Vanished by Eden DarryVanished by Eden Darry is a post apocalyptic horror that I thoroughly enjoyed. What would you do if one night the power went out and when you woke up everyone in town was gone?

It started with a storm, then there was a white light and a sound so loud and awful that Loveday fell unconscious with the strain of it. When the author woke up she found that she and her cat, Claude, seemed to be the only people left in town. Everything electronic was fried and there was an ominous feeling of being watched.

Ellery, town veterinary surgeon, and her charge Rocky, the dog with his leg in a cast, wake the following morning with a creepy sensation. Something is very wrong in town.

When Ellery and Loveday find one another they are both relieved that they are not alone but still concerned about what else is lurking around. They know they need to leave as soon as possible but with nothing working hiking out of town is their only hope. Can they survive where no one else has? Will whatever is watching them follow and how on earth are they going to get the pets across the country while on foot? All they know is that they need to go North and soon.

In another part of the UK Rosemary Decker is preparing for the end of the world. She has built an enormous ark and is leading Children of the Ark into a better era. A time of purity, rules and no more abominations. Her motto of kill the weak and impure is as harsh as she is imposing. And yet, her ark may be the only way to survive the next storm.

And then there is Terry. I don’t know if a more horrible human exists. He is an abusive drunk and he happens to find a girl named Dani. After getting strange visions that he has to take her North, he grabs her and they start traveling together. Dani knows he is not safe to be around but will she find a way to escape?

The Characters

This multi cast book is a fun read. Each character is fleshed out enough so that we feel something for them but not so much as to make it a story about the characters. This book is much more about the events so don’t expect big character moments.

I loved Ellery and Loveday. They were a sweet couple with enough of a romance to keep die hard  romance lovers interested.

I wish we could have seen a little more of Dani. I didn’t feel like we got to know her enough considering how important she was.

The Writing Style

This is an action packed book. You get an end of the world disaster feel with a horror twist and a splash of romance.

Events in the book were interesting and I never knew exactly what was going to happen next.

The Pros

I loved this book and how different it is. I love a good disaster/post apocalyptic story of survival and the touch of scary elements had me thrilled.

The Cons

This is a heads up for readers who are sensitive to violence. Terry is violent and drunk. While he hits Dani once he never does some of the vile stuff he thinks about doing to her. But he does think about it and we get to experience that. I thought it added to the story, though, so I wouldn’t have taken it out.

The Conclusion

If you love stories where people have to survive agains huge odds, post apocalyptic, end of the world kind of stories then this is a must-read. If you love stories where something bad is lurking in the background being just sinister enough to make your skin crawl then this is an awesome read.

This book is absolutely fantastic for someone like me who is always looking for unusual stories.

Excerpt from Vanished by Eden Darry

sheena's favouriteAt exactly two o’clock in the morning, a huge burst of light lit up the sky. At the other end of the village, Loveday woke. It felt like someone turned on a floodlight outside her house. At first she thought it might be another flash of lightning, but when it didn’t go away, she got up to look.

***

At the veterinary surgery, Ellery opened her eyes, blinking immediately into the brightness. Rocky went crazy and Ellery locked him in his cage to stop him damaging his broken leg further. She hurried to the front of the surgery to see what was going on.

***

At her house, Loveday was surprised Claude joined her at the window. He growled low in his throat, then hissed at something she couldn’t see. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. * * * Back at the vet’s, Ellery squinted into the light which obliterated everything else, wondering if it would burn her retinas and make her blind.

***

Loveday stared out her window. Looking into the light wasn’t like looking at the sun at all—the strength of it probably should have blinded her, but she didn’t need to squint or shield her eyes. The problem was she could see nothing beyond the brightness.

***

A steady high-pitched whine—Ellery thought it sounded like a dentist’s drill—started up. It got louder and louder until it was unbearable. Ellery felt it all the way to the fillings in her teeth and worried the pressure would work them loose. She put her fingers in her ears to try and block out some of it, but the sound seemed to be coming from inside her head. It didn’t make sense.

***

Loveday moaned as the awful screeching noise reverberated through her body. She felt pressure behind her eyeballs and thought they would burst if it carried on much longer. The sound increased in both vibration and pitch until Loveday began to scream.

***

Ellery screamed. The terrible noise was so powerful it felt like it was working its way into the muscle and sinew of her being and ripping her apart from inside out. As it increased, so did the intensity of the light, until in one final pulse, it exploded and Ellery knew no more.

***

Loveday dropped to the floor, unconscious.

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