2 Bloggers 1 Book - Eight Cylinders

 

In January, the author of this choice reached out to both of us so we decided to request his newest book and use it for one of our buddy reads.  I do believe I liked it a tad more than Stormi, so read on to see why.  Then hop over to  Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see her opinion! 

TITLE: Eight Cylinders

AUTHOR: Jason Parent

PUBLISHER: Crystal Lake Publishing

PUBLISHING DATE: November 13, 2020

PAGES: 82

SOURCE: Author

FROM GOODREADS: 

Sebastian “Seb” McAlister has run out of luck in Vegas. Cornered by a trigger-happy gang and shot through the stomach, he makes a desperate escape in his supercharged Hellcat. Fate guides Seb safely out of Sin City and into the desert, but as his wheels fade into the horizon, he fades into darkness. 

He awakes among a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. A mountain range circles the hodgepodge of shacks like prison walls looming high. And the warden that resides in those mountains is big, ugly, and deadly—a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. If Seb hopes to escape that wayward way station, he’ll need enough cunning to outwit a force beyond comprehension… and a fast car. 

With a little luck and a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him, Seb just might have a shot of making it through the mountains alive.

MY THOUGHTS: One look at this cover and I knew this was a story I had to read.  I mean, fast cars and tentacles - that alone made my little cold heart beat faster.  And I have to admit, the story was as action-packed as the cover implies.

Since this is such a short novella, there's not much to add besides the synopsis and I don't want to give anything away.  So instead, lets focus on what worked for me about this book and a few things that fell short. Even though Seb was a criminal, I found myself really liking his character.  He definitely had a soft side as was seen by his concern about his best friend Carlos and his girlfriend.  He also takes on the task of getting one community member to safety when all odds are stacked against him.  I also really liked the tentacled-monster who has basically imprisoned everyone in the small desert community.  As the synopsis states, this creature is basically a warden.  Finally, the fast cars.  When I was born, my dad was a drag car driver so I was raised around fast and beautiful cars.  I guess you could say it's in my blood because I still love them and the faster the better.

Now for what fell short.  The ending wasn't what I wanted.  I'm pretty sure they will be a sequel eventually and there kind of needs to be so I can wrap some things up in my head.  Also, I'm pretty sure I didn't catch on to the meaning behind the ending. It left me feeling kind of dumb and confused.  Not feelings I like to have when I close a book.

That being said, this is the second book I've read by Parent and he is now a must-watch author for me. I really enjoy his writing style and am very curious where his imagination heads next.

RATING: 4 PAWS