Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Messenger Of Fear Messenger of Fear Book One
Written by Michael Grant
Paranormal, Science Fiction
Expected publication September 1st 2014
320 Pages
Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont
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★★★★
I remembered my name, Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself. And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out...
Mara has just awoken in the middle of a field, caressed by a mysterious fog and all she can remember is her name. Stumbling into the lone and desolate church, she sees the figure of a boy, a coffin and with no other explanation of who she is and why she's there, other than to learn. He's known as The Messenger of Fear and this is Mara's fate.

The Messenger of Fear judges moral crimes, those not punishable by law and now Mara seemingly shares this curse, gaining insight to what drove a young teen to suicide, the couple who cared more for themselves than an injured animal and the boy who taunting another into killing. The game is simple, Mara is assaulted with images and their deepest fears, and then the fear is used against them and judgement is passed.

But when Mara begins to invest in a case of teen suicide and bullying, she begins to see how balance in the world needs to be restored. But how has she come to be his apprentice? What had he done to deserve such a punishment and why now is it her turn to carry on his legacy?

Kelly's Thoughts

Messenger of Fear is fantastic. It walks the fine line between the criminal and moral dilemmas that humans face, and puts the reader in the seat as victim, accused and juror. Apart from her name, Mara is a complete unknown with no memory of not only how she come to be laying in the desolate field, but who she is. She's a clean slate, making it much easier for her to accept her role beside the Messenger of Fear without little question. It follows the misdeeds of three different situations, a bully related suicide, an injured animal and a man that taunted barely legal young man to kill. Messenger works for a high power, in which he calls upon when seeing inside the minds of each accused and using their greatest fears to test whether or not they should be persecuted.

The fears portrayed result in quite a few gruesome scenes, but the horror aspect was brilliant. But where the Messenger plays juror, a villain waits in the wings, Oriax. She has the ability to lure those to her dark side with a voice of silk. It's a battle of what seemingly seems evil and a lesser evil. Those who choose not to play the game for their freedom are plunged into her hands for a truly horrific fate. She's seductive and incredibly entertaining.

The Final Verdict

Being a series, I was left with more questions than answers and hope the next in the series delves more into the world in which Messenger and Oriax serve. Slow to start, but the pace picks up quickly and kept me enthralled as Mara's story unraveled. Looking forward to seeing what's in store for the rest of the series. Michael Grant is an incredible young adult author and this is a brilliant example as to why he's much loved.

30 comments

  1. Sounds like a good recommendation for someone who loves afterlife books & some horror, but dislikes romance :). *moves book to TBR shelf*

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    1. Even though I do enjoy a little mild romance, it definitely would have felt out of place in this one. It's more paranormal, but with scenes of horror which I hadn't expected to be so brutal from Michael Grant. I loved those scenes.

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  2. Hmmm. I haven't horror for a while now. So even if this doesn't have romance, I think I'm gonna like it. The cover doesn't look every horror ish tho.

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    1. It doesn't, does it. The US cover seems a little more gritty. I like the Aussie version, but compared to the storyline it's a little too cutesy.

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  3. I got this novel for review and to be honest I haven't really given it a second glance. Your review has made me want to read it but I think it will be a while before I can. Judging from your review you enjoyed which I am glad because before this I never knew anyones opinions.

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    1. I compared this one to his Gone series, even though having only read the first two in the series, and this seemed far more mature. Both the style of writing and content. I still wish there had been more of an explanation about what the Messenger is, who he serves earlier on in the storyline. I found that aspect frustrating, but overall it was a really entertaining read.

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  4. I want to read this even more now! I'm determined to start and finish the Gone series before I start this one... which might take a while. I'll probably end up reading the first Gone book and then diving into this, I'm terrible at waiting.

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    1. I haven't finished the Gone series yet either Vickie, just the first two books so far. Actually reading the series along with Gina from Behind The Pages. I love being able to discuss each book with her, I didn't know buddy reading was so fun!

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  5. This definitely sounds complex and intriguing, Kelly! I wonder how the story would move on from here and I like that it "puts the reader in the seat as victim, accused and juror". Fantastic review! :D

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    1. Thanks Sarah. It was an interesting and paranormal take on basically punishing those who have committed not only illegal, but moral crimes as well. Some scenes are pretty confronting, but it makes for a more mature read which I really enjoyed.

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  6. I can't wait to read this now - I was waiting to see what other people thought of it before I dived in, and it's good to see what I'm in for. Great review Kelly!

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    1. Thanks Eugenia. I think you'll really enjoy this one, it's really unique and mature compared to his other releases. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  7. This sounds awesome. Great use of a title. A++. It sounds like a really interesting story, and I love the idea behind it. I also love that the reader is put in different moral situations. Definitely one for the TBR :)

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    1. It really is quite unique. I really enjoyed it, but felt the reader could have benefited from a little more insight into the Messengers world far earlier than towards the end. Still entertaining though.

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  8. Oh I haven't read any of Michael Grants books before but you really make me want to change that! Fabulous review! Glad to hear you really liked this one :)

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    1. His Gone series is pretty good too Lily, especially book one. If you enjoy this one, I'd definitely go back and try Gone as well.

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  9. I JUST requested this and I hope I get it and I really hope this is as fantastic as you make it sound, Kelly! :D

    I am glad to see you enjoyed this and I definitely want to see what Grant has to offer with this book!

    Lovely review, hun <3

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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    1. Thanks Rashika.

      You're a little more stern with your reads, so I suspect tonight have a few issues with this one too, like the lack of explanation and information, but it's still entertaining. Looking forward to seeing what you think.

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  10. This really sounds awesome! I'm actually really intrigued now about what exactly the Messenger of Fear does, and what Mara has to do along side him. Thanks for the review Kelly!

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    1. Unfortunately you have to wait through a fair chunk of the storyline for any explanation, which I had a few issues with. But on the positive side, it builds the intrigue as Mara navigates her strange new world.

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  11. YAY! How much better is this series than Gone? What didn't you like about this one? Was it all the mystery surrounding Maya's past? Great review! Can't wait for the next book

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    1. I think k it was being left in the dark for so long and then a big information dump. It's harder to take in and I need it spread throughout the book really. But compared to Gine, it was so much more mature and really entertaining.

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  12. Ooh, I've heard some mixed things about this one so I'm glad you liked it so much :D I love books that walk the line between morals and criminality and such. I always find those topics really interesting, and also the way a different point of view can make you change your mind. If you have a car-chasing scene, for example, you'll likely root for the ones being chased to get away if you're in their POV, while you want the police to catch the "baddies" if you're in their POV. Maybe not an entirely accurate example, but this was the best I could think of, haha. But yeah, I love books that make you question things and I'll be on the lookout for this one!

    Lovely review, Kelly!

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    1. Exactly my point too Celine. Although obviously fiction, this one actually tests your own moral boundaries and things that seemed black and white, suddenly have grey areas. I'm excited to see where Michael Grant takes the series.

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  13. Woah, this book sounds incredible! I love how you described the Messenger's role. Mara sounds like an enigma too and the whole stuff about the higher power sounds incredible. Wonderful review Kelly!

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    1. It was pretty good Jeann, just wish it had more of an explanation spread throughout the storyline. Can't wait to see what you think of it.

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  14. Michael Grant is brilliant, although I've only read his Gone series...and only the first book because they're all ginormous! This book sounds brilliant, although I've been reading a lot of negative reviews for it. I believe yours is the first positive one I've read. It's a pretty cool concept to see that there are two villains, one that is slightly less evil than the other. And this 'game'...how does Grant come up with ideas like this?! So brilliant! Wonderful review Kelly xx

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    1. Thanks Joy. It did have a few issues, like information dumping rather than enlightening readers through the actual storyline, but it was really entertaining. I really enjoyed that there was no apparent line between who's good or evil and all the characters crossed back and forth.

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  15. Oh wow this book sounds REALLY awesome! I think i'm definitely going to have to add it to my TBR list. Sounds really dark and intriguing… I love books really make you think and this definitely sounds like one of those, such an interesting concept! Brilliant review :D

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  16. I haven't read any Michael Grant yet, but I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Great review, thanks for sharing.

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