OH MY GORILLA GRODD!!!  Alice Smith, who I have have personally certified as an Awesome-ologist first class, has given Echo Volume 2 a 5 star on Amazon!!!  (I think she gave me one on goodreads, but the name hasn’t shown up yet).  Whew!  I thought the nonstop action might drag down the character building, but I decided to go for it in Volume 2 as I had been a big fan of the story/plot impetus in Mad Max Fury Road, which is ALL action, and happened to be great!

Alice, I’ll tell you what I tell everyone who likes my writing:  You have made me simultaneously super happy and terrified; happy that I entertained you, and terrified about disappointing you with the next installment.  I got school, family matters, and a trip to Peru to map out in the next few months, but one thing I NEVER back off on is drafting.  So it’ll come along consistently no matter what, even if a bit slow.

Thank You Alice!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂  Here’s the review:

“😀 I tried to not read this one as quickly as the last, but the action made it nearly impossible. Now I am left with that familiar impatient feeling of wondering when the next one will be out. It’s a bittersweet emotion; anxious for the next book, to see what happens, and happy to have something to look forward to, as this story is not yet over (this beats the end of a book/series feeling any day, when you know you won’t see your favorite characters in new adventures again).
Yet again, Kent Wayne has managed to surprise me. I thought I had some idea of how this book would be. Nope. As an avid reader, that’s a feeling I don’t get too often. It is rare event when a story surprises me. Fewer, still, the times when I am just completely along for the ride, having given up on making any guesses on where the next sentence will take me, much less the next page or chapter. I have to admit it’s a thrill!
I always love a good story, regardless if I can anticipate most or all of the plot (the fun is in the journey and no two writers are exactly the same), but I haven’t felt this way in a long time. Basically, this book should have a “strap in and hold tight” label on it.
It’s not all about the storyline, though. Kent Wayne includes a great deal of sensory detail; there wasn’t a moment I didn’t feel like I was there, right there, in the middle of the action, inhaling the smoke and ashes with him. Nothing was vague, in my mind, and not overly prescribed, either. He balanced the details nicely with the action, never dropping my interest or leaving me with questions. His use of imagery AND themes just takes the writing to another level. Some writers are really good at scenes, other at metaphor, others at imagery. Assuming they can get all 3, something is usually lacking in the structures (I have different, well-known authors in mind for each). It doesn’t make me enjoy the story less, but it is noticeable (to me; I proofread and edit everything unconsciously; yes, I’m one of THOSE people, but usually I keep it to myself).
Kent seems to be one of those writers that just has it all. I didn’t catch myself mentally rewording anything or finding fault with the use of some word that could fit, but wasn’t quite right. I didn’t think about how a scene could be better explained, or wonder what I missed. I fully and thoroughly enjoyed my journey through Echo, and can’t wait for the next trip!
Thank you, Kent Wayne, for an amazing voyage, and I hope to return soon!”

“There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any courser like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll.
How frugal is the chariot
That bears the human soul!”
~Emily Dickinson