Michael W. Garza

The following book was kindly sent to me by the author, Michael W. Garza, who requested a review.

You might recognize the author's name because I reviewed The Last Shadow Gate just a few months ago. Today I'll be continuing the series with A Veil of Shadows. The reader is reunited with Gavin and his sister Naomi right after they landed in the mystery world on the other side of the Shadow Gate. Our main characters are once again thrust into a divisive society on the brink of war but luckily they manage to find a few allies (one of which might come as no surprise to the reader). The world building continues with diverse characters such as the Treekin who reminded me somewhat of characters in The Neverending Story. If you're looking for a series that is full to the brim with characters, subplots, and moving parts of all kinds then I do believe you've stumbled across just the book for you. For me, it felt like there was just too much happening and the narrative could have been tightened up. While I appreciate the imaginative concepts that went into the creation of these characters and this world I don't think that I'll be continuing the series. Burgeoning fans of epic fantasy will however enjoy this immensely. :-)… (plus d'informations)

The following book was kindly sent to me by the author, Michael W. Garza, who requested a review. This book is out now and you can get a paperback or ebook copy by visiting Amazon. :-)

The Last Shadow Gate is the first book in The Shadow Gate Chronicles and begins the story of Gavin and Naomi who are agnate siblings (i.e. they have the same father). On the face of things, there is nothing truly remarkable or strange about these two kids...and then they are sent to spend the summer with their great-grandmother. This is when they start to become interested in the mystery revolving around their great-grandfather, Papa Walker. As they delve deeper into what really happened to him they get closer and closer to a danger that will change their lives irrevocably. Without giving too much away, there is a swashbuckling, coming of age adventure mixed with fantastical creatures, political intrigue, and magic wielding. Garza has clearly spent a lot of time on world building and it shows. If you're a fan of books that consist of character names each more wild sounding than the last then you have stumbled onto the right book. I will offer one criticism which is that after the midway point I felt that the writing quality diminished significantly. It felt rushed and not as well thought out as the first half which is a shame as I had started to really get into the narrative by that point. I know that Garza is hard at work on the second installment of the series so I hope that the books continue to show improvement. (Note: I don't want to sound like this was horrifically written because it wasn't. It just became markedly more muddy and repetitive towards the second half.) For middle grade fantasy lovers, this would be a fun book to sink their teeth into this winter (especially if they're into series books which everyone seems to be these days).… (plus d'informations)

I just want to say right off the bat, I’m not into zombies. To me, zombie books are boring, How many ways can you read a fight scene with zombies? They eventually all sound the same. I just can’t understand people’s fascination with them, but I had previously read The Hand That Feeds by Garza, which I enjoyed, so I was hoping for another entertaining story.

What I was hoping for was a storyline, other than just fighting off zombie. I’ve never seen the Waling Dead, but their fans tell me it’s the story of the different characters that keeps them involved. And I have to say, this book is the same way. It drew me in from the start. I came to empathize with Rowan and Mia as they not only had to combat the zombies, but her father, and tribe, as well. As they rushed across the landscape, trying to escape the horde of undead and infected, I read faster and faster. I wanted to know what happened next. I was really getting into the book, as Jacob and Mia started realizing there was more to Connor and the Canaan compound than they thought. Then, it all came to a screeching halt.

(Spoiler Alert) What killed it for me is I found several plot holes that almost made me quit reading the book. If I wasn’t already invested in the characters, I would’ve. The first red flag was when Rowan is trying to find a way out of the compound, pushing zombie boy in front of him with his pole & leash. Suddenly, Mia shows up. Rowan and Mia hug, and now zombie-boy is gone. The same one Hinu told them they needed to keep as he’s patient zero. No mention was every made of him again. Why was he so important, but then just written off?

The second red flag, when Himu had his hand nearly shot off, but yet, he doesn’t bleed to death, and he’s able to climb a rope, and a ladder. Really? And the same for Connor. He falls off a platform, we know his knee is broken as it’s bent the wrong way, yet several chapters later, there he is walking with a splint. There is just no way. I’ve had a blown out knee. I know how painful and impossible it is to walk on one, let alone broken.

There were too many other smaller instances that felt contrived, just to make the story. If Garza had used some beta readers, or an editor, these issues would have been resolved before publication. And all the proofreading errors would’ve been corrected too.

If you’re into the Walking Dead, and love zombies, you’ll probably enjoy this story. Just be prepared to eat a lot of salt. For me, I was disappointed how it turned out, so I give it 3 feathers.… (plus d'informations)