Book Review: Violet is Nowhere by Faith Gardner (The Jolvix Episodes #2)

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What wouldn’t you do for life? What wouldn’t you do for love? What wouldn’t you do for freedom?”

As the story begins we meet Violet Wilde, an up-and-coming rock star, who wakes up in a strange cabin, dazed and confused, with no immediate recollection of how she got there. The cabin is well-maintained, with a well-stocked refrigerator (strangely enough, it’s packed with her favorite food items), a box with clothes and other necessities, and a burner phone that is programmed to dial a single number with a note with specific instructions. Locked inside this strange cabin, with bars on its windows she realizes that she is in a secluded area and there is no way for her to escape. As per her captor's instructions, she has to figure out her connection to the person whose number is programmed into the phone within one week to secure her freedom.

“Maybe you do deserve your lives.”

After ignoring multiple missed calls from an unknown number, construction worker Bud Atwood listens to a frantic voice message left on his phone from the same number and ultimately picks up the phone on the next call. As the narrative progresses, we follow Bud and Violet as they work together to find the answers that hold the key to their survival.

The story is shared in alternating chapters from the PoVs of Violet and Bud in the first-person narrative format. Both these characters are interesting in how different they are from one another - their personalities, backgrounds and lifestyles couldn't be more different. I enjoyed how their relationship evolved through the course of the story. I have to appreciate the author’s writing in depicting Violet’s mental state while in captivity – how she goes from angry and scared to melancholic, subdued and introspective – the author captures Violet’s thoughts and reactions brilliantly. The story starts with a bang and though it does lose momentum in the middle, from the 70% mark onwards this book was hard to put down! That ending was phenomenal!

Though this isn't as fast-paced or intricately plotted as the author’s previous novel, Amen,Maxine, Faith Gardner’s Violet is Nowhere is definitely a worthy addition to the author's The Jolvix Episodes series. I’m not a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, but Faith Gardner strikes a perfect balance between riveting mystery/suspense and creatively conceptualized futuristic elements to create a sharp, well-written and engaging read. I look forward to more from this talented author in the future!

Many thanks to the author, Mirror House Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own!