(Para)Normal Society Island Complex

By A.D. Wills

(Previously published as “Between the Veil”)

Curtis has abilities that most humans don’t possess, but then again he isn’t quite human either. He can help other people face their emotional issues in a one-on-one session in their mind-scape. Yana, a Goddess of fortune is intent on helping Curtis develop his talents, whether he wants her help or not.

Receiving information about an unknown oddity/aberration and an individual with complete memory loss, Curtis and Yana head to Bellfield. Something feels off the moment they arrive. The town of Bellfield is a little too perfect, and nice; the only exceptions being the pool of malice and hatred on the outskirts of town, and the twisted anomaly surrounding the high school.

Gray, a lost aberration with no memory, allows Curtis into her mind-scape, in order to figure out why a “God” that looks like her would be using the anomaly to change the town. Within Gray’s mind-scape Curtis finds a clique of six girls bullying, tormenting, and otherwise constantly abusing Gray. Even causing her to fall down a flight of cement stairs, while they laughed. The fall injured Gray bad enough, her body went into a coma state to heal. While in the coma, a small lump of malice and hatred preyed on Gray’s feelings of anger and hatred. The lump promised Gray (Alice)  that it could take away everyone’s pain and hate, creating a truly peaceful place, if Alice would just let it in.

After watching the lump take over Alice’s body, and expel the small splinter of goodness that is Gray, both Curtis and Gray return to reality. Yana helps to stabilize Gray’s essence before she fades away completely. Curtis and his friends discuss the “lump of malice”, and it’s goals. Realizing the entity that took over Alice’s body is a demon trying to become a god, gives clarity to the entire situation. Using the six girls who tormented Alice as a sacrifice should allow the demon to ascend. Can Curtis and his friends find the sixth sacrifice before the demon, or will all hell break loose again?

This book deals with bullying and depression in ways I’ve never seen before. Locating the core of a person’s issues in their own mind-scape leads to healing. The author has turned a mental landscape into a physical place for their characters to visit. I recommend this book to anyone who has attended, will attend, or is attending high school. Realizing the power words have to touch others, in positive and negative ways, is an important lesson to take away from this book.

I received this book for free for this review.

A.D. Wills is a Canadian published Author, they also post a weekly series on their site. 

Twitter: @_ADWills