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The Wanderer Trilogy #1
The Sheol
THE SHEOL - the first book in The Wanderer Trilogy.
CAN A KILLER EVER TRULY QUIT?
Being a trained killer, Kala can handle most things the world throws at her. However, when she murders her fiance, Kala's life is thrown into chaos. Forced to leave everything behind, she runs from city to city, in fear of her psychotic boss who is seeking her death. If that wasn't enough, she also has to cope with the re-appearance of her dead fiance who is struggling to keep a hold on his sanity as he strives for revenge.
CAN A KILLER EVER TRULY QUIT?
Being a trained killer, Kala can handle most things the world throws at her. However, when she murders her fiance, Kala's life is thrown into chaos. Forced to leave everything behind, she runs from city to city, in fear of her psychotic boss who is seeking her death. If that wasn't enough, she also has to cope with the re-appearance of her dead fiance who is struggling to keep a hold on his sanity as he strives for revenge.
119 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
60 people want to read
About the author
Mia Hoddell
20 books339 followersInternational bestselling author, Mia Hoddell, lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 24, 2012
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Coming into this book I really only thought it was about this assassin girl and had no idea about the supernatural aspect of the book which caught me off guard in a good way. The book is told through Kala's POV and then at the same time what Chris felt or thought when he saw her. He also was in The Pastures where I thought was like heaven but I was oh so wrong. It's an after-life but not a very good one. So he talks about his POV there too.
Things get crazy with Chris. By just touching you he can cut you so in a matter of minutes this invisible person can kill you. Then there's the whole thing with The Sheol. What I came out thinking what it was is that it's the darkness inside of you. The Company are the bad guys and are run by The Sheol. Kala doesn't know this, she just reports to this dark "father figure" that I doubt I'm pronouncing his name right - Nachtmahr. Sounds like he's a scary Russian. He is at least scary with his evil grins. Kala is too afraid to stand up to him because she knows that means certain death for her. This killer wasn't being very proactive in saving her own skin right about now.
At times I just got furious at Kala. She just kept on killing people! STOP THAT! For no reason she killed this one guy. She may have had a reason but she didn't have enough evidence. It was messed up. Otherwise I liked her badass character. She could be very scary in her own way when she wanted to and very vulnerable too. As you may have guessed I like the cover but I love the second cover showcased below. I didn't think it could get any better! Although it does look like she has no shirt on in both...
Kala was usually running away but she took control when she needed to. She did rely on Chris for a couple of things which I thought was just plain wrong. She did think a lot of what a horrible person she is and how could she ask him to do anything for her so I guess she makes up for it. I kind of felt bad for her but she had this very...not really cold... but something along those lines demeanor. She was shocked a lot to see Chris appear to her but I would be freaking out way more than her. She did freak out a lot but I am way too easily terrified especially if I saw my ex-fiancee who was supposed to be dead!
I really felt awful about Chris. He never did anything wrong and now he's stuck forever. He feels some sympathy towards Kala because hey, he did love her right? When he felt like killing her I couldn't get mad at him because it is what she deserves. She should have helped him out. Now he's this sad glowing ghost person who's conflicted on how he feels about his once love. When he does get crazy I absolutely love it. The supernatural part to the story gave me a unique spin on a story that I thought I knew before I read it. That goes to show you never to assume. I'm always falling for that.
It'll be great to see what the author does in the next book: The Flawless. The Flawless are the good guys by the way but I don't see them acting so good... I was really impressed with this book and in the short amount of pages it was able to make me feel that way which is great. I'd seriously try to check this book out if you like the supernatural/action types of books. Thanks to the author for letting me read the book.
Coming into this book I really only thought it was about this assassin girl and had no idea about the supernatural aspect of the book which caught me off guard in a good way. The book is told through Kala's POV and then at the same time what Chris felt or thought when he saw her. He also was in The Pastures where I thought was like heaven but I was oh so wrong. It's an after-life but not a very good one. So he talks about his POV there too.
