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While Layla Petrovich returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she never could have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's cool head, fast blade, and itchy trigger finger to survive the undead apocalypse that's upon them. But even that may not be enough. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone.
Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.
Sylvie Rossi has the loner thing down pat, with the exception of her best friend, Grace. But when the two are trapped in a hospital during the last gasp of a dying city, alone time is no longer an option. A nurse's offer of sanctuary promises Sylvie the supplies she needs to survive the zombies - it's the coexisting with people that might do her in. Eric Forrest will do whatever it takes to get into the dead city for his sister, including ending up dead himself. He's used to taking risks, but with every mile he travels death looks likelier.
Jack Walker and Michael Talbot come from two worlds; the same, yet different. They both find themselves transported into an alien one, where things aren’t as they seem. While it appears similar to the ones they come from, there are some terrifying differences. Is it a dream? Or has reality been somehow warped? Jack comes from a world filled with nocturnal creatures that were once human, but now seek to destroy the last vestiges of humanity.
Those who would seek a new world order have unleashed the most devastating virus onto mankind, and even they do not know the secrets hidden in their weapon. Follow along as Harry, a CDC scientist, races to figure out what exactly the virus is and how to stop it. It will be up to him and a group of marines led by Major Sanders to stop the zombie fallout before it ravages an unsuspecting world.
After decades of planning, the contagion was unleashed, and overnight hundreds of millions died and came back as rampaging, undead monsters. The living that had been lucky enough to survive the first day of carnage, lucky enough to be in the right place, and lucky enough that some of them had the skills to survive soon found out there was much more to worry about than just zombies.
While Layla Petrovich returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she never could have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's cool head, fast blade, and itchy trigger finger to survive the undead apocalypse that's upon them. But even that may not be enough. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone.
Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.
Sylvie Rossi has the loner thing down pat, with the exception of her best friend, Grace. But when the two are trapped in a hospital during the last gasp of a dying city, alone time is no longer an option. A nurse's offer of sanctuary promises Sylvie the supplies she needs to survive the zombies - it's the coexisting with people that might do her in. Eric Forrest will do whatever it takes to get into the dead city for his sister, including ending up dead himself. He's used to taking risks, but with every mile he travels death looks likelier.
Jack Walker and Michael Talbot come from two worlds; the same, yet different. They both find themselves transported into an alien one, where things aren’t as they seem. While it appears similar to the ones they come from, there are some terrifying differences. Is it a dream? Or has reality been somehow warped? Jack comes from a world filled with nocturnal creatures that were once human, but now seek to destroy the last vestiges of humanity.
Those who would seek a new world order have unleashed the most devastating virus onto mankind, and even they do not know the secrets hidden in their weapon. Follow along as Harry, a CDC scientist, races to figure out what exactly the virus is and how to stop it. It will be up to him and a group of marines led by Major Sanders to stop the zombie fallout before it ravages an unsuspecting world.
After decades of planning, the contagion was unleashed, and overnight hundreds of millions died and came back as rampaging, undead monsters. The living that had been lucky enough to survive the first day of carnage, lucky enough to be in the right place, and lucky enough that some of them had the skills to survive soon found out there was much more to worry about than just zombies.
Indian Hill is about an ordinary boy who grows up in relatively normal times but who finds himself thrust into an extraordinary position. Growing up in suburban Boston, Michael enjoys the trials and tribulations that all adolescents go through, from the seemingly tyrannical mother, to girl problems, to run-ins with the law. From there he escapes to college out in Colorado with his best friend, Paul, where they begin to forge new relationships with those around them. It is one girl in particular that has caught Michael's eye, and he alternately pines for her and laments ever meeting her.
Cassie Forrest isn't surprised to learn that the day she’s decided to get her life together is also the day the world ends. After all, she’s been on a self-imposed losing streak since her survivalist parents died: she’s stopped painting, broken off her engagement to Adrian and dated a real jerk. Rectifying her mistakes has to wait, however, because Cassie and her friends have just enough time to escape Brooklyn for her parents’ cabin before Bornavirus LX turns them into zombies, too.
Piper Griffiths wants one thing in life: To become a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. There are precisely three obstacles in her way. The first is Lyre. Incubus. Hotter than hell and with a wicked streak to match. His greatest mission in life is to get Piper into bed and otherwise annoy the crap out of her.
