Seen by Lori Nelson – Review by Angela Hayes

Seen by Lori Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Stars

Seen by Lori Nelson is the first book that I have read by this author, so I really didn’t know what to expect from one of her stories. But the cover intrigued me, and then the blurb sealed the deal, promising an original sci-fi adventure I could really sink my teeth into. So, I let my one-click finger loose and dove right in as soon as it hit my Kindle.
What I found was a raw and gritty dystopian adventure with plenty of mystery, sci-fi elements, intriguing cybernetics, action, violence, murder, gory details, bloody brutality, futuristic technology & setting, politics, plots, agendas, greed, investigation, suspense, family, friendship, kidnapping, torture, a frontier-like justice system, emotion, drama, danger, betrayal, and much more.
The author did a fantastic job crafting a vividly detailed world in which to set her story. Her descriptions, originality, and other clever touches brought the story to life right before my eyes. I could see this making a great movie, or mini-TV series.
Mouse Mouzer isn’t your typical (almost) sixteen-year-old. She has ambitions to become a hard-hitting journalist just like her mentor. So, to accomplish that she’s on the hunt for a career-making story that will ignite her dreams. Going out with her crow shaped drone, Gossip, Mouse scours the dark alleys and violent hot spots for anything that she could use in a hard-hitting expose. The adventure begins when Mouse captures more than she bargained for with her drone camera. But to use the footage would bring life-changing consequences for her entire family, destroying her beloved family unit- so she is torn with what to do. Things soon take a dangerous turn, and Mouse finds herself in a deadly game of cat and mouse. What happens makes for a gripping read.
There is more going on than first meets the eye that adds an extra element of suspense to the whole story. Ms. Nelson doesn’t let off the intensity accelerator the entire time- making for an adrenaline-fuelled read. The hits just kept coming, really putting her character/s (and me) through the wringer- I was exhausted and completely emotionally drained just reading everything they went through. I felt like I was right there, going through the wringer with them. I was completely invested in them and the outcome of the story- and couldn’t put the book down for a minute just in case I missed something.
The characters were all really well-developed individuals with their own unique personalities, quirks, and flaws. I enjoyed watching them develop and grow over the course of the story as they handled all the challenges that came their way. There were the endearing characters that I loved, but there were an awful lot of horrid characters, who I detested and really wanted to see get their ‘karma’. Some did, but others, like Timothy and co, didn’t get their ‘just-desserts’!! There were also some developments that broke my heart that I really can’t get into here without giving away spoilers- but suffice to say that I was yelling at my Kindle, cursing at the author (sorry-not sorry, Ms Nelson) for doing what she did. She knows what she did!!! She toyed with my heart and made me cry!!!
I loved the story, and how original and gritty it was- but there are some sensitive topics that occur throughout the story- so if you have any triggers you might want to keep this in mind- subjects such as abuse, graphic violence, gore, murder, emotional abuse, manipulation, assault, attempted rape, betrayal (and more).
So, if I loved the story, then why 4 stars instead of 5- well, I was really torn by what I should rate this, but ultimately even though the book had a gripping storyline and great characters, some of the dialogue didn’t feel quite authentic, and there were a few (minor) editing issues (but not enough to really detract from my over-all enjoyment of the story)- but my main issue was that I was left with a slew of unanswered questions and a loose threads. I am hoping that means that there will be another adventure coming with Mouse, Meph, and co- that might bring the answers I am looking for. I will have to wait and see (hint, hint Ms. Nelson 😊)…
I will definitely be going on a one-click spree to snap up any of Ms. Nelson’s other works to explore in the meantime.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Lori Nelson!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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