Review of The Site

Sydney Hedrick · Post by **Sydney Hedrick** » 22 Apr 2022, 08:22

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Site" by Carlos Valrand.]

4 out of 4 stars

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A unique science fiction thriller with a largely classical setting and feel is how author Carlos Valrand presents The Site in the 2013 novel. Valrand writes about a London schoolteacher by the name of Cicely Denfeld. In the story, Cicely is dreaming of many scenes that engineer Charles Ryder and former U.S. Air Force Intelligence, agent Vivian Venables, are investigating. This causes an alarming outburst inside her own mind as she thinks she is going hysterical. Cicely reaches out for help from Dr. Burton who is a psychiatrist and ultimately discovers her problems are significantly greater than either had anticipated. Cicely’s dreams are foreshadowing unknown enterprises of an otherworldly reach, and they connect simultaneously, but how?

Teaming up to inevitably discover the culprit of the ominous document theft, Ryder and Venables are able to connect to Cicely in some way and she is the only one who recognizes or has any suspicion. Cicely shortly realizes she is completely entangled in a massive conspiracy allegedly involving the outer dimensions of our Earth and needs to find out the connection between her and the two agents in her dream. Valrand was able to develop Cicely’s personal character well as she starts as a youthful and subtle schoolteacher and then moves on to become the determined character that she lacked to enhance. The classical writing style of the author inevitably achieves the seamless transition at the end of The Site. Cicely seems to represent a torn and timid soul. She discovers her voice after finding out the world’s most hidden secrets.

Charles and Vivian maintain a mission to discover the thief and report him but many factors come into play when the agents try doing so. Many of their most valued colleagues and friends have become shady and aggressive about the two looking into the stolen file. The continuous story is based on whether or not Cicely will be able to connect the dreadful dreams with her harsh reality. She desperately requires help recognizing why she is dreaming of the terrible things that are apparently happening to Charles Ryder and Vivian Venables.

One negative I undoubtedly have is that the reader ends the remarkable story with too many unanswered questions. I would enjoy a more brutal clarity at the end to tie up loose ends as too many stones went unturned. I naturally felt there were massive gaps in the story wrap-up. On the other side, I have given unqualified praise to Valrand since his character development, especially with Cicely was impeccable.

I recommend it to a reader that enjoys science fiction with political distress involved. They are under no circumstances anything more exciting than a complex topic to excel the reader directly into the center of the story. The novel was exceptionally well-edited as I was unable to see any obvious grammatical or editing errors, well done. I rate The Site by Carols Valrand a 4 out of 4 stars for the immense character development and overall story idea. It was a particular thrill to follow The Site as it is unlike anything else I have read before. Enjoy reading!

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The Site
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Oreoluwa281 · Post by **Oreoluwa281** » 25 Apr 2022, 17:10

Your review makes me want to read this book. I've always wanted to read a science fiction thriller and , this sounds amazing.

Aprilgold1 · Post by **Aprilgold1** » 26 Apr 2022, 15:05

I'm not so much a lover of science fictions but this does give a thrilling feeling and I am filled with anticipation. It's a 4 star from here

Post by **Sanju Lali** » 27 Apr 2022, 09:24

A woman completely entangled in a massive conspiracy allegedly involving the outer dimensions of our Earth looks intriguing concept. Thanks for your honest view of this book.

Penny Ann Criswell Johnson · 24 Jun 2022, 13:29

After reading your review, I am a little confused. Is this book about someone who is having dreams that foreshadowing an investigation? Myself, I love mysteries, crime stories and psychological thrillers. This book sounds like it would fall into those categories.