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Barely Human
Now you see her, now you don’t…
Recently promoted, Jessie is struggling to get into the groove of things alongside her edgy and more experienced partner.
Lately she’s found it increasingly difficult to hide an ability she can’t control, and doesn’t understand. While investigating the murder of a local teen, she discovers the shocking truth about what she really is. Worse, she suspects the killer that continues to hunt teenage girls is closer to her than she could ever have guessed.
As she delves deeper into a world where demons, vampires,and werewolves not only exist, but are all around us, unlikely friendships blossom as a group of misfits band together to put a stop to a madman’s murderous rampage.
Recently promoted, Jessie is struggling to get into the groove of things alongside her edgy and more experienced partner.
Lately she’s found it increasingly difficult to hide an ability she can’t control, and doesn’t understand. While investigating the murder of a local teen, she discovers the shocking truth about what she really is. Worse, she suspects the killer that continues to hunt teenage girls is closer to her than she could ever have guessed.
As she delves deeper into a world where demons, vampires,and werewolves not only exist, but are all around us, unlikely friendships blossom as a group of misfits band together to put a stop to a madman’s murderous rampage.
Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2011
3 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Trace Riles
6 books23 followersTrace is addicted to the thrill of a chill. Scary books and movies are her main source of entertainment. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her busy being a wife, mom, fur-baby caretaker, and dreaming up the never ending home renovations which her extremely patient husband will bring to fruition.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 28, 2015
2.5 stars.
At first this book showed promise of being one of those increasingly elusive but engaging Urban Fantasy/ Police Procedural crossovers. Here was a main character who recognised she was different from normal humans but didn't have all the answers, even better she was a greenhorn detective, newly promoted and partnered to one serious hard-arse by the name of Ray Gonzalez, who had only just come back on duty after the tragic death of their last partner.
However, somewhere around the 50% mark things start to change. The plot began to feel a little looser, not quite as focused as it once was. Characters have sharp personality changes for no apparent reason , Jessie and Ray apparently stop going to work entirely for days/ weeks at a time as they get embroiled in supernatural shenanigans but nobody in their department seems to notice. Anything to do with discovering Jessie's heritage flies out the window all together, which isn't too surprising since she is in the middle of a multiple homicide case, but it turns out it was dropped for an entirely different reason than common sense time constraints...
At somewhere around the 70% mark the author decides Jessie isn't special enough with her ridiculously open-ended supernatural background , so she becomes some previously undocumented (in the history of forever!) blend of supernatural races/ species in a bit of a "Special Snowflake Syndrome" moment. This makes her personality change in weirdly unpredictable ways for variable lengths of time seemingly for as long as the author remembers what she's doing. It's messy, distracting, and was completely unnecessary to the outcome of the plot. Generally I tend to view this sort of thing as a sign that the author considers either their main character or their plot lacking in some undefined quality. They apply this device as a "quick fix" to try and artificially insert some interest, drama, or otherwise distract the reader instead of going back and re-writing the troublesome parts to create a firmer foundation. Unfortunately it usually feels like the cheap gimmick it is, especially if it also happens too soon in a characters development, for example before the reader can really get a feel for who the character is, what their capabilities are, or grow attached to their continued well-being. All of which are definitely the case here, at least in my opinion.
Then there was a big show down and an ending that leaves an absolute crapton of unanswered questions and messily hanging plot threads as if this was always intended to be the first in a series.
Overall I'd say that the main concept of this story was good and there are large parts of the book I'd happily give 3 stars to, but it was massively let down on the details, the unsatisfying (but resolved) ending, and the overwhelming amount of "stuff" going on for such a short novel (minor characters being introduced just so they could later be "tragically" bumped off, the whole "now I'm a Special Unmerciful Snowflake!" thing, multiple homicide cases, meddling Evil Doers, other meddling Evil Doers , and minor characters that were deeply unfunny and uncalled for stereotypes [Mrs Wang, WTH?] to name but a few of the things crammed in).
