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Tainted
Astin Fell lives a normal life as a struggling barista until, one night, he suddenly sprouts wings and horns. Astin has "expressed" as an Other, a mythological creature trapped in a human shell. The problem is, no one seems to know just what kind of creature he is. To make matters worse, he's drawn the attention of the Taint, an ancient horror devouring the universe one tiny piece at a time. Whatever it consumes, it adds to its army—permanently.
And it's hell bent on making Astin its next victim.
Thrown headfirst into a world where creatures of myth hide among society, Astin must learn to use his new powers while staying one step ahead of the Taint. He'll have help: Nemesis, the shotgun toting, bike riding Goddess of Vengeance; Claudia Fischer, a woman with three souls bonded inside her; his nightmarish vampyre ex-girlfriend; and his telepathic house cat. But if Astin and his friends can't unravel the dark conspiracy lurking among the Other, the extradimensional horrors will devour them... and then, the entire city.
And it's hell bent on making Astin its next victim.
Thrown headfirst into a world where creatures of myth hide among society, Astin must learn to use his new powers while staying one step ahead of the Taint. He'll have help: Nemesis, the shotgun toting, bike riding Goddess of Vengeance; Claudia Fischer, a woman with three souls bonded inside her; his nightmarish vampyre ex-girlfriend; and his telepathic house cat. But if Astin and his friends can't unravel the dark conspiracy lurking among the Other, the extradimensional horrors will devour them... and then, the entire city.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2016
21 people want to read
About the author
H.C. Cavall
1 book8 followersLittle is known of H.C. Cavall, except that he is a fantasy writer and author of the "Astin Fell" series. Some say he is a dark occultist that weaves the very fabric of reality into his books. Others say he enjoys mythology, coffee, and spending time with his cats. The world may never know for sure.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 19, 2019
I really enjoyed Tainted by H.C. Cavall! This demon slaying adventure follows Astin as he develops special powers and must contend with otherworldly horrors. Nothing necessarily special on that front, but Cavall’s writing is really fun, witty, and perfectly descriptive. This novel was fast-paced and left me wanting more in a good way! Great for any Supernatural fans out there!
November 22, 2017
A easy read with a fun cast of characters. Because of that there wasn't really a dull moment. Either because of the action or the way Astin interacted with those around him. A lot of humor, a really enjoyable book. I loved to see more Buddy in the future.
May 13, 2018
Its like finding a turntable AND receiver at goodwill for dirt cheap. Its like opening your freezer and finding a FULL ice tray AND popsicles. An author that stays OUT of the story while the characters and dialogue feel NATURAL. Cheers.
November 21, 2016
I voluntarily reviewed a complementary copy of this book.
This was actually a surprisingly good read. A little lax in feeling a good connection with the characters, especially when the author threw in a little bit of romance.
This was a lot of fantasy but it was done in a way that wasn’t overwhelming. Not my favorite book, it was just a little fast and abrupt in some places so, it’s not a five star for me but it’s a really good book all-in-all.
Even when they were trying to find out what exactly Astin was, it wasn’t boring. It was funny, had great dialogue between the characters, the cover is a bit creepy but gives the reader an idea about what the Taint kind of looks like.
The pace was, as I said, a little fast and abrupt but otherwise it was a good pace for the story, getting a lot in while keeping it fun to read. A great action-packed story with lots of creatures and creepy crawly ooze. I would love to see more from this author, maybe there’s a five star in the next book?
Thank you for reading my review.
-Sam
This was actually a surprisingly good read. A little lax in feeling a good connection with the characters, especially when the author threw in a little bit of romance.
This was a lot of fantasy but it was done in a way that wasn’t overwhelming. Not my favorite book, it was just a little fast and abrupt in some places so, it’s not a five star for me but it’s a really good book all-in-all.
Even when they were trying to find out what exactly Astin was, it wasn’t boring. It was funny, had great dialogue between the characters, the cover is a bit creepy but gives the reader an idea about what the Taint kind of looks like.
The pace was, as I said, a little fast and abrupt but otherwise it was a good pace for the story, getting a lot in while keeping it fun to read. A great action-packed story with lots of creatures and creepy crawly ooze. I would love to see more from this author, maybe there’s a five star in the next book?
Thank you for reading my review.
-Sam
October 7, 2016
I usually don’t read a lot within the fantasy genre, mostly because I don’t have the patience for a lot of the world-building and characters with strange names that are hard to pronounce and even harder to remember. (What can I say? I’m easily distracted.) Tainted definitely fits that description, but my normal aversion to the genre and tedious process of explaining everything necessary to follow the story was overcome by the very likeable cast of characters, witty dialogue, solid writing and brisk pace of the storytelling. Full review on the blog: http://www.knockinbooks.com/reviews/t...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews