Vic: Fast

*I was sent a copy of this book by the author for a free and honest review*

Vic: Fast by Jerry Gill is the fifth standalone adventure novel in a series that features a reincarnated cave woman who is searching for her lost, true love. During this search, she gets up to different hijinks and (mis)adventures but, despite the premise, this is not a romance novel. I have not read any of the previous instalments, but I consented to a possible review because the subject matter of this particular book seemed interesting: an adventure in 1920s (ish) Australia. (I have been slightly obsessed with Australia lately.) 

I rated this book three stars, as the adventure part was kind of fun but the text itself was littered with minor grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, the editing process should have been a lot more intense as many errors would have been caught by a good editor. There were also quite a few non-fiction-y and unnecessary descriptions of everyday items. Then again, I think this has a lot to do with the author’s previous job as a non-fiction writer, and I for one understand occupational hazards.

At first the writing seemed to be a tad juvenile, but it evened out a bit in the end and became less awkward. I kind of enjoyed how the novel didn’t try to take itself too seriously and just did what it said on the tin: it’s an adventure novel with cryptids and kick-ass ladies as protagonists.I loved how they were never damsels in distress, but stayed alive thanks to their own knowledge of emergency medicine and survival techniques. I really enjoyed the friendship between the two pals, which was believable and not overly emotional, and the main mystery was also interesting and kept me hooked until the end. The idea of the novel as such was rather unique.

All in all, it is not really my usual reading fare, but I would have probably loved the books when I was younger and hooked on Buffalo Bill-esque adventure stories. There was some blood and gore, but nothing that a young adult reader couldn’t handle. However, I would definitely read the novels in the order they were published as I feel like I missed some in-jokes due to not having read the earlier books. They are quick reads and not too demanding, so I would recommend the book if you want something fun to read.

“Journeys are good for life and help you better understand both yourself and the world. Journeys, though, are things that end.”