This is an action-packed, multi-genre book that will appeal to a wide audience. It has a bit of hard science fiction, a bit of fantasy, a bit of horror, and a lot of things going on. I was thinking of "super soldiers" as I read the book. It is also populated with strange creatures, good and evil, as well as a healthy dose of the supernatural.

The book at first has a bit of a comic book quality--I do not mean this as a criticism. At the beginning, as Matt Rowley fights a fierce battle, he seems to face defeat, but then his powers of healing kick in, and after that his precognitive powers help him. I am reminded of the 1960s TV show, "Batman." On many occasions when Batman and Robin were in big trouble, Batman would say, "Our only chance is to use the Bat-Life Jacket" or another item that saves them. Also like a comic book is the amount of blood and guts spatter.

Even though urban fantasy is not my favorite kind of literature, and super soldiers are not my particular interest (living near Fort Bragg has made me cynical over the years), I enjoyed the book. For those who enjoy this kind of action-packed narrative, the book is a goldmine. ( )

I finally read a Patrick Freivald novel. Not sure what took me so long. JADE SKY is the first in the Matt Rowley series. (I hate recapping a novel in a review. The authors do this job when they write the back cover synopsis) However . . .

There is a lot going on in JADE SKY. The futuristic book seems to take place presently. The book opens with explosive action, and closes with action. And on the pages in between, action. Matt Rowley is a commando for the International Council on Augmented Phenomena (ICAP). These modified military men have regenerative abilities, and some can see the future before it happens. Jade is a highly addictive drug.

As is always the case, there is a war on drugs. Rowley is hellbent on putting an end to the drug trade operation. Things get crazy when an augmented person gets bonked (or, essential, malfunctions and becomes homicidal). Rowley quickly learns it is not safe trusting anyone. His hunt for answers gets him closer to the truth behind the drug Jade, and the cartels possibly responsible for the growing problem.

Nothing is ever as it seems. With drug cartels, and charismatic cult leaders, questionable priests, and an untrustworthy government, Rowley is forced to depend on a small, tight-knit band of commandos to complete the ultimate mission of saving the world from a complete and utter apocalypse.

Freivald can write. There is no question about it. He sounds like he was a lifer in the military, and saw too much action. The fight scenes, and weapons descriptions are tight, and detailed. The characters are well developed. Each is distinct and easily visualized in my mind's eye. The dialogue is authentic, and perfectly used moving the plot forward. And then there is the action. I might have mentioned it is continuous? It is. And well done. I breezed through the book in two sittings. JADE SKY is taut, and tense. The suspense builds, and builds, and spurts like machine gun fire, is expelled here, and there, and up there, and down there . . .

Thankfully, I was wise enough when I ordered this book, to purchase Book 2, BLACK TIDE, at the same time. I will begin reading that tomorrow. And if I am not mistaken, a third book is going to be released soon. One thing I like when I find a new author to read, is reading everything that author ever wrote. In other words, Frievald, I am a fan!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of Severed Empire: Wizard's Rise, and Vaccination ( )

This is the first novel I’ve read from Patrick Freivald, and what strikes me most is the fast-action pace, and the dialogue and narration that hits you like a freight train, all good qualities in a novel. Freivald has created an interesting world in this novel. His main character leads a team of augmented agents, himself being augmented. This makes them superhuman in many ways. The augmentations do different things for the different characters. Some have incredible strength; most have amazing recuperative abilities; some have pre-cognitive abilities. Their main mission is to put down other augmented people who have lost their minds, mostly from abuse of the drug, jade.

The novel starts off as more of an action, sci-fi novel than anything else. Despite the superhuman characteristics of the characters, everything is explained through natural means. That is until there was a supernatural element introduced to it. For me, the book got better with the introduction of this supernatural element. It added a nice layer of texture to the story, and made for more intrigue rather than people just being augmented by jade and these treatments. There are some spiritual and religious elements to the story as well. From a technical perspective, the writing is sound and all of the story telling elements were well done. The action builds to a crescendo, and the ride was enjoyable. I’m not quite sure how to classify this novel as horror or fantasy or dark fiction, but whatever classification, it simply works.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street ( )

Jade Sky is full of action and suspense. It also has elements of horror and the super-nautual. It has non-stop action but also has fully developed characters. Each chapter ups the ante on the thrills and action. You will not want to put this book down until the very end. ( )

Super-soldiers working for a secret government agency investigate a cult run by drug dealers.

Matt has a good life: his wife is expecting their first child, he has a great job busting up drug-rings, and he’s just been promoted to managing his own team. Matt and his colleagues are super-soldiers, of sorts. They have all been augmented with superhuman powers. Their wounds heal instantly, and they are all strong. However, they each have different augmentations. Blossom has speed. Matt has precognition. All these enhancements help them in the war against the newest drug on the market, Jade.

When they come upon some sort of cult practicing a ritual using Jade, things take a bad turn for Matt’s team. They have stumbled onto a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels, and they find themselves partnering with the last person on Earth they can trust.

There is so much going on in this book, and it was kind of hard to see where all the threads were coming together. I think the basic story was interesting and thrilling enough without adding the angel conspiracy to it. I felt that was the weakest part of the book. The strongest part of the story was the team tracking down the flow of Jade, its origins so to speak, and taking the leap to trust the word of someone they've been battling against.

This review is based on an ebook ARC received through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing. ( )