Forbidden Quest Volume 1

Hypnotic Journey #1

by Alaina Stanford

Wouldn't it be cool to suddenly have the battle skills of a seasoned warrior? Wouldn't that be even better if the battles felt real but there was no physical risk to you? Wouldn't it be perfect if the hypnotist in charge of your session was not insanely evil and using you as a weapon in a plot for revenge? Four friends, two in love, two in hate enter into a Group Hypnosis study attempting to introduce fantasy adventures to small groups. They are promised a video game type of adventure rescuing an Elf Queen from her crystal prision as elf warriors, a sorceress and a fairy. As soon as they fall under the good doctors spell they begin to realize the adventure is more real than they could have ever imagined. They find themselves in a hostile world they can't seem to escape from. When Nicole Waters’ boyfriend Tom becomes ill the prominent St Louis Assistant DA is forced to take Tom’s best friend Jack Tyler, a local travel agent on a business vacation.

Certain she’s discovered the next hot trend in adventure vacations Nicole takes Jack and two others; Sarah Sims, a shy nurse practioner and Todd Hopper, a professional hockey player into a test program for group hypnosis. They travel to a small town in the middle of Kansas to meet Dr. Strong, the psychologist researching group hypnosis at his clinic . Undaunted by the fact that the so called clinic is housed in an ancient looking run down hotel and Dr. Strong’s creepy assistants the group is eager to get started with their ‘adventure’.

Dr. Strong introduces the soon to be adventurers to an equipment filled gym explaining, “The wall of netting might become a series of vines or perhaps the side of a rock cliff. The weight machine will serve as stimulus if you are required to lift or push a heavy object. The stair climber will act as a tree, fortress wall or perhaps a rock incline you must scale.” He then offers Nicole and her friends a mild sedative to aid in their simultaneous entry into hypnosis. Yet instead of experiencing an action packed fantasy adventure akin to a video game quest; they find themselves trapped in a deadly world of elves and monsters that is more real than they could ever imagine. Where a cry for help is left unheard.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Elves

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

As the mother of seven children I learned to love to play video games pretty fast. One day it occurred to me to write an adventure that flowed like a video game. I added a touch of romance and Hypnotic Journey was born.

The HJ characters are like a family to me. They are foolish, daring, resourceful and full of passion not only for life but for the friendships they have created in this world and the next.

I've been a Trekkie all my life so my next series was Science Fiction. The Treborel Series is a romantic paranormal adventure featuring a psychotic villain and a multiple layer of hero's fighting to survive the chaos of a continental conflict.

Archangel is a pre-apocalyptic series about angels fighting against the rising evil in a desperate attempt to keep humanity alive long enough to reach the end of days.

Royal Duty is a new type of series. Each book is a different genre- Science Fiction, Historical Romance, Fantasy, etc. They all share a main theme of a royal heir struggling against their obligations to the throne.

In the end I write about how friendship and love can sometimes be the only thing that can keep you alive. You will find my stories exciting and steamy, but I am not an erotic writer. My character's still fall in love and have sex, its just not that obvious.

My Amazon Author Page is: https://www.amazon.com/Alaina-Stanfor...
please come and visit me!

Reviews

[Carly Krewitsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much action, adventure, and violence. Elves, trolls, barbarians, sorceresses, and of course, good vs. evil.

[Scott Spotson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a very interesting premise although my skin crawled a little in how the four adventurers (straight from modern day times, from the city) so easily trusted a reputed hypnotist to perform deep hypnosis on them so they can undertake adventures in epic fantasy (i.e. trolls, ogres, elves) together, as if sharing a lucid dream (a dream shared by more than one person). If it were me, I would run from such a session before it even started. But, we readers like to suspend our disbelief, and enjoy the story of those foolish (or fun) enough to take on such challenges.

Even with the interesting premise, the story itself was not exceptional. It was a short, run-of-the-mill fantasy story. What made it interesting this time, though, were the four characters relating the fantasy to their urban lives back in the real world. While some of the transformations were a bit too abrupt, I did enjoy reading about Nicole in particular. She feels during the fantasy trip that she had been too emotionless and sterile during her real life, and feels that being an elf in this alternate world liberates her. You get the sense that she was ready to change once she returned to the real world. I think if the characters explored this theme a lot more, and thought of specific examples in how they lived their lives, and how the fantasy world changed their views of themselves, this might be a very interesting book. In other words, a psychological journey instead of an epic fantasy journey, although both would still co-exist.

I normally don't comment on typos, as these are easily cleaned up, and by the time readers read this review, the errors are already fixed. I focus on the story. However, I must admit that the confusion over "its" versus "it's" was very striking in this story, to the point that it distracted me--something that is not easy for me to do. I mean, this grammar rule is usually mastered by experienced authors.

Anyhow, the psychological journey made this story quite interesting and this author can carry it further and make it a longer and more in-depth work of fiction. Also, maybe round out the characters a bit more and provide more depth to their real selves.

[Gary Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forbidden quest Review

This book is, as the author says from the outset, a bit like a video game. A simple, quick, fun read that defines four characters in their 'normal' lives, then re-defines the four characters again as they enter their adventure world. This is interesting from a technical standpoint, as the characters that was a bit shy in the real world, suddenly becomes a powerful sorceress, and the complete bitch becomes a nature-loving elf, at one with - and importantly - in control of all the animals.

I'm not a romance fan at all - I could never read something that is purely a romance. But, this story is probably held together by romance - almost like an unseen substructure, which is good, because if I could see to much of it... it would probably put me off.

It kept me reading, waiting to see the fate of the fearless foursome (my name for them, not hers). I read that the author has many children (and grandchildren)? I hope they enjoy reading this as much as I did. It's a lot of fun.

