Title: Salamander Justice

Author: Tamika Thompson

Release date: October 31, 2022

Firstly – huge thanks to Beverly Bambury for reaching out to me to see if I’d take a look at this novella that is launching in a few weeks!

I was immediately intrigued by the title and synopsis of this one. It reminded me of ‘Come Closer’ by Sara Gran mixed with a creature-feature. Veda, this main character, keeps seeing something odd… but does she?

I was excited to dive in, so once it was emailed over, I raced through it, excited to discover what Thompson had created.

What I liked: The story is fast-paced and we dive in immediately with Veda getting ready to head to a social function. While attempting to get ready, she notices something darting around her place. A quick attempt to capture it occurs, but it finds a crack in the wall to hide in.

With that simple set up, we then follow as Veda goes and meets her semi-boyfriend/guy she’s hanging out with at his brother’s surprise birthday party. Thompson does a good job of setting the scene and when Veda meets the brother, sparks fly and feelings get hurt.

The ‘real’ story here is what propelled me along. It kept me guessing and was so very intriguing. I wanted to learn the truth of the dead ex-husband. I wanted to see if Veda was actually seeing something or was it all in her head. And the ending was perfect to cap that off and tie up some loose ends.

What I didn’t like: I honestly didn’t like a single character. Veda annoyed me, Sam and Adam were frustrating and their mother was an odd character. It felt like I was watching a reality TV series where they get the most ridiculous cast together and they all want you to believe they’re better than everyone else.

I will say – this does work perfectly for the dynamics between the characters.

Why you should buy this: I read this easily in a single sitting, maybe around 45 minutes or, so it made for a perfect little snappy shock to fit in. The pacing is fantastic, the ‘thing’ that is stalking the story is well done and overall, you get a solid story that makes you hope for an expanded sequel!

3.5/5