It is said that when war threatens the world, one individual will be selected by prophecy to lead the Shadow Warriors out of the Land of Mist and reclaim the freedom that has been stolen. Shanti has grown up under the constant threat of war. Since she helped her people defeat a raiding party by using a special power, she's been a hunted woman. Carrying rare abilities and an uncanny fighting aptitude, Shanti is the only hope of salvation for her people.
All Dr. Brianna Lewis wants is a cup of coffee. Coffee to make slaving away in her cell culture lab at Green Fields Biotech a little more bearable on a Friday afternoon when everyone is home already. What she doesn't count on is a group of terrorists blowing up all the entrances to the building and taking her and a select few others hostage. Bree soon finds herself conflicted. Not only does she know their charismatic leader, she also starts to suspect that there is a lot more to this than the hunt for an illegal bioweapon....
The first three books in this action-packed, wildly original fantasy series by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Walt. This kick-ass urban fantasy series has been compared to books by Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Karen Marie Moning, and more. You're sure to enjoy it if you like spunky heroines, kick-ass fight scenes, wild new worlds, and sizzling, slow-building romance.
In a night of devastating terror, ISIS operatives have unleashed a coordinated attack on America's infrastructure. With thousands of trapped travelers and scarce law enforcement, the miles between Jim Powell and his family become a brutal gauntlet where the rules of civilized society no longer apply. As Jim puts his years of preparation and planning to the test, he is forced to ask himself if he has what it takes to make it home. Does he have the strength - the brutality - required to meet this new world toe-to-toe?
Grace Hardwick's dad is a science fiction writer who makes his living destroying the world. When Grace decides to go away for her first year of college her dad, Robert, can't help but think of all of the potential ways that society could collapse and strand his daughter hundreds of miles from home. Then, near the end of her freshman year, it happens.
The world of man was brought to its knees with the zombie apocalypse. A hundred and fifty years have passed since man clawed and climbed his way back from the brink of extinction. Civilization has rebooted, man has begun to rebuild, creating new communities and society. It is on this fragile new shaky ground that a threat worse than the scourge of the dead has sprung... Once again, one man finds himself once thrust into the forefront of a war he wants nothing to do with and seemingly cannot win.
Successful Seattle baker Alena Budrene doesn't want to die. But when she's infected with a lethal virus spread by supernatural beings, her only chance for recovery is to make a deal with the devil - or in this case, a warlock. Though he saves her life, it looks nothing like the life she once knew - and neither does she. Alena is a new breed of "Supe" no one has ever seen before. Even the supernatural police don't know what she is. Now exiled to the northern side of the Wall, is thrust into a dark and magical new world.
Ripley's a tomboy at heart who has never met a stranger. Her plans were to finish her veterinary studies and take her family to the country, where life wouldn't be such a struggle. She thought the worst she'd have to deal with at the University of Maryland were the unwelcome advances and attitudes of affluent students, and the occasional East Coast hurricane. She never expected the sun to fall down.
It's customary for Gothic romance novels to include a mysterious girl locked in the attic. Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn't that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl's daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she's lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping.
When Layla took the final step through the labyrinth, she thought she was saving the ones she loved.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
Layla and the other survivors now find themselves caught in a war for our world, the unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons. Surviving the zombie apocalypse has become the least of their worries as they come up against vampires, shapeshifters, and fae. When she uncovers an unspeakable horror, whom can Layla trust? The carnie girl? The doctor searching for a cure? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves?
The wrong choice could doom them all.
When the world burns, mankind's shadow side rises. Do we deserve to survive?
What did you love best about The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting Series Book 3)?
That Layla and Cricket's group finally joined forces...I really like both of them!!!
What other book might you compare The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting Series Book 3) to and why?
This is a unique zombie series, there are not only zombies...there are vamps, fairies, shape shifters...really a cool concept!
Which scene was your favorite?
I liked many, but especially when Layla frees the Zombie mom, and gives her her baby...and Zombie mom gets her due justice!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I could have....I did listen to it in 1 day though...
Any additional comments?
** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
I loved book 1, and 1.5, and this one was pretty good too....This one picks up after the group has escaped the vamps...and is on the run...Well Cricket finds them with a tip from her card reading friend...they come back to a university where people have been surviving for awhile...Well there is a Doctor there up to no good...and as things always happen in a Z-Poc they barely escape, but now they have help....I love Cricket...and her and Layla are going to make a great team!
