Heather’s Bookshelf: Realms
Author: Patrick Morgan
Released: 03/2/21
Genre: Paranormal Romance
“Granted, I wasn’t positive it was even a real memory; it may have been a dream, a hallucination caused by drugs, or it may have been nothing at all. The more time I’d spent awake, the more I’d begun to doubt the veracity of any thoughts, feelings, or experiences linked to my comatose state, including ones that occured immediately after comint to in the hospital.”
“Realms” introduces David Abbott, a seventeen year old waking up from a coma after a terrible accident. He’s made an amazing physical recovery but his memory is completely vacant. He doesn’t remember his old life, his parents, or even his own name.
When he returns to the scene of his accident, he happens upon a young girl who is near death. David and his mother are able to get the girl to the hospital where she is reunited with her parents. David feels a connection to the young girl, but can’t remember where or if they’ve met before.
Her family invites David back to her hospital room, partially to thank him for saving her, but also to appease her desire to see him. The visit takes a turn as the girl becomes agitated, insisting that David is actually someone named Daniel. At first, David believes the girl is just confused or mistaking him for someone else. After spending more time with her, he can’t deny their connection and begins to believe the tale she has told.
Trigger Warning: Coma, illness
Overall, I enjoyed this tale of lost love. The two main characters are well developed and believable. Their emotional arcs were clear and easy to connect to. It did not take long to become invested in their plight. I also found the way the author described David’s awakening from his coma to be intriguing. However, there was sometimes so much intensity behind the introspection and emotion between the two main characters that the story seemed to slow down. The reveal of what the girl believes and tries to convince David of occurs rather early on in the story. It removed an element of mystery and suspense for me that I enjoyed in the beginning of the tale. My favorite part of the story was actually the relationship between David and his parents. The absolute anguish, elation, disappointment, and concern they felt in relation to their son leapt off the page. I wish their story would have been better concluded in some way, although I found the rest of the ending to be quite sweet.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
This is the second book by Patrick Morgan that I have read and reviewed. If you also want to check out the review for Apparent Horizon it can be found here:
OVERALL REVIEW:
A tale of lost love with a twist that gets a little too heavy handed along the way.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Patrick Morgan
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