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Falling Awake #2
Revenant
Andrew O’Donnell’s childhood friend, Thomas, was murdered when they were ten years old. Nightmares and guilt have plagued Andrew ever since. And he believes himself responsible for delivering Thomas into the very hands of the men who committed the atrocity.Now, fourteen years later, Andrew is driven to uncover the mystery of what really happened to Thomas, the reason behind the brutal abduction, and whether the assailants—who were never caught—have set their sights on someone else.Even the help of an unlikely ally may not be enough to stop the darkness, the threat of what it will do to them in this life…or the next.
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Published June 19, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 15, 2018
I sat on this review for a few days, hoping I would have the words.
I don't have the words. Sorry, Kristoffer.
But I promised a review, so I'll do my best to somewhat coherently tell you about this book. First off, this is not a romance. This is a thriller/mystery/paranormal/horror kind of book, and a prequel of sorts to the first book, Falling Awake. If you've read that first one, this second book will give you the background information that you wanted but didn't need for the first book.
When Andrew O'Connell was ten years old, he went to the fair with his friend Thomas, also ten. The night after they went, Thomas was abducted from his house in the middle of night, his parents slain in their bed. Thomas was found dead a few days later in an abandoned house. And for fourteen years, Andrew has felt unimaginably guilty, because he believes that what happened to Thomas was his fault. He has nightmares nearly every night, and he will not stop until he can figure out what really happened to Thomas, and find the men who so brutally killed his friend.
Andrew now works for OSHA, tasked with travelling to areas where an accident has occurred to find out what really happened, to smoke out the truth, always one step behind the elusive person responsible. At the same time, Andrew tries to gather more information on the incident that took his childhood friend, and he's not afraid to use whatever means he has to just to get the answers he needs. Andrew is not always a good man, he's not always a nice guy - he uses people even though he feels guilty doing so - because what matters is that he finds the perpetrators of that heinous crime and stops them before they can kill again.
The book is set in the early 1970s, when Andrew is 24, which means the original crime took place in 1958. The author did a fine job on the research to ensure the references to historical facts are accurate. There was but one inaccuracy, which I'm not going to tell you about - let's see if you can spot it yourself.
The writing is vivid, drawing you in from the get-go. Andrew's nightmares are visualized, and I was more often than not on the edge of my seat while reading this book. The author doesn't spare us the horrors perpetrated upon Thomas, though they are doled out in smaller doses so as to not overwhelm the reader. It's difficult on occasion to read about the violence that little boy endured, and there were tears in my eyes plenty of times as well.
Evil is real, and it will corrupt and claim a person's soul. But there is goodness too, there is light, and we have to believe that the light will prevail if only you have heart. The book is aptly named "Revenant" - one that returns.
There is no happy ending - there really couldn't be. And the ending was unexpected and also not - there actually was no other imaginable way of ending the book.
It is a prequel, of sorts. Keep that in mind when you read this. And read this, you should. Because it's different and it's fantastic, and it will haunt you and make you think.
I'm told the author is currently working on the third book, which I would assume will pick up where the first book ended.
I can hardly wait to read it.
** I received a free copy of this book from its author in exchange for an honest review. **
I don't have the words. Sorry, Kristoffer.
But I promised a review, so I'll do my best to somewhat coherently tell you about this book. First off, this is not a romance. This is a thriller/mystery/paranormal/horror kind of book, and a prequel of sorts to the first book, Falling Awake. If you've read that first one, this second book will give you the background information that you wanted but didn't need for the first book.
When Andrew O'Connell was ten years old, he went to the fair with his friend Thomas, also ten. The night after they went, Thomas was abducted from his house in the middle of night, his parents slain in their bed. Thomas was found dead a few days later in an abandoned house. And for fourteen years, Andrew has felt unimaginably guilty, because he believes that what happened to Thomas was his fault. He has nightmares nearly every night, and he will not stop until he can figure out what really happened to Thomas, and find the men who so brutally killed his friend.
Andrew now works for OSHA, tasked with travelling to areas where an accident has occurred to find out what really happened, to smoke out the truth, always one step behind the elusive person responsible. At the same time, Andrew tries to gather more information on the incident that took his childhood friend, and he's not afraid to use whatever means he has to just to get the answers he needs. Andrew is not always a good man, he's not always a nice guy - he uses people even though he feels guilty doing so - because what matters is that he finds the perpetrators of that heinous crime and stops them before they can kill again.
The book is set in the early 1970s, when Andrew is 24, which means the original crime took place in 1958. The author did a fine job on the research to ensure the references to historical facts are accurate. There was but one inaccuracy, which I'm not going to tell you about - let's see if you can spot it yourself.
