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The Ram
What if the question
“What’s Your Sign?”
could get you killed?
The days of Aries have arrived.
The first message is a belated birthday card. Riley Wanner ignores the strange missive from an unknown sender, instead focusing on his unraveling life. An accident has him questioning his work, relationships with women, and sordid addictions. He obsesses over a stripper to escape his miserable circumstances. But the unsettling notes keep coming.
Fate plays out in the stars overhead.
Peach Barrow yearns to lead a life of ritual and spirit. Stunted by self-doubt and her past, she struggles to create a new personality. An intriguing woman invades her thoughts, inspiring Peach to take daring action to change her life. However, her transformation will be anything but easy.
Hidden connections simmer under lifetimes of lies.
The woman they crave is one and the same. As they vie for her attention, their hometown erupts with bizarre events, strange signs and spontaneous mayhem. There is no telling who will win when the game is just beginning.
Some must die in order for others to thrive.
“What’s Your Sign?”
could get you killed?
The days of Aries have arrived.
The first message is a belated birthday card. Riley Wanner ignores the strange missive from an unknown sender, instead focusing on his unraveling life. An accident has him questioning his work, relationships with women, and sordid addictions. He obsesses over a stripper to escape his miserable circumstances. But the unsettling notes keep coming.
Fate plays out in the stars overhead.
Peach Barrow yearns to lead a life of ritual and spirit. Stunted by self-doubt and her past, she struggles to create a new personality. An intriguing woman invades her thoughts, inspiring Peach to take daring action to change her life. However, her transformation will be anything but easy.
Hidden connections simmer under lifetimes of lies.
The woman they crave is one and the same. As they vie for her attention, their hometown erupts with bizarre events, strange signs and spontaneous mayhem. There is no telling who will win when the game is just beginning.
Some must die in order for others to thrive.
306 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2016
63 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Erica Crockett
7 books9 followersErica Crockett knew she wanted to be a writer as soon as she could chew on a pencil. Chemicals is the passion-fueled result of practicing her craft. She's hard at work finishing her twelve-book series, The Blood Zodiac, the first volume slated for release in Spring 2015. When she's not penning novels, she's writing comics and short stories or traveling the globe. She resides in Boise, Idaho, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 30, 2017
Not my cup of tea.
Though I try to find redeeming qualities in all books, I came away feeling I wasted my time with this story, and it makes me sad to turn in a bad review. It's just my opinion, and I am not trying to hurt the author. It was just so depressing and without any positive conclusion.... Sorry, thumbs down on this one.
Though I try to find redeeming qualities in all books, I came away feeling I wasted my time with this story, and it makes me sad to turn in a bad review. It's just my opinion, and I am not trying to hurt the author. It was just so depressing and without any positive conclusion.... Sorry, thumbs down on this one.
May 28, 2017
Good read
The Ram is a story about a psychologist with issues, big issues. I won't spoil the plot but she believes the stars will help her find the person she is destined to be no matter the sacrifice. I am looking forward to reading the Bull and finding out what happens next.
The Ram is a story about a psychologist with issues, big issues. I won't spoil the plot but she believes the stars will help her find the person she is destined to be no matter the sacrifice. I am looking forward to reading the Bull and finding out what happens next.
February 3, 2018
I met the author at our local Library Comic Con. It took a while to get into it and found the chapters with the two main characters too short and the back and forth was a little too much. But I stuck with it and i was sucked in. It got very interesting mid book and I couldn't wait to finish it.
March 29, 2020
Gripping
Wow a great story that teases so much to get you hooked and then the book ends, leaving you wanting to read more and I will. Great book and I can't wait to find out more about the characters.
Wow a great story that teases so much to get you hooked and then the book ends, leaving you wanting to read more and I will. Great book and I can't wait to find out more about the characters.
November 25, 2019
No astrology there for me.
