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Boreal and John Grey, Season One #5
The Truth
Centuries ago, they tried to invade us and failed. Now the elves are back.
Finn is on the run, shot and bleeding, and the police and military have launched a full manhunt for him — and now for Ella, too. In a mad race on rooftops, in streets and alleys, she puts her life on the line to find him before they do. Torn between duty and love, she must evade capture and also find a way to stop the elves, stop the Gates from opening, stop John Grey — and save him.
Finn is on the run, shot and bleeding, and the police and military have launched a full manhunt for him — and now for Ella, too. In a mad race on rooftops, in streets and alleys, she puts her life on the line to find him before they do. Torn between duty and love, she must evade capture and also find a way to stop the elves, stop the Gates from opening, stop John Grey — and save him.
- GenresUrban Fantasy
107 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2013
14 people want to read
About the author
Chrystalla Thoma
47 books211 followersAuthor with a penchant for dark myths and good food. I have proven my tendency to settle down anywhere but at home.
I like to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. I write fantasy and science fiction.
I like to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. I write fantasy and science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2018
Let me preface by saying that this novella didn't blow my mind. Thoma didn't throw in crazy plot devices to make her story seem more intense. Instead she wrote in a way that was consistently enjoyable. It's a straightforward adventure full of action, romance and mystery.
Every single one of these episodes encapsulate everything good about a regular length novel and condenses it into a compact novella. It's fantastic! There is no excess drama or unnecessary detail. It's just straight to the good stuff with these short stories and I love them to pieces.
Now this last installment may not mind freak me, but the way things play out and how the characters interact makes up for it in spades. Right from the start things begin in a less than stellar situation. Finn was just shot by Dave, who is a Guardian/robot, and made his escape out the window.
Ella's mental clouding has finally ceased and all she can think about is getting to him. He's wounded badly and needs medical attention. He could have fought back but he didn't. He never did! How could she ever have thought Finn might be duplicitous? So the first thing our heroine does is try to figure out a way to escape so she can help her long eared love.
Being such a crafty gal she quickly figures out how to leave her apartment building unnoticed by the guards stationed, but now she is considered a fugitive and is on the run from the police while she searches high and low for Finn. The cities are being patrolled and many of them are under lock down due to the gates opening and closing, dropping half summoned dead things in the streets. Usually dead things, anyway.
The stakes are high and the MC must use all her wits to stay ahead of the game. And that was an awesome aspect of this story. Never once is the reader every truly certain what is going to happen to Ella or Finn. I love that Thoma isn't obvious with her intentions. Other than Ella trying to save Finn and be with him, nothing is set in stone. It's awesome!
The mystery and tone of the book doesn't waver at all. It remains a delightful constant! Due to a stroke of luck some things surprisingly work in both Finn and Ella's favor, but there are still a lot of roadblocks ahead. Mostly Dave and all the guns pointed in their direction if things should go wrong.
After finding Finn on deaths door and doing what she can to ensure his well-being, they seem to be granted a small reprieve. There is some happiness gained at the end of episode 5, which was a nice touch. I am such a sucker for happy endings! However things aren't truly finished.
We get an 'ending' of sorts. Mostly just a few paragraphs to soothe our conscious while we wait for the next season. Not a lot gets revealed or solved in this novella. The only thing set in stone is that Finn and Ella need each other and that is enough for now. There is this tenuous peace that could be broken at any moment and there are still powers and nasties that want to get their hands on Finn. Time is of the essence!
I am content with how things wrapped up here. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger like the last one did, thank the stars! All in all it was a wonderful tale that had everything I could ever want in a story. Finn and Ella are together and that's good enough for now.
Every single one of these episodes encapsulate everything good about a regular length novel and condenses it into a compact novella. It's fantastic! There is no excess drama or unnecessary detail. It's just straight to the good stuff with these short stories and I love them to pieces.
Now this last installment may not mind freak me, but the way things play out and how the characters interact makes up for it in spades. Right from the start things begin in a less than stellar situation. Finn was just shot by Dave, who is a Guardian/robot, and made his escape out the window.
Ella's mental clouding has finally ceased and all she can think about is getting to him. He's wounded badly and needs medical attention. He could have fought back but he didn't. He never did! How could she ever have thought Finn might be duplicitous? So the first thing our heroine does is try to figure out a way to escape so she can help her long eared love.
Being such a crafty gal she quickly figures out how to leave her apartment building unnoticed by the guards stationed, but now she is considered a fugitive and is on the run from the police while she searches high and low for Finn. The cities are being patrolled and many of them are under lock down due to the gates opening and closing, dropping half summoned dead things in the streets. Usually dead things, anyway.
The stakes are high and the MC must use all her wits to stay ahead of the game. And that was an awesome aspect of this story. Never once is the reader every truly certain what is going to happen to Ella or Finn. I love that Thoma isn't obvious with her intentions. Other than Ella trying to save Finn and be with him, nothing is set in stone. It's awesome!
The mystery and tone of the book doesn't waver at all. It remains a delightful constant! Due to a stroke of luck some things surprisingly work in both Finn and Ella's favor, but there are still a lot of roadblocks ahead. Mostly Dave and all the guns pointed in their direction if things should go wrong.
After finding Finn on deaths door and doing what she can to ensure his well-being, they seem to be granted a small reprieve. There is some happiness gained at the end of episode 5, which was a nice touch. I am such a sucker for happy endings! However things aren't truly finished.
We get an 'ending' of sorts. Mostly just a few paragraphs to soothe our conscious while we wait for the next season. Not a lot gets revealed or solved in this novella. The only thing set in stone is that Finn and Ella need each other and that is enough for now. There is this tenuous peace that could be broken at any moment and there are still powers and nasties that want to get their hands on Finn. Time is of the essence!
I am content with how things wrapped up here. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger like the last one did, thank the stars! All in all it was a wonderful tale that had everything I could ever want in a story. Finn and Ella are together and that's good enough for now.
July 8, 2018
See my review of the complete Boreal and John Grey Season 1 collection including The Encounter, The Gate, The Dragon, The Dream and The Truth.
August 15, 2016
This is a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed "Episodes" 1 & 2 more than 3 & 4, but at least this, "Episode" 5, recaptured the good pacing of 1 & 2 as well as their visceral urban feel combined with more magic and elves. It also brought closure to a lot of questions and made me feel more for all of the characters.
I do still wish that certain things had been made clear sooner in the series, though, in order to give readers an earlier "in". Simple things like the characters' ages, and more detail about the workings of the Paranormal Bureau. But all in all, this is a good 5-part tale (which is now available in 1 full set, finally). That being said, I don't think I'm interested in continuing on with "Season 2".
I do still wish that certain things had been made clear sooner in the series, though, in order to give readers an earlier "in". Simple things like the characters' ages, and more detail about the workings of the Paranormal Bureau. But all in all, this is a good 5-part tale (which is now available in 1 full set, finally). That being said, I don't think I'm interested in continuing on with "Season 2".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews