The Beast Within: Volume 1

The Beast Within"The Beast Within" the first installment in the new series by S.L. Perrine, is an exciting newaddition to the Fantasy/Witchcraft/Young Adult/New Age genres. With an abundance of activity from the start, with many unexpected twists and turns in the plot, it is easily to get hooked."The Beast Within" has many highlights that stand out including:* An original and creative world created between Earth and Pylaria. Attention to detail of the Pylaria realm adds depth to the fantasy world. Many favorable elements are given including the relationships between the beings from different realms, an interesting way to travel between realms via a portal, and the "monster" form that Pylaria beings show on earth, and most intriguing, the curse on the men from Pylaria.* Renee, the main character in the story, is portrayed as a strong female, who doesn't easily back down. The story begins with Renee being a powerful fighter against the demons that haunt the earth. As the story develops, and her whole world is turned inside out, she continues to remain strong, even when the weight of a curse rests on her shoulders. Renee has a big heart, always looking out for others, and doing her best to help them. A character that easily invokes an interest in her outcome.* The plot for "The Beast Within" is full of unexpected changes, which are unraveled as the story develops. This keeps the story interesting and entertaining. Also with the many elements of witchcraft, curses, fantasy, paranormal, romance and more, the plot remains exciting to the very end. Lastly, the notion of love that crosses between realms, that of a soul love that is greater than human life, more a part of their love to be destiny and something that will always be, adds a magical and romantic touch to the story."The Beast Within" by S.L. Perrine is a great first edition to "The Beast Within" series. The ending of the first installment leaves many unanswered questions, leading the way to a great second addition. I look forward to seeing what is next install in the series. I recommend this series for all readers who enjoy fantasy mixed with many paranormal and romance elements.

My Five Star Review of “The Beast Within”Written by S.L.PERRINEThis story is fresh in idea, different than most other fiction I’ve read in genres that are similar. This story is a genre breaker. Or this story redefines genres. Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian, Medieval, Magical beasts both human and animal. Demons or Spirits I’m just not sure as I read this story and that’s just one of many reasons why I kept reading. I Also read this story because of the vibrant description that lit up the ambiance of a world that was once mundane for the main character and soon through a series of events was changed into something world consuming for her. This story is about a life lived set in repetition of a war between what lived in one world who’s essence leaked into the human world. The main character is part of a family whose very existence is to protect humanity from this world of horror and wonder. Everything changes for the main character and all the beliefs she had are shaken. Her Town and her friends are affected. A demon she tries to excise from her world may not be a demon at all. This other world is a place of horror, instead this other world is a place of magic, mystery, kings, queens and all the court intrigue the reader can imagine. The misplacement or possible loss of a loved family member only increases the angst, fear and life changing effects the main character and her love interest deal with. The other World is closed off and there are loved ones on both sides separated. Above all is the main character’s self-worth, beliefs in herself and the role she has to play on a much grander scale than she ever imagined. Renee soon learns that not even her own growing love is safe, not even her own beliefs are safe and her entire life will soon change. The cast of characters are filled with a vibrant and imaginative description. The dialogue is playful, engrossing, and full of maturity. The story flows naturally and kept my attention riveted and not once did I have the need to backtrack for anything I may have missed. I really think this story has out shined all the previous work I’ve read from this author.

I would first like to start with saying this is not my normal genre/style of book, but since I like to try to expand my horizons, I gave it a shot. The Beast Within is a book about a teenage girl named Renee that has been taught to hunt down ‘demons’, capture them, cut their heads off and put the heads out into the ‘void’ to keep them from returning. When magic is shut down mysteriously, all the ‘demons’ that were on earth are stuck…and Renee’s mother is trapped on the other side.Renee ends up befriending one of the ‘demons’ she tried to send to the ‘void’. From there this books takes on a very ‘Twilight’ feel to it. This is a teenage romance novel with demons and demon-hunters. The characters are likeable and fairly well written, but there are a few gaps in the storyline. I felt it jumped around a bit and the lead character, Rene, blacked out quite a bit. I would have like to see her be a stronger lead female…though, I could see this happening in the next book. Additionally, there were some characters involved throughout the entire book I didn’t really understand why they were needed until the last page of the book…which also holds a pretty major cliffhanger.Teenage romance is WAY outside my normal scope of reading material, but I felt that the use of the demons, or Mietitore as they are called in the book, and demon-hunters instead of the usual ‘vampire/werewolf’ trope that is so prevalent nowadays, was quite nice. I liked the idea and felt the author did a pretty good job with it.All in all, I can see how this book would be very attractive to a YA audience. To that end, I recommend it to the youth…maybe 14+ years of age.

S.L. Perrine has created a world with magic, faeries, and hunters; a world that entices you to enter timidly at first, but then you can't help but jump all in. The characters are feisty, sarcastic, and completely loveable. Renee is a true heroine who grows and comes into her own. The battle of good vs. evil has blurred lines that make for twists and turns that keep you turning page after page. A book I couldn't put down!!!

This isn't my usual read but the cover and blurb were quite eye catching and I'm glad I chose it! The storyline was unique to me with some interesting world building and has definitive peaks and valleys that help to pull you along in interest. The romance in the book was refreshing to me as the main character wasn't in love with a vampire or werewolf as well as the fact that she wasn't a cop or detective. This alone sets it apart for me. There are some minor hiccups in the book but they in no way detract from the story. I will definitely be purchasing the next book in the series!

Into this series. The descriptions are written so well, you can’t help but be drawn into the scenes write along with them.I love SL Perrine’s books and will forever rad everything she writes.