Strangers in the Promised Land (The Continua Chronicles #1.5), by Jim Wilbourne
The Book
Synopsis:
A tense and suspenseful sequel to The Seventh Cadence.
After the battle at the Shadow Peaks, Amie and Mara Kruv are left with nothing but the scant clothes on their backs and an injured horse. When the sisters run into three soldiers who agree to escort them home, they believe they’ve finally struck a bit of luck. But there is more to these soldiers than they realize, and they find themselves the unwitting accomplices to three deserters of the Deseran Dominion army
My Review (4.5 out of 5 )
Strangers in the Promised Land is a novella situated in The Continua Chronicles, shortly after the battle of the Shadow Peaks, written by Jim Wilbourne. It is strongly recommended to read it after reading The Seventh Cadence in order to avoid spoilers. We are going to follow the story of Mara and Amie, who after the chaos are left with no more than an injured horse and scattered clothes.
At the same time, this is the story of three soldiers that have lost their peloton after a difficult battle, and who find themselves among the enemy lines, trying to hide, occupying the land that was promised to them by the prophet. Fortuitously, their path and the sisters cross, so they decide to join Mara and Amie, after a great demonstration of eloquence by Amie.
Amie and Mara are a great pair of characters, as they complement themselves. While Mara is intelligent, and we could call her the scientist of the pair, Amie is younger, but she's smarter in her relationship with other people. Mara is naive in comparison, and to be fair, if the pair manages to get accompanied by these foreign soldiers, it's because Amie is able to deceive them.
For such a short novel, so many things happen. There are well-written action scenes, time to let the pair of sisters talk about their situation, and also a little bit to understand the relationship between the three soldiers, which will take an important paper in the resolution of the book. It is so engaging to read, as it answers the question about what happened to the sisters after the battle of the Peaks, and honestly, the resolution is really satisfactory.
In summary, Strangers in the Promised Land is an excellent novella, and a great continuation to The Seventh Cadence. It's a book that you can read in one sit, and you will find that you enjoyed it a lot (and honestly, Jim, write more scenes like that the one on the ship). We will have to wait, but I want to see what more will happen in The Continua Chronicles.
The Author/s
Jim Wilbourne
Jim Wilbourne is a creative at heart. If he’s not writing a novel, he’s writing and recording a song, or once again trying to learn how to draw. When he’s not working on the next project, he spends his free time working on another project. He totally has a life. Jim lives in the deep south with his wife and son and doesn’t miss the snow at all.