This story was a slow build with a big pay off. After enjoying the first episode, I was hooked. When it started out, I noticed straight away that the writing style felt different from the first episode. The writing was in short, simple sentences. It felt a bit broken. But the reason for that became clear as we got to know Xana, the protagonist in this episode. She’s a hulking woman who can’t stop growing. She’s immensely powerful, but pretty simple-minded. So when we see the story from (mostly) her POV, it makes sense that it’s broken into smaller chunks.

The story itself is packed with emotion, as Xana looks for her son who has disappeared. There are layers to this story, and like a master storyteller, Wayne reveals them slowly, teasing the reader with bits of knowledge so you think you know what’s happening, and then another layer is peeled back. The character might think of herself as stupid and ugly, but I felt highly sympathetic to her plight. So far in these two episodes, Wayne has managed to take damaged characters and make them interesting and lovable – quite the feat for short segments.

I will definitely be picking up the third installment soon. The situations and characters that Wayne creates are too interesting for me to walk away. I need to know what happens next!

About the Reviewer

Husband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/