Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: "The Citizens"

“THE CITIZENS”

by L.M. Smith

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

Imagine a town where you can stay out as late as you want, wake up when it suits you, you never have to go to work, and everything is free for the taking. Sounds perfect right? But what if you can’t remember where you are or how you got there? What if you can’t ever leave? And what if the only other people around are hostages, just like you? Would you still want to stay?

Jasmine Marshall certainly didn’t think so until she met Justin Beck; a dashing active-duty member of the United States Army and fellow hostage. With him around life in Kolob might not be so bad after all … or so she thought. There are vampires and psychics at the breakfast table! Disturbing acts of torture and senseless violence are commonplace. Biochemical warfare is a very real threat, and the town’s mayor is an elusive mad-scientist obsessed with his own theories about December 21, 2012!

In a place where one has everything to gain and nothing to lose, one thing reigns true: nothing in Kolob is ever as it seems.

REVIEW

This is definitely going to be on my top ten list of mindblowingly awesome reads of 2012. I’m not kidding. I was knocked off my feet by the downright intensity and splendid storyline of this book!

Other than for me to simply beg you to go get this book - no matter what the purchase price – and move it to the top of your to-be-read list, here are a few reasons why I can guarantee you’ll agree that this book should be either made into a tv series, or at the very least be nominated as one of the best fiction books published this year.

For starters, I’ve never read a paranormal book with this type of plot. It’s way past unique. It’s completely different and it keeps you guessing right from the start until the very end - and then some. That’s only one of the reasons why I couldn’t put this book down. I just couldn’t figure out what was going on or what was going to happen next. Talk about twists and turns; there’s absolutely no way you can predict the ending – and what a shocking and surprising ending it is! I’m a little upset that we’ll have to wait some time for the next book in the series, but like they say, good things are worth waiting for, right?

Secondly, you’ll love the characters. Initially you might not like all of them, but close to the end, they are no longer the same people they were at the start of the book; and once you’ve read the stunner ending, you’ll find that you’re disappointed to have to say goodbye to five characters who’ve become more like friends, instead of mere fictional characters.

Third, the plot in this book moves at a nice and steady pace. There’s never a dull moment, and with all that is happening in the story, it keeps you on the edge of your seat because you’re constantly expecting something dreadful to happen next. How can you not? You have five diverse characters trapped in a small town in the middle of who-knows-where, with absolutely no way out. Every time they try to escape, something awful happens to them. Oh, and there’s no-one else in the town with them…or is there?

Last, but not least, the author’s distinctive writing style engages, and keeps you guessing and pouring all your reading energy into a book that gives new meaning to the word “unputdownable” (which is not really a word in the dictionary, I know, but any bookworm will agree that it should be). The sincerity and genuineness of the characters draws you into the story and lets you experience their fear, confusion, anxiety, their hopelessness, but also their will to survive. In addition, there is plenty of heart-racing action in the last few chapters, and at one stage I thought to myself, “Eat your heart out Lara Croft”!

To sum my gush-fest up – this is an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind, read. L.M. Smith now has a new and devoted fan who will be reading all her future books. It’s a pity the highest star rating is only five, because I happily give this amazing book ten out of ten and a standing ovation!