Tribulation by Phillip W. Simpson

Tribulation(Rapture Trilogy#2)  by Phillip W. Simpson

Book Name: Tribulation(Rapture Trilogy #2)

Author Name: Phillip W. Simpson

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Dystopia, paranormal,   Angels&Demons, Adventure, action

Publisher: Pear Jam Books

My Rating: 4 stars

Halfway through the desolate Tribulation, half-demon Samael is still alone, with only his beloved Samurai swords and memories of the dearly departed - especially his beloved Aimi - to sustain him. Fighting for the innocents who remain behind, Sam has thwarted the plans of the Antichrist once before. Now, having already conquered Europe, America remains a thorn in his brother’s side. 

At the head of a massive invasion fleet, an army of 
demons, and his sights firmly fixed on New York, he will not be denied again ...

Beset on all sides by adversaries, aided by friends old and new, Sam must stop his brother before America falls. And if that means killing him, then so be it. He failed once before; this time he will succeed - or die trying.

The long-awaited follow-up to Rapture, Tribulation is the second in the Rapture Trilogy. Look out for Apocalypse, coming soon

                                                   My Review

I would like to thank the author Mr Simpson for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 Being a second book in the series it had both its advantages and drawbacks. Let’s get the negative out of the way first so we can move on to discuss the awesomeness of the book. When I read Rapture, I was enthralled by it. Although Tribulation maintained the fast pace of the first book, it didn’t really provide anything new. What we read in Tribulation was more or less same what we had in Rapture.  Secondly what irked me about this book was how it had only one character that carried the book. Sam was mostly alone, being on the road and at times his inner monologues used to get a little (read very little) monotonous.

Okay, the drawbacks out of the way, it was an interesting book. It has been three and a half years into the tribulation. Sam is still trying to help the innocents who are braving the hellish Earth and fighting the demons. He is utterly alone and constantly thinks of Aimi. Those were my (one of the) favourite moments in the book. We (along with Sam) get to learn that he will never set foot in the Heaven when Christ returns to Earth at the end of the tribulation. Moreover, he would be cast off to the pits of hell along with his father (the Satan), brother( the Antichrist) and the False Prophet (he will be surprising you…more like shocking you…well, it really shocked me!). Now all this made me really angry (along with Sam). What about all the good he is doing, saving innocents and all. What about his humility, love and selflessness.  All that counts for nothing? But our dear Sam replies with 

“It doesn’t change who I am. I’m not suddenly going to stop doing [saving innocents]  what I’m doing. Just because Heaven doesn’t keep its word, doesn’t mean I don’t have to.”

“It was never going to be easy, he reflected, reminding himself why he was doing this. Not for those in Heaven. Not for Him. This was for the innocents. Those who didn’t deserve to be the targets and subjects of the Antichrist’s rage. If Sam killed the Antichrist, surely he would save many innocents.”

Now if these aren’t the words of someone who deserves Heaven, I don’t know who does. Even with all this, he carries on with fierce determination and sheer will power, knowing that it may kill him and it almost did! Even after all this, nobody showed even an ounce of gratitude. Take Grace for example, Sam went to hell to save her but instead of being thankful she snubbed Sam that what made him wait that long! What the nerve! I really couldn’t figure out what her problem was.

One of the best things about this story was the entry of Yeth, a hellhound that became Sam’s most trusted and loyal companion. What the author depicted through Yeth and Sam was that absolutely nobody is born evil. It’s the influences in our lives that deviates us from the path of good.

Overall, I find this book a good read. The plot was consistent and there were no holes or missing pieces in the story. This book has got some cliff hanger. What happens to Sam now that his powers are stripped? Does he get Aimi back? I am definitely awaiting the next installment in the series!

Buy this book at:

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Also see my review of Rapture, book #1 in the Rapture Trilogy

Rapture by Phillip W. simpson

Rapture(Rapture Trilogy#1)  by Phillip W. Simpson

Book Name: Rapture(Rapture Trilogy #1)

Author Name: Phillip W. Simpson

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Dystopia, paranormal,      Angels&Demons, Adventure, action

Publisher: Pear Jam Books

My Rating: 5 stars

The Rapture has occurred, just as the Bible predicted. The faithful have risen up to Heaven. Those left behind are in a living hell. 

Earth burns, hell-like in its oppressive heat. Every volcano in the world has erupted, and tsunamis and earthquakes continue to devastate the planet. Clouds continually rain ash onto the scorched landscape, sparking fires all around. Plants and animals are dying. Food is scarce. The night sky is devoid of stars, and the moon - when it can be seen - is the color of blood. 

The remnants of humanity fight for survival. Most have fled the cities and now hide in caves deep in the mountains. By night, demons stalk the Earth, capturing the remaining humans and killing them - if they're lucky. The less fortunate are converted to worship of the Devil, and ushered into endless hell. 

Eighteen year old, Sam (short for Samael) was raised in the town of Jacob's Ladder, Utah. It is appropriately enough near to a place of natural scenic beauty called Devil's garden. He finds himself alone, unable to rise up with his family because he is half demon. His mother, a devout Christian, was seduced by Satan and conceived his child. She smuggled the boy to an old friend Hikari, a Japanese sword master and demon expert. Since then, Hikari and his daughter, Aimi, have been all the family Sam has known. 

