Bunny's Reviews: Veles Spotlight Review

Welcome to the book tour for P.J. Marie's Veles. Read on for my review, details about the book, and a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

Veles by P.J. Marie is a dystopian/sci-fi mix of a novel that will capture your attention and keep you page-turning to the very end. Mizuki, as a young child, was too young to understand what was happening when her brother was taken from her family. But as the years passed, she learned all too well what had happened, and watched how it destroyed her family. Now, the time of the Gifting has come again, and it’s another family’s turn to sacrifice. But this time, it’s her friend Aiden’s family and they know who will be chosen as the gift. Is there another way? Is what the Elders been doing, has it all been a lie and a play for control? What really destroyed the world? So many questions and the author provides the answers.

Veles is the first book that I have read by this author, but they do an amazing job grabbing my attention from the very beginning. The author tells readers how Mizuki and her family are looked down upon by the villagers around them. You can’t help but wonder why. How is it that one person could create this amount of resentment felt by the people who surround them? The answer is simple – someone is hiding something and they don’t want the truth to come out.

This book intrigues me the more I read and it quickly turns into a page-turner of a novel. Mitzuki is only 18, but you know that her life hangs in the balance more than she knows. They are being manipulated by the people they have been told to trust. It’s heartbreaking to know what they have gone through, but when a revelation is made...my jaw hit the floor. On a level, it probably shouldn’t have surprised me what these Elders would do, but I was shocked nonetheless. But that one revelation isn’t the only one that has my jaw-dropping in this story. There are more so brace yourself.

The author creates such an engaging novel as they work to make you question so much and then bring you the answers one at a time. Add in that the characters are on a hard deadline if they are to get back in time and you’re soon enough being pulled to the edge of your seat. This book mixes dystopian with scifi and with a healthy dose of mystery as well. I’d love for this book to become a series or for more like it to be written by this author.

Now, there are some spots of where the storyline slows down a bit more than I’d like, but it’s nothing so bad I’d take anything away from this book. That being said, I feel comfortable rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is an engaging novel and I encourage readers to check it out and see how quickly it captures your attention.

Veles

Publication Date: December 23rd, 2021

Genre: Dystopian/ Dystopian Sci-Fi

I was the land. I was the air. I was the sea. I was all of it – everywhere – and as I inhaled then let the tormented sorrow screech from my lungs, the world buckled and broke beneath my feet.

I was burning alive…

And the world would burn with me.

A century after the Great Destruction that devastated civilization, Mizuki Altherr lives within a small village struggling to survive beneath the shadow of a great mountain. The Elders teach that it is home to Veles, god of the earth, who keeps them safe – but demands penance for humanity’s past indiscretions.

It’s a Gifting year…

The previous sacrifice tore Mizuki’s family apart and forever changed her world. Now she must face the terrible tradition again as her closest friend, Aiden, and his family are chosen to provide the next offering. In a desperate bid to end the cycle of violence and defy the Elders’ iron rule, Mizuki and Aiden set forth on a daring journey into the Wild – where together they discover a secret that shatters their understanding of the village and reveals the truth behind the horrors that left the world in ruin.

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Excerpt

“Don’t move.”

She froze at the sound of Aiden’s voice, her brain instantly making sense of everything surrounding them as all the pieces and memories from the last two days fell into place. She had fallen asleep in Aiden’s arms, but he had not woken her up for night watch, and now he was sitting rigidly behind her and gripping her tight. She blinked again, her eyes rapidly searching the small space under the overhang and peering out into the darkness that lay beyond their small shelter. Only the faintest hint of light was visible; the sky was dark, with a grey drizzle still lingering from the storm the night before. She instinctively knew that something was wrong from the tense way he was holding her, but no matter how hard she squinted, she couldn’t see anything.

“What is it?” Mizuki whispered, her voice so low it was scarcely audible as she forced herself to remain still against Aiden’s frame.

“I heard something,” Aiden whispered, his hand leaving her side and slowly shifting to point off to the left just outside the shelter. “There.”

She looked to where he pointed but again saw nothing. She could barely make out the nearest trees and the thin trail of smoke coming from the remains of their fire. So she craned her head forward and listened. She could hear the wind as it shifted through the trees, faint and weak compared to the force of the gales the night before. She could hear the slow drips of water that fell to the ground off the shelter and the soft patter of light rain that continued to fall, but what struck her more than anything was the lack of other sounds.

“No birds,” she whispered faintly, feeling Aiden nod behind her. They both remained seated and still, their breaths puffing like little clouds in the cool morning air. She had woken up enough times after a storm to know that the birds always sang, even if it continued to rain. She could feel her heart starting to race, her panic starting to grow as she swallowed hard and willed her eyes to see into the dark. “What do we do?”

“We need to pack up,” Aiden whispered, his hands moving once again as he unwrapped his arm from around her waist and gently leaned forward to reach his calf. “Quietly – but as quickly as you can. Take this.”

She could see from the bottom of her gaze that he was undoing one of his knife holsters and transferring it to her leg, but she kept her eyes firmly locked to the place where Aiden had heard the noise. She remained entirely still as he worked until she felt the leather pull tight, and Aiden patted her calf twice to let her know he was done. Then they both shifted, Aiden sliding back and silently crawling to the small hole where they had stored their packs while Mizuki tentatively stood and began taking down their damp but no longer drenched clothes. Her tired legs ached beneath her as she carefully rolled each item and handed it to Aiden, who had moved back to her side. He stuffed everything into his pack, not caring what was what and keeping his eyes fixed on the darkness as the wind shuffled through the trees.

Her skin started to prickle with the distinct feeling of being watched as she slipped on her pack and glanced over to Aiden. He already had his pack on, and he was holding his bow ready with an arrow nocked. He glanced at her, his eyes gesturing down to the knife on her leg before he looked back out into the dark, grey drizzle. She reached down and took out the knife without question and tried not to think about how much it shook in her hand. She had to remind herself to breathe as Aiden shifted and motioned for her to follow. She held the blade near her hip, moving toward him and standing so close next to his side that there was barely an inch of space between them.

She followed him out from their cover, inching soundlessly to the edge of the overhang as her eyes rapidly scanned the darkness for movement. They had just stepped out into the misty rain when suddenly Aiden was shouting, and her heart was constricting in terror.

“GET BEHIND ME!” Aiden yelled, unleashing his arrow at the dark and silent form that lunged from the treeline on the left.

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About the Author

Engineer by trade, P. J. Marie has always been a storyteller at heart. Inspired by the captivating tales that her Ukrainian grandfather used to tell about settling the Canadian prairies, P. J. has always looked at life through a narrative lens.

An avid creator, P. J. loves the design process from start to finish and is always working on projects that meld the structured world of engineering with her creative passions. Whether through world-building, crafting cosplays, or building custom bookshelves for her ever-growing collection of novels, manga, and terrible monster movies, P. J. is always working on something.

In her spare time, she enjoys collecting new skills, drinking copious amounts of tea, and spending time with her family and adorable doggo.

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