Thank you to NetGalley and California Coldblood Books Rare Bird Books, for the read of L.C. Barlow’s, Perish.

Jack Harper is a deadly, fury of a woman – and one you should not clash with!

With excellent writing and a well-paced storyline, creative world-building, and fabulous characters, Barlow delivers a more than impressive sci-fi/fantasy read.

My first read of Barlow’s – I didn’t the first book in the series, but once I started Perish, I had to keep reading. I’ll be on to Pivot, soon. I don’t mind backtracking; I think it will be reading well-spent!

Opinions expressed are my own.

This is such a fabulous, dark, surprising series! I loved the first book - from the opening salvo in which Jack learns to kill as a 6 year old girl, to her growth into a surprisingly strong (mentally as well as physically) young woman who delivers the comeuppance Cyrus so desperately deserved, it was a gloriously insane funhouse ride into the dark...

This second book picks up right where the first ends, and while it had been a while since I read the first, I had no trouble picking right back up with the story line. Barlow does a magnificent job exploring humanity's darker instincts and the selfishness that lies in so many hearts - and does it with an entirely in-your-face style that you can't help but roll right along with each horrible punch as it is delivered.

Jack's character development is delightful to watch - it's easy to forget she's still really only a kid/teenager, right up to the moment she devastates someone/something that deserves devastation and follows it up with a snarky remark. She's a great protagonist for this tale, and I'm really enjoying seeing her grow further into her own. I am also really enjoying seeing the supernatural elements of the story deepen and explain themselves - the cosmology of this universe is fascinating and keeps getting more complex and climactic. I can't wait to see what comes in the final installment!

This is not a series for the faint of heart but it's definitely one of my favorite finds on all of NetGalley!

i really enjoyed getting to meet Jack and I enjoyed her story. It was a fun read and had what I was looking for in a scifi novel.

With Perish, Barlow provides a sequel to Pivot that manages to carry forward the story and themes of the first novel while also providing a story that is wholly unexpected in so many ways. Trauma has always rested at the core of Jack Harper's story, but with Perish questions of trauma turn toward healing and deeper understandings of what it means to hold and wield power. Jack is not a child any longer, and it's up to her to find her way in a world she was not raised to understand.

This second book in the trilogy bridges the dark battle of wills that drove the plot of Pivot with the larger conflict that is still to come. At the same time, it is a standout story in its own right. Adrift in the world, Jack realizes that Cyrus's' power reached further than she could have imagined. Alex is still at work, and the following has not been inactive. Jack's battle against the forces that once defined her whole world will take her to places she never expected as faces new and old come into her orbit--and by the end, she may become something very different than she was when she began.

With Barlow's stellar writing, a complex cast of characters, and a story to grab your attention from the first page to the last, the Jack Harper trilogy blends so many elements to great effect. Like Jack Harper herself, these books contain many facets--and every one of them is worth exploring.

Taken as a young child and indoctrinated into the life of an assassin for Cyrus, the power-mad leader of Infinitum, a young adult Jack Harper breaks free in a violent conflagration. Or does she? Killing Cyrus reveals Infinitum to be a Hydra of satellite groups of fanatics who are zealously committed to continuing the dead leader's heinous work. Jack's formerly closest cult sibling is now her most treacherous adversary at the top of a long list of deadly foes and circumstances.

Perish is fantastic in every sense of the definition of the word. Otherworldly beings, unexpected powers, consequences, alliances, and betrayals, all of these elements, visceral characterizations, and more are woven into a taut psychological thriller mystery fantasy that challenges readers to empathize with Jack's contradictory worldview of pragmatic amorality and cynicism with an unshakable nugget of case-specific ethics and naïveté.

Some readers may find the recurring threads of remorseless killings and the subjugation of children too disturbing. Neither subject is offered gratuitously, and both contribute to a substantive examination of nature versus nurture, and the insidiousness of corruption. This second entry in this compelling series entertains as a stand-alone that primes the pump of high expectations for book three.

Rating: 8/10

Finally getting back on your feet when life smacks you right in the chops. Unlucky, Jack Harper.

Perish starts off seamlessly where Pivot finishes, with the house of Cyrus burning to the ground as our protagonist, Jack Harper, watches on basking in her recent victory over Cyrus and the Infinitum. Even though I read both books pretty much back to back I very much liked this as it will serve readers as a bit of a memory jog of book 1. When reading the books back to back, which I often do with trilogies/sagas etc, the transition was so smooth that I almost forgot that I was reading the second book. Definitely, a thumbs up to Barlow for that.

Now, Perish was a very interesting read and I was intrigued to see where we would be taken with Jack and how the story would unfold. I don’t want to give away any spoilers obviously but I will say that the battle between good and evil within, and around, Jack continues while she attempts to adjust to life outside of Infinitum. Things quickly take a turn for the worst when Jack finds out that ………. haha. Jokes, I won’t be ruining this one. You’ll have to get a copy of Perish and find out for yourselves exactly what happens.