Definitely not worth the £4.60 I paid for it from the kindle UK store, would have been more reasonably priced at £2 maybe £3 at a push.
At first this book showed promise of being one of those increasingly elusive but engaging Urban Fantasy/ Police Procedural crossovers. Here was a main character who recognised she was different from normal humans but didn't have all the answers, even better she was a greenhorn detective, newly promoted and partnered to one serious hard-arse by the name of Ray Gonzalez, who had only just come back on duty after the tragic death of their last partner.
However, somewhere around the 50% mark things start to change. The plot began to feel a little looser, not quite as focused as it once was. Characters have sharp personality changes for no apparent reason , Jessie and Ray apparently stop going to work entirely for days/ weeks at a time as they get embroiled in supernatural shenanigans but nobody in their department seems to notice. Anything to do with discovering Jessie's heritage flies out the window all together, which isn't too surprising since she is in the middle of a multiple homicide case, but it turns out it was dropped for an entirely different reason than common sense time constraints...
At somewhere around the 70% mark the author decides Jessie isn't special enough with her ridiculously open-ended supernatural background , so she becomes some previously undocumented (in the history of forever!) blend of supernatural races/ species in a bit of a "Special Snowflake Syndrome" moment. This makes her personality change in weirdly unpredictable ways for variable lengths of time seemingly for as long as the author remembers what she's doing. It's messy, distracting, and was completely unnecessary to the outcome of the plot. Generally I tend to view this sort of thing as a sign that the author considers either their main character or their plot lacking in some undefined quality. They apply this device as a "quick fix" to try and artificially insert some interest, drama, or otherwise distract the reader instead of going back and re-writing the troublesome parts to create a firmer foundation. Unfortunately it usually feels like the cheap gimmick it is, especially if it also happens too soon in a characters development, for example before the reader can really get a feel for who the character is, what their capabilities are, or grow attached to their continued well-being. All of which are definitely the case here, at least in my opinion.
Then there was a big show down and an ending that leaves an absolute crapton of unanswered questions and messily hanging plot threads as if this was always intended to be the first in a series.
Overall I'd say that the main concept of this story was good and there are large parts of the book I'd happily give 3 stars to, but it was massively let down on the details, the unsatisfying (but resolved) ending, and the overwhelming amount of "stuff" going on for such a short novel (minor characters being introduced just so they could later be "tragically" bumped off, the whole "now I'm a Special Unmerciful Snowflake!" thing, multiple homicide cases, meddling Evil Doers, other meddling Evil Doers , and minor characters that were deeply unfunny and uncalled for stereotypes [Mrs Wang, WTH?] to name but a few of the things crammed in).
Definitely not worth the £4.60 I paid for it from the kindle UK store, would have been more reasonably priced at £2 maybe £3 at a push.
March 6, 2012
Author Interview + Giveaway
A Solid Debut Effort from Trace Riles
To my knowledge, Barely Human is the first Urban Fantasy novel by Trace Riles. We're introduced to Jessie, a police detective with a strange ability to teleport or "flicker" practically anywhere at any time. She can't control this ability and it's getting worse day by day, making it impossible to keep it a secret any longer. While it also seemingly affects her murder investigation for a high school student, it actually turns out that this murder is key to her finally realizing what she is and what else is out there. The high school student is just the first victim of a serial killing maniacal demon, and Jessie and her partner have to team up with other unsuspecting supernaturals to stop his rampage. From there we're introduced to a world of demons, vampires, werewolves, necromancers, witches and more.
The book is pretty good. The cover is kind of cheesy and leaves a lot of be desired from a few design aspects (though my pickiness could just be due to my graphic design experience), but the story itself is overall fairly interesting. Based on the pace of the book, I was actually expecting it to be the start of a series, but for now it seems to be a standalone.
