Mind Wreck: Shadow Games by J.Z. Foster

I've been such a lazy blogger. Sorry about that :(  Here's a book recommendation to make up for it.

Mind Wreck: Shadow Games by J.Z. Foster
Dark Urban Fiction 
Released March 2018, 373 pages
Amazon ♦ Goodreads

Has anyone ever told you how special you are? How great you could be at anything if you just put your mind to it? 

They were lying. 

There are people, Shadows, who really can do anything. They walk like gods among us, speaking with the dead and tearing their enemies apart with a simple thought. Some live unchained by death, and others live without the shroud covering what tomorrow brings. 

They’ve had the Mind Wreck. 

It’s when the chemical stew inside your brain begins to boil. All those soft spots start to turn red and bleed as a host of human potential claws its way into you, dragging you into the deep end of the world. 

Matthew Reed is drowning in the deep end. 

He’s been thrust into the games, The Shadow Games, where god-like beings vie for control and power, everyone out there is playing their own hand, and everyone has a seat at the table. He’ll have to learn to play quickly because being the son of a powerful Shadow has drawn a lot of attention. 

Let the games begin. 

My Thoughts:

This book arrived in the mail and before I could warn her, my daughter picks it up and says, “You’re reading a book with a kitty on the cover!” Then she peers closer and with a look of horror on her face sighs, “oh, of course, it’s bleeding” and drops it like a hot potato as I laughed. OF COURSE! Sheesh, what kind of monster must she think I am? And how is this child even mine?!

Haha.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this book after reading the synopsis but it intrigued me enough to accept a review copy. It’s more dark urban fantasy than it is horror but there are enough horrific and terrifying scenarios and graphic scenes to please the dark heart of most any horror fan too.

Matthew is going about his life unaware that life as he knows it is about to end. He’s been having scary dreams and seeing things that may or may not be there. Things that linger in dark corners. Then one not-so-fine day a talking cat enters his life. A talking cat that looks and smells a little like death and claims it is his father! As if that weren’t enough to digest, he’s told he is about to go through the “Mind Wreck” and come into powers that will force him to go on the run from a group who wants to use them for their own nefarious goings-on. Matthew is ill equipped to enter this sinister game but his daddy cat sticks around to help him out and offer advice and sarcasm. I loved the sarcasm coming from a bedraggled cat body so much.

“I just really miss having thumbs.”

This isn’t my typical kind of read but I enjoyed it. Matthew is a relatable character who just wants to meet up with his dream girl but is caught up in all of this crazy. His cat-dad is a sarcastic smart-ass who is sketchy, a little mean, secretive and always unpredictable. It kept me on my toes guessing what would happen next, it was a little gross and a little funny and it never bored me which is more than I can say for a lot of books!

4 ½ stars

I received a copy from the author. Thanks!