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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

ARV-3 (The after life saga #1) by Cameo Renae Review, Giveaway and Excerpt ~Kami

ARV-3 (The after life saga #1)

by









Seventeen-year-old Abigail (Abi) lives in a post apocalyptic world caused by a solar flare, nuclear power plant meltdowns and an anti-radiation vaccine that caused unforseen side effects. She and her family live in an underground bunker. There is a lot of action. The writing is good.The pacing is pretty good but there is a lot of explanation in the beginning to set up the post apocalyptic world. I thought that slowed down the story a bit but then things started getting exciting once they went topside and encountered the zombie mutants. I think the second half of the book is much better than the first half. I found the story interesting and entertaining. The romance was sweet. Since this is the beginning of a series it ends with a cliffhanger. 4 stars.

BLURB:
The beginning of the end. The Apocalypse.

A nuclear fallout wiped out every living thing on the planet, except for a few thousand of us who took shelter in underground bunkers across the globe. Now, after thirteen long years, we were finally able to return to the topside to begin to rebuild.

We thought we were alone. We were never more wrong.

Before the fallout, scientists had worked on creating an anti-radiation vaccine (ARV). The first two attempts failed, but despite the incomplete tests and results, the government approved and distributed the third serum to the masses in an effort to aid those who had no shelter.

It worked, keeping those who remained on the topside alive, but it also altered and mutated them. This new and infectious threat had completely outnumbered us. Now, we not only had to rebuild our planet. We would have to fight for it.

My name is Abigail Park. I'm seventeen, and this is my story.
BIO:
Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, CA, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved with her husband and children to Alaska.

She loved reading from as long as she can remember, and it was C.S. Lewis' - Chronicles of Narnia - which sparked a fire in her soul and made her want to create her own wondrous, magical worlds and awesome characters to go on adventures with.

In My Dreams & Hidden Wings were both recently published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing earlier this year. Descent (A Hidden Wings novella) was released May 15, 2013, and Broken Wings (Book 2 in the Hidden Wings Series) was released June 1, 2013.

Her most recent release is ARV-3. A YA Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian novel with a new twist on zombies.

She is currently working on the next Hidden Wings Series book titled: Tethered Wings. No release date yet. :)

One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe, and ride away on her magical unicorn... Until then... she'll keep writing!

ONLINE LINKS:

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Prelude:


According to the Mayan calendar, many thought the world was going to end on December 21, 2012. Some stayed home from work and school, some gathered in prayer, while others just blew it off and went on with their daily routines.
That Friday, on the day of the predicted doomsday, the sun rose and set without change. A few days later… life continued.
People crawled from their worried slumps and assumed their normal positions back in the daily grind. Many years passed, with no signs of world destruction. In no time, talk of the end of the world had dissipated like a foul smell caught in the winds.
Unbeknownst to the public, NASA had been giving warnings to the government of impending natural disasters, but they were never officially broadcast to the general population because it was all considered… “theory”. No one really knew what was going to happen. No one expected anything.
Behind closed doors, the government began preparations for building large, underground bunkers that would survive any type of apocalypse. Only select military personnel, and a handful of the world’s leading scientists, were privy to this information.
They knew it wasn’t a matter of if it was going to happen - it was a matter of when.

*****

START OF THE APOCALYPSE
THURSDAY – 3:16 PM GST


The sun aligned with the Milky Way galaxy, causing a gravitational pull, tugging on the sun’s surface. This caused a massive solar storm to erupt.
It was a solar storm of maximum proportions, labeled Class-X, and it triggered the beginning of the end. As soon as the mass ejection entered the earth’s atmosphere, it completely collapsed the national power grids, shutting down all navigational and communication systems across the globe. Millions were suddenly thrust into darkness.
The solar flare not only disrupted the earth’s magnetic field, causing thousands of birds and fish to die instantly, it also set off massive earthquakes and volcanic activity. Those who were at higher altitudes were exposed to massive doses of radiation from the sun.
Terror and chaos, along with widespread rioting and looting, broke out across the globe.
But that wasn’t the worst of it.
Over four hundred nuclear power plants were operating across thirty countries. Very few nuclear power plants were “walk away safe”. Even fewer had backup generator pumps which relied on large tanks of water for cooling the containment shells. Without electricity, it was only a matter of days before the unimaginable would befall.
Every nuclear power plant was a ticking time bomb, and most were running on battery power alone.
A majority of the population had no inclination their days were numbered. Within a span of about ten days, nuclear fuel would begin to melt through containment rods, sending out vicious, unspeakable amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.
There was no way to give warnings without communication.
The government, and a select few, started emergency evacuations into their underground bunkers around the world. Even the Doomsday Preppers withdrew to their own shelters, which left the rest of humanity unprotected, with no means of survival.
After the solar flare, skies everywhere danced with the most beautifully colored auroras. The beauty… before the beast.
All those who didn’t prepare, panicked, and ran to the few shelters set up by the governments. Shelters which were completely useless against the oncoming horror.
A handful of scientists had been working on a new serum, an anti-radiation vaccine, which was supposed to aid the body in resisting the absorption of radiation. The first two versions failed, causing the lab animals to become crazed and subsequently, die.
With the end swiftly approaching, the governments made an urgent and ill-advised decision. In an effort to keep the world’s populations from revolting and storming the emergency bunkers, they gave the people some kind of hope, offering reassurance that a vaccine had been created which would save them.
So, despite a lack of proper testing or receiving positive results, the government not only approved the third anti-radiation vaccine, it was mass produced. They used helicopters, which had been strategically kept protected against the electromagnetic pulses, for distribution to the shelters.
The helicopters were given orders not to land, but to simply drop the crates of serum, and head back to the bunkers. The risks of landing were too great.
Thousands panicked, storming the shelters; hundreds were killed in the name of survival. Many brandished guns or other types of weapons, and used them to try and secure vaccines for themselves and their families.
Meanwhile, secret bunkers around the world were filled to capacity and locked down.
Amidst all of this mayhem…it began.
The end of all things.
The Apocalypse.

