I Felt What I Read // Elysium Dreams by Hadena James Book Review

My attention was caught when I read the synopsis of Elysium Dreams…skinning victims alive…how could I not be a bit interested? And throughout the novel, my interest never faded. Not saying there weren’t some bumps along the way, but it was definitely a read that has me interested enough to now start following along with the series, Dreams & Reality series!

While reading Elysium Dreams, you will meet a mess (I use this term with love) of a US Marshal team: Aislinn, Gabriel, Xavier, Lucas, and Michael. Along with a part-time coroner, Dr. Erickson. Yes, there are a ton more characters you will meet along the way, but these are the most notable.

My Likes:

Kept me involved: I couldn’t put Elysium Dreams down. I read it within one day because the reading flowed so easily together that I found myself already on the next chapter without even realizing that I flew through reading the last several. OK, that was a long, disjointed sentence! I’m definitely the type of reader that must have their attention grabbed within the first few pages or the book gets tossed in the never-to-be-read pile! I was hooked while reading the first page! I literally felt the reading. Does that make sense?

My Dislikes or Irritations:

The headaches: Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, it probably is silly that I’m even mentioning, it was a minor irritation for me. My issue is not with migraines (they’re awful!), my irritation was that it seemed like this topic was lathered on too thick. Our heroine, Marshall Aislinn Cain, does have a hindrance which happens to be migraines and so I understand the need for this topic. It does help develop her during reading, it just seemed like maybe it was overused.

Final thought:

I really liked Elysium Dreams I didn’t get bored and I certainly didn’t find myself challenged reading it. It is a solid thriller with horror along the way, and thankfully it is all about the story. There is no sex (which I liked… it’s HORROR), just a few winks here or there. Definitely 4 stars.

Hadena James began writing at the age of eight.  By the time she graduated high school, she had published a couple of short stories in literary magazines.  She completed writing her first novel at seventeen. Hadena began college as an English major, but quickly changed to a history major. However, she continued to write and took several extra classes in creative writing.

College showed her that while she could write short stories, novel writing was truly where her heart lay. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in European History with minors in German and Russian Studies. During this time, she received a couple of contract offers from publishing houses, but ultimately turned them all down.

In August 2012, she self-published her first novel. In retrospect, she is appreciative of the contracts offers she received when she was younger, but believes she made the right decision with self-publishing.

When she isn’t busy writing, Hadena enjoys playing in a steel-tip dart league. She loves to travel throughout North America and Europe. Her favorite cities to visit are Chicago, Illinois and Berlin, Germany. She is an avid reader, with her favorites being classic literature; Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, Gaston LeRoux, and Jane Austen; modern favorites include Clive Barker, James Patterson, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Her favorite book is “Good Omens” by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett.

She writes all of her books while listening to music and the bands tend to get “honorable mentions” within the pages.  Some of her favorite bands are Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Rammstein, U2, Marilyn Manson, Oomph!, and Rob Zombie.