REVIEW : Act of Redemption First Book of the Gastar Series) by C. C. Cole

Title : Act of Redemption
Author : C. C. Cole
Published  April 29th 2009 by AuthorHouse




  *E-book courtesy of the author.

The once-great city of Gastar now stands underpopulated and in ruins following centuries of war against an evil priesthood. Now a demon lord arrives with plans for annihilation of the people and plans to create a half-demon, half-human son to stay and rule after Gastar becomes an extension of hell. A trio of former soldiers arrive to help the people regain their battle skills and hope for victory. An unexpected ally arrives, the teen assassin Shevata, who participated in a rescue mission in hell to rescue living hostages. Upon her return to the human world, she was cursed by having her soul removed after killing an evil priest without a death order. Her presence gets the attention of the demon lord, as he knows her from the experience in the underworld as a powerful adversary. Shevata, the humans, a human traitor, the demon lord, his son, and Shevata's dragon mentor ignite the spark that drives this fast paced action story to its dramatic end with more to come.

Act of Redemption is the first in a series of four books. This first dark fantasy novel by author C. C. Cole is much more than I expected.  It's very engaging and I couldn't stop reading.  In fact, I finished Act of Redemption in only a few hours.  It may be a short read but the story is fast-paced and full of action from the beginning to the end.  C. C. Cole has created a dark and magical universe filled with a teenage assassin, dragons, demons, half-demons, half-humans..

The characters introduced throughout the book are very unique and well developed. My favorite would have to be Shevata. She's brave, tough and one kick-ass heroine with her magic swords and her ability to move objects with her mind.   Being a child assassin back from hell, Shevata proves to be a great help to the  Gastar citizens battling demons.  The other characters, some evil and some good, are just as colorful. Although, I admit it was a bit hard sometimes to keep up with all of them.

Act of Redemption is a fantastic read.  It's a great start to a series I'm sure will be just as amazing.  A must-read for any fantasy lovers!

4 stars!!