Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Winter Masquerade
AUTHOR: Kevin Klehr
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 137 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2020
BLURB:
Ferris wakes on the Sea Queen, an enchanted cruise ship sailing on a chocolate sea. He has no idea how he got here, but he desperately wants to go home to his boyfriend.
The alchemist is the only person who can help Ferris, but he’s been kidnapped. The ransom is high tea with scones and jam.
Meanwhile, the passengers are gearing up for the Winter Masquerade, a ball where love and magic reign.
With a murderous musician, an absent boyfriend, and a mystical party, Ferris soon learns that Wednesday is not the day to fall in love.
REVIEW:
Ferris seems to be in an alternate world, that leads to other even more frightening alternate worlds. He meets with a number of strange characters in this world as he makes his way through the days on a ship sailing a chocolate sea filled with chocolate creatures. It’s unclear at first how he has gotten to this ship or why he is here dealing with these strange beings. There is a band of sorts with three very different musicians. There is a detective with a magical sidekick. There is the captain and the alchemist and his wife and mistress. Nothing seems to fit together, and when Ferris begins to talk about his boyfriend, Harris, things take a dark turn and he’s in danger. And this happens over and over. It seems like they are trying to teach him something or make him see something. And as the week rolls on, the whole ship is preparing for the Winter Masquerade where maybe things will become clear for Ferris.
This was an interesting novella. I found myself confused over and over as there quite a few characters and their purpose in unclear at first. The story is very non-linear in ways. It’s not until quite close to the end that it’s pretty evident what has lead to this break and the lesson that Ferris needs to take away from this adventure. We’re never quite sure if this is Ferris’ mind protecting himself, leading him to the truth, showing him a way out, or just what. I did very much like the ending and Janus was my favorite character on the Sea Queen. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. While I was unsure where it was going in the first half, I liked the resolution.
RATING: 
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Thanks for the review, Sadonna.