Welcome to one of the January 29th stops on the blog tour for Anzel Spectrus by Rachel A. Olson, organized by Silver Dagger Book Tours. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, other reviews, and a giveaway! (More on that at the end of this post.)
Yes, by the way, I’ve featured Anzel Spectrus here on the blog before! I’m glad to have the chance to review it this time.
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Anzel Spectrus
A Children of Chaos Novel
by Rachel A. Olson
Published 8 June 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 77
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Anzel Spectrus has been alone as long as he can remember. So long so that he has convinced himself he prefers it that way. At least until he discovers what it’s like to have others in his life.
Mongo the minotaur usually spends his time trying to bully Anzel, until one day he asks for Anzel’s help out of desperation. Mongo’s request leads to Anzel meeting Brucie, who tells him that his aura is the color of a powerful being that seemingly no longer exists outside of a children’s bedtime story that Anzel has never heard. The three set out together in search of answers in an attempt to either prove or debunk the details of that bedtime story, and to hopefully find an answer to who Anzel really is.
The question remains, who – or what – is Anzel Spectrus?
Will he get the answers he seeks?
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My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads.
I was granted complimentary access to a review copy of Anzel Spectrus by Rachel A. Olson via Silver Dagger Book Tours to review for my part in the January 2021 blog tour for this title. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! I spotlighted this book on the blog in 2020 and wished I had reviewed it this. This has not swayed my opinion; my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Anzel Spectrus is the story of, surprise surprise, Anzel Spectrus. But who, or what, is Anzel? He doesn’t know. He’s one of the many things that go bump in the night, and he hates it. He’s tired of this horror show nightlife. When pixie Brucie and minotaur Mongo explain the Secret Bloodline to him, Anzel suddenly gets the feeling that exploring this story more will reveal all the answers to the questions he hadn’t even known to ask up until this point.
At just 77 pages, Anzel Spectrus is a very quick and easy read, and I absolutely loved it! The dynamic between the three main characters is very well written, and I enjoyed all the little world-building tidbits and lore tossed in here and there. This is my first dip into the Children of Chaos world, and I felt right at home. The way Olson handles dialogue and writes these teenage (or equivalent) characters reminds me of Christina Bauer’s writing style, which was a pleasant surprise.
This novella does end on a cliffhanger, so if you don’t have immediate access to the continuation of Anzel’s story (like I don’t right now as I write this review) then I strongly recommend having something else you’re eager to read prepped and ready to go because you’re not going to be ready to stop reading at the end of this one!
Rachel A Olson resides in rural Northwestern Nebraska, along with her husband, three children, two cats, and a yellow lab. She is a bit of a workaholic with a full-time day job, working as a freelance graphic designer and formatter in her spare time, as well as squeezing in her writing. Rachel is also passionate about her faith and stays involved in her church as much as she can. She enjoys the quiet outdoors, loves to travel, and often craves spicy foods. She considers herself to be a helper by nature and wants nothing more than to see other artists succeed in the areas they are most passionate about.
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One lucky follower of the tour will walk away with a $10 Amazon gift card! Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway.
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Interesting. And also quite a short novel aka a story. Like the way you write your reviews! You yourself ended it on a cliffhanger. 🙂 thanks for sharing x
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http://www.lifestyleprism.com
I must say that your magazine really makes you want to read this book and discover the mystery behind Anzel’s identity. But from what I understand, it’s probably not in this first book that it will be discovered, which leaves room for the reader’s imagination to try to find the missing pieces of the puzzle and to make his own deductions, until the next book validates them or not.
https://en.maqualitedevie.com
I must say that your review really makes you want to read this book and discover the mystery behind Anzel’s identity. But from what I understand, it’s probably not in this first book that it will be discovered, which leaves room for the reader’s imagination to try to find the missing pieces of the puzzle and to make his own deductions, until the next book validates them or not.
https://en.maqualitedevie.com/