About the Author
A nomad at heart, GJ has lived in nine countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His career has included working as a Divemaster in The Red Sea, a zookeeper in Israel, and a proofreader in Sweden.
Born with cerebral palsy, GJ has spent a lifetime trying to tie his shoelaces while standing up in the hope of not falling over. It is a constant challenge, but sometimes he occasionally succeeds.
Finding the love for writing later in life, GJ spends most of his free time going for walks and dreaming of story ideas. He hopes to one day have a small place on the oceanfront where he can walk his dogs on the beach. Follow @kemp_gj on Twitter, Visit gjkemp.co.uk
About the book
Valen plucked the glass box off the shelf and gently placed it on his desk. Inside, a set of handcrafted metal circles linked to form the body of his new beast. He closed his eyes and dreamed of the Fairacre residents buying his latest creations.
A commotion outside Valen’s shop brings him back to the present. The Captain has caught the leader of the sewer rats and is parading her in front of Fairacre residents. Her fate will be determined by the townsfolk’s demands. - Valen steps in to defend the leader.
A story of discovery, hope and courage, Valen and the Beasts is a journey of an outsider risking everything to stand up for the people he loves. Will Valen save the leader of the sewer rats? Will he show everyone his secret? Or will he buckle under the pressures of the old conventions?
Review
This is a novella, and is part of the Juno and The Lady story. I would recommend reading book one to be able to get the gist of the story, this is just a mere glimpse through the keyhole at the universe the author has created.
This short journey in the world the Acre the reader follows Valen, a man who has secrets and likes to stay low-key because of it. At the same time he is also a valiant fighter for what is right and wrong, especially when it comes to the people the world treats like a garbage. In this story he has to make a choice between protecting himself, protecting others or something somewhere in the middle.
I think the dialogue could be a little less he said, she said - it needs more depth and higher level of complexity from a language perspective. This is YA leaning towards MG - young readers can handle it, they don't need the soft approach. Saying all that, this is absolutely a series with lots of potential and one that readers of all ages will enjoy.
I have to admit this novella wasn't enough of an hors d'oeuvre for me - I will be reading book one very soon. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
Buy Valen and the Beasts at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : TB5 Publishing; pub date 17 May 2022. Buy via gjkemp.co.uk.
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