Official Review: Hell's Maelström by James Redmond

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 05 Sep 2020, 00:53

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hell's Maelström" by James Redmond.]

4 out of 4 stars

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One of the most challenging things for humans is coming together to fight a common enemy. Humans will usually turn on each other whenever there is chaos. This anomaly is what Hell's Maelström by James Redmond tries to address.

The story revolves around three main characters — Bill, Kim, and Grace. Bill saves Kim from an attack by a creature that her fiancé turns into. Grace, a lone-ranger, escapes a psychiatric hospital. They are faced with an arduous task of surviving a world that some creatures are gaining control over. How will they survive? Can they defend themselves against these creatures, gangs, and robbers trying to kill them?

The author's attempt to conceal the identity of the creatures somewhat created suspense in the story. For a significant part of the read, I wasn't sure what those creatures were. Although I had my suspicions, I was anxiously waiting for the author to spill the beans. However, the author did an excellent job keeping me curious as to what those creatures could be. This book was a truckload of suspense and thrill.

The author's descriptive, yet suspenseful writing style was fascinating. When he eventually started giving clues about the creatures, here was how he went about it:

"Did you see all those people in the distance? Down the street, walking slowly?" "They all had the same vacant eyes: unsettling and colorless. A hint of a faded iris and a pupil remained, but nothing more than an outline." "As he looked, the creature became more excited and began to snarl, releasing the inhuman sounds from its torn-out throat."

Notice that I put quotation marks after using the quote tag. I did this to explain how the author took advantage of the dialogues to describe these creatures. The gang members referred to them as spreaders, Grace, Kim, and Bill referred to them as slayers, and the narrator referred to them as 'the undead.' The reader would have to connect the dots piece by piece — nothing could be more thrilling.

The character development in this book was top-notch. It was evident that the author thought hard before creating each character — they all had peculiar personalities. Grace was a cold-blooded killer who was molested at a tender age. Bill lost his family and would do anything to ensure that no one had to go through that ordeal. Kim was a college dropout. The different personalities of these characters came to bear in their struggle for survival. When the story climaxed, I knew what each character was capable of doing in any given situation.

I took this book on a dare — I didn't know what to expect. I had given up on horror stories because most of the storylines sucked, and it was challenging to find a good horror movie or book. It's impressive to see that this book was engaging and intriguing. I was rarely expecting to feel this way about it. Although this book was a relatively long read, I enjoyed every part of it. I disliked absolutely nothing about this book. The different writing techniques the author employed made the read worthwhile.

There are no errors in this book. Hence, it is professionally edited. Therefore, I give it the 4 out of 4 stars rating it deserves. I recommend it to adult readers who enjoy a good read with a spice of horror.

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Hell's Maelström
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Itumeleng Lesabane · Post by **Itumeleng Lesabane** » 06 Sep 2020, 06:39

Thank you for the insightful review. Books of survival are interesting to read also I like the fact that it is a thriller

LinaJan · Post by **LinaJan** » 09 Sep 2020, 07:46

Sounds like a reader is invited to embark on this investigative job of figuring out who these 'creatures' are! Sounds thrilling indeed!

Adding the consideration of human tendency to divide rather than unite, onto my shelf this goes

Thank you for such a thorough and alluring review!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 09 Sep 2020, 10:47

I know what you mean about horror stories, as I seldom read them myself, but this one seems engaging, which is what I want from this genre. Thank you for your great review!

Asimroy2002 · Post by **Asimroy2002** » 09 Sep 2020, 23:01

The author did a great job in building the character personalities, the thrilling plot and kept a nice suspense throughout the story. The Review was no doubt very good.

Pearl Akpan · Post by **Pearl Akpan** » 08 Oct 2020, 14:22

getting to the point where in the course of reading a book, one is able to tell the capabilities of the various characters just goes to how well written a book is. good character development points to the fact that a story well developed. i can’t wait to hop on this one. thank you for a well written review

Serenity2010 · Post by **Serenity2010** » 23 Jan 2021, 22:17

I am a fan of the Walking Dead World including the comics. The author's suspense about the creators is a twist I have not explored, very interesting. This book is right my ally. Thanks for a well-written review!

Buk Nerd · Post by **Buk Nerd** » 20 Jun 2021, 06:38

I’m intrigued by the plot premise and the added suspense of not knowing what the creatures are. This sounds like a captivating read. Great review.

onyii_review · Post by **onyii_review** » 15 Aug 2021, 03:01

Wow, exciting review. Looks like a good book. Thanks for the review though.

Aisha Yakub · Post by **Aisha Yakub** » 04 Jan 2022, 08:24

Great character development and suspense build up. Thanks for the review

Post by **Alice Fu** » 13 Mar 2022, 00:22

The backgrounds of these characters sound particularly dark and that rubs off on me in a way I cannot explain. I am unsure as to whether I will want to read this book given the creatures and everything, but I commend you for writing an excellent review! I hope it finds the right people who are interested

GNerd · Post by **GNerd** » 13 Apr 2022, 03:25

The title alone was endearing. Mystic creatures are fun to read. Good job!

Ay Obaj · Post by **Ay Obaj** » 26 Apr 2022, 05:48

I love it when books storyline are constructed perfectly, and contains every single element of thrill. A book like this will surely wow any reader. Thanks for a honest review.