One by one, nuclear power plants across the globe began meltdown. Due to their size, a number of them exploded like atom bombs, spewing massive doses of radiation into the atmosphere. Slowly and quietly, the invisible death stalked, and was believed to have eventually killed every living organism on the topside.
Scientists estimated it would be a minimum of ten years before any form of life could safely set foot on the topside. Even then, many areas of the earth would be uninhabitable.
This is where I come in.
My name is Abigail Park. I’m seventeen, and this is my story.









Excerpt #1:

I walked up to the tarp and knelt down next to it.
Abi, I don’t think you want to do that,” Finn whispered behind me.
Why?” I breathed. My fingers brushed the rough fabric.
Because, it’s just not a good idea,” he said.
He knew that wasn’t a good enough answer for me. This was something I needed to see now. I needed to know what I was up against, so that I wouldn’t freak out and freeze when I saw it for the first time, alive. This was my way. I knew myself best, and I didn’t like surprises.
My fingers carefully wrapped around the edge of the tarp and then slowly lifted. I gasped, but couldn’t tear my eyes away. Milky white eyes were wide and steeled on me. There was a strong, putrid smell the mask could not block.
The creature was completely hairless, and its skin was creased with countless wrinkles, appearing scabrous and leathery. It was horribly pale. Purplish blue veins protruded and snaked all over its body.
Its eyes were sunken deep into its skull; the teeth were horribly rotted and looked as if they’d been sharpened at some point. Each finger was bony and curled. The nails were long and sharp, covered with filth. I tried to search for anything that resembled humanity, but there wasn’t much left. It was a sickly, horrifying mutation.
Thick crimson liquid was seeping from a bullet wound to its chest. It was something right out of a worst nightmare. Suddenly its hand shot up and touched my arm.
I screamed and jumped back into the sturdy arms of Finn.
Don’t worry. It’s dead. It’s just the muscles reacting to random impulses from the nerves,” Dr. Banks said, covering the body back up.” I don’t think the others should see this.”


Excerpt #2:

I turned and shot at every creature coming, but as soon as one dropped, another two took its place. All of our efforts were useless. This was it. This would be our final resting place. We’d come out from the safety of our hive, surviving thirteen years underground, to die.
God. If you’re out there, we desperately need your help. Please,” I cried to myself. Tears streamed down my face, after witnessing what happened to Dr. Lisa.
Kaboom!!! A huge explosion rattled the whole mountain, sending a bunch of rocks tumbling and crashing down all around us.
What the hell?” Sergeant Powell yelled, covering his face from the falling debris.
Then we heard it. Our redemption. There was a God, and he sent someone to save us.
Two choppers were headed our way, and in a matter of minutes a machine gun started firing and dropping the Arvies surrounding us. They even dropped a few grenades on the side of the mountain. The sound of gunfire and explosions were the most beautiful sounds I’d ever heard.
Death. It was all around us.




Excerpt #3:

I woke on a day like any other. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Tina standing there, right in front of me. I gasped, almost smacking her.
What?” my tired voice cracked.
Guess what?” She squealed, too loud for this early in the morning.
She clasped her hands over her mouth, and her eyes were smiling.
Tina, it’s too damn early to play guessing games,” I huffed.
Okay!” Bouncing up and down, her excitement couldn’t be contained, “We’re going to the Garden of Eden today!”
Yaaaay,” I cheered sarcastically. Her expression told me my reaction was not what she expected.
Abi, you have no idea! No idea at all! I can’t wait to see your face.”
So when will this face-altering event be?”
After breakfast. So get moving.”
Her excitement pushed me out of bed, and had me stumbling towards the bathroom. After a hot shower, I was up and had changed into the awesome white scrub uniform-thing we wore every single day. Every drawer was filled with the same colorless clothes.
This will be good for you, Abi,” she said.
I hope so. I need something good.”


Giveaway: A print copy of ARV-3 with an ARV-3 Swag Pack.

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2 comments:

  1. Hello! :) I've been wanting to read this so I hope I win! *crossing fingers* email: missjocsan @ gmail,com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a cool story. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic stories.

    ReplyDelete