Refuge by Gerhard Gehrke Review (Gifted)

Hello Readers,

Spoiler free till the bottom section

Thank you LibraryThing and Gerhard Gehrke for this ebook for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so harder to put down. The beginning was good, but once the plot gets rolling the book hooks you in! A brilliantly created sci-fi dystopia with dashes of horror, three genres which works in perfect synchronisation. I loved the strong, yet flawed characters, as they made hard decisions that left you wondering if you could have made a better choice (I love the suspension of disbelief in this book).

The story is well written, with good characterisation and description. The horror element begins to merge with the normal so the tensions build as the book progresses giving you an uneasy feeling of dread. Gerhard Gehrke's pace, dialogue, and descriptive elements are strong elements of this book. The alien creatures are there just enough to touch  points with the readers so they can learn the aliens wants and needs.

The book is told from two different perspectives: One of the Hive minded defects and second  a teenager approaching the end of her juvenile hall lockup.

Refuge is thoroughly engaging, exciting, and readable.  This book can be read as a standalone, but I am looking forward to reading book two, The Glass Heretic.

Spoiler Alert

There are a lot of books, movies, and TV shows that talk about hive minds and how they attack and populate a planet. Gehrke redefines the typical over done clichéd routes, instead he explores the possibility of what would happens if the hive mind breaks down on its way to its goal?

Enough of the hive minded creatures are still functioning well together that the destruction of Earth has begun. The book is told from two different perspectives: One of the Hive minded defects as he slowly regaining his freedom and free will and the second a teenager approaching the end of her juvenile hall lockup. She's not only dealing with the end of the world and but the clashing of the different personalities of  her fellow detainees that makes them fight amongst themselves. I especially loved how the two separate stories came together to merge into one. It just felt right and was done wonderfully.

L x