The writing is vivid, drawing you in from the get-go. Andrew's nightmares are visualized, and I was more often than not on the edge of my seat while reading this book. The author doesn't spare us the horrors perpetrated upon Thomas, though they are doled out in smaller doses so as to not overwhelm the reader. It's difficult on occasion to read about the violence that little boy endured, and there were tears in my eyes plenty of times as well.
Evil is real, and it will corrupt and claim a person's soul. But there is goodness too, there is light, and we have to believe that the light will prevail if only you have heart. The book is aptly named "Revenant" - one that returns.
There is no happy ending - there really couldn't be. And the ending was unexpected and also not - there actually was no other imaginable way of ending the book.
It is a prequel, of sorts. Keep that in mind when you read this. And read this, you should. Because it's different and it's fantastic, and it will haunt you and make you think.
I'm told the author is currently working on the third book, which I would assume will pick up where the first book ended.
I can hardly wait to read it.
** I received a free copy of this book from its author in exchange for an honest review. **
July 25, 2020
Ok. First of all, this is not a romance, it’s a thriller/horror/mystery. Second, there are some very disturbing scenes in this story so if it’s a trigger for you, please be careful. Third, you really need to read these in order. Things will make more sense.
If you’ve read book one, then continue. If not, go read book 1 first.
If you’ve read book 1, you know they guys meet at an in-between and hash out a story to Daniel, because he can’t remember anything about why he’s there. And the guys help him understand what’s going on. But the one the story hits the hardest, is Andrew. Because Andrew was there when what happened to Daniel, known then as Thomas, happened. And this is the story of what happened to get them to the in-between in book 1.
Andrew hasn’t still gotten over the fact of his friend Thomas’s death. It’s been 14 years, and he still has nightmares every night. And he has to get to the bottom of what happened. He has to know the truth of that night. Because the police covered up a lot. He knows because he saw the crime scene after it happened. And he knows Thomas wasn’t killed there and his parents weren’t just shot. But as Andrew starts digging harder and harder, he’s warned several times that there’s only going to be one outcome, and it’s not going to be a good one. He even finds an unlikely ally, who’s been searching into roughly the same thing and has been trying to hide the potential victims. Only to have them all die. When they finally find where the murderers are, they are both in for the shock of their lives. Because what happened was something they were not expecting. And Andrew is in shock alone at who one of the killers is.
I feel for Andrew. Andrew has a gift of sight that allows him see things and have a clearer perception of things most people don’t. But what he sees when he closes his eyes at night, is something he will never get over. The guilt alone that he feels like he’s the one that caused his friend’s death causes his nightmares to be twice as bad. But what he doesn’t realize, is that those killers would have killed Thomas anyway. He was slated to die by them. But trying to find these guys and why they are doing this is almost impossible. But he does find them. But the truth of the matter, is no matter how guilty Andrew feels, these revenants are pure evil. They come back again and again and basically pick up where they left off. They are pure evil. They literally suck the life out of the places they’ve been. So yeah, I feel for Andrew. Because there’s no way for him to get past what has happened. He can’t find any closure. He can’t find a way to escape the guilt or anything else, because it’s a never ending loop. And they have to find a way to make it stop. Because for some reason, these guys are constantly after Thomas/Daniel, in any life form he’s in.
I don’t know if I could do what these guys do. Come back time after time to try to stop evil in its tracks. I know cops and firefighters and such and what they see every day, it’s gruesome. I don’t know how they can compartmentalize so they can live from day to day. Matter of fact, I know some that can’t. Some cases send them to the bottle and they never come back, some commit suicide, some try to run away from it. It never works but they do it anyway. Anyway to get away from the horror. So I want you to imagine some of the worst crime scenes you’ve heard of and think worse. And you might get a glimpse of what these guys are seeing.
However, having said all that, I have to give credit where it is due. It’s one heck of a horror story. It’s got a great plot line to it, the characters are so real, because there’s no way anyone couldn’t be immune to this stuff. It’s just a great story. And I’m curious to see how book 3 is going to go. Because in book 1, they started on another journey and I wonder if book 3 is this journey they are going to go on. It’s something I think you thriller/horror fans will love.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
If you’ve read book one, then continue. If not, go read book 1 first.
If you’ve read book 1, you know they guys meet at an in-between and hash out a story to Daniel, because he can’t remember anything about why he’s there. And the guys help him understand what’s going on. But the one the story hits the hardest, is Andrew. Because Andrew was there when what happened to Daniel, known then as Thomas, happened. And this is the story of what happened to get them to the in-between in book 1.
