Parallel, the latest piece of brilliance from the mind of L.J. Stock, is a novel that you won't want to put down. So if you plan to pick up a copy, don't expect to get anything done until you've finished. The hangover I've been nursing since I finished reading it is of the epic variety.
There is almost nothing that this book doesn't have: wonderful, well rounded and interesting characters, snappy dialogue, a world you will never want to leave, forbidden love that you just can't help pulling for, (no matter how much you want to save the world), and a bad guy you can really get your teeth into hating.
It has all of this and so much more.
I've always wondered when reading certain fantasy novels, how so much can come from the mind of one person, and here is another that will always blow me away. In Mortisali, L.J. Stock has created an entire world, complete with history and customs. The mythology is well researched and cleverly used for the purposes of the story. And the descriptions of the world you step into are so rich and diverse that you will truly believe that you've left the real world and stepped right into the pages with Cass and the gang.
But what good is a magical land that you want to visit, without characters you want to hang out with? Well, fear not because Parallel is littered with fantastic people whose lives you become so ensconced in that it becomes a challenge to remember to do anything but keep turning pages.
Cassandra Collier is one of the best written, well rounded female characters I have ever had the privilege to read about. She hasn't had an easy life, yet she's retained her feisty kick ass attitude and a formidable sense of humour. She loves hard and makes no apology for who she is, and quite rightly so. In Cassandra, L.J. has created a female character that any woman can identify with on some level and all young girls can look up to. We are living in a world that increasingly seems to put image and possessions above all else. Cass is a breath of fresh air, who cares little for how she looks in favour of the, to me, far more admirable qualities of courage, loyalty, self sacrifice and above all else, love. With the bonds of friendship and love that she develops seamlessly throughout the story, her resolve to do what must be done grows and grows, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you watch her developing into a formidable woman you will want to emulate.
In order to avoid spoilers, I won't comment too much on the other characters in the story, but I will say that each and every one of them is well written, with individual quirks, and sharp tongues that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. L.J's ability to create characters that you just can't help wanting to hang out with is becoming legendary. Damon, Alexa, Zander, Rasmus, Acantha, Melody, and many more, you will desperately want to go to Mortisali just so that you can be best friend to all of them.
The story itself is compelling and brilliant. You are already so invested in both the world and the characters by the time the story revs up to its climax that you find yourself lost in the moment, gasping, sobbing and wielding imaginary swords as you read. There were times during my first read when I looked up and was surprised to find that I wasn't in Mortisali after all. THAT is a formidable skill for a writer and one that L.J. has in spades. Because make no mistake, Mortisali is an amazing place that I wish existed in the real world, but, like any good magical land, it also has a bad guy who gives Voldemort a run for his money. You will love to hate him and his band of followers and, like me, you will find yourself wanting to bang down L.J's door so you can fall to your knees and beg for the next instalment.
I cannot effuse enough about my enjoyment of this book and my love for Cass and the gang. This is L.J's masterpiece. Just like Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, or any of the magical lands we've all visited a thousand times in our imaginations, Mortisali is somewhere we will want to go back to time and time again.