Book Bling-Elizabeth Alsobrooks

A Review of The Spring and Autumn Murders by Laura Seeber

7/14/2013

Zian opened his eyes and felt the coarseness of the tree beneath his back. He had spent many hours, hell days trying to master that technique. It did not come naturally to him. No real fighting and stars; they looked somehow darker than they should be. There was also that sticky sweet smell, almost metallic.

Zian raised his head carefully and sniffed again. He knew that smell – he had smelled it on enough battlefields. It was blood. He looked down once more and followed the arms wrapped around his waist to the trembling shoulders, small and frail, up the neck to the face buried and sobbing in his side. He jerked the young girl away from him, the scent of blood still fresh in his nostrils. She squealed as he ripped her arms from around him. Zian looked down in shock to find the panicked face of Hua staring up at him.

“Be quiet!” he hissed, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her roughly. She cried out once more, and Zian pulled her fiercely into him to muffle the sound. At first she struggled, clawing instinctively at his back, but then Zian felt her shudder, and finally relax her shoulders, her fear and exhaustion over-riding her will to fight. He felt her pulse slow.

“There, now sit down,” he ordered, pushing her gently down to the ground. His eyes searched her body and face for any injuries, and marveled at the amount of blood that was on her clothes. The blood covered her arms, her chest and splattered onto her face. Zian tore her robe and looked closely for the knife wounds that he was certain that existed. He found the skin pale and trembling, but unmarked. Her eyes flashed a fearful, vacant look in the passing moonlight. Zian swallowed quickly and with unsteady fingers tried to return her robe to the original condition. Once Hua was properly covered, Zian leaned back and moved away. He shook his head, angry with himself for being such a fool. Tearing off the clothes of a woman, one who was engaged to Lord Nianzu’s son. Even Hai would have an issue with this.

Excerpt

Review

The Spring and Autumn Murders is set in ancient China. Three friends, Hai, Lei and Zian are military pals who are sent from their home kingdom of Zhou to a village in the northern area of Jin. Their mission is to help patrol the border against barbarians from the surrounding mountains under the direction of Lord Nianzu. The mystery begins when Hua, the fiance of Lord Nianzu's son, stumbles into camp, alone, terrified, and covered in blood. The mystery is carried through from there, the plot pulling the reader forward with a sincere desire to find out whodunit.

The bond unique to individuals who face shared danger and challenges is evident in the believable friendship of the main characters. Their friendship is not perfect, as few are, which makes it even more realistic, and sustains the plot beautifully.

Seeber's story failed to receive four stars not due to the many errors, most of which were probably due to technological problems (Ex: every word with double l's has a blank space in place of the second "l," and there are random numbers that appear in the text, in the mobi version), but because it lacked mood and an "ancient" atmosphere, due almost entirely to a lack of description. With a very low word count, the story would have benefited with a few more descriptions to help with setting, mood, and pace.

Book Bling gives this novel three (3) stars!

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Meet the Author!

Laura Seeber has worked as a geologist, an environmental consultant, and a freelance writer. She currently divides her time between her own environmental consulting business, handling various ghostwriting and freelance writing projects, and her own fiction writing. Her interests include history, outdoor activities, martial arts, mysteries, and non-fiction material. The Spring and Autumn Murders is her first novel. She currently lives in Illinois with her husband, Michael.

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