Cover Image: Kaleidoscopic Shades

Kaleidoscopic Shades

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Member Reviews

As interested as I am in all things odd, unruly, disgusting, disturbing, and horrifying...this was quite a feat for me to get through. I loved the gory parts and the story was like a well spun spiderweb, but then it just started zigzagging in far too many directions. There were some truly disturbing and terrifying parts and I commend the author on that note.
My problem with this story is that it was like being inside a tornado, one minute you see everything upended and then the next your twisted some other way around with nothing to do but sit and wait for the next go round. It seemed like putting a sci-fi book in a blender and then adding some tiny bits of terror but nobody truly knows what is spilled out into the cup. We just drink and nod our heads like "well that happened."
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The beginning was amazing but by the end it was just a bunch of sighs.

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Great world building and a unique writing style. This book is perfect for any fans of sci-fi and horror!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read a free copy of this title. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
I would rate this as a 3.5 but have rounded up to a 4 star.
This one started a little rough for me. The introduction was a confusing bit of oddness that nearly caused me to DNF the title.
The remainder of the story was an interesting tale that fits within the sci-fy horror sub genre. I did enjoy the (multi) world building and the premise of the story. Combining dimensional travel with the dream state was a fun and unique idea.
While I enjoyed finding out about the Father's role in the bigger story, I wish that the focus had been more on the son. It felt like just as I was becoming invested in the son's journey, I was pulled out of the story to follow the Dad, other kids, the Mom, other beings, etc.... I think the son had a powerful story to tell and a more focused approach may have created a much tighter narrative.
Overall I will recommend this one to lovers of weird science fiction and/or horror.

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This wasn’t for me at all, really struggled and cannot get past page 50. The writing is in a style I find very difficult to follow. There seem to be some pretty scary things going on but there just wasn’t enough descriptive narrative to make the most of it. Sorry, one 🌟

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This book took me more than 2 weeks to get through. There are way too many difficult words and the long chapters doesn’t help at all. Also, there seem to be too many genres fit into this book which made it kinda confusing.

That being said, there are at least some scenes and witty banter that made me laugh and kept me reading or else this might have been a dnf for me.

Unfortunately, Kaleidoscopic Shades is not a story I would personally recommend. But if you enjoy slow paced (sci-fi-paranormal-thrillers?) stories, this one is for you. You get to immerse yourself into the story and experience every single detail , no matter how significant.

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Honestly, This one is hard to review. The beginning was awful and nonsensical. Why did I have to read about a random old woman farting thru the sky? It does not grab you in the beginning, it makes you confused and annoyed. A few sections in and you start to learn about the problems the children are facing but honestly it isn’t engaging enough to keep you reading. The book is over 500 pages and there aren’t “real” chapters. It’s not formatted to keep you involved. I’m sorry, but this is a massive DNF. Great premise, but not great execution.

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Well, this is something different. But I mean that in a very good way. This is one of those books that really defy genres. There's some science fiction, there's some coming of age, and,of course, plenty of horror!

It's about childhood trauma that comes back to haunt you and the terrifying consequences of doing so. But it also has other "worlds" and dimensions, a very frightening man in black who plagues the children of this town, and friendships that will put people to the test.

You can't help but feel sympathy for the protagonists as they encounter an evil that defies explanation and could, literally, cause the destruction of earth if they can't find a way to stop it. And these characters aren't heroes and they're actually ill equipped to handle a situation like this. So the whole "underdog" vibe makes this even more compelling.

There are plenty of horrific and brutal scenes that will have you wincing as you read. The author's narrative is descriptive but it feels as if each word is intended for maximum effect and it never goes off course. You'll happily keep turning the pages in this novel as the tension builds and things start going off the rails.

I highly recommend this book.

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