Andrew hasn’t still gotten over the fact of his friend Thomas’s death. It’s been 14 years, and he still has nightmares every night. And he has to get to the bottom of what happened. He has to know the truth of that night. Because the police covered up a lot. He knows because he saw the crime scene after it happened. And he knows Thomas wasn’t killed there and his parents weren’t just shot. But as Andrew starts digging harder and harder, he’s warned several times that there’s only going to be one outcome, and it’s not going to be a good one. He even finds an unlikely ally, who’s been searching into roughly the same thing and has been trying to hide the potential victims. Only to have them all die. When they finally find where the murderers are, they are both in for the shock of their lives. Because what happened was something they were not expecting. And Andrew is in shock alone at who one of the killers is.
I feel for Andrew. Andrew has a gift of sight that allows him see things and have a clearer perception of things most people don’t. But what he sees when he closes his eyes at night, is something he will never get over. The guilt alone that he feels like he’s the one that caused his friend’s death causes his nightmares to be twice as bad. But what he doesn’t realize, is that those killers would have killed Thomas anyway. He was slated to die by them. But trying to find these guys and why they are doing this is almost impossible. But he does find them. But the truth of the matter, is no matter how guilty Andrew feels, these revenants are pure evil. They come back again and again and basically pick up where they left off. They are pure evil. They literally suck the life out of the places they’ve been. So yeah, I feel for Andrew. Because there’s no way for him to get past what has happened. He can’t find any closure. He can’t find a way to escape the guilt or anything else, because it’s a never ending loop. And they have to find a way to make it stop. Because for some reason, these guys are constantly after Thomas/Daniel, in any life form he’s in.
I don’t know if I could do what these guys do. Come back time after time to try to stop evil in its tracks. I know cops and firefighters and such and what they see every day, it’s gruesome. I don’t know how they can compartmentalize so they can live from day to day. Matter of fact, I know some that can’t. Some cases send them to the bottle and they never come back, some commit suicide, some try to run away from it. It never works but they do it anyway. Anyway to get away from the horror. So I want you to imagine some of the worst crime scenes you’ve heard of and think worse. And you might get a glimpse of what these guys are seeing.
However, having said all that, I have to give credit where it is due. It’s one heck of a horror story. It’s got a great plot line to it, the characters are so real, because there’s no way anyone couldn’t be immune to this stuff. It’s just a great story. And I’m curious to see how book 3 is going to go. Because in book 1, they started on another journey and I wonder if book 3 is this journey they are going to go on. It’s something I think you thriller/horror fans will love.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
January 7, 2019
Do evil souls continue thru a series of different lives to continue their trade and turn other souls to the dark side of humanity? Do they hone their skills life after life? It would explain the horrors human beings inflict upon each other for no other rational reason other than pure evil building upon itself.
On the flip side, do souls have a chance to come back and protect other souls from pure evil? Do we remember those past lives (in the form of deja vu or intuition) in order to protect those souls in the current life? Do we ever get a second chance at making it right? One could only hope.
Kristoffer Gair weaves all of these questions, and more, throughout a page turning thriller loaded with tenderness and humanity that I have not seen in a novel before. I connected with the main character in some inexplicable way as never before. I felt I understood his inuitiveness in a way only another empath could. It's as if he were my tribe, so to speak.
This one will stay with me for some time. It gave me lots to think about in terms of how lives can be connected. I hope this story continues . I'm wanting to know more. I want to see the light win over darkness.
On the flip side, do souls have a chance to come back and protect other souls from pure evil? Do we remember those past lives (in the form of deja vu or intuition) in order to protect those souls in the current life? Do we ever get a second chance at making it right? One could only hope.
Kristoffer Gair weaves all of these questions, and more, throughout a page turning thriller loaded with tenderness and humanity that I have not seen in a novel before. I connected with the main character in some inexplicable way as never before. I felt I understood his inuitiveness in a way only another empath could. It's as if he were my tribe, so to speak.
This one will stay with me for some time. It gave me lots to think about in terms of how lives can be connected. I hope this story continues . I'm wanting to know more. I want to see the light win over darkness.
August 4, 2020
I love the Indie Author Community SO much at times, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for their skills and imaginations. This book is another in a stack of scream-it-from-the rooftops-good books that you need to know about.
This is the second book in the Falling Awake series; Revenant, by Kristoffer Gair. After reading the first book, Falling Awake, which I found to be mystically touching, I thought I knew what I was going to get with the second. I was wrong... and never have I been more pleased to discover just how wrong I can be!
