Torn

The Salzburg Saga #2

by D.U. Okonkwo

Librarian Note: This is the latest edition with updated cover from ASIN B01AQOJ47Y

After the plane crash, the survivors had hoped things wouldn’t get worse, but the events that soon occurred following the crash killed their hope.

Still stranded amidst the cold and isolated region of Austria’s back country with no sign of rescue, long-buried secrets begin to emerge. And as they come out, no longer is the unforgiving environment their only enemy.

But then the unexplainable happens, it leaves them facing a decision they never thought they would have to make…

Torn is the second book in the compelling Salzburg Saga trilogy.

Genres: Suspense, Contemporary

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2016

About the author

D. U. Okonkwo was born and raised in London. An avid reader from childhood, she began writing her own stories at the age of ten. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Business with Spanish from Salford University, and is currently working on her next novel.

Join D U.Okonkwo's Reader's Group for free content, exclusive news and sneak peaks at new books: http://eepurl.com/bbJ2CD

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranded in the middle of a frozen world, surviving in a frozen shelter, no water, no food and little hope of being rescued, the group of survivors slowly begin to come unraveled. Only the strength they share among each other is keeping them alive as nature plays a cruel game of survival of the fittest with this ragtag and broken group. Does the fear of death bring out the best in people or does it bring out the lies, and the hurt long buried deep within? If they survive the brutal environment, can they survive the brutal truths that open raw and angry sores?

How long will it be before they are found? Will it be in time? Are their families searching for them or have they given up and lost all hope? Tensions run hot, lives are at stake and decisions to stay or move on must be decided. What they need is faith that miracles are possible, what they need is faith in each other.

D.U. Okonkwo is back with the second book of her trilogy. Torn continues the gut-wrenching saga of survival, deceit and the confessions of past sins. Strong characters, emotional twists, despair and hope all play a part in this addition of a truly remarkable trilogy as strangers become dependent on each other to survive.

I received this copy from D.U. Okonkwo in exchange for my honest review.

Series: The Salzburg Saga - Book 2
Publisher: A Few Words Press Ltd; 1 edition (April 17, 2016)
Publication Date: April 17, 2016
Genre: Survival | Literary Fiction
Print Length: 228 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Marie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just going to say right up front, this was absolutely brilliant!

Incredible action/adventure with characters that were so well written that they felt lifelike!!

I was so totally engrossed in the story from the first chapter and proceeded to read straight through all three books within a few days!

Outstanding writing! I definitely recommend you all take a chance on this trilogy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elsbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues. And it's not getting easier... More secrets are revealed, more tension fills the snow cave. And help and freedom are so close, almost within reach...
I can't wait to read part 3!

[Bob Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book and the other one in the series and from that I am giving an honest review.

I really wanted to give these book 5 stars, honestly. It had a great story, lots of tension, great character development, all the things I look for in a book. Why give it 4 stars then. When I get to the end of a book I want an ending. This book leaves us with no resolution at all. It obviously sets up for book number 2 of the series which I received a review copy of also. But Book 2 does the same thing. Another great story where I am left hanging. Please make a bigger book or smaller story. I love the background of the characters, but I would take less if you could put the story in one book.

There is so much to be said for both of these books. They show people like they really are, even though they are in a surreal experience of a plane crash. People who do not like each other forced to work together for the good of all.

The cast is
The crew of the pilot, co-pilot, and the stewardess
The owner of a hotel chain and his two estranged sons
Three members of the lawyer team for the owner who he has invited to network with others. One has brought his wife and their infant child.
Nina's sister and twin brothers (Nina is one of the lawyers who had to raise the siblings when parents died) as well as her boyfriend
Various others who move in and out of the story.

Book 1 tells of the preparations for the flight, the takeoff and the crash. They are miles from anywhere and have no one to rely on but the pilot and one of the passengers. As noted in the cast above, they are an interesting collection, not for what they are, but for the secrets that they are hiding amongst themselves.

Book 2 continues with these secrets and the prospect that one of them may die because of the actions of another. Here is where the secrets start to come out and could tear apart the group.

I would recommend this set to others as soon as I would see that the third book was available and that it finished the story. There is no violence (though there really could be some) and a touch of a romance seems to be happening.

It is safe for all readers.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three books in this Saga basically form one continuous story. You will want to read these books back to back because of that. There is no segue. The first story stops abruptly and the next one continues. Torn is the second story in the series. The name is apropos because the second novel becomes the dynamic relationship interplay between the survivors of the plane crash in the frozen mountains of Austria that was introduced to us in Book 1.

In this second book, friendships fray under the strain of starvation and waiting for rescue; relationships in one family are going all wrong; new revelations crop up that take everyone by surprise; and tension mounts with the looming threat of death in one of the survivors suffering from hypothermia.

Book 1 was packed with action while book 2 is contemplative. It's a soap opera on steroids when veneers slip after being packed into a tight space together, wearing on the nerves. Tension and revelations take the reader to a whole new level of suspense. Book 1 sets up the situation, and Book 2 develops it and cranks it up a notch.

To me, this is all great writing. In addition, you now have another point of view when you add Nina's sister's perspective. She is home, waiting to hear from her sister, when she learns about the crash. Her brothers come home from their travels to sit with Hazel and the tension mounts as they wait to hear from rescuers' efforts.

Again, like book 1, I just couldn't put this book down. I wanted to read it from one end to the other. And again, the ending is abrupt, without any solid resolution. This is irritating to me, but when we finally get all three books together, it will read as one book seamlessly. All I can say is that I hope I don't have to wait very long.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from AXP Books on behalf of the author. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Maria Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up from 2.5 stars. I received this book for free and am voluntarily reviewing it.

