This riveting, middle-school zombie thriller is told through the eyes of Daphne, an Autistic twelve-year-old girl. Feel what she feels, and see what she sees as this adventure keeps you on your toes. Daphne isn’t just your typical twelve-year-old girl. Her Autism helps her experience the World differently, and when undead creatures attack she discovers what the true power within herself really … is. Join Daphne as she learns how to live in this strange new world with new senses, while figuring out her powers and fighting for the people she loves.
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From the words of the authors daughter “I am autistic and I’m awesome”, you most certainly are.
If I could rate this higher than a 5 I would. I want to thank my followers/friends on Facebook who voted for me to read “The Power Within” otherwise I might have never found this gem sitting right under my nose. Also I want to make a note that the author does have 2 children a son named Nathan and an autistic daughter named Daphne (both characters in the book), I believe (I could be wrong) all the names used in the story are friends and family names of people in the authors life.
“The Power Within” by J.E. Nelson is a middle grade story (ages 8 – 13) that is a marvelous read regardless of how old you are.
The story revolves around a viral pandemic that is rapidly spreading, creating zombies in it’s wake and the young autistic child Daphne who narrates the story.
I am desperately fighting the urge to outline moment to moment all the things I absolutely loved about this story, but then I would ruin the read for you and you must read this great story.
The world building is fabulous, Ms Nelson does a superb job of describing surroundings and architecture to give the story a sense of familiarity and a real world feel. At the same time avoiding the pit falls (which is common in the horror genre) of too much detail. This has the effect of a smooth continuous read that seems to breeze right through from start to finish.
The plot on the surface seems common enough, but as the story progresses (thanks to Daphne’s awareness) a shadow of something sinister becomes visible and the story takes on a type of conspiracy feel creating mystery and suspense which adds to the story greatly. Beautifully paced, the story moves effortlessly from start to finish, making for an enjoyable heart pounding adventure that doesn’t stop till you run face first into the last page.
The characters are wonderfully diverse, full of depth and feel much like people in our own lives. This I can only image is due to the author’s use of people known to her to create the characters in her story. I remember as I was reading the story thinking to myself that Daphne had to be a real person, her sense of loyalty, love for family and friends, her autism, it all comes across as being so real. It wasn’t till I read the acknowledgements at the end of the book that I found out she was real. All the characters as well have this quality of reality that gives the book a sense of being real that adds to the horror of their circumstances. The group that Daphne is a part of suffer loss, hardship and danger bringing them closer together as a family and closer together as a small community of friends.
I want to make it perfectly clear that this story is not just an all out zombie fest filled with gore and hopelessness. On the contrary it is a reminder of the “power within” to stay strong, to stay together and persevere against insurmountable odds. Regardless of whom we are perceived as being and the power that comes from knowing who we are.
“The Power Within” also includes some marvelous twist and turns that completely caught me off guard adding much more to the story line. At this point I can go into so much more about what happens in this story, but I would rather save the surprises for your own read of the story.
This is one of those rare gems that is an enjoyable read for fans of a great action, adventure story with a mix of genres that blend together in just the right amounts that will leave you wanting more.
A final note I would like to add is that this story would make for a fantastic family read. Mom and/or Dad reading to the kids and experiencing the story together.