Great book a must read / listen

Gripped me from the very first chapter. Clever book with interesting characters with a great end.

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Brilliant Thriller

I really enjoyed this exciting and enthralling thriller which was a little different to the usual ones I listen to, it grabbed me straight from the beginning and I just had to keep listening until the fantastic conclusion.
I thought the narration was excellent, I really like it when female and male narrators are used in audio books and they both did an excellent job.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys an exciting and intelligent thriller.
I received this audio-book in exchange for an objective review.

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I loved it!

Just wow, I really liked it ALOT!

The whole storyline sucked me in from the first chapter and kept me engaged until the very end. This was a suspense thriller with some futuristic scientific elements, it is labelled as a horror but I wouldn’t label it as that myself.
I really don’t want to give too much away as there is a lot of detail in the blurb, but I have not read or listened to anything like it before it was quite unique. The twists and turns were great although sometimes I did get a little confused with who it was talking about for a few seconds, although it did not stop from my enjoyment.

Shanon Hunt did a great job with this book, especially considering it’s her debut! I am eager for the next in the series now. But while I wait for the next instalment I will be buying a physical copy of the book to read too, It was that good.

Both narrators did a very good job, they were easy to listen to and they made the characters come alive.

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Wow

I loved it.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly all the twists and turns and surprises.
It has good characters, the author and narrator build a world which your able to visualise and join in.

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Delicious slow burn plot

What a delicious slow burn technothriller! This story really grabbed my attention and held it all the way through. Both Layla and Allison were interesting characters. They both start off a bit subservient, definitely let others do the thinking for them. But their character arcs show that each has a hidden kernel of strength. Now they don’t necessarily put the kernel to a good use or the full use, but it was certainly an interesting character arc.

The Colony was creepy and fascinating at the same time. On the surface, it really looks like a fancy health spa or spiritual retreat. Those that suffered from a ‘poisoned’ life seek enlightenment and cleansing, striving for a better life in general. But each chapter brings up another small question, another little crumb of suspicion that all is not what it seems.

Out in the real world, there’s bioscience, big business, fraud, and more. This is Allison’s world. I found her character interesting even though I never really liked her. She thinks she’s a nice person, just blossoming into her job. Unfortunately, she’s used her sexual relationship with her boss to get her job position. Additionally, she spends her work time online shopping. So she’s not even really trying to earn her position in the business. And yet I found myself empathizing with her as her privileged life fell apart.

There’s more than one branch of law enforcement in the mix too. They definitely built the suspense as they creep closer and closer to the truth. And what was that truth? Well, I was surprised! So creepy! So possible! I’m definitely looking forward to Book 2. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Erin deWard and Noah Michael Levine were great. The book was well set up for a dual narration. DeWard had the perfect voice for kind, gentle Layla. She had a more worldly voice for Allison. And I was impressed by how she captured the more extreme emotions of these two characters. Levine played the playboy company bigwig Austin. And I really liked his full-voiced, sincere voices for the male leaders of the Colony. The pacing was perfect and there were no technical issues for this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

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A gripping thriller with many twists and turns

I received the audiobook version of the Pain Colony from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
We are introduced to Layla, an inductee into the “Pain Colony”, a strange cult-like organisation where the members are subjected to pain that they must endure and come to accept on the path via “cleansing” towards “purification” from their previous polluted lives. Layla is keen to be a model inductee and progress but is struggling with memories of her previous life, which we learn about through first-person flashbacks.

Outside the colony, Alison works for Quandary Pharmaceuticals, running development of some ground-breaking new gene editing therapies intended to cure many of humanity’s illnesses. However, people are dying and it soon becomes clear that her boss (and some-time lover) Austin is hiding something, and Alison is implicated.

What follows is a fast-moving thriller as Austin is arrested and Alison races to uncover the truth about what he is up to, with DEA agents (Malloy and his team) on her tail (unofficially since the FBI took the case back). Meanwhile Layla moves inexorably towards the mysterious purification ceremony.

This is a very enjoyable thriller with well drawn characters and a fast moving plot. A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required, but I have no problem with that. The truth about what was happening at the colony was suprising and shocking, and I really didn’t expect the final twist.

The two narrators, Erin deWard and Noah Michael Devine did a good job, taking turns on the male and female viewpoints (Layla and Alison for deWard; and Austin and Malloy for Devine).

There are some fairly big questions about the colony that remain unresolved, that leaves me hoping there is a follow up book in the works. The end of the book advertises a companion short story that might answer some questions.

All in all, a very twisty, unputdownable read. Oh, and bonus points for the Princess Bride references :)

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