Thanks Melanie!!!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Another strong installment in Karsak's The Harvesting zombie series. I've had the pleasure to read the accompanying novellas as well as the books, so that's how I can say that about book supposedly #2. As usual, Karsak writes deftly and smoothly, with good dimensional characters that speak and act like real people - and she puts those poor souls in so much danger! She's not above killing off a character. It IS a zombie series, after all.
This book starts immediately where The Harvesting left off, so I had to go back and re-read my review to catch up with who was who. The book starts right into peril and action, so I feel jealous of those that come to the series able to read straight from Book 1 to Book 2 as they won't lose the emotional ties to the characters as I did over the wait for this book. Layla is there and fiercely protecting her band of survivors. They are offered shelter, but are leery of help and unsure who to trust. Cricket and Tristan are here (from the novella Midway). More magic is revealed, and the zombies are not as simple as we thought at first. Karsak doles out the hints and foreshadowing deftly, edges the to high tension with the zombie fighting and mistrust, and then knows when to relieve the tension with a bit of sweet romance or childhood innocence. I love the bit of fantasy that she weaves into this series that is elevating it from just a zombie survival tale into something richer and far more interesting.
Sadly, this book ends on another cliffhanger... off to the novella Witch Wood, then to wait for the final book in the Harvesting series!
NOTE: This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The author and narrator create and bring you to an epic new post apocalyptic world. The prior novels set up different groups, areas and challenges. The world is a whole new place. This chapter brings groups together, reveals ancient enemies, betrayals are shocking, be ready for some serious action and some serious loss. Love this series! Very refreshing and new in its views! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This starts off right where The Harvesting ended, so we are quickly brought back into Layla's world. Layla, along with the survivours of the island, thought they were finding safety but have ended up smack bang in the middle of a hoard of zombies. An intense scene follows but Layla and most of her group are found by Cricket and Tristan (whom we met in Midway). The are brought to a sanctuary where strong magic is helping to shield them. Will this be enough to hide them and keep them safe from the zombies, vampires and bad shifters?
Holy batman!! This was one heck of a ride, filled with action, adventure, and plenty of things happening that kept my attention throughout. The author has created a world that is impressive and captivating. She weaves a tale of, not only zombies, but a battle that has been raging for decades. One where mankinds very existence is on the edge. I loved her take on how and why the virus came to be. The world is one that I loved and adored!
The characters were once again well written and developed. Each one was genuine and authentic. They were easy to like and I loved everyone of them as they are so varied and surprising.
The plot was amazing too. Layla and Cricket come together and have to deal with Zombies, Vampires, Fairies and a crazy ass doctor who thinks she can find the antidote by injecting some unsuspecting people. It's an action packed, addicting and thrilling series and one I can't recommend enough. Amazing!!
Once again, Kristin James nailed the narration. She really knows these characters and understands the world. Loved her narration.
*I received a free copy of this but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.*
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
WOW....JUST WOW KRISTIN JAMES CAN REALLY BRING THIS AMAZING STORY TO LIFE!! Her voice is amazing at different accents!! Melanie Karsak Wrote a story that kept me on the edge of my seat!! I love every single one of these characters!! the storyline is AWESOME!! DEFINITELY WORTH A CREDIT!!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Wow, I did not expect the outcome of the labyrinth. This book starts right off where The Harvesting left off and takes you on a race. Layla and her group meet up with Cricket and her group, plus new people. Layla and Cricket discover more enemies and discover more about themselves than ever before. And like in The Walking Dead no one is immune to being killed off. Now there are two types of zombies, the mindless eating machines and then the others that are smarter ones that can communicate with Layla. This story was exciting and I enjoyed it immensely, I will definitely be reading all of this series. Especially since like the first book, this leaves you craving the next chapter of the story. Narrator is good and I would also listen to anything she read and be happy.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Shadow Aspect picks up right where The Harvesting leaves off, with Layla leading her people out of the labyrinth into a new and hopefully safer area. Karsak puts us right back into the fray and doesn’t pull any punches…in fact she damn near ripped my heart out towards the end of this one and that takes some effort.
