Paths Less Traveled contains two short stories. The first story, Flashes of Life, is an urban fantasy and the second story, Lightening Strikes, is an alternate world detective story.
Flashes of Life takes us to a, post World War IV, world where paranormals, psychics and humans are learning how to live together. The main character, Vonna, takes us with her on her first day of work assisting with a homicide investigation. She has to prove that she can handle the job or be forced into a life that she wants no part of. She has many abilities that has not manifest yet and the Company that oversees the paranormal community hopes that she fails to show her psychic powers while on the job. Well, she not only uses her skills she brings a very powerful and useful psychic power to her job.
I liked interactions between the characters Vonna and her new boss because even though she feels alone and confused her boss try's to help her to feel at ease with her new job. The story is written in the first person which helped to pull me into the story and closer to each character. The plot was predictable but I still enjoyed the story and would read a full novel based on it.
Lightening Strikes places us in an alternate world where Falcon, the main character, must find a special War Horse that belongs to the King. We travel with her over a couple of days while looking for clues and searching for Lightening in order to save the life of her friend. The story is written in the third person and I really couldn't connect with the characters. I do like Falcon because she is strong, and brave. Lightening Strikes would make a good novel and I would read it to see how Falcon develops as the assistant to the King.
I felt as if I was reading a draft of the first chapter of two books. Each story would make a good stand alone novel and if Ms. DiMauro decides to write them I would give them a chance.
Now, there were sections that just didn't flow easily for me and I do not like re-reading. I also didn't connect with the characters and the plots were a bit too predictable. I feel neutral about this one because it is certainly not a bad read, however, I cannot say that it is a good read either - I didn't get excited about reading it. When I finished reading, I closed the book and waited a few days for a feeling to come to me - like it or don't like it - and it didn't, I remain neutral. The redeeming factors in both stories were that they are good clean stories that anyone can read and both stories were quick, easy reads.
Overview...
Some women walk their own paths through the ages, even when mayhem follows. Follow two of these women as they each walk the Paths Less Traveled. In “Lightning Strikes”, Falcon, a disinherited princess, wants to be the king’s spy. The theft of a prize stallion is her chance. But when her best friend stands accused, far more than her dreams are at risk. Falcon races to catch a thief before fatal vengeance falls on an innocent man.Worlds away, Psyonics Corporation controls all paranormals and psychics in “Flashes of Life.” Its highest-testing but still latent psychic, Vonna accepts an assignment with the D.C. police to avoid the company’s breeding program. The company works to ensure failure in her first case – a homicide. If she can’t unlock her talents, a murderer will go free and she’ll be consigned to slavery.The Paths Less Traveled. Strange universes. Kick-butt heroines.
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