A lot of elements felt like your typical Urban Fantasy fanfare without a twist that was unique or fresh enough. While Jessie is the central character, this book does reflect POVs of other characters in every chapter. I usually don’t like this approach, but I didn’t mind it here because I felt like it helped the main storyline progress for the most part. So overall, I think Riles handled that part well. Though without follow up books I think a good deal of the development will be wasted, so it will be interesting to see if that happens.
Some perspectives were more interesting than others, but honestly the character that stood out to me most was the villain, Karl. I think it was a gutsy move to use his perspective because we really got into the mind of a maniac. The scariest thing about a psychotic individual is that the person believes he or she is normal. Jessie proves that you can be a monster without being an evil monster if you know what I mean.
So while I'm not sure if there's a lot more in store for Jessie's world, I must say that for a first novel I definitely think Riles shows a lot of potential. I didn't really fall in love with the characters so I wouldn't mind if she moved onto something else, but I feel as if Riles has creativity that can evolve.
*ARC provided by the author
A Solid Debut Effort from Trace Riles
To my knowledge, Barely Human is the first Urban Fantasy novel by Trace Riles. We're introduced to Jessie, a police detective with a strange ability to teleport or "flicker" practically anywhere at any time. She can't control this ability and it's getting worse day by day, making it impossible to keep it a secret any longer. While it also seemingly affects her murder investigation for a high school student, it actually turns out that this murder is key to her finally realizing what she is and what else is out there. The high school student is just the first victim of a serial killing maniacal demon, and Jessie and her partner have to team up with other unsuspecting supernaturals to stop his rampage. From there we're introduced to a world of demons, vampires, werewolves, necromancers, witches and more.
The book is pretty good. The cover is kind of cheesy and leaves a lot of be desired from a few design aspects (though my pickiness could just be due to my graphic design experience), but the story itself is overall fairly interesting. Based on the pace of the book, I was actually expecting it to be the start of a series, but for now it seems to be a standalone.
A lot of elements felt like your typical Urban Fantasy fanfare without a twist that was unique or fresh enough. While Jessie is the central character, this book does reflect POVs of other characters in every chapter. I usually don’t like this approach, but I didn’t mind it here because I felt like it helped the main storyline progress for the most part. So overall, I think Riles handled that part well. Though without follow up books I think a good deal of the development will be wasted, so it will be interesting to see if that happens.
Some perspectives were more interesting than others, but honestly the character that stood out to me most was the villain, Karl. I think it was a gutsy move to use his perspective because we really got into the mind of a maniac. The scariest thing about a psychotic individual is that the person believes he or she is normal. Jessie proves that you can be a monster without being an evil monster if you know what I mean.
So while I'm not sure if there's a lot more in store for Jessie's world, I must say that for a first novel I definitely think Riles shows a lot of potential. I didn't really fall in love with the characters so I wouldn't mind if she moved onto something else, but I feel as if Riles has creativity that can evolve.
*ARC provided by the author
January 19, 2012
To see this review and more like it check out my site www.ufreviews.com
This is one of those times I really enjoy being a book reviewer. Sure it's great to get books from all different kinds of authors and to have the ability to try out books I don't normally see at my neighborhood book store, but every once in a while a book comes up in my review queue that makes me so happy to do this day in and day out. From the first page I knew this book was going to be one I liked.
To start I loved the writing in this book. The writing was really smart, nothing was dumbed down, it was compelling, made you want to turn the page. Descriptions where very well done, but not overly detailed. Just overall the writing was good, it made reading the book both easy and fun.
I loved Jessie as a character, she kind of reminds me of myself a little bit, but only a tad. Riles gives her such a great inner dialogue. When Jessie first describes her partner Ray you know exactly what to expect, that Ray is a hard ass. And every time Ray would get on Jessie's case about something, Jessie's inner dialogue matched what I would be thinking too. Something about the way that Riles writes Jessie makes it so easy for the reader to not only identify with her, but also to pull for her, to be right there in the situation with her. Another great aspect about Jessie is from the very beginning you know there is something "supernatural" about her, after all everyday humans don't "flicker" from one room to the next in their sleep. Of course Jessie has no idea what is going on with her either, so you as a reader get to find out her secrets at the same time as she does.
