This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Joe was born in Carthage, Illinois, and currently lives in Rogers, Arkansas with his wife Andee, their son Fletcher, and their cats Milo, Lucky, and Archer. Joe is a freelance writer, web designer, and substitute teacher, and also serves on the Arkansas Arts Academy school board. In addition to writing, he enjoys purchasing (and occasionally watching) copious amounts of Blu-Ray discs, listening to music, playing video games, and collecting Mego action figures from the 1970s.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Small Things: Small Things Trilogy, Volume 1 is an urban fantasy written by Joe DeRouen. Shawn Spencer was in a world of hurt and disbelief as he sat in a church, listening to a priest conduct his best friend's funeral service. He still couldn't believe that Tanner was really dead. They had been best friends since fourth grade, and they were going to co-own a car together soon. The thought that Tanner had drowned in the lake was completely ridiculous. They had spent hours fishing and playing there, and knew all the sinkholes and other dangerous places to avoid. Even stranger, however, than the official statement that Tanner had died, was his sister Jenny's assertion that he had been killed by a monster that had risen from the water while Tanner was swimming and had dragged him underneath the surface. Shawn knew that monsters didn't exist, but nothing really seemed to make sense to him anymore.
Joe DeRouen's urban fantasy novel, Small Things, is a dark and powerful tale filled with action, adventure, and the supernatural. Shawn and Jenny's investigative partnership begins with his fulfilling a promise he and Tanner made to teach her how to swim, but it soon appears that the two of them are being stalked by something demonic that wants to feed on them after it retrieves a talisman its master has commanded it to find. Small-town Carthage, Illinois has become a deadly place indeed, at least for these two teens as they try to stay alive while investigating the mystery they've become so deeply involved in. Tanner and Shawn's exploration of the local haunted house earlier that summer, an old structure that had supposedly been owned by one of Shawn's relatives, might have been the catalyst for everything that's happened. Shawn's determined to figure it all out -- if he can stay alive long enough.
Small Things is one of those marvelous stories that transcends genres. It's definitely a coming of age tale with just enough horror to keep the reader thinking about Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Robert McCammon's classic offerings, and that's a very good combination. Add to it an urban fantasy that reaches back through the centuries, and you've got the recipe for an unforgettable read. And that's exactly what Small Things is. I marveled as the story just kept on getting better and better and was quite pleased to discover that it's just the first volume in a trilogy. This is a thrilling and suspenseful tale that delivers and it's most highly recommended.
