Book Review: The Legend of Inferna Canibus
Dominick Lemoore has the makings of a winner here
Synopsis: Imagine if the family dog you've known and loved for years suddenly began trying to kill you. You might dismiss it as a fluke; more likely, you would have the animal put down. Now imagine if that dog elicited the assistance of the neighbor's cat, the squirrels from the park, and a large raccoon to carry out that attack with military-like precision.
The Legend of Inferna Canibus is a horror/thriller story unlike any other about eleven-year-old Mariana, who can telepathically communicate with and control animals, fighting evil forces determined to use those animals to wipe out human existence. Mariana is hunted by sinister wolf hybrids and the man who had her kidnapped at the age of five who wants to harness and exploit her abilities. Mariana and her brother Jack face several challenges on the way to their father's cabin, where they will have a showdown with those forces that will test Mariana's strength and Jack's loyalty.
Dominick Lemoore has laid the groundwork for an incredible story in The Legend of Inferna Canibus.
A wonderful and complex plot, Mr. Lemoore has offered up siblings, Jack and Mariana. Separated after the tragic murder of their parents, this duo are connected. But her telepathic gift not only helps her draw her brother back to her but also allows her to talk to animals. But this isn't the house of mouse. Supernatural forces are at play, and not far behind are humans with their own ulterior motives. Who are the allies? And who are the enemies? You'll have to read it yourself to figure it out!
So why the three stars?
The introduction stole away the impact of the first chapter. Completely. It added nothing for me, and I had to reread it to see if I can missed something. I don't think it needed it at all.
The other thing was the sheer amount of tell vs show.
When Mr. Lemoore painted the picture for me, I could the scene in my head. Which is fantastic! As a fellow supernatural thriller writer, getting the reader to care and become invested in the characters is paramount to the success of a great story. It's even better when the plot moves in tandem with them. And he has all the building blocks here for an epic tale.
The problem is when he just tells us what's going on. Excluding my aforementioned issue with the introduction, the tragedy of the execution of their parents, for example, held nothing for me, invoked no emotion. The author doesn't have an issue writing dialogue or character movement, but whenever this style cropped up, it took me right out of the story.
And I wanted to stay submersed!!
Overall, I would love to see this revamped, and I'd be willing to read it again, because there is so much potential in Mr. Lemoore's fingertips, a real diamond in the rough. I really hope he writes more stories, because he is going to be a serious contender in our genre.