I also want to mention how much I like the back and forth between Jessie's point of view and the demon point of view. They contrasted each other so well. And it was really interesting to get to see what the other side of the story was thinking.
There isn't much more I can say about the book without giving away all the fun tidbits you will want to discover on your own. I will say that it does has a bit of mystery paranormal genre mash up to it, so I think this book would appeal to a larger audience. I would say if you like anything supernatural give this book a shot, and if you like mystery/crime books, this would be a good book to try out the supernatural genres. Check it out!
This is one of those times I really enjoy being a book reviewer. Sure it's great to get books from all different kinds of authors and to have the ability to try out books I don't normally see at my neighborhood book store, but every once in a while a book comes up in my review queue that makes me so happy to do this day in and day out. From the first page I knew this book was going to be one I liked.
To start I loved the writing in this book. The writing was really smart, nothing was dumbed down, it was compelling, made you want to turn the page. Descriptions where very well done, but not overly detailed. Just overall the writing was good, it made reading the book both easy and fun.
I loved Jessie as a character, she kind of reminds me of myself a little bit, but only a tad. Riles gives her such a great inner dialogue. When Jessie first describes her partner Ray you know exactly what to expect, that Ray is a hard ass. And every time Ray would get on Jessie's case about something, Jessie's inner dialogue matched what I would be thinking too. Something about the way that Riles writes Jessie makes it so easy for the reader to not only identify with her, but also to pull for her, to be right there in the situation with her. Another great aspect about Jessie is from the very beginning you know there is something "supernatural" about her, after all everyday humans don't "flicker" from one room to the next in their sleep. Of course Jessie has no idea what is going on with her either, so you as a reader get to find out her secrets at the same time as she does.
I also want to mention how much I like the back and forth between Jessie's point of view and the demon point of view. They contrasted each other so well. And it was really interesting to get to see what the other side of the story was thinking.
There isn't much more I can say about the book without giving away all the fun tidbits you will want to discover on your own. I will say that it does has a bit of mystery paranormal genre mash up to it, so I think this book would appeal to a larger audience. I would say if you like anything supernatural give this book a shot, and if you like mystery/crime books, this would be a good book to try out the supernatural genres. Check it out!
February 7, 2012
Jessie has always wondered why she's different. Ever since she was thirteen she's "flickered". She'd be there...then she was somewhere else. And her eyes are different, she has to wear colored contacts to fit in. Fit in is one thing she's never done. She couldn't have friends or sleepovers for fear of flickering. Now she is an adult and hoping to fit in at the local police department where is in now a detective. Goodness knows her partner, Ray, isn't making it any easier with her bristly manners.
Things are about to take a turn for the worst for Jessie. Unfortunately she flickers during daylight, on the scene of a dead body. Even worse, she's crossed paths with Karl, the worst kind of murderer for hire...the kind who likes what he does. His newest contract, killing off teen girls. But why these girls? That's what Jessie is about to find out. When she does, it's not going to be good and it's even harder to believe.
Jessie is soon thrown into a world where werewolves, vampires, witches and demons exist. Even worse, she is half demon and the man she is after has a twisted link to her. Will she be able to stop this demon set on killing teenage girls before he catches another? With a bunch of supernatural friends by her side, her partner and a possible love interest Jessie might just be able to pull it off.
This book has a scary thriller feel to it. With enough gory descriptions to keep the horror lover happy and even magic to thrill the supernatural fan it's a win-win situation. Read Barely Human to find out if Jessie is able to triumph over her demon side or if evil will win out.
Things are about to take a turn for the worst for Jessie. Unfortunately she flickers during daylight, on the scene of a dead body. Even worse, she's crossed paths with Karl, the worst kind of murderer for hire...the kind who likes what he does. His newest contract, killing off teen girls. But why these girls? That's what Jessie is about to find out. When she does, it's not going to be good and it's even harder to believe.
