Valen plucked the glass box off the shelf and gently placed it on his desk. Inside, a set of handcrafted metal circles linked to form the body of his new beast. He closed his eyes and dreamed of the Fairacre residents buying his latest creations.
A commotion outside Valen’s shop brings him back to the present. The Captain has caught the leader of the sewer rats and is parading her in front of Fairacre residents. Her fate will be determined by the townsfolk’s demands.
Valen steps in to defend the leader.
A story of discovery, hope and courage, Valen and the Beasts is a journey of an outsider risking everything to stand up for the people he loves. Will Valen save the leader of the sewer rats? Will he show everyone his secret? Or will he buckle under the pressures of the old conventions?
Author Bio
A nomad at heart, GJ has lived in nine countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His career has included working as a Divemaster in The Red Sea, a zookeeper in Israel, and a proofreader in Sweden.
Born with cerebral palsy, GJ has spent a lifetime trying to tie his shoelaces while standing up in the hope of not falling over. It is a constant challenge, but sometimes he occasionally succeeds.
Finding the love for writing later in life, GJ spends most of his free time going for walks and dreaming of story ideas. He hopes to one day have a small place on the oceanfront where he can walk his dogs on the beach
My Thoughts
I am enjoying this novella and finding that there is a lot that is good with the book. Now I haven’t read the first book but I find it easy to read this.
Gracie is a great character love her sass and attitude. She seems to feel that she is being blocked from her life but she also has the drive to push for changes
The story itself was great especially with the way that women are treated. It seems like women must be married and can only wear certain clothing. I find the concept very ancient and I hate it as it backwards to what my thoughts are.
It does have kind of macho feel to it which annoys me at times but it is a great story even if I dislike the issues that this raises.
Chloe is very interesting and id a strong character which to me is the best part of a book seeing the strength of character that also reacts well with storyline.
The city setting is the backdrop for the story and it shows how harsh the city is to resident including outsiders as they call them and women. The word Fairacres for the city which is nothing but unfair.
I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. I love the sewer rats and what they do. I think that this story was well planned out showing the very negative aspects of the City.
How this book made me feel was not so simple. I loved the characters and how they interact with each other and the people of the city. I do believe that this is one of the better novels I have read in a while especially as it has fantasy aspects but not so much magical.
I think it shows a unique style and really makes me want more.
Thank you to the author and to Anne Cater for allowing me to take part in this tour.
Crazy Canadian Writing 