I found myself feeling like I was a kid again, madly flipping the pages of one of Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five' books! All over... a lot of fun and you can read it in a few short sittings.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows a lot of promise but for me, a lot of details were missed or it was presumed that you already knew. The fantasy aspect of it was very good and it was easy to like their 'quest'. The sense of freedom that Nicole found as a Woodland Elf was amusing to read and easy to sympathise with.

A good book to read if you don't want anything too lengthy or involved. A good twist to the tale and an ending that leaves you wanting more.

* Verified Purchase - November 2012 *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 24, 2013

[Ralph Grieberheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly suprised by this book. I don't know this author but the book was creative and inventive, well written. I was intrigued from the start and the twist (not to spoil it) at the end was delightful. I'd describe it as an action adventure in a fantasy setting with just a little romance but not too much.

[Chryselle Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forbidden Quest is imaginative and retained my interest. The book would appeal foremost to teenagers and young adults if that is your target audience. However, as a mature adult, I found it an easy read and if sitting at the beach on a sunny day, I would definitely pack it in my picnic hamper! Chryselle Brown

[david · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tale of magic and make believe?

Interesting tale of magic and make believe?

This was a good story about the separation of real life and fantasy and how they can affect you in each realm.I liked the concept of this story and it was well written with good characters.

[Tonya Quintana]

Nice, quick read. I got hooked. This is an enjoyable journey into a fantasy realm.

[Summer Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book for free on amazon and finally got around to reading it. It is a quick read with lots of action. Not a lot of detail but was good enough to keep me entertained.

[Kathryn Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me back to stories from my youth. A delightful change from what I usually read. An Adventure book that will get your heart pumping as you keep pace with the adventurers.

[Ree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story. New and refreshing.

[Kris Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this read, it was fun, easy to get into, and got me through a long flight in one sitting.

I feel it would have benefited from more in-depth characterisation - as it was, I felt the characters were a little underdeveloped, and there were several instances where grammar and punctuation could have been improved by a final edit. The ending felt quite rushed and abrupt, with more resolution needed to satisfy me, though it's not clear whether this is a reflection of the series continuing in other books. Even so, I didn't feel that the overarching arc within this book had reached a proper conclusion.

I would read more by Alaina Stanford in future!

[Chrissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read. Loved the idea, modern day people being hypnotised, and then going on the adventure of a lifetime without leaving their chair. With trolls, elves, witches and barbarians, to name a few, this book has all the usual suspects. Is this the newest craze for holidays for those too busy to take the time off work?? Or is this more than what it seems? Read and find out!

[Laurie Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

The thought of a hypnotic vacation intrigued me, as it did the adventurers. But when evil is involved things can go very wrong. Some can go right alo. Read this intriguing book to find out what happened.

[Mishka Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and it has really great potential!

The fact it was a shorter read also caught my interest as I do enjoy books I can get through quickly, but I thought it might have been a little too short. Some parts of the story needed explaining a little more, and the character’s reactions and interactions could have done with more information and writing on.

The writing itself was good, and the story flowed well. A few issues with punctuation and a few errors, but nothing that a fresh set of eyes couldn’t sort out.

At the beginning when the characters get transported into a new world, I loved the changes they went through. Though I did think the transformation Nicole went through was rather extreme and maybe should have been a bit slower, but I did enjoy the others, very clever characters.

It’s certainly a story I think could appeal to a range of people and with a bit of work could be a brilliant story!

[Ang · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had such promise, with a fun setting and an interesting way to jump from reality to fantasy. However, it seemed to be the first draft of an OCR conversion gone awry. In addition to the editing errors of 1 instead of l, weird spacing, and seeming random punctuation, the characters and plot were not well developed. It was often difficult to follow what was going on, and who was acting or thinking.

When offering a free book online as a sample of one's work, it should be of high quality to entice the reader to future purchases. After this experience, I doubt I will read this author again.

[CharleeMoo · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's was in interesting story, good start to a series. It needs some editing though, grammer and spelling. At one point instead of a "l" the author used an "1", which isn't big deal, but when you are looking at the text trying to figure out what is wrong...it's a little annoying.
It switches from character to character without warning so it's also confusing to tell who is talking/thinking.
However the plot line is good, and I would like to read another chapter in these characters lives. So many questions unanswered.

[Jeff Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this tale.. characters placed under hypnosis enter an epic fantasy adventure... However, I was disappointed that we never learn (in the first book) about the world they leave behind. It's a tale of the movie "Inception" meets "The Hobbit."

It was definitely compelling and kept me reading and fascinated.

On a down note, I was constantly distracted by the amount of typos. Needs a thorough editing.

[Bonnie Ferrante · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you aren't looking for depth, you might enjoy this book. The head hopping, verbose language, and clichéd writing make for a shallow read. The author prefers telling to showing, sometimes doing both. Even though this was a second edition, there were still editing problems. The premise was interesting but the plot became predictable. If you want a quick, simple adventure, this might be for you.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic plot idea of this story is an interesting idea, but that aside this is a horrible free Kindle book. Nicole is such a horrible, unsympathetic character that it is impossible to believe that she can suddenly change her personality halfway into the story. There are more books in this series, but I won't be buying any more.

[Tim Petersik · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not often that I'll review a book on any criteria other than the quality of the story, but in this case the abuse of English, spelling, and grammar was so painful that I couldn't begin to enjoy the story...whatever it was about.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I liked this book, but there were far too many punctuation and grammatical errors. The book clearly hadn't been proof-read. The idea was good and the characters were interesting, but the errors and constant POV switches made the book very difficult to read.