In this book we have two POV’s to follow: Layla, our main character from the first book, and Cricket, the new character introduced in the novella Midway. While reading Midway is not necessary, I would definitely recommend it because there are some things that you won’t really ‘get’ unless you have…plus it’s a damn good novella. These two women are both badasses but completely unique and approach things in their own way. After the horrific events of The Harvesting Layla is slow to trust again and much more aware of the other world that is threatening their very existence . We get a lot more of her learning about her ability to see the ‘other’ side and I really like the direction it went, it certain sets it apart from the other zombie books out there even more. We see her grow and become a better leader, able to stand up for herself and others..even when it doesn’t necessarily make sense to other people. While Layla has become the backbone of the group, Cricket has become it’s heart of sorts. She works hard to make sure everyone is alright, even putting herself in the line of danger to do so, and she genuinely cares for the people around her. These two make for a great duo!
The world building still continues as we get more info on the other inhabitants of the world and what exactly caused the downfall of humanity. I love what Karsak has done with the mythology to make it stand out despite the same overall idea being used in many other books. I don’t want to go into detail about the new players in this game, but they are pretty cool and I’m really looking forward to seeing how their newly discovered involvement comes to a head in the next two books in the series.
Kirsten James is excellent yet again as the narrator, as she effortlessly switches between all the voices she’s created for the entire cast. I’m thoroughly impressed with her and though I’m sad that this series is coming to I do look forward to listening to her other work. I’ve actually bought an audio I didn’t really intend on buying because she was the narrator…and for me that is enough.
If you enjoy urban fantasy as told by an author who knows how to make you feel but pull no punches then this is definitely a series to get in to. It’s well written and fun, and if you listen to the audio you get the added bonus of KJ reading to you.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting Series Book 3) again? Why?
Absolutely! Not only for the characterization brought to life through Kristin's voice, but also for the story being told. Melanie walks us through the next expansion of the world here. We saw the undead and vampires in the first book. We learn about the thin places and fog here, along with some of the natural spirits. Each growth of the world in each book is placed to explain and grow the stories. We even start to get a look into why this is happening along with how. And, to Layla and a few other observers, there is a difference in the undead as well.
Have you listened to any of Kristin James’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've continued listening to the series as I love Kristin's voice acting. She slips into each and every character, becoming them in voice. She does the breathless moments when in dialog. She does several accents through the story for Cricket, Tristan, and many others along with deeper and different tones for male and females. All this makes it so easy for the listener to differentiate the characters. I love how Kristin knows what words to put an accent on, to show there is more meaning behind the word.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had a constant fear from the moment Layla and her friends walked into Claddagh-Basel college. I worried the whole time that something was going to happen. This was one of my biggest reactions. But there were a few as I started to feel for the undead... Hard to believe!
Any additional comments?
This book brings Cricket and those from her novella together with Layla and her friends from Hamletville.
I know the characters are in constant trouble with the danger of the undead and vampires, but it doesn't feel high strung fast. I really like this. People need rest, even if not 100% trusting of those around them. That comes through yet the stories moving to keep us interested. The grown of the world helps balance the pacing and action. Not to fast. Not to slow. Just right.
Really can't wait to continue in this series with the next novella and novel!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Loving this series so much! I know it sound strange to have zombies, fae people, psychics & vampires all in one story but this works! It works so well that I'm listening to the entire series straight through. The narrator is great, the store is fantastic, the writing is really good. The characters are likable & relatable. Give this series a try, I promise you'll enjoy it.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.
Would you try another book from Melanie Karsak and/or Kristin James?
I liked Layla a lot. Though her age is never mentioned, I put her around late 20’s. She managed to escape her small town upbringing, but didn’t hesitate to return and then take up the leadership position when it was necessary. She’s also a badass with the swords and other weapons, and I always appreciate that in a female main character.
Would you be willing to try another book from Melanie Karsak? Why or why not?
It’s hard for me to talk about the things I didn’t like in the second half of the book without giving away anything, but I’ll just say things went in a completely different direction than I would have imagined from reading the first part. I’m not 100% sold on the inclusion of the other supernaturals in this zombie novel, but this is a series. I also didn’t really get the last chapter.
Do you think The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting Series Book 3) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
I was completely engrossed in the zombie part, but the other parts I could take or leave. I love the author’s writing style, though, and I plan on continuing with the series!