Three very different individuals. A dark force rising. The chase begins.

A reserved small town sheriff in pursuit of justice. A beautiful and eccentric technology genius striving to understand. A bon vivant French priest committed to finding answers.

A horrific event in a sleepy Gulf Coast town pulls them together and the trio find themselves on a quest for the truth about good and evil, travelling first to Wales and the scene of another shocking nightmare, then on to the killing fields of Syria where the stakes rise even higher.

Can these three dissimilar people find answers without driving each other crazy? Can they survive while Middle East factional war rages around them? They need to, because the potential fate of millions hangs on it.

The idea of a chain smoking Vatican priest chasing after demons is a fun idea for an adventure. Francois certainly is an entertaining character and though I was never convinced simply compelling demons to be gone would have worked, it was a joy to read about his quest. Tuned with the ability to recognize true evil that walks among this world, Francois has felt the calling from above to rid the world of the evil.

Enter Cole Garza. A small Texas town sheriff, Cole is just trying to make his way through life in the wake of his wife’s murder several years earlier. When the force of evil decides to turn its sights on his small town, Cole soon finds himself pulled into a battle of good and evil. Despite his own reservations, he as well as a fellow colleague, Nadine decide to assist Francois in his quest.

So why does it sound like I’m giving a summary of the book? Because even now, weeks after reading it, I find myself torn about it. As a whole, I liked the book. I felt the author had a fantastic idea for an adventure and he did a great job keeping me interested as a reader. He displays no fear when it comes to orchestrating the horrible acts committed by those who were enticed by the demon, Adal Moloch, to give in to their darkest thoughts. These thoughts lead to mass murders of the worst kind and I was pleasantly surprised to see this author push those boundaries. We live in a dark world at times and these kinds of events actually do happen. So it was a nice touch to see the author throw some really tough situations into the mix.

The plot was great, the pacing was fast and steady and the book was well-written. My hesitation comes not from the quality of story, but one particular character, Nadine. I despised Nadine from the moment she was introduced. She’s meant to come off as quirky and a bit of an oddball. Instead she comes off as a pushy and annoying. Especially in her desperate pursuit to convince Cole that he’s in love with her. I just felt she didn’t fit in well with the trio, in this particular book.

My distaste for one of the main characters really clouded my view of this book and it’s a shame, because it’s a really good book. So here’s what I have to say to anyone reading this review: don’t take my opinion to heart. I feel this is one of those situations where you can read a great book and just not connect with it. That’s clearly what my issue was with it. Also, I’ll admit, I accidentally started Pretty Little Creatures first and it wasn’t until I was about 10% into the book that I realized my mistake. In that book, my issue with Nadine is nonexistent. She had me laughing and I really enjoyed her part. So clearly, all things are not lost and I think if you enjoy books that are willing to touch on darker issues, like I am, you’ll really enjoy this book.

Rating

About the Author

About the Author:
VINCE MILAM has lived all over the world, traipsing through the Amazon, Congo, and Papua New Guinea—all the while demonstrating bourbon has medicinal qualities. Raised in Texas, he lives in the mountainous West where he proves—annually—that God doesn’t want us driving on snow. He relishes great reads, fine trout streams, family, old friends, and—especially—writing fast-paced thrillers with a dose of humor and a spiritual twist.

The first two books in the Challenged World series rank high on the Amazon lists in both Thrillers/Terrorism and Christian/Mystery. You can visit him at http://www.vincemilam.com to learn about new releases and writer’s angst. He can also be visited at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006177615953 or on Twitter @vince_milam

You can find and contact Vince here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Amazon

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Pretty Little Creatures. These are the prizes you can win:
– 5 ebook sets which include the following ebooks: The Unknown Element and Pretty Little Creatures by Vince Milam

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amazon

Pick up your copy on Amazon: The Unknown Element by Vince Milam

Blog Tour

This is my stop during the blog tour for Pretty Little Creatures by Vince Milam. This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 1 till 14 December, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
So far this series contains 2 books: The Unknown Element (The Challenged World #1) and Pretty Little Creatures (The Challenged World #2).