Jessie is soon thrown into a world where werewolves, vampires, witches and demons exist. Even worse, she is half demon and the man she is after has a twisted link to her. Will she be able to stop this demon set on killing teenage girls before he catches another? With a bunch of supernatural friends by her side, her partner and a possible love interest Jessie might just be able to pull it off.
This book has a scary thriller feel to it. With enough gory descriptions to keep the horror lover happy and even magic to thrill the supernatural fan it's a win-win situation. Read Barely Human to find out if Jessie is able to triumph over her demon side or if evil will win out.
April 27, 2012
This is one of those 'keep you up later than you anticipated' books. You don't want to put it down. It seems that almost every chapter has you wanting more. The book is well-detailed, without being over the top, which is always a plus in my books. I'm not normally a mystery/action/thriller type reader, and wasn't sure what I'd think of this book, to be honest, but I couldn't put it down; I found myself trying to draw the lines together in my head on who might be doing what, and I always love being surprised by the outcome. The characters just seem to come to life in the story, which to me, is an A+ for the author. During my read, I found that I ended up relating to some of the characters with one thing or another, and I was fascinated by the relationships between the misfits. It's amazing to see how the bonds break through to each other and I feel part of it as the reader.
Barely Human is one of the few books that made it to my bookshelf, which doesn't happen often. The books on my bookshelf are only books that I plan on reading more than once and this one will get good use in my home :)
Barely Human is one of the few books that made it to my bookshelf, which doesn't happen often. The books on my bookshelf are only books that I plan on reading more than once and this one will get good use in my home :)
November 26, 2014
Let me just say that this was an amazingly fun read. It did take a while for me to get into reading it. The first few chapters almost seemed out of focus for what the book would become and there where a few times when I put it down and came back to it later because of life taking over from my precious reading time but overall it was a very good read. I would like to say that I think there should have been more to what is in the book. More about the characters, more about the story and history and more about the end though it is very good as it is I would have loved to have known more about some of the unfinished bits.
Either way I would say that this book deserves a good review and is better than most I have read recently but is a bit to cluttered or unfinished to be prizewinning material.
Either way I would say that this book deserves a good review and is better than most I have read recently but is a bit to cluttered or unfinished to be prizewinning material.
December 3, 2011
Totally loved this book. Sucked me in from the start and kept me wanting more. Very unique thriller. I couldn't put it down. Romance, thrills, suspense, super natural.. this book has it all and I can't think of anyone that wouldn't love it, or that I wouldn’t recommend it to. Fantastic author, and I’m so looking forward to her next novel.
January 6, 2012
I really enjoyed this book! It was something different from the normal otherworldly books I have read lately.
It was a nice twist having the main character not know what she was growing up. It lets you discover right along with her. There was some romance in this book but it was definitely a back seat to the action.
It was a nice twist having the main character not know what she was growing up. It lets you discover right along with her. There was some romance in this book but it was definitely a back seat to the action.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2011
Really enjoyed this book, loved the main character look forward to the next in the series. A great read on a rainy day when you have nothing to do because you won't want to put it down till it is done.
Read
February 3, 2013I found it a very good read .To start i wasnt sure what kind of book it might be . As i read a couple chapters i was hooked i found it interesting and funny . When i finished the book i went looking for another by same author .
October 22, 2011
Trace Riles debut book, Barely Human is a fast paced read that I would definitely suggest for the spooky Halloween season.
November 6, 2011
5*'s!!!...if you like thrill,mystery,suspense and love ..and super natural phenomena .Barely Human offers this and more....A great read leaving you wanting more from this author!!
January 15, 2012
awesome book Trace, loved every page. So cant wait till the next book is ready!!!!!
February 17, 2012
Loved it! Was not what I was expecting! Hoping there will be a second novel with some of the same characters. A must read!!
Want to read
February 24, 2012Sounds like a really book to read from my point of view...:D The book review was good, maybe I would like this book afterall.
September 28, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and I liked her world. I recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews