How The Skin Sheds by Chad Lutzke

 What a crazy story! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was excellent!

Garrett is on a mission to seek revenge for the murder of his sister and help heal his niece’s broken body. They travel together with Garrett’s best friend, hunting down the evil man that did this.

As they travel the country following clues and a path of destruction, all three members of this revenge group learn a few lessons along the way.

I am a bit disappointed in the ending, though. It was so fast and quick and it left me with some questions. The story’s pacing was great, and it builds up to what could be an epic ending, only to reach this crescendo and then the lights go out.

I would still recommend this story. Lutzke did well with character development. I grew to like all three main characters and was hopeful they would get the revenge they sought.

Lutzke is a very talented writer with many more books to read. I'm absolutely adding some more. 

The Devil's Promise by Celso Hurtado

 The Devil’s Promise: An Erasmo Cruz Novel  by Celso Hurtado

 The Devil’s Promise is book two of this series. Book one is called Ghost Tracks. 

When I found out Celso Hurtado released book two in the Erasmo Cruz series, I was so eager and I let him know I wanted to read this. 

Erasmo Cruz is a kid that is missing something in his life. He has a sordid past and the emotional scars to show it. He is looking for a connection with anyone, or anything, to feel the acceptance and love he so desires. 

He is also a survivor of a supernatural attack in his past. He has the physical scars to prove that. After this assault, he takes it upon himself to help anyone that feels they are a victim of any supernatural events. It doesn’t matter how small or huge the problem is, he just wants to help.

But in The Devil’s Promise, Erasmo is introduced to many characters who are working against him and working with him. He accepts a case that is not at all what it seems. With curses, witchcraft, sacrifices, and tears aplenty, Erasmo must overcome one of the most difficult decisions of his life. 

What makes a story great is the emotional connection and the visual experience you can get from it. The details can help you get lost in a new world unlike any you have known.

I enjoy deep character building. I like to know the main characters’ ambitions, pet peeves, and inner demons they may have. It gives a deep connection with the story that I gravitate toward. Sometimes, when I am lucky, they become a friend that I want to see succeed.

World building is also a huge part of a remarkable story. I want the scenery… gore and all. The scenery always sets a mood or a tone.

 Hurtado has accomplished this with the Erasmo Cruz series. 

Celso Hortado is most definitely one of my newest favorite authors. His attention to the details, the characters’ needs and moods, and the world that he has built for Erasmo, is exemplary. There is a reason his first novel in this series, Ghost Tracks, won the International Latino Book Awards. He is that good at writing a gripping and fabulous story.

Hound

 

This is one of the best graphic novels I have read in years. It is up there with Junji Ito, but this story is unlike Ito's work. It will invoke in you some strong emotions that will linger, just the way a graphic novel should. 

This magnificent book offers the visceral and raw emotions of Private Barrow as he joins a group of men on the western front during World War I. He shares with us his inner demons and the battles not only in the trenches, but what he experiences internally. Will he always do the right thing? Can he, in the midst of blood and death, chose to remain collected and separate logic from insanity?

"My road has lots its sun and its moon."

The artwork is magnificent as well. It has a dark atmosphere with pops of different shades of red to enhance your experience with the blood and death on the battle fields. If you look closely at the panels (the individual boxes of artwork) you will find the many different faces of fear and pain. 

I highly recommend giving this a read, but take your time. Enjoy the artwork and feel the words. You will most definitely come away with a new sense of what war is like.