something sinister lurks in the shadows - City of Roses by Donovan Pruitt

A young man ventures to his lost love’s childhood home in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine. When a sudden accident puts him off-course, he awakes to discover a lively and vibrant culture living in a nearby village and a woman who reignites his heart. 

Description:

Published: May 5th, 2015

A young man ventures to his lost love’s childhood home in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine. When a sudden accident puts him off-course, he awakes to discover a lively and vibrant culture living in a nearby village and a woman who reignites his heart. But something sinister lurks in the shadows, and he must face the terror and help defend the village from evil before it is lost forever. Go beyond the tragedy of Chernobyl and discover the magic in the City of Roses.

EXCERPT

His surroundings fled from his searching eyes, and Alex was greeted with only clouded images. The hunters’ voices boomed, then faded into the background—near and far like a rolling wave on the beach. His body was adjusted roughly, and he felt himself mummified. All his pain amplified to the point of peace. It overwhelmed him until he felt nothing else. 

When the world became clear again, Alex was alone in an ocean conjured by his imagination. It was unnervingly tranquil. The clear water filled atop nothingness. There was no wind for the pathetic sail attached to the plank he sat upon, and he wore a constant frown like a punished child. This was finality—the conclusion of his existence. This empty place waited for him to tip the boat, fall into the darkness, and drown. 

His frown flattened. Alex felt his mind accept the symbolism of his present world, and despite his fear, he began to tip. Surprisingly—at the very moment when he felt the first kiss of the water against his legs, swelling onto the plank to claim him—a voice curiously rang out through the ether. At first the sound was unpleasant, like a banshee’s echoing wail. Soon, though, docile tones began to form into a siren’s song, moving through the musical mediums from gramophone to the private concert hall of his attention. Alex sat up in his boat and the water receded from the plank. Greater intrigue formed on his face. He briefly shivered when he felt the wind twist across the surface of the water, catching the sail. 

Alex blinked again, and the image of the woman dressed in white hovered there above him, distorted in his eyes. She sounded as sweet as she had looked in the dull headlights of his motorcycle. She sounded like . . . 

“Katya?” he whispered between worlds as life struggled up through his chest to push out her name. 

The angel smiled faintly, a knowing sadness forever lingering there in the tiniest crease near her lips. “Rest,” she advised, and he followed her ensuing lullaby into a deep sleep. 

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About the author:

Donovan Pruitt has a passion for science fiction and fantasy, especially those titles that trend toward young and new adult storytelling. City of Roses was his first standalone book as an indie author, though he has also written for video games and was previously published as a co-author in the fantasy genre. You can visit him online and join the discussion on Twitter

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