Book Review: Darklands Online by David J Bushman (Darklands Online Book 4)

     After the challenges in both the real world and the game after facing the Ithkari Kurt has taken a step back from Darklands. In fact, he hadn't had a desire to rejoin the game since. But, when the Goddess decided to call him from his computer, offering the one thing he could possibly want, he had no choice but to rejoin. Upon re-entering the game he quickly found a bounty placed on his head. Can Kurt and his friends achieve the Goddess' goals so Kurt can be reunited with the one lost?

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I need to start by saying this book CANNOT be read as a stand-alone. You HAVE to read the others first. That being said, they are all on Kindle Unlimited and beyond worth the read. Personally, I have read the audiobooks each time and they are amazing. I tried to be vague in my above summary in case there were newbie's to this book. Anything beyond this point is likely to include spoilers about books 1-3. Not intentional, it's just going to happen. Feel free to check out thoughts on those books with links at the bottom. 

    This book picks up basically after Greg's death. Kurt is mourning the loss, as can be expected. He doesn't have any intention of going back to the place where he last seen his brother, not even thinking of the friends he had made there. It just wasn't a priority. When he is offered the chance to see his brother again he will take it no matter how remote the possibility actually is. Once back into the game while trying to be up with his friends Kurt finds a bounty on his head. With a revenant intent on killing him, programmers pulling out all the stops to contain him, and gamers also looking to collect on his bounty it is only a matter of time before he dies. But, the prize at the end is worth it, if he can survive. 

    We have most of our favorite characters from the other books in this one as well as a few new additions. As always, I loved the books and can't wait for literally anything else this author publishes. There is action, adventure, the tidbits of romance, and of course loss. Kurt is a far cry from the noob he once was to this game, but the challenges never stop. I can't wait to find out what will happen next with the ending we got here. Yup, as always it was a cliffhanger of the best kind. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here. 

Books by this author: 

Darklands Online Book 1

Darklands Online Book 2

Darklands Online Book 3

The Guy Who Accidentally Started the Apocalypse 

Book Review: The Haunting of Gordon's Lake by Danny Gunn (Van Diemen's Valley Book 1)

     Brad is forced to spend the last weeks of summer with his aunt and uncle, but he is promised lots of fun. Crickets, swimming, and barbeque. While his cousin doesn't initially seem very interested in hanging out, the friends he slowly begins to make warn of ghosts in the area. He doesn't believe it at first, but he may just lose his life the same way a group of kids did years ago if he isn't careful. Will he join the eternal playground or go home with his family at the end of summer?

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is a middle grade horror novel that is well done. Just in case you can't handle child death you might want to be leery of this one. A group of teenage kids die in this book. It doesn't go into a lot of detail about that and it is something that happened years before the book begins, but it is mentioned throughout multiple times. 

    We start by following a young boy as his parents drop him off with his aunt and uncle while they have to travel. Everything seems normal about them, including a surly older cousin, and the cabin they go to seems nice enough. The longer he is there, however, the more weird things begin to happen. While his aunt and uncle assure him that his cousin was only teasing with her warning of ghosts in the area, some things aren't adding up. Following along as Brad decides who is real and who is a ghost out of each he encounters. 

    The truth behind who is a ghost was a bit obvious to me, but it didn't take away from the story. Again, this is a middle grade horror. Still, it is well written and engaging. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $3.99 by clicking here.