Slipping Away

Amy Bloom and her pack of Bloodhounds have found a purpose -- saving the "Normals." But after the Necropocalypse, the "normies" shoot first and ask questions later. Worse yet, what hunts humans in this new world goes beyond anything Amy has ever seen -- or fought before.

Bloom Town by Christopher Robin Negelein finally moves the storyline forward from Amy's personal coming of age in Growing Bloom to the group's story, but still told from her POV. However, with each installment, the Bloom series seems to be less about the survivors and more about how many different mutations the author can cram into one apocalypse. This is one of those rare times I wish there was less action and more character development.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Quantity Does Not Equal Quality

Now running with a pack of fellow Bloodhounds, Amy's discovering the true terrors of the world after the Necropocalypse. It's a deadlier land now with its own perils and unnatural temptations. She already lost her heartbeat, but can she hold onto her soul?

Growing Bloom by Christopher Robin Negelein begins by overlapping Second Bloom with the rooftop scene and a more detailed introduction of Amy's girl group. This flash fiction installment in the series reveals the different kinds of undead and hints at yet another secret among the group. Unfortunately, this part of Amy's journey lacks the suspense and thrills found in the first two Bloom stories. I'm hoping Negelein returns to his previous writing style.

The series continues with Bloom Town.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Surprising Discovery

Before I even created AstraDaemon's Lair, I read a flash fiction piece called, Late Bloomer by Christopher Robin Negelein in 2014. It is everything a short story should be! From the first sentence to the last sentence, it is non-stop entertainment. The story is told first-person, and the character has a lot of personality, with a great twist at the end. I thought the author should write a full-length novel with the storyline.

Instead, Negelein wrote a mini-series, which I didn't know about until this year. I rediscovered the first story while re-organizing my Kindle folders and did an Amazon search to see whatever became of the Bloom...I found three more stories, beginning with Second Bloom:

In this short story, Amy sees first hand the fallout from Late Bloomer and has two options, run and be forever hunted, or face the danger head on. Even if it means facing her own dark secrets.

Second Bloom picks up the storyline at the shocking moment of the twist in Late Bloomer, but switches POV to a girl named Amy. She decides to confront the self-proclaimed zombie-killing rock star. Not only does Amy have an apocalyptic secret, but the author also throws in yet another last minute surprise.

The story continues in Growing Bloom.

As always,
AstraDaemon