Title: As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls…Or Does It? (Katiann, 2)
Author: J.D. Kiser
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 978-1480893894
Pages: 396
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Suspense / Action Fiction
Reviewed by: Alyssa Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
One of life’s most difficult lessons to learn is the lesson that other people will not always believe in the same things that you do, and we, as a people, must learn to live with that knowledge and accept it, otherwise risk conflict and mistrust amongst one another. This lesson has not come easily to many, as the United States serves as a particular example of showing the idea of multiple faiths and even lack-of-faith coexisting together, and yet conflict still emerging as the need to be “right” emerges.
In author J.D. Kiser’s As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls…Or Dies It?, the author returns to the Katiann series with the second book which explores the roles that two different people from different backgrounds have on a community. Two years after a young woman from the outside world found herself falling in love with a Native American man and future leader of his tribe, Katiann finds herself waging a battle of the soul as a Dark Spirit threatens the Grand Spirit, as well as the people of her village. Learning of a deep curse on the land, she must face this great evil while also contending with the people from her old life who seek to find her, putting her new family at risk. As she wrestles with her fate and her place in her new home, she will have to find the power within herself to outwit and outmatch a dark and dangerous group of enemies before it is too late.
The author did a fantastic job of balancing out the unique belief systems and mythos surrounding the two cultures of the two protagonists of this story. As a relative newcomer to the series, I found the author’s writing was able to give enough detail to bring new readers into the narrative while also playing off some plot points established from the first book in the series. The hardships and struggles the protagonists face are both very human and spiritual all at once. The ability to infuse humor and romance into this narrative of supernatural battles of good versus evil, and suspenseful stories of how two people from very different worlds found themselves together was amazing to read, and the emphasis on nature and the natural world for survival and living that the setting focused on was a breath of fresh air.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy mystery and action thrillers, as well as supernatural/spiritual/fantasy action and suspense thrillers. The striking contrast between emotional character growth and action-packed storytelling made this story such a bright spot in the genre, and the ability for the author to make the reader feel connected to these characters made the importance of this plot feel quite profound.
Harrowing, engaging, and thoughtful, author J.D. Kiser’s As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls…Or Dies It?, the second book in the Katiann series, is a definite must-read mystery-thriller and supernatural suspense novel. The connectivity of the characters to the reader and the adrenaline rush as the plot unravels before the reader makes this story such a fun and entertaining experience, and the beautiful concept of a balance and blending of cultures and romance made the characters come to life on each page.