Monday, January 28, 2013

J.A. Saare, The Ripple Effect

 Title:  The Ripple Effect
Author:  J.A. Saare
Rating:  Four Siren Stones


Genre:  Horror
Sub-Genre:  Paranormal Urban Fiction 
Keywords:  Vampire, Romance
Page Count:  222       
ISBN E-Book:  978-1-60659-330-1
Price:  $4.99
ISBN for Print:  978-1-60659-331-8 
Price:  $12.95
Publisher:  Mundania Press, LLC
Reviewer:  Rhonda J. Callum-King


Blurb/Summary:

Book 3 of the Rhiannon's Law series

There is always a price to pay…

Rhiannon Murphy visited the future, witnessed hell on earth and made choices to change things for the greater good. Unfortunately there are consequences for her actions, the penalties for her interference possibly more than she can bear. Determined to sever her debt with a fallen angel, she pushes everything aside, focusing on locating Marigold Vesta’s resting place.

Until death comes knocking at her door.

When Disco’s maker arrives in New York, he resents Rhiannon on a level she can’t begin to comprehend. Yet Marius isn’t her most dangerous adversary, not by a long shot. Marius’s sire -- a half-demon -- is determined to see the necromancer who stunned the vampire world on her knees. If she won’t bend, he’ll do everything in his power to make her break. No price is too high, meaning no one is safe -- including Disco and Paine.

Dealt a blow from which she can never recover, Rhiannon turns to the only person who can help her: the fallen angel who is relying on Rhiannon to save her soul. Bartering with a creature from Heaven is probably just as dangerous as starting a war with a demon from Hell, but with nothing to lose it’s no longer about life or death.

It’s about getting even.

Review:

The Ripple Effect by J.A. Saare is not, in my opinion, a standalone book.  I would call this a bridge story.  In this portion of the tale, we continue the theme that Disco is still angry with Paine and Rhiannon for things that occurred in a future time-line but have not actually happened in this current time.  We deal with the arrival of Disco and Paine's maker and his coterie of demon and half demon friends.  And finally, we get a view of what life on Earth would be like with demon masters in complete control. 

However, the characters of Disco and Rhiannon are not further developed, as they previously were in each instalment.  Paine, after we have been made to love and sympathize with him, is removed from the story and it is questionable whether we will see him again. Rhiannon accomplishes exactly nothing on the path towards freeing Marigold Vesta.  Lastly, a new teaser character, Bane, is introduced as someone we will probably see again.

If you love the Rhiannon series, this is a book to read as it was designed to span the tales of all that has come before and what may be in store for the future.  It was as well written as the last tales.  On its own, however, this tale is incomplete.  The Ripple Effect leaves you hanging, just when it feels as though it is beginning to gain momentum.