This is a supernatural thriller, perhaps occasionally crossing over into horror, and back again... and yet the focus is always on the relationships. This is what I love best about Kristoffer's writing. Everything he writes, even the spooky, creepy stuff, is completely accessible and relatable - well, maybe not the bludgeoning stuff - but everything else is totally relatable (I'm not a fan of bludgeoning; I'm a wimp by nature). In both books, the primary reason for the action is the emotional and spiritual connection that binds the characters... whether that connection is adversarial, cooperative, or innocent.
The evil elements that subvert peace and well-being are scary, to say the least. Kristoffer writes about their misdeeds in such a way that you are given enough details to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and constantly look over your shoulder, but he doesn't dial up the creep factor so much as to make you avoid the scene. You NEED those details, in spite of yourself. You are compelled to turn page after page, no matter the outcome, because you KNOW that there is a bigger, scarier shadow that will follow you, if you don't.
For those of you who think this stuff might be important (it's not, by the way), the main character of this book is a homosexual man in the 70s who has a special connectivity to people... and can perceive things about them that they may not know themselves. This gift helps him to walk a path that brings him some closure... but not quite enough... to alleviate the nightmares of a tragedy from his past.
Here's what I love best about this book, though... yes, the main character is gay... yes, there are scenes that depict his relationships and encounters with other men... but it's NORMAL. This is not a book that forces a sociological or political agenda. Yes, there is a tender, loving relationship at the heart of this book... a few of them, in fact, both heterosexual and homosexual... and it's a non-issue. I would never classify this book as "gay fiction". To me, that's just a small part of the story, not worth specific attention... the story, however, IS worth ALL the attention!
The spooky parts of the story... the tender tidbits that make you realize these are whole people, not just foils... the weird scavenger hunt the main character must endure to find the answers he seeks... the creepy bits of edge-of-your-seat stuff that pull you through to those last few pages of the Epilogue, where you expect a full explanation, and are delighted to discover those details are withheld... those are the parts that make this book so worthwhile.
But... leave the lights on, and lock the windows... also, you might want to keep a tire iron nearby - just in case.
Thank you, Kristioffer Gair, for an unexpected adventure. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series - which for me, is not a small thing!
This is the second book in the Falling Awake series; Revenant, by Kristoffer Gair. After reading the first book, Falling Awake, which I found to be mystically touching, I thought I knew what I was going to get with the second. I was wrong... and never have I been more pleased to discover just how wrong I can be!
This is a supernatural thriller, perhaps occasionally crossing over into horror, and back again... and yet the focus is always on the relationships. This is what I love best about Kristoffer's writing. Everything he writes, even the spooky, creepy stuff, is completely accessible and relatable - well, maybe not the bludgeoning stuff - but everything else is totally relatable (I'm not a fan of bludgeoning; I'm a wimp by nature). In both books, the primary reason for the action is the emotional and spiritual connection that binds the characters... whether that connection is adversarial, cooperative, or innocent.
The evil elements that subvert peace and well-being are scary, to say the least. Kristoffer writes about their misdeeds in such a way that you are given enough details to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and constantly look over your shoulder, but he doesn't dial up the creep factor so much as to make you avoid the scene. You NEED those details, in spite of yourself. You are compelled to turn page after page, no matter the outcome, because you KNOW that there is a bigger, scarier shadow that will follow you, if you don't.
For those of you who think this stuff might be important (it's not, by the way), the main character of this book is a homosexual man in the 70s who has a special connectivity to people... and can perceive things about them that they may not know themselves. This gift helps him to walk a path that brings him some closure... but not quite enough... to alleviate the nightmares of a tragedy from his past.
Here's what I love best about this book, though... yes, the main character is gay... yes, there are scenes that depict his relationships and encounters with other men... but it's NORMAL. This is not a book that forces a sociological or political agenda. Yes, there is a tender, loving relationship at the heart of this book... a few of them, in fact, both heterosexual and homosexual... and it's a non-issue. I would never classify this book as "gay fiction". To me, that's just a small part of the story, not worth specific attention... the story, however, IS worth ALL the attention!
The spooky parts of the story... the tender tidbits that make you realize these are whole people, not just foils... the weird scavenger hunt the main character must endure to find the answers he seeks... the creepy bits of edge-of-your-seat stuff that pull you through to those last few pages of the Epilogue, where you expect a full explanation, and are delighted to discover those details are withheld... those are the parts that make this book so worthwhile.
But... leave the lights on, and lock the windows... also, you might want to keep a tire iron nearby - just in case.
Thank you, Kristioffer Gair, for an unexpected adventure. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series - which for me, is not a small thing!
July 16, 2020
4 CRANKY STARS
This is the second book in a series. I only gave the first book 3 stars because it confused me. This book is a little better in that there seems to be a better storyline. It is about ten-year old Andrew and his friend, 10-year old Thomas. Someone kills Thomas’s parents and kidnaps Thomas. Andrew feels responsible because he took Thomas to the carnival and saw how the men on the shooting booth looked at Thomas. It gave Andrew a very bad feeling. Well, it is fourteen years later, and Andrew is still plagued by nightmares of that night. He has had a very rough life since in 1972, his sexuality is a big part of this story. If he did not have such nightmares, he might have a life partner but as it is, he is single, playing the field. Working as an inspector and trainer for OSHA, he has traveled the country. Always looking for the men who killed Thomas. It is his goal to eventually catch them and mete out his justice. Along the way, he meets a man he wishes to spend his life with, but the call to avenge Thomas is too strong and he must leave town.
I was not sure what this book had to do with book 1 until I read about Thomas’s murder. So, it appeared that this story tied up some loose ends for me. It really was good and the author did a good job explaining the gay dilemma at that time.
This is the second book in a series. I only gave the first book 3 stars because it confused me. This book is a little better in that there seems to be a better storyline. It is about ten-year old Andrew and his friend, 10-year old Thomas. Someone kills Thomas’s parents and kidnaps Thomas. Andrew feels responsible because he took Thomas to the carnival and saw how the men on the shooting booth looked at Thomas. It gave Andrew a very bad feeling. Well, it is fourteen years later, and Andrew is still plagued by nightmares of that night. He has had a very rough life since in 1972, his sexuality is a big part of this story. If he did not have such nightmares, he might have a life partner but as it is, he is single, playing the field. Working as an inspector and trainer for OSHA, he has traveled the country. Always looking for the men who killed Thomas. It is his goal to eventually catch them and mete out his justice. Along the way, he meets a man he wishes to spend his life with, but the call to avenge Thomas is too strong and he must leave town.
I was not sure what this book had to do with book 1 until I read about Thomas’s murder. So, it appeared that this story tied up some loose ends for me. It really was good and the author did a good job explaining the gay dilemma at that time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2020
dark... amazing.. sexy.. fun.. it is so many things.. i enjoyed it so much.. its not slow paced but not too fast either.. it goes at a pace that keeps me interested and curious to know what is next. the characters are well written.. the plot is really good.. i cant wait to see what the next book is like.
September 20, 2022
This is a story of good versus evil with some romance too. (It is gay romance so don't read this if you cannot deal with that.) I honestly got a little lost in the time of the story, it starts in the 1970's and moves forward. All in all it was an enjoyable read.
February 22, 2024
"The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand." ~ Rumi
Good versus evil. Reincarnation and battles that can take many lifetimes to have a victor. These are all elements in ‘Revenant’ the second book in Kristoffer Gair’s ‘Falling Awake’ series. These books must be read in order as too much information, and history, occur throughout. I was left breathless at the end and I owe the author a huge apology. I was afraid to read this book when it released. I had loved the novella that began the series, but too many things had happened in my own life, so the thought of becoming this emotionally vulnerable again frightened me. I shouldn’t have let my fears stop me as this is a journey worth taking.
Andrew is twenty-four years old, gay, and a government agent for the recently formed OSHA. He’s always been able to read people, to just know things, and for the most part he has always listened to his instincts. The one time he didn’t, when he was ten years old, his best friend Thomas was kidnapped and murdered. At that time in 1958, the police covered up the truth of what really happened to Thomas in order to protect their small town. But Andrew has always known there was more to the story, and he’s finally ready to get some answers. He just doesn’t truly realize where those are going to take him.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
Good versus evil. Reincarnation and battles that can take many lifetimes to have a victor. These are all elements in ‘Revenant’ the second book in Kristoffer Gair’s ‘Falling Awake’ series. These books must be read in order as too much information, and history, occur throughout. I was left breathless at the end and I owe the author a huge apology. I was afraid to read this book when it released. I had loved the novella that began the series, but too many things had happened in my own life, so the thought of becoming this emotionally vulnerable again frightened me. I shouldn’t have let my fears stop me as this is a journey worth taking.
Andrew is twenty-four years old, gay, and a government agent for the recently formed OSHA. He’s always been able to read people, to just know things, and for the most part he has always listened to his instincts. The one time he didn’t, when he was ten years old, his best friend Thomas was kidnapped and murdered. At that time in 1958, the police covered up the truth of what really happened to Thomas in order to protect their small town. But Andrew has always known there was more to the story, and he’s finally ready to get some answers. He just doesn’t truly realize where those are going to take him.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
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