne's problem with authority and straightforwardness are
not taken lightly with her new supervisors.
Once the true nature of Counter Section is revealed Ced becomes privy
to her predecessor's work; though the realization that the existence of certain
nightmarish characters draws a bit of both fear and doubt out of the
anti-heroine.
Things become even hairier once she closes, or at least thinks she
closes, her first case and the discovery of a plethora of supernatural beings.
Ced finds herself in well over her head when a fellow agent orders a hit on her,
and afterwards explains that the order came from way above him.
Everything comes to a head as Cedwynne must decide who she can trust.
The mysterious man who speaks in riddles that cuts her grass, those that
'supervise' her activities, the handsome wheirwolf whose pack she helped save,
or even herself as the thrills really begin to come out in this supernatural
thriller that is true to both of its roots.
Its easy to see why McMillan's friend became so vested into this story
that he built his publishing company around it. There are so many great things
about it, and here are a few of the pros that I feel help set it apart:
- The story, while on paper may seem like yet another supernatural love story,
feels fresh and new. McMillan does a wonderful job combining a thriller and an
adult supernatural story into something new and entertaining.
- Each one of the characters is his/her own person. Whether its the hard-nosed
anti-heroine, or the soft-spoken man with a heart of a poet, even the President
of the United States has his own voice and is easily recognizable throughout the
story.
- The semi-dystopian United States is something I haven't read about before,
at least not in this way. The story of the rise and fall of the country, and the
whole world is done differently but in a way that isn't so far fetched that you
could truly picture what it has become.
The cons for this particular piece were a bit harder to pick through. I
couldn't find any true con to the story, but I did find one small personal note,
though I must stress personal:
- The main character, Cedwynne, is almost a bit to brash. I'm all for an
anti-heroine, but on a few, and I have to stress very few, occasions her actions
seem a bit to extreme. I do have to note that there is an incident that
justifies these later on in the story, I'm just referring to one or two things
at the beginning of the story.
K.V. McMillan's debut novel,
The Waters Edge, is a huge
must-read from me. The creativity and skill that this story brings, coupled with
the true thrills it contains will keep you turning the page throughout.
Overall I'm going to give
The Waters Edge a 9/10 based on:
9/10 for readability- The way this story flows surprised me, being this
authors first published work. Each chapter transitions smoothly from one to the
other, and the ideas seem to keep coming throughout adding more layers to the
overall story.
9/10 for story- McMillan brings a creative story that flows well. Each
chapter offers a new piece of the overall puzzle that delves deep into political
turmoil, interestingly enough there's both turmoil in the human government and
the politics of the wheirwolf pack Cedwynne befriends.
8/10 for characters- As I mentioned earlier, each character truly takes
on a life of his/her own. I especially like the way the characters from the wolf
pack really feel like, based on the way they speak and act, they are part of a
true hierarchy and behave based on their position in the pack.
9/10 for thrills- I do like the reinvention of the supernatural
creatures, but the thriller aspect is what really sets this story apart for me.
It has all the aspects of a great thriller with a small degree of mystery thrown
in to keep you guessing just how deep Cedwynne's rabbit hole really goes.
I have to thank K.V. McMillan for allowing me the opportunity to read
and review her novel. I really do look forward to reading the next installment
in the career of Marshall McKenzie.
If you would like to check out
The Waters Edge click
here.
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