Official Review: Bulwark by Brit Lunden
Posted: 17 Aug 2019, 15:02
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bulwark" by Brit Lunden.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Bulwark, written by Brit Lunden, is a spooky tale in the fantasy genre that is the first book in A Bulwark Anthology series. Its leading character, Sheriff Clay Finnes, is trying to get over a breakup with his wife and losing his daughter, who was kidnapped a year prior, when things go horribly wrong in Bulwark, Georgia. A thick, green, and ugly pond suddenly appears out of nowhere, covering most of a county road. A couple from Atlanta drives into this water and has an accident. The wife keeps screaming the witch in the gingerbread house has their children. This is a house that burned down years ago. Then, the sheriff is notified there is a different incident, believed to be a domestic dispute, where the wife was killed. She has two holes in her neck and has been drained of blood. Besides this, there have been several sightings of wolves in the area. The sheriff sends his deputy to search for them while he looks for the gingerbread house. A witness swears the deputy was slain by a werewolf. What else can go wrong, and why is everything happening at once?
This fantasy is interesting and sinister from the beginning with paranormal events and even elements of children’s books mixed in. The story moves rapidly along, with one exciting event happening after another, with a few twists thrown in. It is a short book and doesn’t take long to finish with only 120 pages. The author’s fluid writing style is easy to understand and entices the reader to keep reading.
The story is told in third person but is mostly from Clay’s outlook. His character is well developed, being likable and relatable. He struggles with the emotions of losing his wife and is unfocused on his job at the beginning of our story. You can feel the love that still exists between them and the turmoil this is causing him. Clay is brave and doesn’t think twice about investigating the unusual occurrences. Bulwark is a small town where he knows every person and every house in the area. Strangely, he hasn’t heard of the gingerbread house or the people who live there, but this is just another weird circumstance. Clay’s character represents my favorite aspect of the book.
I loved the beginning of the book. It drew me in and kept me mesmerized. Regrettably, I was not as delighted with the climax and the endings of the book (there is a second ending in case you don’t like the first). They are my least favorite parts of the story. Not wanting to go into too much detail because of fear of spoiling the book for the readers, I will say it should have been more original. It follows the ending of a well-known movie too closely for my taste. It is a standalone story with most of the questions answered by the end.
However, the book left me with a question about a discrepancy. The issue with the stabbed victim, with two holes in the neck, was first told as if it were the wife who was killed. Later, we discover it was the husband instead of the wife with no explanation of why the switch occurred.
I only discovered three errors in the book; therefore, it is felt to be professionally edited.
Bulwark achieves a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. A star was subtracted because I felt the climax and ending were not original enough and because of the previously mentioned discrepancy. Besides that, I believe the fast-paced action would be enjoyed by fantasy and romance readers as well as others who want something thrilling and light to read. No profanity was seen in the story; however, there is a fairly explicit sex scene. The novel is not recommended for children.
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Bulwark
View: on Bookshelves
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Bulwark, written by Brit Lunden, is a spooky tale in the fantasy genre that is the first book in A Bulwark Anthology series. Its leading character, Sheriff Clay Finnes, is trying to get over a breakup with his wife and losing his daughter, who was kidnapped a year prior, when things go horribly wrong in Bulwark, Georgia. A thick, green, and ugly pond suddenly appears out of nowhere, covering most of a county road. A couple from Atlanta drives into this water and has an accident. The wife keeps screaming the witch in the gingerbread house has their children. This is a house that burned down years ago. Then, the sheriff is notified there is a different incident, believed to be a domestic dispute, where the wife was killed. She has two holes in her neck and has been drained of blood. Besides this, there have been several sightings of wolves in the area. The sheriff sends his deputy to search for them while he looks for the gingerbread house. A witness swears the deputy was slain by a werewolf. What else can go wrong, and why is everything happening at once?
This fantasy is interesting and sinister from the beginning with paranormal events and even elements of children’s books mixed in. The story moves rapidly along, with one exciting event happening after another, with a few twists thrown in. It is a short book and doesn’t take long to finish with only 120 pages. The author’s fluid writing style is easy to understand and entices the reader to keep reading.
The story is told in third person but is mostly from Clay’s outlook. His character is well developed, being likable and relatable. He struggles with the emotions of losing his wife and is unfocused on his job at the beginning of our story. You can feel the love that still exists between them and the turmoil this is causing him. Clay is brave and doesn’t think twice about investigating the unusual occurrences. Bulwark is a small town where he knows every person and every house in the area. Strangely, he hasn’t heard of the gingerbread house or the people who live there, but this is just another weird circumstance. Clay’s character represents my favorite aspect of the book.
I loved the beginning of the book. It drew me in and kept me mesmerized. Regrettably, I was not as delighted with the climax and the endings of the book (there is a second ending in case you don’t like the first). They are my least favorite parts of the story. Not wanting to go into too much detail because of fear of spoiling the book for the readers, I will say it should have been more original. It follows the ending of a well-known movie too closely for my taste. It is a standalone story with most of the questions answered by the end.
However, the book left me with a question about a discrepancy. The issue with the stabbed victim, with two holes in the neck, was first told as if it were the wife who was killed. Later, we discover it was the husband instead of the wife with no explanation of why the switch occurred.
I only discovered three errors in the book; therefore, it is felt to be professionally edited.
Bulwark achieves a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. A star was subtracted because I felt the climax and ending were not original enough and because of the previously mentioned discrepancy. Besides that, I believe the fast-paced action would be enjoyed by fantasy and romance readers as well as others who want something thrilling and light to read. No profanity was seen in the story; however, there is a fairly explicit sex scene. The novel is not recommended for children.
******
Bulwark
View: on Bookshelves
Thanks for the great review as always!