Paranormal Tendencies: Review of A Siren for the Dead by Rosa Sophia

Title: A Siren for the Dead

Author: Rosa Sophia

Genre: Science fiction / fantasy

Blurb:

Aldon never got anywhere on his good looks, at least not according to his late wife.

At forty-two, his only companion is a cat named Tilly, and he’s turned to drinking in his off-hours to quiet the discontent in his head. As a city cop, he carries a heavy weight on his shoulders. Though he’s troubled by his own problems, he never lets them get in the way of helping people.

Now he’s needed more than ever. When the daughter of a nobleman goes missing, Aldon is sent to an alien planet to retrieve her.

But there’s one catch. The woman he seeks is unique. She is a siren, and she can raise the dead.

Excerpt:
In Loam Square, at the center of Nalakien City, hordes of under-dwellers thrust up from the tunnel that led straight down to the sewers. People chanted and hollered on the sides of the square, watching them spout forth, all wielding weapons and shouting.

General Kemmer signaled his constables and watched as the cops strode forward, weapons in hand. The general, a man in his late thirties, was a wild-eyed, paranoid sort, who tried his hardest not to let the job affect his senses.

It was hard to do, and every city cop knew that. In most rural places, paperwork was the main part of being a cop. But a city like Nalakien had layers, secrets—and Callin Kemmer had unearthed enough of them to know there were more beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.

He slunk into a nearby alleyway and listened to the ensuing brawl while crouching behind a dumpster. His black armored vest pushed forward as he leaned against the stone wall. He wasn’t being a coward, no, not ever; he was calling for backup.

He reached into an inner pocket with a steady hand and retrieved a small silver device. It had a short, stocky antenna in the top right corner. Below that was a compact screen that showcased the date and the year—1972—as well as how much battery power was left on the device. The general flipped open the top; the buttons and screen were illuminated by a soft blue glow.

From beyond the alley, he could hear screaming. People were dying, and it wasn’t just the under-dwellers, it was the cops too. Kemmer keyed his password, then accessed a list of contacts.

He pressed a button and put the flip-phone to his ear just as a blood-curdling shriek filled the air and the body of a constable was thrown violently into the alley. A loud crack and the sickening way in which the man had been killed told Kemmer this wasn’t any ordinary brawl.

He stared at the body as the ground shook.

His eyes darted around the alley, searching for a way out.

There wasn’t one.

My Review:

When I was about a third of the way into this book, I started to tell my husband about it. I described how it was set on another planet that was similar to earth, but different in many ways. I described the dead being raised, the travel to earth and the trade between planets. I started to get into the lies, traitors and government secrets, when he stopped me. He asked with everything going on how my head didn’t explode. lol Yeah this story is a bit overwhelming. But if the author’s intent is to keep the reader reading, then mission accomplished. Once I started and had several chapters to absorb the tremendous amount of information thrown at me, then I felt like I was too invested in this story to stop. And I wanted to know how it played out. So this reader that usually enjoys a sweet paranormal romance, was hooked on this book. The excitement of the story and the sheer uniqueness of it kept me turning the pages.

I give A Siren for the Dead 4 stars. It was an definitely different, but in a good way!

Author Bio:

Rosa Sophia is a novelist and full-time editorial consultant. With a degree in Automotive Technology, she adores writing and editing as well as fixing cars. Rosa is also a crazy cat lady in training, and currently divides her time between South Florida and Pennsylvania.