Illuminarium

Soliloquy's Labyrinth #1

by Truth Devour

I began to live within my continuum of potential upon awakening to my own limitations of sight, sound and an altered understanding of everything previously believed to be known.

The world I thought I knew is nothing but a mask of shadows skulking through a never ending labyrinth of deception and lies. Are you who you really are or who they want you to think you are?

Understanding does not by default equate to truth because perspective will always be a relative state of shifting sands founded on our limited knowledge at any given point within a spectrum of time.

Change is inevitable.

Are you ready?

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2015

About the author

Truth Devour is the pen name of an Australian born author who has published works available through various online stores. The pen name Truth Devour was created from the authors life philosophy of devour thy own truth. It stood as a reminder that in a world filled with deception, misleads and lies one should consider ensuring never buying into a false portrayal of themselves. Lie if you must but never to yourself.

Devour thy own truth ~ embrace it ~ live it ~ love it.

Truth Devour has been telling stories, writing them, dreaming about them before she could crawl. She has immersed herself in all elements of life that stimulate the imagination and inspires her creative expression. Writing, reading, music, poetry, photography and painting are just a few of the spaces she tends to dabble within. Its her passion & a joy.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/Truth-Devour...

TWITTER https://twitter.com/truthdevour_

GOOGLE+ https://plus.google.com/+TruthDevour/...

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/truthdevour/

PINTEREST https://www.pinterest.com/truthdevour/

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0u-...

LINKEDIN https://au.linkedin.com/in/truth-devo...

TUMBLR http://truthdevour.tumblr.com

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inventive and creative come to mind when thinking of Truth Devour’s Illuminarium. As the series name suggests, this is a journey through a labyrinth of feelings, questions, actions and reactions as the horrors one young boy faced touch the lives of those he has never met.

Truth Devour takes us through a beautiful redwood forest, through an ugly past filled with struggling poverty, hidden secrets and plot passages that become like living and breathing entities. Harper is a forensic psychologist who has been witness to some of life’s most hideous moments. To have time to heal, Parker has taken a vacation where an unusual book becomes an all-consuming focus as it details the life of one young boy called York as he faces the horrors of life in a sanitarium. His story is one of the struggles between good and evil, bringing Harper into a journey along with him. How far will this incredible connection take them?

Sit back, take a deep breath and plunge in, follow the cadence of Truth Devour’s words, let them flow through and steer you through this fantasy read unlike any I have read before. Brilliant detail, incredible imagination, Truth Devour is a master wordsmith, deftly juggling the larger story while unfolding the second story within. Pay attention, there is so much to discover in Truth Devour’s world, which is fluff free, but completely fascinating and totally unique.

I received this review copy from Truth Devour in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars

Series: Soliloquy's Labyrinth Five - Book 1
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publication Date: May 24, 2015
Publisher: Truth Devour
ISBN: 978-0-99229996-5
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Pages: 225
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Start to a New Series!
This is the first chance that I've had to read anything by this author. I am so glad that I picked this one up, honestly I was originally drawn in by the beautiful and unique cover, and in this case judging a book by it's cover really worked out for me. I am a big fan of the supernatural, and urban fantasy, this book also has the elements of a thriller and I absolutely love this book, the author's writing is amazing, with a very unique voice, and is so totally descriptive and imaginative and really drew me in, I got so lost in the book that before I realized that hours had passed, I was all the way through. I just couldn't put it down, I had to know what was coming next. I love the main character Harper who is smart, strong an witty. I don't want to say much more for fear of letting slip any spoilers, but let me tell you that this book is most definitely worth the read! I can't wait to read more from this very talented author.

[Arun Kornath · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like supernatural and thrillers this is the one for you. The author is well read and innovative and the books tells you that. This book is about Harper and her spiritual transformation if you want to call it that way. Its a bit disturbing to start with(definitely not for the faint hearted) but then Harper keeps you engaged till the end. I cant wait to read the second book of the series to take me on a another journey of Good vs Evil.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a cover and what a book! Illuminarium: Book 1 - Soliloquy's Labyrinth Series by Truth Devour is a book that goes beyond a page turner. This book had me glued to it and I didn't want to put it down: I had to know what was next and where it was going. This fictional, urban legion type book is not for the faint of heart as it does contain some gore and adult subject matter but even the swearing is done in a way that it is somewhat what you would expect in the situation and is realistic for the characters.

Something that makes this book unique is that it is a story within a story. When the main character, Harper, finds a book and starts to read it, it tells a story of what is happening to York, the main character who is eventually taken to mental institution instead of an orphanage when his mother had to split the family up. Although what happened to York had happened in the past, Harper reading it throughout the story makes both these stories happening simultaneously. The way it was done is not confusing, brilliant the way one story affects what is happening to Harper, and it is amazing the way these two stories have connections. That doesn't even take in account for the supernatural, crime, mystery, and everything else involved in the stories.

Everything in the book is not dark, at times it even makes me laugh since Harper is quite the comedian. She strikes me as the kind of person who can tell someone off without them even being aware of it. She is serious and all business at times while she can be quite the prankster and comical at others. She is extremely intelligent and knows things that most do not or even believe in: possessions and reincarnation being some of them. I don't want to write any spoilers so I am limiting it to just that but there is much more.

Speaking of characters, all the major ones (both in the story and the book Harper is reading) were developed into multi-denominational characters although not everything about them is known (after all this is a series) while the minor characters were certainly developed enough to make sense out of who they were and what was going on, time wasn't wasted developing them instead it was concentrated on keeping the stories forward moving and interesting.

The multi-plot on all its levels were easy to understand and the book always stayed on focus with it. At times I may have questioned if I was just taken off in another direction but after reading on I realized I was not and it was always on target. Because this is a series, some things may not be clear yet but enough is known to totally make sense and have satisfaction with reading this first book.

If there were any errors in the story, I was so engrossed in it that I didn't notice any. I do know the different characters were all with their own drawl or way of speaking so some 'off' sounding sentences were done on purpose because that is the way they spoke: 'fer' instead of 'for'. I did not notice any format issues either.

I recommend this book to all adults who like supernatural, urban legion type books that have mystery, gore, and thrills.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and more at: www.triviaandbafflebookreviews.com

Illuminarium, written under the pseudonym Truth Devour, is one of this author's many successes. This is the first release in what the author has named Soliloquy's Labyrinth Series.

In summary, the main character, Harper, seems to be the center of a universal war for balance that spans multiple life times. We learn along the way that she is the tipping point for all to come. Called the Key of Wills, she quote, "Is a saint and a sinner, and is balanced on neither one side or the other."

A key note for understanding this novel, and its subsequent sequels, is that it molds itself to a variation of reincarnation. This is where the multiple life times comes into play.

The keystone event of this novel. The initial push that sends us on this spiraled adventure is the discovery of a book called the Illuminarium, and the tale that only she can read. As we watch Harper grow and change, she reads about a young boy named York, who is severely introverted, and seems to be another integral part of the events that are unfolding.

Maybe the most disturbing part of this novel is its realistic description of the evil in Vernon, a convicted murderer and rapist on death row, who's sole purpose is to tip Harper over to their side by letting her anger rule her.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, with all of its twists and turns. It delves into the psyche and lets readers understand that the little things matter. A negative factor in my opinion of Illuminarium is its mild use of foul and inappropriate language. I understand that it could have been a hundred times worse; however, in this instance it accurately describes the people who the author has speak in such a way.

Good vs. Evil. To quote everybody's favorite, motherly teapot, "A tale as old as time."

~ Baffle ~

[We Said It: Literary Reviews w/ Ts Blogging · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Publisher’s Read
Illuminarium (Soliloquy’s Labyrinth Series Book 1) by Truth Devour

Reviewed by K. Royce
10/30/15
8:00 p.m.

Imagine walking along a path, only to find that this path is going to change your life forever. That is exactly what happened to Harper while hiking in the woods. She happened upon a mysterious owl who led her to an even more mysterious book, a memoir of a young boy. Harper quickly feels this book was meant for her and it touches the very heart of her soul. She decides to follow the journey it has started for her, which introduces some friendly and unfriendly faces. Nonetheless, she decides to continue onward, after all this feels like destiny.