I almost reduced the number of stars for the simple fact that I hate cliffhangers. I like books to resolve by the end and this has a blunt cutoff with no resolve at all. I could almost forgive it because I was given both book 1 and 2 so I could keep reading but it didn't really help since I don't have book 3 to resolve everything. I really don't think this needed to be told in three books. I think it could have been done in one even if it is a little longer. Since I read both 1 and 2 back to back this review is really about both of them.

I think the drama of the situation is interesting and made me want to keep reading to get to the resolve (which doesn't happen). I've never been in this kind of situation. I've never been in a plane crash, been lost with no food or survival items and never slept in a snow cave so maybe I'm just unaware but lots of this story seems like it might not be realistic. Like doesn't a plane have to file a flight plan so when the plane never arrived at the destination, wouldn't there be a search right off? Why did Jake not send a Mayday signal before the crash? They make the snow cave sound so warm and maybe it is by comparison but a quick google search says that they are usually just 32 to 40 degrees. It is still cold. Why didn't they sandwich Angela between bodies to try to keep her warmer? I don't think any of them were getting enough fluids but I'm pretty sure that Nina wasn't getting enough to keep up her milk supply enough to keep that little baby so happy. Those are just a few of my questions...

As for the angst.... there is a ton of it. Lots of anger and cutting words. And by the time I got through book 2 I started feeling that relationship-wise, this was getting to sound more and more like a soap opera. The last bomb dropping revelation was too much... And then again to be left with the cliffhanger... Ugh

[Moná · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot continues to thicken, as the survivors have to form a collective decision on their fate moving forward from this terrible circumstance. The inevitable choice between should they stay or should they go, that is the question.

In "Torn (The Salzburg Saga Book 2)", author D. U. Okonkwo continues where she left off by describing how the survivors from the jet crash are holding up. It looks better than expected in the early chapters until things get a bit nerve-wracking. Emily, the stewardess, was going through a dark time in her life, she lost the love of her life and best friend in the blink of an eye. Survival didn't matter to her if she was heartbroken from Hugh Drayton's outburst for attention that got them in this mess, to begin with. Her hate began eating away at her until she couldn't handle it anymore and decided to not remain amongst them. Other upsetting news found its way amongst the group of survivors and they did the best they could with learning the truths necessary. The author carried the remaining characters by adding in some drama that was occurring in each individual's life, bringing everything into the open and cause them to build a greater understanding for each other.

I'm enjoying this trilogy and this second book continues where it was left off in the last book, which is amazing. I'm learning more about each character's struggles and insecurities, building stronger connections, and acknowledging that no one is perfect. There was a shock that appeared while reading and I'm glad it played out the way it did. A demonstration of strength continues to appear throughout each scene with every character. I'm excited about the final book because this series is a page-turner that leaves you hanging on the last page until you start the next book. I recommend everyone to read all three books in this series, you won't be disappointed.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was literally on the edge of my seat reading Spiral. Catastrophic action with the plane crash, emotional crises with the families they left behind, the wild, crazy struggles of the back country near Salzburg and Kitzbuehl.

I've been left behind by a group in nearby Kopfstein. The avalanches shake and shatter everything for so many miles. You can hear the egocentric of the horns and the hounds of the Bergwache for many, many more. Again and again you think, they must be just over the next rise, and you see nothing but white, and no Ski Patrol. The echoes and the cold really put your nerves on edge.

The horror of a plane crash and the deaths of some of the party are even more haunting.

In the second book, Torn, the twisted connections are pains of the personal relationships of the survivors feel written very close to the skin.

New alliances and relationships are forged and tested, while others crumble. Emotionally very taxing.

I received and advanced copy of these books, and volunteered my honest review.

As elements and pressures build, Faith is discovered and tested.

A final cliffhanger left me disappointed in my hopes for resolution.

If you enjoy action packed stories of faith and struggle, this may be the book for you!

[Texas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Salzburg Saga Triology - I would have been highly peeved had I gotten only Spiral instead of all three parts of a chopped up book. Good themes but the writing is average and the dialogues are a bit off. With more experience, the writing style should improve.

Now, the author needs to research her topics better since there are several incorrect items in the first third alone. The second part lacks basic knowledge, like GPS, and research. Unfortunately, the third part rehashes parts one and two, with more pages spent in rehashing than in the rescue, the hospitalization, and life afterwards combined. Unbelievable. Proper editing would have fixed much of the problems in this story.

The story has good parts: secrets; family; honor; the discovery of the power of God through prayer. Plenty of soap opera, too. Source: Booksprout. 3*

SPIRAL, #1 - Cliffhanger.
TORN, #2 - Just ends.
AWAKEN, #3 - A large rehashing of parts 1 and 2. If the rehash had been edited out, then the few remaining pages combined with the two parts could be one book.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that is full of adventure and the characters as they try to survive after a plane crash. The relationships that develop between the characters is interesting to read since one of the characters is the father and includes his two sons. The dynamics of the situation are intense and keeps you hanging on as you try to survive with them. Hard to put these books down.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Really good plot to the story. Very well written. Would highly recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of stories. Can't wait to read more from this author. Fast paced to the end.

I received this free.

[Maureen Horswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed part 2 of this saga.
From the first book of individuals struggling to work together in the most appalling situation.
How family beliefs are not always what they seem.


I received this book for free and am voluntarily reviewing it

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good story with some good twists. I also liked the discussion of blame, guilt, responsibility and faith in God. I'm eager to find out what happens.