Things get crazy with Chris. By just touching you he can cut you so in a matter of minutes this invisible person can kill you. Then there's the whole thing with The Sheol. What I came out thinking what it was is that it's the darkness inside of you. The Company are the bad guys and are run by The Sheol. Kala doesn't know this, she just reports to this dark "father figure" that I doubt I'm pronouncing his name right - Nachtmahr. Sounds like he's a scary Russian. He is at least scary with his evil grins. Kala is too afraid to stand up to him because she knows that means certain death for her. This killer wasn't being very proactive in saving her own skin right about now.
At times I just got furious at Kala. She just kept on killing people! STOP THAT! For no reason she killed this one guy. She may have had a reason but she didn't have enough evidence. It was messed up. Otherwise I liked her badass character. She could be very scary in her own way when she wanted to and very vulnerable too. As you may have guessed I like the cover but I love the second cover showcased below. I didn't think it could get any better! Although it does look like she has no shirt on in both...
Kala was usually running away but she took control when she needed to. She did rely on Chris for a couple of things which I thought was just plain wrong. She did think a lot of what a horrible person she is and how could she ask him to do anything for her so I guess she makes up for it. I kind of felt bad for her but she had this very...not really cold... but something along those lines demeanor. She was shocked a lot to see Chris appear to her but I would be freaking out way more than her. She did freak out a lot but I am way too easily terrified especially if I saw my ex-fiancee who was supposed to be dead!
I really felt awful about Chris. He never did anything wrong and now he's stuck forever. He feels some sympathy towards Kala because hey, he did love her right? When he felt like killing her I couldn't get mad at him because it is what she deserves. She should have helped him out. Now he's this sad glowing ghost person who's conflicted on how he feels about his once love. When he does get crazy I absolutely love it. The supernatural part to the story gave me a unique spin on a story that I thought I knew before I read it. That goes to show you never to assume. I'm always falling for that.
It'll be great to see what the author does in the next book: The Flawless. The Flawless are the good guys by the way but I don't see them acting so good... I was really impressed with this book and in the short amount of pages it was able to make me feel that way which is great. I'd seriously try to check this book out if you like the supernatural/action types of books. Thanks to the author for letting me read the book.
October 30, 2012
I put this book off a week because I was home alone with a baby and the last thing I wanted was to get freaked out. (Or more freaked out. Ahem.)
Turns out The Sheol was not as scary as I was afraid it might be.
I enjoyed the book, and it was very well written and original.
But I didn't connect with it the way I thought I might.
A lot of that I think comes from feeling like I never really got to know the characters.
We have a vague story of how Karla became part of the company or at least what she has been told how she became the person she is.
We know she desires to live a "normal" life.
We know what she looks like, who she loved, her choice of weapons and we know she's not ready to die.
But that's about all we know.
It's not until the end of the book do we really start getting any real answers.
I found myself wondering about her. She was supposed to be one of the top in the company, and good at what she does.
Strong, focused etc.
Yet she seemed to crumble so easily, almost too easily.
It made it hard to see her as someone more than the broken person she was at the end.
Then we have Chris. He's the fiancée that was killed.
He comes back from the dead apparently struggling to hold on to his sanity.
However he seemed to have it together, (I can't really say the same about Karla) other than trying to figure out what he was and why.
I loved the whole idea of the Wanderers. I found myself looking forward to finding out more about them as the story went along.
Definitely my favourite aspect of the book.
Who would of thought death could have an outcast. Which is what Chris is after his death. All because he proposed to the killer. I actually felt worse for him than everything Karla was going through.
The Sheol was a quick, but good read. Especially given I had never read a paranormal romance before so I had no idea what I was walking.
I breezed through the 119 pages in no time.
I found myself quite surprised at the ending. I honestly never thought it would end the way it did.
Fans of paranormal romance novels will love this.
I look forward to book 2 and finding out more about Chris and Karla. I can't wait to see what twists are coming.
*Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Turns out The Sheol was not as scary as I was afraid it might be.
I enjoyed the book, and it was very well written and original.
But I didn't connect with it the way I thought I might.
A lot of that I think comes from feeling like I never really got to know the characters.
We have a vague story of how Karla became part of the company or at least what she has been told how she became the person she is.
We know she desires to live a "normal" life.
We know what she looks like, who she loved, her choice of weapons and we know she's not ready to die.
But that's about all we know.
It's not until the end of the book do we really start getting any real answers.
I found myself wondering about her. She was supposed to be one of the top in the company, and good at what she does.
Strong, focused etc.
Yet she seemed to crumble so easily, almost too easily.
It made it hard to see her as someone more than the broken person she was at the end.
Then we have Chris. He's the fiancée that was killed.
He comes back from the dead apparently struggling to hold on to his sanity.
However he seemed to have it together, (I can't really say the same about Karla) other than trying to figure out what he was and why.
I loved the whole idea of the Wanderers. I found myself looking forward to finding out more about them as the story went along.
Definitely my favourite aspect of the book.
Who would of thought death could have an outcast. Which is what Chris is after his death. All because he proposed to the killer. I actually felt worse for him than everything Karla was going through.
The Sheol was a quick, but good read. Especially given I had never read a paranormal romance before so I had no idea what I was walking.
I breezed through the 119 pages in no time.
I found myself quite surprised at the ending. I honestly never thought it would end the way it did.
Fans of paranormal romance novels will love this.
I look forward to book 2 and finding out more about Chris and Karla. I can't wait to see what twists are coming.
*Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
September 17, 2012
A unique and original story that took me on an un-predictable journey as the story keeps you guessing all the way to the end. I loved the contrasts between the two main characters and interpretations of events from their points of view and the contrast added richness to the events. The story creates a new worlds, characters and conflicts I have not seen before. I wanted to read on after the end of the book and looking forward to finding out how the story continues on after such a surprising ending. I worried that some of the events wouldn’t get explained, but all the threads and unanswered question came together at the end to complete the book.
I have would like to have seen more action in terms of Kala showing off her warrior skills. I also would have liked some more interaction with the protagonist, her boss and the array of colour character we only got a brief glimpse of at the beginning. In terms of ratings between a 3-4 but closer to the 4 as the story was very original unpredictable. Overall I enjoyed it.
I have would like to have seen more action in terms of Kala showing off her warrior skills. I also would have liked some more interaction with the protagonist, her boss and the array of colour character we only got a brief glimpse of at the beginning. In terms of ratings between a 3-4 but closer to the 4 as the story was very original unpredictable. Overall I enjoyed it.
June 21, 2012
This was such a good book! The story line was well thought and intriguing! The Sheol had a good pace through out the book and it was kind of hard to put it down. It was so exiting and you wanted to know what would happen next.This is not your typical ghost-hunts-his-girlfriend-story! It does have a twist and I love that! I also love the ending! I did not expect that to happen! So if you read this one be prepared to be surprised! I sure was!
Kala is also a really interesting character. She is brought up by a stone cold killer and is cable to turn off her feelings like a light switch and still she has a hard time coping with her fiance´s death and the fact that she kills for a living. But even tough she wants to and tries to change it is hard to change from something she has been trained for since she was a child.
If you seek something different and nail biting then this is for you!
Kala is also a really interesting character. She is brought up by a stone cold killer and is cable to turn off her feelings like a light switch and still she has a hard time coping with her fiance´s death and the fact that she kills for a living. But even tough she wants to and tries to change it is hard to change from something she has been trained for since she was a child.
If you seek something different and nail biting then this is for you!
October 8, 2012
That blurb sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I thought so. I’m sad to say that this book disappointed me, though.
It starts off strong, throwing the reader right into the midst of the story by showing us Kala killing her fiance and the circumstances in which it happened. Speaking of the MC, apart from a couple of instances, I really liked her. She was ruthless and unapologetic, especially when it came to surviving, which I found to be a fresh and believable perspective. What I didn’t find believable were her reactions to certain major twists that went down, like the appearance of her dead fiance. She doesn’t really question it much nor does she wonder where he’s at when he disappears for a while.
The book is narrated from two POV’s, Kala and Chris, the fiance, and every time the voice changes, you’re taken two-three steps back into the story, to experience it from both sides fully. While a cool device, it doesn’t make for an easy reading flow.
I really liked that Hoddell doesn’t treat her readers like they’re idiots, explaining every single thing. All you know is Kala’s an assassin and she works for The Company. New concepts, new lore is introduced throughout the book and you’re left on your own to figure out what they mean.
The idea of Wanderers, people who died and went to this sort of limbo, and the Pastures – said limbo – were novel and interesting. I wanted to know more about them and about The Flawless. Who are they, where are they and so on. There were some new additions to the ghost lore, too; in The Sheol ghosts can cut living people if they touch them.
Moreover, that ending was a bold move!
What was really off-putting about this book, big time, were the writing and the editing. The writing was choppy, the narrative mode kept changing between first and third person, sometimes in the same paragraph. I noticed a couple or more grammatical errors, each one making me twitch just a bit. It came across as unprofessional and rough. Editing is very important!
If you can look past that and if action/paranormal novels are your thing, you might consider giving it a try. However, I couldn’t get past it! On top of everything else, I’m a major grammar nazi.
It starts off strong, throwing the reader right into the midst of the story by showing us Kala killing her fiance and the circumstances in which it happened. Speaking of the MC, apart from a couple of instances, I really liked her. She was ruthless and unapologetic, especially when it came to surviving, which I found to be a fresh and believable perspective. What I didn’t find believable were her reactions to certain major twists that went down, like the appearance of her dead fiance. She doesn’t really question it much nor does she wonder where he’s at when he disappears for a while.
The book is narrated from two POV’s, Kala and Chris, the fiance, and every time the voice changes, you’re taken two-three steps back into the story, to experience it from both sides fully. While a cool device, it doesn’t make for an easy reading flow.
I really liked that Hoddell doesn’t treat her readers like they’re idiots, explaining every single thing. All you know is Kala’s an assassin and she works for The Company. New concepts, new lore is introduced throughout the book and you’re left on your own to figure out what they mean.
The idea of Wanderers, people who died and went to this sort of limbo, and the Pastures – said limbo – were novel and interesting. I wanted to know more about them and about The Flawless. Who are they, where are they and so on. There were some new additions to the ghost lore, too; in The Sheol ghosts can cut living people if they touch them.
Moreover, that ending was a bold move!
What was really off-putting about this book, big time, were the writing and the editing. The writing was choppy, the narrative mode kept changing between first and third person, sometimes in the same paragraph. I noticed a couple or more grammatical errors, each one making me twitch just a bit. It came across as unprofessional and rough. Editing is very important!
If you can look past that and if action/paranormal novels are your thing, you might consider giving it a try. However, I couldn’t get past it! On top of everything else, I’m a major grammar nazi.
September 27, 2012
Kala and Chris - alternate narrators of this story are ex-fiancées - Kala works for 'The Company', often as an assassin, other times just as a medium of evil; and Chris is dead.
If I had purchased this book, rather than it being a gift from the author, I may have given up on the story after the first few chapters as there were several 'WTF?' moments and I felt very disconnected from the characters and events.
However, continuing to read became a stimulating and emotional experience and I stayed up way past my bedtime in order to finish the book!
For a début author Mia Hoddell writes with maturity and depth and takes her reader on an unexpected journey which becomes warped with violence and evil. Yet still Miss Hoddell encourages us to see the humanity and heart of a character who is fatally flawed.
One tip though to anybody who will be reading 'The Sheol' . . . .ensure you have 'The Flawless on hand to start straight after!
If I had purchased this book, rather than it being a gift from the author, I may have given up on the story after the first few chapters as there were several 'WTF?' moments and I felt very disconnected from the characters and events.
However, continuing to read became a stimulating and emotional experience and I stayed up way past my bedtime in order to finish the book!
For a début author Mia Hoddell writes with maturity and depth and takes her reader on an unexpected journey which becomes warped with violence and evil. Yet still Miss Hoddell encourages us to see the humanity and heart of a character who is fatally flawed.
One tip though to anybody who will be reading 'The Sheol' . . . .ensure you have 'The Flawless on hand to start straight after!
November 2, 2017
The Sheol is a non-stop action, bullet a minute thriller. The mystery unfolds with eerie undertones of the different shades of death. It was difficult at first for me to follow the almost abrupt style, but it fit well with Kala's militant trained thought process. The Sheol is cold and has its heart wrenching moments and there are even almost poetic moments that show Hoddell's potential. With some editing, I feel this novel could evolve into something just as dangerous as the undead watchers in this novel. A quick and easy, yet gripping story. This book was given to me as a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews