The 13th Floor Complete Collection / Christine Rains

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy

Approximate word count: 140-145,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Christine Rains describes herself as a geeky stay at home mom who lives in
Bloomington, Indiana and writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Ms. Rains is a member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms. She has seven novellas and several short stories published. You can find out more on her website, blog, or Facebook.

Description:

“Six supernatural tenants living in a haunted apartment building on a floor that doesn't exist.

Six novellas telling their tales. All the stories take place at the same time intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.”

Includes the new short story, The Shadow.

Appraisal:

I have previously reviewed the first six novellas of this series and enjoyed each and every one of them. This series is a highly imaginative and entertaining set of stories. The time-lines of each book are interwoven with the others with each giving us a unique view.  I think putting these stories together into a collection was a natural progression and a wise move by Ms. Rains. It leaves no question to the order they should be read in.

Here are snippets of my earlier reviews from the first six novellas:

In The Marquis, Heaven refuses to grant Marc absolution and he refuses to go back to Hell. The main characters are well drawn and the story moves fast and furious once Vetis mounts his attack against the city of Carmine and Marc. Ultimately Marc had to face his own worst fears to find the best in himself. I enjoyed this journey and learned some demons are worth rooting for.

The Alpha takes a unique view of werewoves. The action is nonstop from the very beginning as Stephanie and James try to escape the wolf pack.

The Dragonslayer, I found Ms. Rains world building made a cunning statement about today’s society and loved the snarky dialogue.

The Harbinger, the author’s intelligent writing style and contemporary view of the Gods won me over. The inner turmoil that Meira felt was real and the turmoil had me reeling.

The Oracle and the Vampire, I found this story to be the weakest of the series. However there is more weaving of the rest of the stories into the timeline as the stakes get higher, which I really appreciated.

The Ghost, was entertaining and gave us a different view as Chiharo is unable to communicate with the rest of the inhabitants of the 13th floor. This is a unique storyline that  has been woven into the previous novellas and there is an interesting turn of events at the end of this story that I was not expecting.

The Shadow is a new short story that has been added to the end of this collection and ties in nicely, it takes place shortly after the other stories reach their conclusions.

The Shadow is a new supernatural being to me, I had not read anything like this story before. It's original and Veenya's story is unique and captivating. 

The Shadows are ninja type assassins that live in the shadows. Veenya has been branded a traitor, by their Alpha, for refusing to make a kill and is now being hunted by her own kind. Veenya's story is engaging, heart-rending, and action-packed. I feel like this short story is a five-star addition to The 13^th Floor series. Ms. Rains' imagination and story telling abilities are exceptional. She is definitely an Indie author to check out if you enjoy paranormal romance or urban fantasy.

FYI:

My full reviews of the first six novellas can be found here at Books and Pals by searching the author's name.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars