Stars: 3 out of 5.

I like the concept of this book. This is a post-apocalyptic world where some humans have been turned into vampires... then exterminated normal humans. Now the world is ending, the civilization is crumbling, and the immortal vampires linger in sun-shielded cities under the tyrannical rule of a handful of families. I was fascinated by the few glimpses we have of this world and I would have loved to learn more. Unfortunately, the author gives us only crumbs of information. Though I understand that this is a prequel, so maybe the events that led to the current state of affairs are explained in the main books.

My issue with this book is that even though the world is fascinating, I simply couldn't empathize with the protagonist. Yes, he is haunted by the things he has done and the lover he was forced to leave behind, but it felt rather flat for me. I think I would have felt more invested in his plight if the author had introduced me to his relationship with his wife a bit more. Maybe in flashbacks or something. Or if I got to experience the event that made him leave her behind instead of just seeing it mentioned here and there. As it stands, I had no clear feel for their relationship, and no clue why he left her, or why he felt guilty about it. 

I also need to mention that a lot of the choices the protagonist makes in this story are... questionable, to say the least. Not to mention that the ending is a complete downer. I mean, nothing was accomplished. Thibault is still as much of a slave as he ever was, AND he still doesn't know where his wife is or if she is even still alive. So what was the purpose of all this?

I was honestly more interested in the side characters, like the burned hacker or the android mod builder. Them, I wouldn't mind reading about. Thibault? Not so much.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very strange and unique scifi read. This defied my expectations. I highly recommend this book for fans of the genre.

Review:
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can he double down on his duty without losing the rest of his soul?

A Mirage In The Memory is a prequel book in The Slip Saga by Simon Tull. We follow our main character Thibault (Tibs) Allard through his quest to find his wife whom had been taken by the Virtual World that kept the immortals entertained.

This book is both Sci-Fi & Fantasy, and a Mystery. My favourite categories combined.

You would not realise this was a prequel novella if not for the length of the book, but Simon managed to make it read like a story of its own, buildiny the world and characters in such a great way, all whilst keeping the page count down! This most definitely excites me to continue the rest of The Slip Saga as the books release.

I was given such a nostalgic vibe to the movies I grew up watching, such as The Matrix & Daybreakers, the story reminding me of how those plots gripped me from the get go. It is truly magical when an Author can do just the same, inspiring the readers imagination to make a film reel of what they are reading.

I was hooked from the start, in particular these quotes spoke out to me...

"Memories etched wounds worse than any acid, scarring the mind with residues if reality... ...every recollection a potential of further corruption"

"Dangerous resurrecting a dead hope. Hope could scorch you to death faster than the sun's vees."

"There's only one thing that separates delusion from reality... ...Belief... ...believe hard enough, long enough, invest all of yourself into it, and you can make anything real."

I would recommend this to anyone who has read Mindwalker, albeit this story is a little darker!

Thankyou NetGalley for considering me to review this book. All opinions are my own, I swear by the sacred rock.

Editorial Sidenote:

There were two instances of sentences not making sense where I believe words were entered the wrong way around or missed. I have included these in my review.

Chapter 5: why did even care? // [why did he even care]

Chapter 13: each laid been with precision // [each been laid with precision]

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