4 Sniffs Review: APOCALYPSE LOVERS by Serena Walken #Excerpt

Title: Apocalypse Lovers

Series: Apocalyptic Fairytale #1

Author: Serena Walken

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Publisher: Serena Walken

ASIN: B00H9YK4E2

Release Date: December 18, 2013

Source: Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours ☆ Tour Schedule

Links: Amazon
 

There isn’t a person alive that can save all the worlds from colliding into one massive apocalypse.

Except twelve year old Dominic.

Cheshire watches the humans in disgust as they discuss their plans. To take action against a woman who will enslave herself to someone willingly. A willing slave is the lowest form of creature, even to humans, on the face of Wonderland. All Cheshire can do is look on though, for fate must happen.

Except that the slave is Shay Austin the destined lover, and when she wills herself away to the White Rabbit, the ending begins.

Scritch scritch scratch. That’s the sound of Dominic drawing another figure he sees in his mind. A man with a bride riding a motorcycle of steel. A scarecrow with a witch riding a motorcycle of fire. These don’t come from his imagination. He sees them with his own eyes that only see in shades of blue.

Dominic sees what others would consider fairytales: Wonderland, Oz, fairies, werewolves, every fairytale land and creature known actually exists. His sister Cheryl keeps him secluded in their small home in Kansas, where few people can learn about his curse.

It’s not until their entire town is sucked down a dimension hole that Cheryl begins to believe he might be seeing something real after all.

Darlene Deeks is more than Dominic’s cousin. She’s the great relation of the one true Dorothy.

While at a party in a cornfield, she hears a voice coming from a scarecrow and finds a strange man painfully hanging. After she takes him down and hears his bizarre explanation, she takes back off toward her friends but sees nothing but a large hole. In fact, her entire town is gone. Stuck with a man who calls himself Scarecrow, she goes to the next town to see her grandmother. There she finds a shocking revelation about her and Scarecrow.

One that just won’t have enough time to come true before the Earth is destroyed.

Guyver works for DIM: Dimensional Investigative Missions. Having heard about the real Dorothy’s hometown being sucked under, he visits Cheryl. Her house is only one of a handful to survive. There he discovers Dominic and his rare gift. They each hurry back to DIM with Dominic, but it’s too late.

The world is doomed. Nothing can be done. But this was only one dimension, and there are millions out there still that can be saved. Like shining stars in the sky, only a tiny light went out. When a prophecy is revealed in front of Dominic, he knows that he is the one that has to reach the others who can stop it.

Other beings of different dimensions have to have a child that would tie the bonds between dimensions stronger again. However, the meaning is gentle, too gentle for others to understand. It takes more than a baby, it takes one created with a soul mate.

Yet, even that can only slowdown the apocalypse. For if even one destined lover fails, everything will perish.

It’s up to Dominic to go on a quest that is destined to kill him to save countless others. But will it physically kill him or change the person he was supposed to be?

An Apocalyptic Fairytale Series is one massive novel with eight parts at least 80k (Around 228-266 pages) Formed in a similar style to Arabian Nights, there are many mini-adventures told between the main adventures.

Every fairytale character and creature you ever read about is real. They have their own dimensions and lives to live. But the worlds are growing darker, dimensions are collapsing, the Apocalypse is near. The only way to stop it is for destined soul mates, being from two different dimensions, create a child to strengthen the bond between those dimensions. But if even one of these destined pairs of lovers should fail, there is no stopping the complete destruction of all worlds. Dominic, the Apocalypse Boy, sets out to travel the dimensions and guide these lovers to each other. Will love be strong to halt the progressing darkness?

I want to get the negative out of the way first, so here goes. The prologue left me kind of confused and lost because I didn't understand what was going on, but once I got past that and the main story started I WAS HOOKED! The story flows so well after the prologue - I was sucked into each story and I loved all the characters. I was excited seeing how each story played out, and I loved reading the journey the destined lovers had to take. All the different characters and worlds - it was just so much fun! We see a darker side to these fairytale worlds that make them feel more real than fictional. I really, really want the other 7 serial parts, so that I can read the rest of the story. I'm dying to know how it all will work out.

There are so many characters in APOCALYPSE LOVERS that I can't do my usual cast listing, so I'll just talk a little about them in general.

In this first book, we see famous fairytale characters such as the Scarecrow from Oz, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and Cheshire from Wonderland. Then there are others that I never heard of like Mr. Umbrella in the Sky and Apocalypse Boy. And of course we have Hero, the white wolf (he's one of my favorites, by the way). Then there are the humans from Earth, like Darlene and Cheryl.

There are just so many interesting characters!

Then we have some baddies like dragons and zombies. But the most notable villain to me is The Boogeyman, who has attacked Mr. Umbrella's Jewelsy since she was a child. Trying to turn her bad and bring the Apocalypse to their dimensions so that he can be freed.

I just know that there are more sinister characters yet to be revealed.

What I liked about these destined lovers was that one of them always seemed more innocent, not tainted by the darkness of their respective worlds, while the other was more cynical and unbelieving. 

In APOCALYPSE LOVERS only two of the destined lovers have won over darkness to fulfill their destinies. I'm not saying who they are, but let me tell you - when they finally came together it was passionate, but sweet and it just made me feel really happy. For us older readers, I liked that you know they're "doing the deed" without anything being described. So for younger readers, it's pretty clean in that way. I guess I should say that the kisses leading up to the deed are what's passionate. Although, Hero's and Roxie's story is a little more graphic, as most werewolf stories are.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with the other couples that were just introduced in this first book. It didn't look like anything was going to happen anytime soon, with how distrusting and in denial they are.

The recommended reading order: 

 Apocalypse Lovers
Apocalypse Dreams
Apocalypse Journey
Apocalypse Travelers
Apocalypse Seas
Apocalypse Wicked
Apocalypse Cartoon
Apocalypse Mafia

“Okay.” With that question answered, I didn't know what else to ask. The selective seers hell is what I had always imagined real hell had been like. I wonder if this was the same in the afterlife? The thought gave me chills. Stuck here for eternity.

We walked and talked with Boogeyman now behind us. I kept hearing a warning after warning about how I had to stay in good spirits. I had not had to think positive in years about myself, but now I had no choice. If I didn't think positive, I would be changed into those demon-like seers.

“Wait.” Mister Umbrella stopped and let go of my hand for a brief second. “I want you to see something from our new home. Even in darkness, beauty exists.” He reached down and grabbed something I had not seen before. It was a fiery rose. Its petals glittered in the darkness, almost like it had been on fire itself. “The fire rose. The red dimension has been trying to keep these out for years. They are like weeds to this place, unloved and unwanted.” He handed it to me. “If they can survive, we can.”

I took the flower and gave it a light sniff. I expected sulfur but there was a passionate aroma, a combination of jalapeno and strawberries mixed together. Intoxicating. We held hands and crossed the beach of the lava sea. If the lava had been water, and the flower had been a real rose. . .

We were having a romantic date in hell. I looked toward Mister Umbrella but he didn't seem to catch it or understand it. How could I fall for someone like him? He was so annoying, especially the way he talked. But, well, maybe it wasn't as annoying as I thought.