![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/JackAnnaNewScourge.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1\")
By R.S. Penney\n\u00a9 June 3, 2024, Next Chapter
\nASIN: B0D62DV7FL
\nKindle Version, file size 1704 KB\n
<\/p>By R.S. Penney
\n\u00a9 June 3, 2024, Next Chapter
\nASIN: B0D62DV7FL
\nKindle Version, file size 1704 KB\n
Jack and Anna are special agents with special powers, bonded with symbionts and out to save the worlds. The excitement suggested by that statement is present throughout the story. Once the action started, it rarely paused. It was hard to put the book down. Penney did a great job of making us empathize with the characters\u2014Jack and Anna, as well as the side characters\u2014right from the start. Not only are the two main characters likeable, they\u2019re diverse. Even though Anna\u2019s cover job is a baker at a small bakery and Jack\u2019s is in the corporate sector (job choices which seem stereotypical), they have surprising depths. Anna is strong, driven, determined; she is the leader in their shenanigans. Jack, who is neurodiverse, rarely seeks leadership. His different ways of thinking make him a valuable member of their team, and like any smart agent, Anna takes full advantage of his skills. In addition, Jack borders on shy and overtly modest, while Anna is pansexual. And they\u2019re married. To each other. Happily. I loved it!<\/p>\n
Worldbuilding was believable, even with symbionts, alien infestations, and rogue AIs. I loved that the heroes\u2019 superpowers didn\u2019t make them invulnerable; everything has its limits, and these characters were not immune to fatigue and injury. Mostly, the action takes place in a small Canadian town. Anyone who\u2019s ever been to or lived in a small town could relate to much of the setting portrayal in this story. There are scenery descriptions, but they don\u2019t go overboard. Instead, they helped me to visualize what was taking place on the page.<\/p>\n
Another fun tidbit\u2014sprinkled throughout the tale are hidden gems that won\u2019t be noticed by all readers, just those for whom they are intended. For example, there is a debate between two characters early on about how one of them tends to overuse adverbs, especially those that end in \u201cly\u201d\u2014an argument writers everywhere will recognize. Another is a reference to Robert Jordan and the \u201cWheel of Time\u201d series that is part of classic fantasy fiction. Another was a chapter named so similar to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe that it leaped off the page and had me laughing for a couple of minutes before I dove back in. This author definitely likes to pay homage to their favorites in fictional entertainment. My favorite was a Wash quote straight out of \u201cFirefly,\u201d the short-lived television series that still has a cult following of browncoats. None of these took away from the tension in the story, but they did add to the enjoyment and delight I took from reading this book.<\/p>\n
The only drawback, for me, was that there was an element of sexuality in the book that didn\u2019t appeal. That won\u2019t be the case for other readers, and it isn\u2019t overt by any means. I just skipped those bits and didn\u2019t lose a thing.<\/p>\n
New Scourge Rising is part of the Epic Literary Universe Series, which now has six books. If all the others are like this one, I would assume you can pick up any single one and read it without having first read the others. I absolutely enjoyed it, and will probably read some of the others, as well. Lots of fun, and action-packed! Definitely recommended.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By R.S. Penney \u00a9 June 3, 2024, Next Chapter ASIN: B0D62DV7FL Kindle Version, file size 1704 KB Jack and Anna are special agents with special powers, bonded with symbionts and out to save the worlds. The excitement suggested by that statement is present throughout the story. Once the action started, it rarely paused. It was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-1bL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":539,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/08\/the-girl-on-the-train\/","url_meta":{"origin":4573,"position":0},"title":"The Girl on the Train","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"January 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Paula Hawkins The Penguin Group, ISBN: 9780698185395 Paperback, \u00a92015, 416 pages Rachel\u2019s teetering on the edge. 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