Apr 28, 20236 min read

Creatures Of Chaos by Ashley Brandt. Review

Book Blurb

Life in Justice-Peace just got a little more interesting.

Casey Allen has a green thumb. Max Kinkaid is the high school football star. Debbie’s in a band. Parker is a serial-dater, and Finch is the science- whiz turned prankster. When these unlikely friends are forced to collaborate on a group project, they discover their talents go beyond their high school personas.

Casey can call the plants, growing and twisting them to her satisfaction. Nicholas Finch commands the animals, and Parker Watts can summon the fiercest of storms. Max Kinkaid has dominion over the four winds, and Debbie Fairfield can rock your world, literally!

Are these five an evolved species of human or the legacies of the gods?

Hunted by greedy scientists, these clever teens combine their extraordinary gifts to gain their freedom... but it will cost them the only lives they’ve ever known!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Creatures Of Chaos' by Ashley Brandt.

Read and reviewed for Ashley Brandt, Blossom Spring Publishing and Zooloo's Book Tours.

Publication date 9th March 2023.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching and stunning cover, its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Blossom Spring Publishing. I have yet to read a book published by Blossom Spring Publishing that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book). This novel consists of 18 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case! This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Casey Allen. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. What an absolutely fantastic beginning to what promises to be a best selling series! I will start by saying that this isn't my usual choice of genre so I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the storyline but I was looking forward to trying it out and I am very please to say I did as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!! This is the first book in the 'Chaos' series and is an absolutely gripping, chilling and page turning start. The storyline is unique, fast paced, action packed and Ashley's fantastic and evocative writing skills and descriptions take you on an adventure with Casey Allen, Max Kinkaid, Debbie Fairfield, Nicholas Finch and Parker Watts ensuring you can feel the chill in the air and hear the birds calling around you. These 5 teenagers all go to J.P. High are set an assignment on the lesser Gods of Greek Mythology, Nymphs. Casey gives each of her friends a nymph to study. Parker gets Naiads which were a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water, Debbie is given Oreads which were nymphs of mountains and grottoes. Max is given the Anemoi which were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various seasons and weather conditions. Casey choses the Anthousai which were associated and presiding over flowers and plant life. Finch gets the Dryads which could make plants grow within seconds and can change a seed into a towering oak. Wood Manipulation - Dryads can call on the energy within wood, even that of dead wood. They can make it float or fly or conjure a fire that will only burn the wood, make scratches, gouges and gaps in wood to heal. I was so engrossed in this book that I seemed to completely disappear into the storyline. Ashley manages to completely captivate the readers attention throughout. I have never come across a book like this and devoured it in a couple of hours as I just could not put it down. The storyline comprises of 4 teenagers who each realise that they are not the same as everybody around them. Casey can summon plants and make them twist and grow to her desire, Debbie can make the ground move, break and do as she wishes, Parker can summon storms, water and rain, Max has control over the four winds and Nicholas can summon animals (definitely my favourite power!!). Unfortunately, as it is in reality and history, anything that is different is seen as a threat and/or needing to be studied/experimented on and they are soon targeted by James Bradford, a heir to Bradford Industries, who is trying to harness natural energy and manipulate it. The fact that Ashley has done her research on Greek Mythology shines through. It is a huge pet hate of mine when I come across a book and the author has neglected to do enough research on their chosen subject which means their books are littered with unnecessary mistakes so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Ashley!!! While reading this I ended up doing some of my own research into Greek Mythology and Nymphs and ended up learning more myself. I love it when a book takes me on a journey of research myself as I love learning new things and I found some of the information I discovered fascinating and Im looking forward to reading even more about it after I have finished this review! The storyline is filled with mythology, fantasy, mystery, friendship, suspense, action and everything you could ask for in an unputdownable page turner. There was a great mix of laughter, tears, annoyance, fear and a range of emotions between the characters, some of which easily transfer to the reader. It is a short book and a very quick read with a cliff hanger ending which leaves you in suspense leaving me thoroughly looking forward to the next book in this series which is called 'Consumed'. I absolutely loved the mythological aspects in the book and there was just the right amount too. I found that any mythical/fantasy elements were explained in just the right amount of detail for those readers who hadn't heard about the fantasy elements, etc previously. It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too. I wasn't only invested in the storyline but also the characters. I absolutely loved that the main characters are teenagers and they all have such different personalities. Each of the main characters are well rounded, realistic (not including their powers obviously!) and Ashley's evocative writing skills ensure they come to life in front of your eyes. I loved learning more about each of them and watching their friendships change and develop from the beginning to the end. I am looking forward to meeting all the characters mentioned above along with Tristan who appears later on in the book and any new characters that come along!! If you enjoy dystopian books such as Insurgent by Veronica Roth and The Unadjusted by Marisa Noelle then you will absolutely love this explosive and chilling start to a promising new series!!!! Congratulations Ashley on what promises to be a hugely successful series!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books!!! Here is to your next success 🥂 Overall an absolutely addictive, action packed fantasy/dystopia novella filled with friendship, action, mythology, mystery and more that will keep you turning the pages until you have devoured it in a couple of hours and suspend you on the cliff hanger ending!! Genres covered in this book include Mystery, Folklore, Two-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads, Novella, Science Fiction Short Story, Fairy Tale Fantasy, Two-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads, Fantasy, Ecology, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy and Literary Fiction amongst others. 169 pages This book is just £2.20 to purchase on kindle and £7.85 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is a good price for this book. . Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 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Author Bio

Ashley Brandt is a Paramedic and an author living in North Texas. When she isn't reading or writing, Ashley enjoys hiking, swimming and photography. Ashley is a coffee addict and spends as much time at the bookstore as possible.