Official Review: Blood in Black Water: Dissension

ritah · Post by **ritah** » 06 Jan 2020, 19:54

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blood in Black Water: Dissension" by Boris Edwards.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Being your average high school student, Kevin Lockwood thought he had his life mapped out. Never did he imagine the crazy trajectory his life would take. Everything changed when one fateful night, his best friend, Jimmy, wandered off into a graveyard, which forever shifted the paths of their lives and that of everybody they cared about. Unleashed into a world full of devastation and discovery, Kevin finds himself face to face with the undead, angels, demons, and creatures he never fathomed existed. After trying hard to resist being sucked into the callousness of the world revealed to him, all bets were off the day Kevin witnessed the murder of his mother. Turning into what he once despised, Kevin knew that would be the only way to take revenge on the evil forces that ruined his life. Will Kevin win the fight against the evils of the world, or will his rage lead him to be consumed by the evil?

Blood in Black Water by Boris Edwards is a work of fiction that will transfix readers to its pages with its dark sense of adventure, magic spells, and supernatural beings. A clever blend of multiple genres, the first book in the Dissension series has elements of fantasy, thriller, horror, action, and hints of romance.

First-time author, Boris Edwards, impressed me with his first-rate writing style. His evocative descriptions easily transported me to the characters’ world. It’s easy to say the narrative quickly captured my interest from the first page, so enthralling was the plot that I often found myself staying up to the wee hours of the morning absolutely engrossed in its pages. What’s more, the great, effortless humor made this book with dark themes a delight to read.

Featuring a dynamic main character, Kevin was not only multidimensional and believable but also interesting to follow. The intricate plot was also complemented by the colorful cast of characters. The naturally flowing dialogues and well-written prose further accentuated the brilliance of the narrative. I appreciated the inner monologues, thoughts, and backstories that revealed different aspects of the characters. I also liked that the constant shift in perspective from the first person to the third person, as it helped keep this lengthy novel (537 pages) refreshing to read.

An aspect of the book that I didn’t quite enjoy was the large number of battles. At some point, it seemed that it was one battle after another, and I found myself struggling to keep up. This aspect overwhelmed me and slowed down the pace of the novel (in my opinion). In addition, the large cast of characters had the same effect. Further, the book though captivating and well-written still had numerous lingering errors. Another round of editing would be ideal. I am not sure if this was an issue with my device or the kindle application, but I feel it’s important that I mention it: I noticed that some missing pages were not available on the application but present on the kindle cloud reader. I often had to switch back and forth between my reading device and laptop. In the end, I noticed that all the notes and errors I had noted down using the kindle app were missing regardless of whether the pages were missing or not.

Everything considered I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I’d recommend this book to those with an appreciation for books that feature multiple genres and, of course, fans of stories that feature the supernatural. Due to the graphic descriptions of violence and suggestive content, the novel is best suited for a mature audience.

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Blood in Black Water: Dissension
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Letora · Post by **Letora** » 07 Jan 2020, 06:55

You had me at dark sense. I love books that are dark fantasy and sci-fi. I have never read a book that successfully switched between first and third person. Does it do this with one character, or are the different point of views different characters? I have added this to my read list. Awesome review!

xoxoAnushka · Post by **xoxoAnushka** » 22 Jan 2020, 10:21

Is the book filled with blood and gory? If that so, then I'd definitely like this. Nice review!!

Erin Painter Baker · Post by **Erin Painter Baker** » 22 Jan 2020, 10:52

I love fantasy, and even some dark fantasy, which this sounds like. However, I would have an issue with constant switching from first to third person POV. If the author always has one character in first person and everyone else in third person, and it is very clear when the POV switches take place (chapters, ideally, but at least clearly marked section breaks), I might be able to deal with it, but POV switches like that tend to really bug me.