Official Review: The Antithesis by Terra Whiteman
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- Lisa A Rayburn
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Official Review: The Antithesis by Terra Whiteman
Time had little meaning for Alezair, an immortal soldier for hire with no memory of his past. He gloried in his work, and that was satisfaction enough. Then, across a battlefield, she appeared. There was an instant pull of familiarity, but wariness as well. Swiftly she approached him. A furious flurry of blows left him bruised, bloody, with a broken nose, and possibly a couple of ribs. He could only watch as she dissolved into black smoke and disappeared, mockery in her eyes. “Who was she? More importantly, why did looking at her evoke the feeling of reverence and razor blades?” A deep need to follow her clawed inside him. In less than a moment, no matter the consequences, he made his decision and 'traced' after her.
Warning: To anyone who is extremely rigid in their beliefs or unwilling to consider even fictional alternate interpretations of spiritual belief systems: stop here. You may find this narrative offensive.
The Antithesis: Hymn of the Multiverse, by Terra Whiteman, is the first in an ongoing series of (so far) nine books. Herein, we are introduced to a full-fledged and beautifully rendered alternate universe where good and evil are not as we conceive them. They are merely perceptions formed in the eye of the beholder. Heaven and Hell exist, as do angels and demons, but not as we envision them. In the world Whiteman has created, angels and demons are simply people. Like humans, they have their own foibles, virtues, and variances of intent. They are not omniscient; none are wholly good or wholly evil. Get ready to have your ideas about good vs. evil, Heaven vs. Hell, and love vs. hate turned on their heads. Leave all preconceptions at the door.
Our story follows the afterlife of Alezair 'Justice' Czynri, a former soldier of fortune, now a newly minted member of the Vel'Haru. They are the judges of which soul belongs to what realm in an ultimate battle to determine who will rule. To do this, the Vel'Haru are pledged to keep 'The Contest' between Yahweh and Lucifer free from corruption and deceit. Basically, this is a huge game of Life, with the souls on forty different planets as the stakes. The goal is to pit nature vs. nurture and see which wins. Can humanity's intrinsic morality (Heaven) exceed their penchant for immoral action (Hell)?
The book is written from Alezair's point of view, and it is through him that we meet our cast of characters. Leid, the mysterious woman to whom he is irresistibly drawn, is the Justice Commander of The Vel'Haru Celestial Court. Each of our two leading protagonists has been given well-thought-out purposes, personalities, characteristics, and backstories that merge seamlessly into the narrative. This also applies to recurrent side characters. The depth of each persona the author has achieved irresistibly draws you into the story. You empathize with each character. Now, what you feel for them will differ (i.e., love, affection, irritation, hate, etc.) For instance, I loved Alezair almost as soon as I met him, but some things he did and said (especially his chauvinistic streak) engendered the desperate need to push him out of a high window. Curbing this urge was his eager openness to learning, his unapologetic, snarky sarcasm, and his self-deprecating humor. "I supposed I’d chalk up 'thief' to my newly designed list of character traits, right under 'Nexus rogue' and 'impulsive moron.'"
I very much enjoyed reading this book. I would describe it as fantasy with a dollop of sci-fi and an enticing dash of potential romance. However, I must admit that having at least a basic understanding of metaphysics, human psychology, and world religion will make the book easier to understand. The only real issue I had was that in the (few) intimate moments she had with Alezair, Leid broke character from being the bada** commander and became the helpless damsel. Why? The rest of the time, she was as likely to pounce on Alezair (and not in a good way) as to look at him. The sudden change in personality was jarring.
As I found only six countable errors in the entire book and had only one issue, I happily award The Antethisis: Hymn of the Multiverse 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone 18+ with an open mind who is willing to look beyond the scripted definitions of polarizing concepts. At times the narrative is quite gory (including one violent scene involving a baby that I will never get out of my head *shudder*), and there is quite a lot of cursing in the book (F*** seemed to be Alezair’s default curse word.) There is a constant sensual undertone to Alezair and Leid’s ‘relationship,’ but it is kept sizzlingly low-key throughout the book. Due to these items, I cannot recommend it for the under eighteen crowd. Be ready for the ending. It's a jaw-dropper that will leave you begging for more.
******
The Antithesis
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- Prachi Randeria
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Great review
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All I'll say is that I am soooo in for this challenge! I keep on adding books to my shelf and they keep on getting 'moved around', but this one - and the rest of the series - sounds like it will be the last straw that broke the figurative camels back. I think I'll take break from reviewing and just relax, put my feet up, and get ready for my biases and values to be challenged.
Honestly, your review is beyond perfection! Thank you!
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Massimo
- Lisa A Rayburn
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Thanks for the compliment! It's a challenge many authors would not be able to pull off, but she did an excellent job of blending the genres. Thanks for stopping in and commenting!Prachi Randeria wrote: ↑28 Jun 2020, 06:39 This seems such a great book. I love thought-provoking novels and this seems to be a perfect blend of fantasy, sci-fi and romance. Thank you for the great review.
- Lisa A Rayburn
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I'm glad you're going to read it! It's definitely worth the time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Eight more to go! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!
- Lisa A Rayburn
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Having at least a basic insight on metaphysics will undoubtedly help you understand parts of the book. Thanks for stopping in and commenting!
- Lisa A Rayburn
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Thank you! The author did a fantastic job with a difficult concept. To quote Shrek, this world is like an onion. It has layers upon layers! Thanks for dropping in and commenting!Usma Khann wrote: ↑29 Jun 2020, 01:21 The author has created an incredibly detailed world with an unforgettable struggle between good and evil, played out on so many different levels and in different ways with various characters. Appreciate the review.
- Lisa A Rayburn
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You have left me equally speechless! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you enjoyed the review. Trust me; you'll enjoy the book too. I can't speak for the rest of the series, but the author took a difficult topic and ran with it. Not your normal good vs. evil plot. She really shakes things up with this one. (Honestly, sometimes I couldn't help but side with the demons!) And I empathize about the reading list. Mine does the same. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting!LinaJan wrote: ↑29 Jun 2020, 06:44 Wow... Your review had left me speechless. In a best way possible, that is. I am struggling for words, so I won't even bother with any adjectives for they would do no justice to your master of a review.
All I'll say is that I am soooo in for this challenge! I keep on adding books to my shelf and they keep on getting 'moved around', but this one - and the rest of the series - sounds like it will be the last straw that broke the figurative camels back. I think I'll take break from reviewing and just relax, put my feet up, and get ready for my biases and values to be challenged.
Honestly, your review is beyond perfection! Thank you!
- Lisa A Rayburn
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Thank you for the compliments; I appreciate it! Thought-provoking is a good word for this universe, and the author did a stellar job with the development of the world and its characters. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!NetMassimo wrote: ↑29 Jun 2020, 08:22 A protagonist with no memory isn't the most original premise, but in this case, this seems part of a thought-provoking story with interesting characters. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!