March 29, 2016
The Ram is the start of an ambitious twelve-part series, patterned after the mythology of the Zodiac. It is a dark tale, intended for mature readers, for its language, adult themes, sexual situations, and graphic violence. The writing is careful and beautiful as the two central characters--the story alternates between their perspectives--explore their separate identity crises.
On one side we have Riley Wanner, a former lawyer, who at the start of the novel has a job in an industrial plant. An accident which leaves him injured prompts him to make some changes in his life. Feeling less a man after the accident, he obsesses about an exotic dancer and feels that seducing her will help him hold onto his masculinity. In the meantime, someone has set a site on him, sending him a series of ominous cards in the mail.
On the other side of the story, Peach Barrow, a young social worker, decides that she must undergo a transformation, signaled first by the shaving of her hair. From the beginning I suspected there was something sinister about this change. Erica Crockett has the gift of careful, detailed description, and when she applies this talent to such subject matter, the result is dark and eerie. In her quest for self-realization, becoming "Perfect Peach," Peach also latches onto the same dancer that Riley's targets.
So who is this dancer? Does Riley connect with her? Or does Peach? What's up with the strange cards? How do all these seemingly disparate elements intersect?
Throughout the story Erica Crockett also carefully lays references both to the biology and mythologies surrounding rams. The greatest image is lambs used as sacrifices--which leads to the final chilling scene. The Blood Zodiac promises to be a grand, disturbing series.
On one side we have Riley Wanner, a former lawyer, who at the start of the novel has a job in an industrial plant. An accident which leaves him injured prompts him to make some changes in his life. Feeling less a man after the accident, he obsesses about an exotic dancer and feels that seducing her will help him hold onto his masculinity. In the meantime, someone has set a site on him, sending him a series of ominous cards in the mail.
On the other side of the story, Peach Barrow, a young social worker, decides that she must undergo a transformation, signaled first by the shaving of her hair. From the beginning I suspected there was something sinister about this change. Erica Crockett has the gift of careful, detailed description, and when she applies this talent to such subject matter, the result is dark and eerie. In her quest for self-realization, becoming "Perfect Peach," Peach also latches onto the same dancer that Riley's targets.
So who is this dancer? Does Riley connect with her? Or does Peach? What's up with the strange cards? How do all these seemingly disparate elements intersect?
Throughout the story Erica Crockett also carefully lays references both to the biology and mythologies surrounding rams. The greatest image is lambs used as sacrifices--which leads to the final chilling scene. The Blood Zodiac promises to be a grand, disturbing series.
March 23, 2016
I was a little wary about giving The Ram a try. Usually suspense and thriller books just aren't my thing, but when I saw the interesting cover and read that the plot incorporated myth and astrology, I thought I'd give it a whirl...and I sure am glad I did.
The short, face-paced chapters kept me turning the virtual pages on my ereader well into the night. I couldn't stop reading about the main characters. Just when I thought I had a handle on what might be going on, Riley and Peach would zig when I thought they would zag. Both characters are flawed but interesting, engaging in questionable activities and working for their own interests. It isn't until the dynamic climax that we get a real picture of what some of those motives might be...
When I read the last page I already missed Peach and Riley. With the reveal at the end, I'm eager to see how things evolve for both of them. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the Blood Zodiac series.
I also appreciate the book's great writing which doesn't at all interfere with the entertaining plot. Erica Crockett has done a wonderful job of putting together a tale that zips along while at the same time nodding to deeper meanings under the surface. I want to look more into astrology now to see what I might be able to decipher from some of the odd events of The Ram.
Overall, a fascinating and provocative read layered with sex, chaos and ritual. If you want a thriller that doesn't lean heavily on the tired plot lines a lot of authors rehash, give The Ram a shot. The work and research put into it is evident. Bring on the whole series, I can't wait!
The short, face-paced chapters kept me turning the virtual pages on my ereader well into the night. I couldn't stop reading about the main characters. Just when I thought I had a handle on what might be going on, Riley and Peach would zig when I thought they would zag. Both characters are flawed but interesting, engaging in questionable activities and working for their own interests. It isn't until the dynamic climax that we get a real picture of what some of those motives might be...
When I read the last page I already missed Peach and Riley. With the reveal at the end, I'm eager to see how things evolve for both of them. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the Blood Zodiac series.
I also appreciate the book's great writing which doesn't at all interfere with the entertaining plot. Erica Crockett has done a wonderful job of putting together a tale that zips along while at the same time nodding to deeper meanings under the surface. I want to look more into astrology now to see what I might be able to decipher from some of the odd events of The Ram.
Overall, a fascinating and provocative read layered with sex, chaos and ritual. If you want a thriller that doesn't lean heavily on the tired plot lines a lot of authors rehash, give The Ram a shot. The work and research put into it is evident. Bring on the whole series, I can't wait!
August 25, 2016
I have to agree with other reviewers, this is certainly setting itself up to be an ambitious work. It is also intriguing - so much so that I immediately purchased the second book.
So, why only 3 stars? Because 5 star books are pretty much unforgettable classics of their genre, 4 stars are getting close.
This book, for all of its well-thought out plan lacks the execution and polish of a higher rating. The storyline literally doesn't start rolling until the last 4 pages of Cycle 1. Fine with me, because I'm a dedicated reader. However, this could cause others frustration and they might not give the series the chance it deserves.
For all but those last few pages, this book reads like a fever dream, weird images and events piling onto each other. This is not a bad thing - it's what prompted me to go ahead and purchase Cycle 2.
Still, the pace is slower than I expected. The writing in parts is clunky and awkward. There is a tendency to misuse "whom" in places. Like all indie pubs (and all books I've read in the recent past), it needs better editing. Where are all the editors? Someone should do an expose on their disappearance.
One indie series I started reading started with a 5-star bang and then dwindled to 2 by the end of book 4 and my following of it. Though this series starts with 3 stars, I fully expect it to rise as it goes along.
True rating: 3.5 stars
So, why only 3 stars? Because 5 star books are pretty much unforgettable classics of their genre, 4 stars are getting close.
This book, for all of its well-thought out plan lacks the execution and polish of a higher rating. The storyline literally doesn't start rolling until the last 4 pages of Cycle 1. Fine with me, because I'm a dedicated reader. However, this could cause others frustration and they might not give the series the chance it deserves.
For all but those last few pages, this book reads like a fever dream, weird images and events piling onto each other. This is not a bad thing - it's what prompted me to go ahead and purchase Cycle 2.
Still, the pace is slower than I expected. The writing in parts is clunky and awkward. There is a tendency to misuse "whom" in places. Like all indie pubs (and all books I've read in the recent past), it needs better editing. Where are all the editors? Someone should do an expose on their disappearance.
One indie series I started reading started with a 5-star bang and then dwindled to 2 by the end of book 4 and my following of it. Though this series starts with 3 stars, I fully expect it to rise as it goes along.
True rating: 3.5 stars
March 24, 2016
Being an Aries I was curious about this book. I'm not into Astrology, but I do love a good story! Erica Crockett does a wonderful job introducing her characters in this tale. Giving tidbits of their past, present, and desires for their future that make them seem very real to me. Peach wants to better herself, but isn't sure she can. Riley wants life to be what it used to be: easier. Each having their motivations that eventually cause their paths to cross. What I really enjoy is the mystery, the hints of the big picture event, and I wonder where it is all leading! I can't wait for the next installment!
March 23, 2016
This is a merciless book. It doesn't care about what is expected, it acts of it's own accord. Reading this book starts you out with the grizzly then quickly shifts to the mundane... but with undertones of darkness and mystery. Frustration. Puzzlement. Elation. The pace is frantic and just as you settle in to what you expect the story to be, it shifts. Then it ends. I think I need another hit! And a towel. And a cigarette.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews