Integral shows promise but needs work
Integral
Visceral Book 1
By Adam Thielen
Mystery & Thrillers, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date 15 Jun 2017
Review
Integral isn't bad once you get into the story. It gets off to a rocky start not because it's badly written, but because you aren't given much of a reason to care. It took a long time to connect to the protagonists - two Vampire investigators (similar to FBI agents but the country is run by corporations rather than a federal government). The initial half of the novel are seemingly unrelated cases, giving it the feel of an anthology or serial. There’s more meat when you get to the core story of a Mage who breaks out of their university (prison) and is forced to assassinate a vampire leader. The duo, plus a warden from the university and the Mage herself are forced to deal with the fallout.
There are numerous loose ends left - the drug jester, the individual bitten who may or may not be an undiscovered Mage left to turn into a vampire after an attack by a drug mad vampire, the so called vampire God, and how the hell did her foot continue to work after being glued back on. It's a bit of a mess. There is potential there, but it isn't fully realized. Bits and pieces are very good, so maybe the next novel will be better. This one needs some work.
3 / 5
I received a copy of Integral from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
Alive since before the Great Collapse, Matthias and Frank are coasting through life as agents for the Noxcorp investigations division when a strange murder jeopardizes nocturnals’ place in the new world order. Polar opposites, the two vampires must work together to find the real killer else face the wrath of the council.
Charles is a warden of the university tasked with recovering one of its students, one of its prisoners, one of its mages. But Sandra is no ordinary mage. Her body defies the laws of physics, and she has been preparing for this moment for her entire life.
Paths cross when the university requests the assistance of Noxcorp. But when the agents discover that Sandra had outside help, a simple fugitive recovery quickly turns complicated, and all four find themselves caught in the middle of a deadly power grab.
All the while, a darker malignancy grows, showing itself only in strange dreams and machinations, waiting for its moment to rise again.
