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JB Richards

5 Star IHIBRP Book Review: “The Volunteer” by Sarah Northwood


A Fast-Paced, Nail-Biting, Dangerous, and Thrilling Ride Into the Mind and Madness!

Fast-paced, exciting, dangerous, thrilling … I don’t mind saying that I devoured “The Volunteer”—from cover to cover—in just under 1 ½ hours! And … Oh, what a ride it was!

Sarah Northwood’s tale about a recently orphaned college student trying to come up with the funds for her tuition hits home with readers who have had to walk this same path. It’s not an easy road to walk, and the author begs the question, “To what lengths would you go to get the money needed to keep you in school earning your degree?” For Sam, the answer comes in the form of a sign-up sheet for an experimental medical program conducted by a Doctor Bennett; a man with a vanilla personality, a drab bedside manner, and a threatening smile. Why doesn’t Sam merely take off and leave the Doctor in her rear view mirror? She’s desperate for the cash, having only herself to rely on to get through each day of the rest of her life; for that is how she feels as a teen on her own who only recently lost both parents.

Northwood knows well how to set up a powerful story. The reader is totally consumed with Sam’s plight. Even though the reader is screaming at her from the beginning not to participate in the experiment, it isn’t long before our protagonist makes the mistake of her life; checking into the medical facility and surrendering all her identifying information—as well as her body—to the doctor’s care. Where the story goes from there is a theater of horrors as Sam is kept medicated and sedated for days at a time. During her sedation, the doctor and his nurse perform unethical tests on her which leave the reader—not to mention Sam—quite unnerved. Worse, when our favorite patient complains and wants to back out of the experiment, she is told in no uncertain terms that she is a prisoner and will do as she is told. It is here that Northwood plunges the reader into a surreal world where Sam—affected by the experimental drugs—begins to demonstrate enhanced abilities. She finds that she can travel outside her body and immediately searches for a recruit to help her escape.

It’s a stroke of genius that the author plugs in so many unexpected twists and turns as Sam desperately searches for a way out of the facility that it’s impossible for the reader to tell up from down! By the time the story comes full-round, and we think we can predict the ending, Northwood plunges Sam into a desperate fight for survival not only for her own life, but that of the other patients who have been kept prisoner and subjected to the evil doctor’s vile experiments.

“The Volunteer” is a fast-paced, nail-biting, dangerous, and thrilling ride into the mind and madness! No one can be trusted, and characters’ motives are well-hidden beneath the surface—at least until it’s time for them to play a crucial role in helping or preventing Sam and the others’ escape. And, the ending?! You’ll just have to read it for yourself! I’m still shaking under my covers! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who dares to journey into the world of horror and suspense! But, be advised … You just might not make it back alive!

Find Author Sarah Northwood’s “The Volunteer” on Amazon athttps://www.amazon.com/Volunteer-Sarah-Northwood-ebook/dp/B01M4M9R1L/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1490035127&sr=1-1&keywords=the+volunteer+by+sarah+northwood

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Have You Heard About My Award-Winning IHI Book Review Project?!

Are you an Indie Author with less than 15 Amazon reviews? If so, you may be eligible for my IHI Book Review Project! You’ll receive an IHIBRP Book Review that will be featured on my blogs at The Writers Block & Goodreads, an Amazon “verified purchase” review, and a promotion of your IHIBRP review on Facebook and Twitter. But wait… there’s more—Should your book qualify as an IHIBRP 5 Star Recommended Read, you’ll earn an Award Badge which can then be affixed to the cover of your work to tell the world this is an exceptional read! The best part is, there’s absolutely no catch and no hoops to jump through—All I ask is that you pay-it-forward to our Indie community! Interested? Check out my award-winning IHI Book Review Project here!

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