Hope's End

This debut novel is a fantastic work of horror/fantasy, a genre I wouldn't normally have read but was so glad I did.You will be thrown right in at the deep end as you join Noah on his break-in gone horribly wrong and his heart-pounding escape into the hands of the mysterious Switchers Guild.From there the story takes you on his journey into a world he didn't know existed, full of mystery, dark powers and even darker characters.Being the first in (hopefully) a series, there's obviously a lot of world & character building taking place but the author allows you to experience this through the eyes of the main protagonist, uncovering the secrets of Hope's End as he does.The town of Hope's End itself is populated by an intriguing cast whose personalities all feel well fleshed out, despite the fact that there is clearly an air of mystery about them and their pasts.In all, this is a fantastic book and well worth a read.The plot is well thought out, the action is fast and exciting, and the twists and turns will keep you glued.Sprinkle that with good dose of wry sarcastic humour and wit and it's a winner.Fully recommend!

Knowing the author I promised I’d read (or at least start to read) this book. It’s definitely not my kind of book.....or so I thought, I was hooked instantly and had to force myself to put it down. If anyone said I’d read a book that’s got demons, fantasy, violence and gore I would have said absolutely not, but with the humour and quirks along the way too I absolutely loved it and the sequel can’t come soon enough!

*SOME IMPLIED SPOILERS, SOME MORE EXPLICIT ONES, PROCEED WITH CAUTION, ETC*A slightly beaten up commerce demon offered me a set of Calvin Klein boxers and a once-used pair of night vision goggles in exchange for an honest Gogazon review. The goggles were a tad bit fire damaged but the pants seemed clean so...seems a fair enough deal to me. The demon was somewhat distressed, so I figure it wouldn't hurt to help him out.Anyway...In many ways, Hope's End took me back to my teenage years, with its delightfully silly-yet-serious and a little bit strange 'Buffy' kind of feel.Noah Wild, our lead, is...I'm sorry, he's a bit of an idiot. Doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut half the time and often drops his foot in it with his fellow Switchmen when he's not just asking for trouble. He does grow as things progress, though, and it becomes more endearing than simply frustrating. I like to imagine that's how the rest of the group felt as well - "Ah, it's just Noah being Noah." Yeah, he takes risks and often lands himself in it but...it works.Noah finds himself thrown in with the Switcher's Guild when a planned robbery goes awry - and by 'awry', I mean he stumbles upon what appears to be the back end of a demonic ritual and finds himself having to deal with a particularly irate demon who is definitely not a Jackie Wilson fan. Not only does Noah manage not to immediately empty himself of everything he ate that day, he bests the demon. Weird, right? Enter the Switchers.Well, Jebediah and his Pukemobile.Noah is essentially given the choice of life in prison for multiple murders (oh yeah, there was a whole bunch of dead bodies from that ritual) or...going to a town so full of bad juju that it's been sealed off à la WandaVision (or The Simpsons Movie, which might work better given the donut switch - I'll leave that one for you to read about), just hoping that he, along with Jeb & co, are able to save Hope's End and, along with that, the world.What follows includes an evil demon-god artifact, mutated people of the fish and crustacean variety, a telekinetic baby in a jar (and these all members of the same family!), a personable commerce demon, flesh demons, zombies, a giant hog, a bad-tempered talking octo-squid (just DON'T call him that to his face!) and some excellent cooking courtesy of psychic Switchman Elliot (with the exception of the best carrot cake you've ever tasted, which you'll instead find at Martha Has Beans). There's bad guy death, good guy death, and the beginnings of a redemption arc that has me excited for a second instalment.Hope's End is funny, exciting, tense, and endearing. Risky though it is, I'm already looking forward to hanging out with the Switchmen again.(One quick note unrelated to the actual story but that I felt important to mention: as much as I loved it, I did feel as though a lot of typos and such slipped through the net. For the most part this didn't bother me, but it did get distracting sometimes to the point where it affected my immersion. Absolutely not a criticism of the story itself, but probably something to mind going forward.)

Thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced totally engrossing novel. Great balance of detail, character insight and action to keep me glued to it and trying to snatch time out in the day to keep reading. Grabs you from the first chapter and brings in the characters and background without the slow burn of other books. Different concept from the run of the mill demon/monster genre. Loved it.

A fabulous read. The storyline is engaging and zips along without getting bogged down in itself. The characters are well rounded whilst leaving enough backstory a mystery to let you flesh them out in your own mind. There are definitely twists to the plot and you ride a rollercoaster of emotions. If this is only book one I can't wait to see where the series takes us next!

I hardly ever leave reviews but I enjoyed this book so much. It is exciting from beginning to end with many dark twists and turns but the humour and beautifully written characters shine through and there are some wonderfully heartwarming moments that I loved. Really hope there will be another book.

Likèd it a lot. No time wasted, grabbed me from the beginning. Much too accomplished for a first novel. Hope the standard is maintained for the next, can't wait to find out.

Loved the book. Each chapter had me wanting to continue reading. The characters are great, can easily pick out favourites and seeing the development of them throughout the book was brilliant. Honestly can't wait to read another one!

A tale of demons, monsters and power-hungry humans but also a tale of friendship, love and bravery.Fast paced and "edge of your seat" action, this novel is set in a small "hidden" town with an unlikely crew of heroes.I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next one.

Not sure if I paid for this book or it was free. Either way it's a great book to read. Can't wait for the second one. The only disappointing part was when I finished it.