Customer Reviews

Beyond the Night

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok you caught me. There's no better way to relax at the end of the day than with a good romance book. If you combine romance with science fiction, it's even better! Beyond the Night is a paranormal romance that takes place in Earth's future. A group of men are spelunking in a cave in Arizona when they feel an earthquake hit. When they wake up, the world has changed. Cities are in ruin. It's clear to them that something catastrophic has happened. There are dangerous monsters that resemble zombies running around attacking people and there's a race of mysterious, evil immortals threatening the few humans that are left in this world.

Not only has some apocolptic event happened to them while they were asleep, but they appear to have woken up 50 years later and have not aged a single day in all that time. They are each endowed with a different special power too! The men meet up with the inhabitants of Envy (what used to be Las Vegas) and sparks fly when Elliot meets Jade, a strong beautiful woman dedicated to defeating the evil in Envy. They have to find out how to survive in this new world where everything is different and dangerous.

With the increased interest in end of the world and 2012 stories, this book really hits the spot. It's a refreshing change from the Vampire/Werewolf paranormal romances that seem to be all the rage right now in the romance world. The romance scenes are hot and heavy and the action is non stop as the characters fend off danger and learn their way around their new home.

This is Joss Ware's first novel in the new paranormal romance series, The Envy Chronicles, that was published in January 2010. The other two titles in this series include Embrace the Night and Abandon the Night.

STORY BRIEF:

In June, 2010, "The Change" happened to earth. Earthquakes caused parts of continents to sink into the oceans. Severe weather caused buildings to collapse. For unknown reasons, most humans collapsed and died. A small percentage of people survived including Lou and his brother Theo. They live in a community of survivors in Envy, Nevada. At the time of the change, six guys were in a cave in Arizona and knocked unconscious. They wake up fifty years later, without aging. Two of them have abilities that they didn't have before. Elliott's new ability is to sense illness within a body similar to an MRI. He can also take illness from another through touch. Then when he touches a different person, the illness passes to them.

Every night zombie-like creatures called gangas come out looking for humans and tearing them apart. Strangers appear to be humans and control the gangas. A Stranger has a crystal under his skin on his chest. Strangers appear to be immortal since they don't age, and humans can't figure out how to kill them. Preston is a Stranger who kept Jade prisoner for three years. He beat and raped her. Somehow she escaped and has been in hiding from Preston and helping Lou and Theo with their resistance movements. Jade was born after "The Change" and is now in her late twenties. Elliott's group meets Jade during a ganga fight. She takes them back to Envy with her. Elliott is drawn to Jade from the moment he sees her. He sees her flirting with other men, which bothers him. Elliott accompanies Jade on some resistance missions.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:

This was pretty good, but I would have liked more emotional development among the characters. This book is mostly action and events, and it's good for that reason alone. I kept thinking about "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer, printed in 2008. I loved "The Host" because of the warm and amazing emotional connection and development among the characters, which wasn't as strong in this book. Both books are about humans in the minority trying to stay alive while aliens rule the earth. Both books also have something implanted in humans, making them different. Crystals are implanted in this book, worm-like creatures are implanted in "The Host." This book was ok, but nothing made it stand out enough to make it a must read. There are at least two sequels coming which tell the stories of Simon and Quent.

CAUTION SPOILERS:

I had some unanswered questions. How did Ian know about Elliott's healing gift? It didn't make sense unless he or someone could read Elliott's mind. But then he apparently didn't know that Elliott could transfer the illness to another. Was this a partial mind read? Other questions: Why did they put the crystal into Allie, and why didn't it work? Who was Allie to Ian? How did Ian know which door Elliott and Jade would be coming out of at the mall? Some things will probably be answered in future books, but it would have been nice to know a little more about the crystals, the Strangers, and why the gangas kill all humans except blonds. They kidnap blonds but we don't know where they take them or why. Apparently teens are kidnapped by Strangers to use as slaves. I wanted to know more, but not enough to buy sequels to get the answers.

I was bothered that Elliott decided to commit suicide to save the life of the local mayor. I couldn't buy it - Lou or Theo maybe, but not losing a "healer" to save the live of a person who didn't seem to be doing anything special. In "The Host," the alien decides to die so her human host could live. That was a wonderful self sacrifice I could believe. But Elliott doing it in this book didn't work for me. I didn't intend to write so much about "The Host," but too many comparisons kept coming to mind as I read this book.

DATA:

Story length: 357 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 12. Setting: 2060 Arizona and Nevada. Copyright: 2010. Genre: fantasy science fiction romance.

Elliot and his friends go on a cave expedition. There is a crazy earthquake, and then, suddenly they all wake up to a whole different world then the one they left. Everything is destroyed. It's a post-apocalyptic world and they have to learn how to survive and thrive in this new terrain. There are gangas (zombie-like creatures that only move around at night) that they have to avoid, wild animals everywhere, and small settlements.

They run into a girl named Jade who takes them to Envy, a large settlement, where they find some shocking discoveries about what has been happening during the 50 years that they were "asleep" in that cave. Elliot, Jade and all the others must go on a crazy journey. But maybe they can find their place in this crazy new world, if they can all survive.

This book was exciting, full of action from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed it and the characters of this scary new world.

Imagine waking up after being asleep for fifty years to find that the world all but ended? That is the premise this first book in Ware's new series begins with. I really enjoyed the whole concept and I'm looking forward to seeing all the characters again in the next books. I highly recommend this book as something entirely new and interesting.

Dr. Elliot Drake and his friends were exploring caves in Sedona when the world ended. All of them lost consciousness only to awake and find that fifty years have passed. And they've not aged one bit. That was six months ago. Now they've found a group of teens that may finally lead them to Envy, the largest known society of survivors. Their hope is to find someone who has lived through the event and can explain to them what has happened.

Jade has only ever known this world. When she meets Elliot, nicknamed "Dred," she is sure that he is hiding a dark secret. But she never suspects the truth. Jade has fought to survive this long and she's not planning on stopping long enough to let this man into her heart. In a world where everything seems lost, though, hope may be the one thing they have left.

This is the kind of book that makes you want to rush into the next series installment immediately! Ware has created a captivating world with incredible detail. BEYOND THE NIGHT is a great balance of romance, paranormal, and post-apocalypse zombie-ridden future.

My Review:

OMG, I am so excited about this series. This was a phenomenal first book to get it all going. This is a post-apocalyptic world created by Joss Ware and it is brilliant!

Elliott and 5 others were hiking in a cave near Sedona when the apocalypse happened. Something about where they were hiking caused them to sleep through the next 50 years. When they woke up, it was 50 years after the world fell to ruin, but they hadn't aged a day and even had new powers that they are still discovering. They awoke to a world in ruin where very few people have survived. Civilization has fallen and gangas (zombie-like creatures) rule the night.

The book starts 6 months after this group has awakened and they are trying to find their way to Envy...the largest known civilization left in the Western half of the country. Envy turns out to be what's left of Las Vegas, now called New Vegas, or N.V. = Envy. A day out from arriving at Envy, they run into a group of teenagers being attacked by gangas and Jade, who is on horseback trying to save them. Elliott is immediately in lust with Jade (it's been 50+ years since the guy got laid.) He also quickly discovers that there is a nasty little twist to his new-found power of healing.

I LOVED Elliott. He was a doctor before the change and he still has that heart of caring...for everyone. He is devastated and still trying to absorb all that has happened within the last 50 years. PTSD, sleep deprivation, fury, nightmares, and overwhelming sadness are just some of the daily problems that he is dealing within his psyche. It's a strange new world and he has no idea how he and his friends fit into it anymore when everything that they knew and loved is suddenly gone. He feels an incredible pull to Jade, but doesn't want to give into that as he misunderstands how she fits into this world and the men around her.

Jade is a survivor. She survived 3 years as a prisoner and slave to the Strangers before she escaped. Rape, beatings, torture were just the tip of the horrors that she had to survive and she is still on the run from them. But that does not keep her from playing in her part in an uprising that is brewing against the Survivors being led by Lou and his brother Theo, two computer geniuses that were alive when the apocalypse happened and doing all in their power to take back their world.

This is a powerful book with a fantastic group of characters. I think that this is definitely going to be a keeper series for my closet if this first book is anything to judge it by. I am so excited to move onto book #2!!!

One minute, Dr. Elliott Drake and a group of his friends are exploring caves in Sedona, Arizona. The next thing they know it's fifty years later, and the world has suffered a catastrophic event, one that leaves a most of the population dead, and leaves behind a whole mess of problems, including the Strangers, a group of humans (or are they?) out to control what's left of the world, and the gangas, zombie like creatures who want to devour humans.

The group of men is not quite sure what to do, and then one day they come across a band of teenagers from the town of Envy that they've heard about from the people they've run across since "the change." They save the teens from a ganga attack, and the group travels to Envy.

After being captured, and escaping from, the Strangers, Jade doesn't trust anyone. When she meets Elliott she's immediately attracted. But who knows who this man really is? Is he what he claims, a doctor from the past? Or is he a Stranger, set to bring about chaos?

When they get back to Envy (the remains of Las Vegas) the couple has to face several things, not the least of which is an overheard plot about a mysterious shipment, and Elliott's newfound ability to heal people, which has deadly consequences.

Can they overcome their differences, and find love with each other while facing a new world?

Beyond the Night is the first book in the Envy Chronicles, and it took me for a ride that I didn't want to end. Ms. Ware has created a post-apoplectic world that draws the reader in with believable characters who tug at your heartstrings. I fell in love with Elliott, who wants to understand the new world he lives in, and is instantly attracted to Jade. The way he faces challenges and his protective nature toward her endeared him to me, and made me root for them to succeed. Jade is his perfect match. She is strong and has overcome adversity to make herself a woman of the future.

This book features a world torn apart, and in that world are characters that have lifted themselves up and are facing new challenges and building a better future for themselves and their children. It is a real page-turner that made me want to run to get the second volume to see what happens next.

Amelia

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

It's 50 years in the future. And Earth has undergone a near-apocalypse. Humanity's numbers have dwindled --and there are killer zombies. OK, maybe not exactly zombies, but close enough; they're called gangas. And there are also sort-of immortal people called Strangers. Thrust into this strange new world are five men from the past. They were exploring an Arizona cave when the "Change" happened. And they went into some kind of stasis for five decades, waking only about 6 months before our story begins. Now, they're trying to find some kind of civilization and answers about what happened to the world.

One of the five men is Elliot. He is a doctor. And ever since the cave-thing, now he has some medical superpowers, where he can scan people like an MRI or something and heal them with his touch. Only problem is that he takes the illness onto himself or passes it on to the next person he touches. Anyway, on their travels, the men run into a group of teens at the mercy of some gangas and they attempt to rescue them. But a mysterious woman also comes to their aid. That woman is Jade. She has a tortured history that includes years of imprisonment and brutality at the hands of the Strangers. Now she is part of the Resistance, fighting the mysterious immortals, that may or may not be to blame for Earth's near destruction.

Of course, Elliot and Jade are our star-crossed lovers. It takes awhile for them to get over their skittishness and seal the deal. Their romance was ok. I'm not sure why, but it didn't hit the mark entirely for me. Frankly, I was more interested in what was happening with side-character Quent and a mysterious archer woman. I'm sure they'll get their own book down the line.

The premise of the story is interesting and unique. But I felt like we spent a lot of time with pop culture references back to "our time" and angst from our cave-guys that didn't completely resonate for me. I liked it enough that I'll check out the next installment. Maybe once we're past the set-up, I'll be able to make a deeper connection to the characters. 3 1/2 stars.

The Story

Elliot Drake went hiking with his friends, they wake up 50 years later to find the world completely changed. Elliot also woke to find he had gained powers of healing. On their trek to civilization the run into Jade. She trusts no one, but is drawn to him. Elliot and his friends go to a enclosed city, Envy, and get sucked into a super secret plot to protect their lives.

Thoughts

This book was hard to get into at first, the world building and orientation. As soon as I did get into it tho, I was hooked. I absolutely loved this series/book! Totally unique. In a PNR world of vamps, shifters, magic this is unique book - never read anything like it. The creativity of it is impressive. I fell in love with all the characters. Once the pace picked up the pages flew by. The plots of the book weave together, but still the suspension and the secrets are still there, yet to be revealed. Due to circumstances the main characters must evolve to the ever changing new world.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I was lucky enough to have the first three in the series to read back to back which made it that much more enjoyable.

BTN was action packed from page one. You get introduced to the gangas (zombies) and the five main characters who have slept for the last 50 years missing the total destruction of the world. I love Ware's descriptions of the new settlements that have developed after the near total annihilation of the human population in this post-apocalyptic world. This book centers mainly on Dred or Dr Elliott Drake. He has awaken with an amazing gift of healing although there is definitely a bad side effect to this power. The emotional struggles that Dred goes through are nearly as intense as the action in this book. Once you start it you will be unable to put it down. Luckily I had the next book so was primed to jump right back into the action without a missed beat.