I had the very special privilege of winning signed copies of The Harvesting and Midway by Melanie Karsak as she worked up to the release of The Shadow Aspect. I had begun reading the first in the series a few months ago, but honestly, reading on a kindle is not my forte and quit rather quickly. However, I love Melanie Karsak's writing style and jumped at the opportunity to win signed copies. Little did I know, I was going to lose them to my twelve year old bibliophile and book reviewer! -Victoria Allred
Enough about me. Here is Makenzie's review of Midway!
Genre: Post Apocolyptic
Published: October 25, 2014 by Clockpunk Press
Interest level: 13+
Cricket's always been a carnie; she grew up on. However, when the world gets taken by "sick" people turned cannibals, she has to leave the carnival behind. With the help of Vella, a tarot reader, and her faithful dog, Puck, they find shelter. A sick world, criminals on the loose and a need to survive. Can Cricket survive the apocalypse or will she die trying?
Midway is a novella set at the same chronological time as The Harvesting giving readers a new view of the apocolypse. I give Midway four out of five stars only because I didn't feel I got to know Cricket as well as I did the characters of The Harvesting. Overall, it was a good story and I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect (which I've already downloaded!) which is the second book in The Harvesting Series.
The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak (#1 in The Harvesting Series)
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Published: January 8, 2014 by Clockpunk Press
First edition: September 13, 2012 by Steampunk Press
Interest Level: 13+
Layla Petrovitch hoped she would never see Hamletville again. However, when she gets a desperate call from her grandmother, she is forced to return home. With an epidemic sweeping the country making infected people turn cannibalistic and danger at every turn, can Layla survive? With the help of whats left of the town they finally escape, but is it worth the risk?
"Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling steampunk series
The Airship Racing Chronicles, the award-winning horror/dark fantasy
Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth. She grew up in rural
northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master's degree in English from
Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector,
Shakespeare nerd, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in
Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of
English at Eastern Florida State College."-Melaniekarsak.com
I give The Harvesting 5/5 stars for great writing and a unique plot. It had me gripping the edge of my seat. With a variety of paranormal creatures, from vampires to shadow creatures, and a unique twist on zombies, no stone was left unturned. Many people classify it as zombie story, but it's so much more. It's vampires, post-apocalyptic, and could even be considered a coming-of-age story. In the end, I got so much more than I expected. I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect the second story in The Harvesting Trilogy.
