Nocturnal Book Reviews

That was one hell of a great book! Honestly, guys, if any of you liked Stargate, Lara Croft, The Mummy and stories about gods and godlike creatures, this book is for you.

Immensely entertaining paranormal mystery, intriguing characters, really good world-building, fast pace... What else do you want? I gobbled up 12.21.12 in just a few hours, and felt really satisfied afterwards. There was no cliffhanger. The story was nicely rounded up, and you sort of knew what to expect from book #2. The romantic line wasn't overwhelming despite being the moving force behind the action of the main characters, all the side-characters were interesting as well.

The cast was just WOW.

Dmitri Kronastia, - what a charming villain, who was so much more than you assume in the beginning.


The smile that crossed over Dmitri’s face was one of pure amusement. “Now, doctor, what did you expect? Big burly, sweaty Russian, balding, big vodka gut and thick, sausage fingers? Someone who would shoot you as well as look at you? A hostile, hardened criminal?”
Almost shamefully, Shep confirmed that that was exactly what he had expected.
“Then, yes, I can see why you’re surprised,” Dmitri said with a chuckle. His smile only enhanced his youthful appearance, reminding Shep of the mismatch between his looks and his history. “Truth is, Dr. Smyth, I’m not even Russian.”

Victoria - a mysterious world-famous art thief and Dmitri's arch-enemy.


“Christopher, I understand you’re just doing your job. I’m really sorry about this,” she apologised, though her tone hardly seemed remorseful. “You do seem like a really nice guy.”
He was perplexed, and shivered when he felt Victoria’s fingertips bend around his wrist. “What the... ”
He looked down at the joining of their hands in confusion. It should have been impossible, but the pallor of his skin seemed to be getting more pale by the second. Was it shock? Was she squeezing so hard that she was actually forcing the blood from his hand?
Then the feeling of ice began to flow up his arms, slowly snaking its way towards his chest. Trying to reclaim his hand, he found it useless. She had him pinned, and he could not negotiate his release. Instead, he looked at her with a confused expression.
“Teleportation is a difficult thing, takes lots of energy, and I’m already cruising on fumes,” she said simply. “I’m so sorry that you have to die, but I’m just doing my job.”


Then there is an archaeologist Shep Smyth whose theory that Cleopatra was killed got him into this mess; Alex - an acolyte of Sekhmet cult; Priest... Ancient Egypt, Machu Picchu, London, Cairo... and so much more.

I find it actually quite hard to write a coherent review when there is so much goodness which you don't want to spoil for other readers. The characters felt genuine, the questions got answered and the story itself was pretty unique. I'm very impressed!

Highly recommended.