Review: POET ANDERSON . . . In Darkness by Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young

Poet Anderson . . . In Darkness

by Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young

Publication Date: January 30, 2018

Published by To the Stars

Pages: 304

Source: BWR Public Relations | Publisher

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Synopsis

Multi-platinum recording artist and Blink-182 founder Tom DeLonge once again teams up with New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young to continue the award-winning, critically-acclaimed transmedia project—Poet Anderson—inspired by a Stanford University study on how your dreams can effect your reality.

In the Waking World, Jonas Anderson works as a doorman for the Eden Hotel, dividing his free time between seeing his girlfriend, Samantha Birnham-Wood, and visiting his comatose brother Alan. In the Dream World, he is Poet Anderson, a Dream Walker, a guardian of the Dreamscape charged with protecting sleeping innocents from the nightmares that threaten both worlds.

But Jonas remains tormented by his own nightmare—his failure to rescue Alan from the Dreamscape and free him from his coma. Together, Jonas and Alan fought side-by-side against the night terror entity known as REM. Even though they defeated the vicious monster, Alan continues to waste away in a hospital bed while Jonas’ guilt eats away at his soul.

REM may have lost a battle, but the war continues. His Night Stalkers roam the Dreamscape, hunting for Jonas and the other poets capable of traversing the waking and dreaming realms. And now, demonic shadow creatures are possessing the spirits of dreamers and using their bodies to enter the Waking World.

Jonas can no longer avoid his destiny. To save reality from the maelstrom of nightmares, Poet Anderson will have to sacrifice the Dreamscape…

My Thoughts

I have been waiting on this book for what seems like forever and let me just tell you that this book was more than I could have imagined. While contemporary fiction is still my ultimate go-to in reading, I'm more than happy to step into the dream realm of Poet Anderson. Suzanne Young and Tom DeLonge have gone to the limits in this follow-up to Poet Anderson  . . . Of Nightmares.

In Poet Anderson  . . . In Darkness, the stakes are higher, the risks are greater, and the losses, well they're unimaginable. The horrors are scarier and the drama will leave you haunted - this book will give you Nightmares.

There are many layers to the storytelling. Poet Anderson  . . . In Darkness isn't just a story about fighting the demons that haunt our nightmares. It's about love and sacrifice and the risks you are willing to take to save others. 

I love the multi-media experience of this saga because it's a story that can be imagined but it's also visual - with the comic books and sort film. I've only read one installment of the comic, but after finishing Poet Anderson  . . . In Darkness, I'm going to read EVERYTHING I can find about these characters. 

This series is so good and I'm already anxious to find out what will happen next. A must read!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way other than the book provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Now in Paperback!! Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Last summer I read Impostor and it made me a fan of science fiction - a genre that I normally didn't pay much mind. It quickly changed my opinion of science fiction and left me wanting more.  From my review:

"Impostor is a thrilling read - full of danger, suspense, horror, and a little bit of romance (because you can't leave that out). If this is science fiction, then give me more please."

Title: Imposter
Author: Susanne Winnacker
Series: Variants #1
Genre: Young Adult, thriller

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late? 

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

"An unpredictable page turner with shades of terror reminiscent of a Stephen King novel."—VOYA

"Fresh and inventive. . . . the strongly-written mystery component takes center stage.“—BCCB

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Excerpt

I went over to the window and pried it open. The frame groaned but with a jerk the window slid up and cool air streamed in. The fresh smell of rain in the night was one of my absolute favorites.

A shadow shifted on the street. I poked my head out. Even in the rain, the hooded stranger waited on the other side, staring at my window. I grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand and the pepper spray from my purse, slipped into my ballet flats and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Devon appeared in the hall, his eyes bleary. I didn’t stop to explain.

My feet carried me outside where the rain plastered my hair down and soaked through my clothes. The stranger turned the corner as I crossed our front yard.

I pumped my legs. I heard Devon’s steps behind me and his shouts of confusion, but I turned a corner and then another until it appeared that I’d lost him. I stormed into the forest at the edge of our neighborhood, where the stranger had disappeared just moments before.

From up ahead, the sound of twigs breaking kept me on the trail. Devon must have given up or lost sight of me because I didn’t hear him behind me.

Without streetlights, the forest’s darkness was absolute. Rain rattled the leaves, and twigs snapped under my shoes. Shape-shifting while running was difficult and straining, but with Madison’s short legs I’d never catch the guy. Who was he? The killer? And I was alone in a dark forest with him. Maybe not my best plan.

I let the rippling wash over me. Tearing, stretching, twisting, remodeling. My clothes strained and ripped. I stumbled a few times over my lengthening legs but then, with Alec’s body, I gained on the stranger. Wind howled in my ears and for a moment I lost my bearings as he disappeared from view.

Up ahead, something flashed in the blackness like a beacon. He’d turned around to check if I was still following. My breath rasped in my throat as I jumped over a fallen trunk. The forest was cloaked in mist, concealing the outline of the mysterious figure.

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About Susanne

Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, two dogs and two bunnies in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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