Truth Devour has written an amazing paranormal fiction/fantasy thriller. I devoured it (Oh yeah, pun intended). The descriptions quickly draw the reader in and does not let go until the final word on the last page. Like every paranormal story it has a language that is confusing at first, but almost right away it is explained. The story is so fantastic you almost don’t even care that you have no idea what they are talking about.

This captivating story will keep you rushing along with Harper and her friends the entire time. Illuminarium is the perfect set up for the remaining books in this series, the time spent on character development is obvious; Harper is a dynamic heroine that all people can relate to on some level.

Author Truth Devour has started a story that I have no doubt will keep readers guessing up until the very end. The very night that I finished the story I went out and bought book 2, try not to do it yourself, I bet you can’t.

I give this story 5 out of 5. I also recommend it for Publisher’s Read.

Enjoy!

K. Royce
www.mcpub.blogspot.com

[Liz Vinc · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Illuminarium (book 1 in the Soliloquy Labyrinth Series)," by Truth Devour, is a fantasy/paranormal novel with a thought-provoking philosophical theme. The reader follows a psychologist, Harper, as she journeys into a mysterious world, explores her past, and finds herself in the midst of a push-and-pull conflict between good and evil. With descriptive, philosophical writing, Devour manages to draw the reader into the main character’s mind as she navigates a variety of abstract concepts and ideas. The main character possesses a thirst for knowledge that is insatiable, despite struggling to see beauty in the world, at times. As readers, we are exposed to important ideas about introspection and moving forward while being entertained with a fascinating plot. A powerful, thought-provoking novel, I’d recommend “Illuminarium” to everyone who wants to read paranormal fiction that’ll make them think. For those interested, a free sample chapter of the book is available in pdf format on the book's Goodreads page.

[Buddhika Sampath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story took me on a fantastical journey where the adventure into paranormal circumstances became plausible. Truth Devour's take on reincarnation with the added layers of intrigue held me guessing where the series may lead across the next four books.

It is rare to have me so captivated that I felt the scenes playing out before me as the words fell off the page with such vivid imagery. I could smell the lavender in the fields. There was a distinct joy in not knowing where Devour was taking us with her lead character and a total delight in the indulgence of the development of other characters which no doubt will hold a pivotal role across the series.

This book is certainly worth a read and Truth Devour is an author to watch. She is clearly going from strength to strength. I cannot wait to see this series unfolds. No doubt it will leave us aching for more.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts with Harper who is on a vacation and hiking through the woods, when she sees an owl. She sees the owl as a sign and follows it to where a book is hidden. She sits down to enjoy a book that seems to be written about a young boys life many years prior. This is where the adventure begins.

This is a great fantasy book that takes you through many lives, both past and present, and how we are all intertwined. It is written from Harper's point of view, so you really get inside her head and know how she's feeling. I love that it is was written from her point of view! This is the first book in a series and this particular part of the story ends, but it is not a stand alone. You will need to continue on with the series to see where everything takes you.

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say I really loved reading this book. The setting is so clear, and the plot so unique. I think my favorite part of the book was the characters. The author managed to skilfully bring life to all the characters in the book. I absolutely loved Harper, the main character. She was such a tower of feminine strength, and determination. This book had really exactly what one would look for in a great book. There was heartbreak, friendship, sadness, all these emotions that made these characters so very easy to relate to. Then there is the story of York. It was so touching. It was quite a unique experience to be a part of each and every character's experience within the book. Very good book.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Copy for Review

In a world where nothing is what it seems. We are drawn into a world where things are hidden in the shadow and the truth is hidden by lies.

An adventure within each other as you are not quite sure what it is real or is it all an alter ego taking place at times. Can it be all just all illusion that we make to appear?

An engrossing read as we are never quite sure who will pop up next like the appearance of the dairy which most see as empty. Truth and fiction collide into a world of a adventure, can it be all just a vivid dream?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Illuminarium is book 1 in new series by author Truth Devour. The book is well written and the lead character does draw you into the story. I've not made my mind up whether she is mental unstable or if the events are actually happening. It's a good read.