Review: Chimera Catalyst (Finder#1) by Susan Kuchinksas

Chimera Catalyst (Finder #1)

By Susan Kuchinksas

 When Finder is hired to locate charismatic, green-haired Miraluna Rose, it seems like an easy job. Crack into corporate databases, brew up some biologics to enhance his thinking, and get the job done with the help of the Parrot, a bird/dog chimera with the finest traits of both species.

The search takes Finder and the Parrot to the sun-broiled streets of Laxangeles, the canals of Seattle and the weirdly mutated vegetation of the Area. It turns out that it's not a simple missing-person case after all.

Finder discovers that ReMe, a corporation providing medical cloning services, is illegally breeding human/animal chimeras. ReMe is selling these exotically beautiful female creatures, branded as ArcoTypes, as playthings to the wealthy and ruthless.

Miraluna Rose is its finest creation, but she has other ideas. She's holed up at Refuge, a haven for runaway ArcoTypes, where she's planning a future of freedom for her sisters.

To help the ArcoTypes fight ReMe, Finder and the Parrot will need the help of a couple of sympathetic AIs, the CEO of the world's largest advertising company and a posse of highly modded, celebrity-crazed media kids.

My Take:

When Finder is hired by Thin Man to hunt down a woman named Miraluna Rose, he knows it's no ordinary missing person case. On the surface, it seemed she was going out for the evening, but she never came back. The breathtakingly beautiful green-haired woman must have been snatched, and Finder and his genetically crafted parrot-dog Parrot must follow a confusing trail of bread crumbs using high tech gadgetry and computer wizardry to rescue her.

But as Finder pursues, he comes up with more questions than answers. Who, or WHAT, is Miraluna Rose? Why does it seem like maybe she doesn't WANT to be found? What is Thin Man hiding, and what does ReMe, a genetic cloning corporation, have to do with this? 

Suddenly, Finder finds himself the target of a manhunt, and keeping one leap ahead of the corporate goons is almost all he can handle as he uncovers secrets they are trying desperately to keep hidden.

Content:

Drug Content:
R – Wow, so much. In the future, it appears oxycotin is an over-the-counter drug, and walking around with an IV-port to fast-track performance-enhancing meds is common.  
 
Violence:
PG – This thriller has some violence, and some death and torture mentioned but not on screen. 
 
Language:
R - The F-bomb is dropped quite a bit. This isn't something I'd give an early teen to read.
 
Adult Content:
PG-13 – Sex trafficking is a major thread of this story. Clones are manufactured for pleasure. Gender parts are mentioned in a few places, but no real action occurs on screen. The human-animal genetic hybrids hinted at a bit of bestiality hiding in the shadows, but again nothing occurred onscreen.
 
Christian content:
None. There's a church, but it's pretty much New Age, and involves what amounts to a skin-on-skin touching orgy. (not sexual, just... touching.)  

  

Final Analysis:
I found Chimera Catalyst to be a fast-paced, well-written thriller. I liked the plot twists and the characters, especially the Parrot and Finder and their interactions. The stakes were high, the world-building phenomenal, the characters enjoyable, the humor engaging. Five Stars!

About the Author:

As a kid, Susan Kuchinskas spent hours catching toads, watching rabbits and starting ant wars -- and reading, reading, reading.

She's never lost her love for creatures of all kinds. In fifth grade, she discovered the bookmobile's science fiction section and read nothing else until she got to college.

After the usual writer's mix of odd jobs – gogo dancer, housepainter, office temp – she happened into journalism. As a technology journalist, she covered the rise and fall of the dotcoms, the move to digital and mobile, and the ascendance of social media.

She's the author of two previous books, Going Mobile: A Guide to Real-time Mobile Applications that Work (CMP Books 2003), and The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy and Love (New Harbinger 2008).

Her short stories have been published in anthologies and journals including Deep Space Dog Fight and Chicago Literati. This is her first novel.

To exercise the parts of her body and mind that don't get a workout from writing, Susan is an organic gardener, beekeeper, sculptor and DIY re-modeler. She enjoys uncovering exotic cultures at home and abroad.

She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her mate, Mike, and their socially challenged dog and super-chill cat.
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Review: Sarah's Song by Vicky Whedbee

Sarah's Song

by Vicky Whedbee

 It’s the 1940’s, in rural East Tennessee, Appalachian country. For most everyone, there is only work, and possibly church, if there’s one nearby. People rise before the sun is up, work hard, go to bed early, and rest in church on Sunday. Little chance for much else to happen. Right?

So, why would keeping one little secret for over sixteen years be so important? What could possibly have happened, that could change the lives of so many people, if the secret were to be revealed?
There are only three people alive, that know the answer to that question. For now.

My Take:

The fire that burned her house down and killed her parents left Sarah having to care for her younger brother and sister at her grandfather's house. The bad man that set the fire had died in there with her parents. All three kids suffered years of trauma over that tragic night. Nightmares that just wouldn't stop. But time heals all wounds, doesn't it? Life goes on, and children grow, and forget.

A cold winter's night takes the life of a young Cherokee boy's parents. Though little more than a toddler, the boy becomes the slave of the pig farmer whose shed they were sleeping in. And time passes, while he grows, chained and abused and half-starved.

But one morning, a mistake the farmer makes allows the young man to escape with a couple buying a pig, and these stories become forever intertwined. And the terrible secret from the forgotten past? Well, secrets have a way of coming out...

Content:

Drug Content:
G – There is very little alcohol in this novel, and no substance abuse. 
 
Violence:
PG – There are a few scenes of abuse and violence.
 
Language:
G – Nada.
 
Adult Content:
G – There's a bit of kissing but nothing further. Good clean romance.
 
Christian content:
Quite a bit. One of the characters comes to Christ and is asked to give his testimony. When he does, many of the church members present are moved to get serious with God. This character goes on to become a preacher of sorts. Characters wrestle with faith and purpose. We see prayer, compassion, scripture quoted occasionally, and the characteristics of love, joy, peace, self-sacrifice, and generosity beautifully presented. 

  

Final Analysis:
Sarah's Song is a beautifully written novel that dances around the edges of multiple genres. Is it a romance? Yes! Is it an adventure story? Yes, again. It's a murder mystery, a romance, and a faith-filled thriller, all wrapped up and presented in a beautiful bow. Several passages had me moved to tears over the trials and victories of the characters. Whedbee brings raw emotion to the table, with a gripping tale of rural life in the Forties. The character development is real and raw, and the stakes are high. The pacing was reasonable. Good world-building, real characters, thrilling action and a spice of romance. What's not to like? Five Stars!

About the Author:

Vicky Whedbee was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she resided until her 40's when she relocated to San Mateo, Florida. An avid reader, she wrote her first novel over a period of years as a labor of love and fulfillment of a life long dream that began with the encouragement of her English teacher in high school.
With a diagnosis of cancer for her dad, she decided to become an independent author and published her novel on her own in order to present a finished product to her father before his demise. She was in the process of reading said novel, "Things He Hadn't Told Her", to him at the time of his passing.
She wrote her second novel "Sarah's Song", which was a collaboration with her father set in the time of his childhood in the rural Appalachian mountains, with notes taken prior to his demise. Both books have been met with stellar 5-STAR reviews on Amazon & Goodreads, as well as awarded the 5-star review seal from Reader's Favorite.
After numerous requests, she wrote a sequel to Sarah's Song, titled Sarah's Home, which could also be read as a stand-alone. It, too, is being received with love and 5-STAR reviews.
She is currently working on her next novel.
Visit & contact her through her website https://crwvao.wixsite.com/vickywhedbee