Now they're gone, and Sam must set out on the mission Hikari charged him with long ago: to help all the humans left behind. Armed only with his beloved Japanese swords and his wits, Sam wanders the post-apocalyptic world alone, separated forever from everyone he loves. Cursed by his demonic heritage, he must now embark on a quest that will take him across the US to the City of Angels. 

There he will confront his destiny. There he must fight to save a friend ... and the souls of the living.

                                                        My Review

I have to say when I was recommended this book by a friend  I wasn’t really keen about reading it. I am not really into dystopian fiction and this is my first one. What really sold me for this one is its cover. What a gorgeous cover!

Like I said, this is my first dystopian read and it was amazing. I think after reading this one I’m going to try reading more dystopian books.  The subject matter was fantastic. This story is set in the post-apocalyptic period. The Rapture had occurred as predicted in The Bible and all the most devote worshippers of Jesus have been taken up to the Heaven while the nonbelievers and the damned have been left on earth that has been ravaged by hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

This book basically revolves around Sam, a half demon who had been in the care of a priest Hikari and raised along with his daughter Aimi. He is trained by his sensei in the art of sword fighting from an early age. It has been told earlier in the story that Sam is the chosen one to fight the Antichrist. What I really liked about Sam was his ability to resist temptation. Being a half demon, he is constantly subjected to temptation and give into his true nature. But no, Sam is determined to let his human goodness prevail and sets out to help the innocents left behind from the clutches of the demons that plague the Earth at night.

I loved the writing style of the author. It has been written in the alternating history/current day format. The story jumps back and forth to events that happened before the Rapture, focusing on Sam's life and his training for his mission, and back to the present, where he is in the middle of slaying demons and fighting for the good of humankind. The moments it would jump back to his past were a little heartbreaking to read because you can see how much Sam loved his Sensei and especially how much he loved Aimi, and the thought of them being taken up to Heaven when the Rapture occurred was devastating to read. 

The author definitely has a knack for writing action sequences descriptively. The fighting scenes were lively that gave an impression of been happening right there in front of you. Anyone and everyone who likes action in their books are going to enjoy it.

I think Phillip Simpson has written a very interesting and engaging story. All the Biblical references that were made gave credibility to the story. Overall, good job!

Buying links for this book

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Also see my review of Tribulation, book#2 in the Rapture Trilogy

The White Lilac by Christina J. Adams

The White Lilac by Christina J. Adams

Book Name: The White Lilac

Author Name: Christina J. Adams

Genre/Tags: Sci-fi, Young Adult, Sacrifice, Futuristic, Dystopian , Political conspiracy, Gritty Adventure 

Publisher: Self-Published

My Rating: 3 stars

From the day 15-year-old Caryn Tobin watched her best friend drown, she has carried two weights: a fear of water and the responsibilities of the oldest candidate in the Compound, a leading power on Beta Earth. Caryn is determined to live up to her friend’s memory, even if it means forcing herself to train in the water every day in order to protect the other girls so they can live and dream. 

After nearly 3,000 years on the first colonized planet, there is still a deadly toxin in the air poised to wipe out the world’s population and it is the Compound’s purpose to train candidates from birth to gather the underwater cure. All the candidates compete for the chance to save the world, but only one can win and the winner will not survive collecting the cure. Caryn has to win. It is the price she must pay to atone for her part in the drowning. 

Yet moments after sealing her own fate, Caryn is offered an opportunity to see the planet and leave the Compound for three days. In the city she meets Kai, a 16-year-old street kid, who is searching for answers to his past. They form an unlikely friendship and Caryn realizes she has dreams of her own. Her decision is further complicated when she discovers the Compound has been experimenting on the very people they are sworn to cure. Now she must choose between her sense of duty and her heart, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

                                                         My Review

I would like to thank the author for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. It is my first sci-fi novel and I must say I really enjoyed reading it. The story is set in the backdrop of Earth's colonial planet, Beta Earth. The year is 2734, Betan Calender.

The story starts with The White Lilac Tournament organised by the Compound, a scientific organisation with maximum privileges and sole right to gather the cure. The winner of this competition would be the one to gather the cure of a very deadly disease. The catch is that the person who will collect the cure would die within a day. Well, as you can see, it is a kind of story that starts with a bang!

Caryn is 15 years old and one of the candidates for the tournament. As the oldest of the candidates she feels that it is her responsibility to win the Tournament and gather the cure. Caryn is motivated with the will to help others and strongly believes that she is born for this. Moments after she is declared as the winner, she gets a chance to visit the planet for three days. It is like a dream come true for her as she has never set foot outside the compound.

Kai is a 16 year old who has spend a majority of his life on the streets filling his stomach dumpster diving. He comes insight of a local gangster T-man who makes him steal a rare Betan ruby in exchange for information regarding Kai's family and past. With no other choice and greedy to know about his past, he takes up the job.

Fate brings both caryn and Kai together when Kai is chosen to be her companion with the betan ruby as the payment. Together they spend a life that neither of them ever imagined they would have. Soon they form a bond and experience life's little pleasures while they accidentally uncover the truth behind the sickness, the cure and The Compound.

What I really liked in this story was the gradual way in which Caryn and Kai's relationship grows- from companions to friends to lovers. There is no love at first sight. No body is swept-off their feet. Its all very realistic that everyone can relate too. The story is told in first person form from Caryn's point of view and third person form from Kai's point of view. It is a unique way of writing and gives the readers an insight into the heart and mind of the protagonists. 

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