One thing that was a downer for me a little was that I sort of hit a lull around the halfway point where I felt the story need to pick up the pace and boy I was not let down. I was well rewarded for continuing when things quickly ramp up and we get to see Jack once again kick ass and taking no crap from anyone. We get to see Jack flourish as our protagonist with her newfound abilities. If you have read Pivot you’ll know what I mean.

The author adds in a handful of new and interesting characters that add to the story nicely however not so nicely for Jack. We get a friend turn enemy situation here and it was so well put together that I really felt what Jack was going through and wanted to dive on in and help out. Not that Jack would need my help and not that I would be of any help, lol. If you think Jack had it hard in Pivot then just you wait, she really gets a rough time of it in Perish.

If you enjoyed Pivot then you will definitely enjoy Perish. We get the same level of gritty darkness as with Pivot except we get a bigger understanding of the world around Jack. I feel that outside of the Jack Harper story arc there is enough material for L.C. Barlow to work with. I for one would love to find out more about the Ferrics (hint, hint 😉)

What are you waiting for? ….. go pick up a copy of Perish and find out the second instalment of the Jack Harper trilogy.

To my surprise, I found an ARC on NetGalley after having read L. C. Barlow’s first novel, Pivot, from the Goodreads giveaways program several years ago. I had begun to think there would be no follow-up and am happy that the author has continued with the series.

As I read Perish a full 6+ years after Pivot, I can’t say that I recalled everything from the first novel. However, that did not seem to really matter as this paranormal thriller was straightforward, fast-paced, and exciting. I would even venture to say that one could enjoy reading this novel without having read the first (although reading the first would obviously be preferable).

There seemed to be some small mistakes in the ARC which I assume will be resolved before the final version is out, but other than that the novel was still well-written and enjoyable. I do remember feeling a keener sense of mystery in the first novel, whereas this one is more action-focused. There are absolutely no lulls in the story-telling and each chapter is a deliberate advance in the plot. I found the breakneck pace entertaining, but I feel the story could have actually benefited from slowing down a bit more. In fact, I would venture to say my favorite scene in the novel was when Jack first meets the character Patrick. Both Patrick and Jack are very likable characters and I do have to say that I enjoyed the fact that their drug use is not used as a narrative device to heap on consequences for the characters and send some “drugs are bad” message to the reader.

The evolution of Jack as a character throughout the novel was enjoyable to read, as this installment throws many new experiences her way. The further developed paranormal elements of the novel were also a natural progression from the first novel and I can imagine the end of the trilogy will deliver even more in this area. That being said, some parts of the novel felt a bit predictable, even if they were exciting.

I certainly look forward to L. C. Barlow’s final chapter in the Jack Harper trilogy when it is ready. Although the novels may not have reached mainstream success, they certainly feel like a series that would translate to a film or TV series incredibly well. Let’s hope someone in the film industry reads it and has the same idea.

After destroying Cyrus and freeing Lutin, Jack Harper thinks she is finally free from her Hell.
While trying to survive on her own she soon begins receiving mysterious letters from children trapped in Infinitum asking for her help. Jack soon discovers Cyrus's cult is still thriving and his son Alex, with the help of the builder, is behind a new movement. A chance encounter with an affluent young man named Patrick; who reveals his father's possession of a machine that “bleaches” everything white. Jack is determined to destroy the remaining arcas, disband the cult for good, kill Alex, and save the children but she can't do it alone. Jack reveals her power to a kill-for-hire group run by Jonathon Roth hoping to make a deal but she may have just sealed her fate and replace one hell for another.

Perish is the second novel in the Jack Harper Trilogy in a battle of "good vs. evil". The story follows a young woman, Jack, who has been trained since childhood as an assassin for her cult leading father Cyrus. This novel picks up where the first novel ended, with Jack freeing Lutin and killing Cyrus. Although she wants a normal life, Jack can't seem to escape her past. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series and was excited to finally see the release of book two. I think the plot for the first novel was more solid and the characters were more developed. The second novel introduces several new sub-plots and characters and although it all ties together, it felt more disjointed and rushed. I really like Jack's character as the strong female protagonist and her new powers make her even more interesting in this novel. I look forward to book three where hopefully we will get to see the final standoff between Alex and Jack, both of which have the support of supernatural beings...the ultimate battle between "good and evil".

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. The reason being that I read the first book in the series and was not impressed. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't new or exciting. I felt like I had read it before. However this one takes everything good about book 1 and turns it up to 11.

Cults? Misplaced loyalty? Betrayal? Violence? This book has it all and then some. The rare sequel that evolves and improves upon the first, leaving me eagerly awaiting book 3.