BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Realm Walker: Somewhere Between Mayhem and Madness (Dream Walker 2) - Bruce Martin

 

The mortal world and Netherworld collide in a twisted fight for power and freedom.

Still haunted by his fears for Alison and desperate to uncover the truth behind the hospital attack, John digs deeper into a mystery that grows more dangerous by the hour.

Meanwhile, realms away in the shadowed depths of the Netherworld, Alison fights to survive a place that was never meant to claim her, burdened by a destiny she never asked for.

With so much at stake, and mythological forces coming at them from all sides, will the two best friends find their way back to one another, before it's too late?

What did I think?

Having recently read Dream Walker I couldn't wait for this sequel and I was not disappointed.  I absolutely loved my second visit to the Netherworld in Realm Walker and it has left me eager to return.

It is the second book in the series and I probably wouldn't recommend reading it as a standalone as the world building has already been done in the first book and this book both carries on and runs concurrently with Alison's story.  I wish I'd read both books back to back as I was a little lost sometimes and I had read the books in order.

I love that it is inspired by Lewis Carroll's Wonderland but it is a LOT darker, although equally as bonkers.  Anyone who has read Alice in Wonderland will recognise some of the characters but they are very different thanks to Bruce Martin's vivid imagination.

Filled with action and adventure, Realm Walker is a fun and highly original book that follows on nicely from Dream Walker but also leaves me excited to see what happens next.  It's not a retelling of Oliver Twist but please Mr Martin, can I have some more?

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Bruce loves to write about other realms, alternate realities, monsters and mayhem. He likes to make people think about their own lives while getting lost in someone else’s. He loves nothing better than to sit down at his computer and play with his imaginary friends. He was obsessed with horror and monsters from a very early age, and always knew he was different to everyone else, but never knew why! He never felt like he fitted in. As a result, Bruce has always strived for perfection in everything he has done, and through working in the leisure industry for many years, he has his own unique take on the human psyche.  

Bruce was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from Humberside University with a degree in Exhibition & Museum Design, but soon fell out of love with design, due to him constantly thinking outside the box. He worked in many fields before finding great success as a multi-award-winning public house manager and brewer. After the infamous Covid lockdowns and personal tragedy in 2022, Bruce turned his attention to writing, crafting his first eagerly anticipated novel Dream Walker – Somewhere Between Realm and Reality. He now lives in Lancashire with his daughter.

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BLOG TOUR: Dream Walker - Bruce Martin

 

This gothic retelling of Alice in Wonderland paints a dark yet touching tale of magic and unknown realities, with an eclectic mix of characters, including a host of fantastical creatures alongside the author's own re-imaginings of the Mad Hatter, Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts.

Between layers of deceit and magic, nothing is as it seems.

Alison Wilde is an ordinary girl in a nearly normal world, until an uncharacteristic turn of events shifts reality, as she knows it, completely upside down.

Plunged into the Netherworld, with little memory of her life back on Earth, she is faced with a host of horrifying fantastical creatures, some more familiar than others.

But as her newfound companions attempt to guide her through their unsettling and tumultuous realm, dark forces are at work which threaten the very fabric of the Universe, and who will stop at nothing to prevent Alison from achieving the potential her destiny holds.

What did I think?

I love Alice in Wonderland so I was very excited to read Bruce Martin's retelling and it is absolutely brilliant.  I didn't want Alison's story to end and it has been left nicely open for a sequel so I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Alison finds herself in the Netherworld where she meets a very colourful cast of characters, some of which are much darker versions of those we know and love from Wonderland.  With so much action and danger, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and I couldn't put this riveting book down.

I can't say anything about the plot as it would spoil it for others but it is a very well written and accomplished debut novel that entertained and gripped me from start to finish.  It's an outstanding retelling of Alice in Wonderland that's imaginative and captivating.

Addictive, dark and mesmerising, Dream Walker is a breathtaking novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  I can't wait to return to the Netherworld and I am on tenterhooks to get my hands on the sequel.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Bruce loves to write about other realms, alternate realities, monsters and mayhem. He likes to make people think about their own lives while getting lost in someone else’s. He loves nothing better than to sit down at his computer and play with his imaginary friends. He was obsessed with horror and monsters from a very early age, and always knew he was different to everyone else, but never knew why! He never felt like he fitted in. As a result, Bruce has always strived for perfection in everything he has done, and through working in the leisure industry for many years, he has his own unique take on the human psyche.  

Bruce was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from Humberside University with a degree in Exhibition & Museum Design, but soon fell out of love with design, due to him constantly thinking outside the box. He worked in many fields before finding great success as a multi-award-winning public house manager and brewer. After the infamous Covid lockdowns and personal tragedy in 2022, Bruce turned his attention to writing, crafting his first eagerly anticipated novel Dream Walker – Somewhere Between Realm and Reality. He now lives in Lancashire with his daughter.

Follow the tour: