In the Shadow of Monsters

Authors: Ariele Sieling, R.T. Donlon, Stefanie Jolicoeur, Mariah Avix

5 out of 5 stars

In the Shadow of Monsters is a four story fantasy anthology. In “Unleashed”, Diane is a volunteer at an animal shelter where she bonds with a dog that is eventually revealed to be a werewolf. When he’s taken, Diane will do everything she can to get him back. In “Highborn”, Braylen is a vampire hunter whose made an enemy of a powerful vampire who’s now hunting him. Braylen will have to team up with his ex-girlfriend if he wants to survive. In “Death’s Seduction”, Sarah watches her family and the police as the slowly learn who killed her and why. In “She-Bear”, a village is attacked by sky fighters, murderous giant eagles that are ridden by inhuman beings. The survivors have to make their way though a snowstorm to a large city, but will they be safe there?

I really liked these four short stories. They were all well written and drew me in. Except for ”Death’s Seduction”, they have some action, with “Highborn” having the most as they fight against vampires. “Death’s Seduction” was very intriguing as we have to piece things together along with Sarah as we only see and hear things from her perspective, and she doesn’t see everything.

All these stories had really good, well-written characters. In “Unleashed”, Diane is very caring towards the dogs she works with, and she immediately wants to help Ozzy and the other wolves when she discovers what’s happening. In “Highborn”, I was very curious about how Braylen learned about vampires and started hunting them. And in “Death’s Seduction” and “She-Bear”, Sarah and Etele are dealing with death and grief.

If you like fantasy, you’ll definitely find a story to enjoy here. I really had no complaints about any of these short stories, so this book has definitely earned 5 out of 5 stars.

Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076QHYY52

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