Review by mariya1214 -- The Hand Bringer

[mariya1214]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Hand Bringer" by Christopher J. Penington.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Pennington takes the reader along Peter Hadrian’s journey. Peter Hadrian is a committed police officer, who goes through the tragedy of losing his son under unexplained circumstances. One eery night on the job, Peter gets bitten by a raging vampire and is wound up in the hands of the ASA, a secret organization with a vital goal to eradicate viral vampirism spreading around the world rapidly. With a glimmer of hope to stop the spread, a plan is put into place, Peter and a crew of 4 others must go back in time to stop the villain responsible for the virus.

A large majority of the book is set in medieval Romania whilst the rest of the story is set in 21st century Texas, Dallas. The mannerism, architecture, and dialect were fitting to each setting and time, so as a reader I really appreciated the research. The narrative style and structure were very engaging and refined. The author’s writing style is portrayed to be very rich, from the motivational speeches to the monologues, the language is very intriguing.

What I liked most about the book was the character, Luke. I thoroughly enjoyed his snarky wit and humor in the strangest of situations. An example being when Colonel Scott is addressing Peter’s loss he says, “most people go through tragedy and then move on”, to which Luke replies: “Oh yes, they call those people sociopaths." The author makes a wise decision to include humor in the novel because it balances the darker elements within the book.

What I disliked most about the book was, the character Dr. Kolemis, he was very self-centered and conniving which really puts off the reader of segments that include him. I understand that he plays a role in the novel however I just couldn’t find a way to sympathize or connect with him simply because of how off-putting his character is.

The book would’ve been more enjoyable had there been fewer animal deaths, whilst they weren’t explicit, they were still very sad. Nonetheless, the book was very gripping and had a well thought out plot, it is a must for fantasy lovers as well as keen thriller readers.
I wouldn’t recommend the book to sensitive readers because of the strong language used as well as mentions of death and rape. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of the professional editing and gripping plot.

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The Hand Bringer
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