REALITY BLEED SERIES REVIEW: BOOKS 1-4

"The once-men came, climbing over the broken but still living bodies of the fallen before them. They cared nothing of pain or destruction. Heads blew off and still, they kept coming."

 
Listen guys, a lot of us are stuck at home this holiday season. Quarantining is inevitable and winter is around the corner. What better way to escape to another world than with an awesome sci-fi horror series set on the cold, red planet of Mars! 

Allow me to introduce you to the Reality Bleed series:

BOOK ONE: HELL ON MARS
(5/5⭐)

This was so good and I was immediately psyched to jump into the second book! J.Z. Foster and Justin M. Woodward did an excellent job sending their audience on a thrilling and anxiety inducing ride through space.

We are basically introduced to a cargo crew sent on a rerouted rescue mission to Mars where it is suspected that the Mars Felicity Station has gone quiet due to unknown distress. But when the crew arrives on the red planet, they are completely unprepared for the threat of an alien plague and flesh hungry monsters.
This story felt very reminiscent of sci-fi horror movie classics like Alien, The Thing, and Pandorum. Characters were believable, the danger felt real, my heart was drumming a thousand beats a minute, and I was left with a cliffhanger that made me want to flip a table!

BOOK TWO: CALL OF THE VOID
(5/5⭐)

If there’s one thing I know for certain whenever I find myself indulging in Sci-Fi horror (be it fiction or movies), it’s that I would not fare well in space. The claustrophobia, the tingling itch in one’s space suit, the risk of unknown contamination, the possibility of alien combat. No thank you! I will gladly stick to experiencing all of this through the pages of a book. And I had the privilege of doing just that with book 2 of the Reality Bleed Series: CALL OF THE VOID.

J.Z. Foster and Justin M. Woodward have done it again with this incredibly gripping sequel! This time the hero crew of the Perihelion is burdened with the responsibility of recovering valued asset and scientist Will Braun before returning to Earth. But the task of finding and detaining him proves easier said than done when the Mars Felicity Station is still crawling with aliens and space zombies.

If the first book is capable of winning over its audience with suspense and the mystery of how the terrifying alien creatures operate, the second is sure to terrify with double the creepy crawly aliens and double the slaughter. Experiencing all the horror from the alternating perspectives of the crew is definitely a plus point for me in this series. Book 2 will chill you to the bone and make you glad you stayed on Earth.

BOOK THREE: CRASH. BURN. DIE
(5/5⭐)

CRASH. BURN. DIE might be Foster and Woodward’s best book yet!

The weary and battered crew of the Perihelion is now split up and stranded inside the Mars Felicity Station, this time with a desperate need to survive rather than escape. The losses are greater, the situation more critical, and our heroes —made up of scientists and engineers rather than trained combat soldiers—are having to come face to face with relentless monsters and a cruel reality.

So, my thoughts? This far in the series I can safely say that Nazi scientist Will Braun is the most compelling character in these books with his cold mechanical interior and calculating demeanor. My favorite character, Alice Winters, is definitely the most badass and a character worth rooting for. Throughout all the fiery combat and gruesome bloodshed, these two characters were the ones I gravitated towards the most.

There were a lot of moments throughout the chapters where I genuinely felt the fear and anxiety of the crew as they were pressured to make quick, hard decisions and sacrifices. There were also moments where I found myself wincing and cringing, as if I myself were the one losing a limb in a fence of sharp, alien teeth. Chapter after chapter, I audibly gasped or murmured “No no no no!” under my breath...which pretty much means I was at the edge of my seat and loving every stressful minute of this book!

Basically CRASH. BURN. DIE was another home run in the series.

BOOK FOUR: NIGHT TERRORS
(5/5⭐)

In my personal opinion, this series was perfect—the pacing, the character development, the creepy space zombies (yes I’m going to continue calling them that) and the intimidating aliens. What a ride! It’s been such a long time since I’ve read through and thoroughly enjoyed a book series this thrilling. NIGHT TERRORS was an excellent conclusion to part 1 of an all out battle with the evil unknown.

In book four, the crew of the Perihelion is dwindling in numbers as the alien horde and their indestructible leader (the Harbinger) close in on their victims. But there’s an inkling of hope. A chance to escape Mars is discovered, and our heroes must fight for that narrowing window of survival.

I was completely engrossed in this brilliant and terrifying story. I had to mentally prepare to say goodbye to some good characters and I felt the stakes rise with every chapter. During stressful times like these, this was also the perfect series to escape into while in quarantine. NIGHT TERRORS was simply fantastic and I’d be a fool not to recommend it to as many sci-fi horror fans as possible. Plus, with the holidays right around the corner, this is definitely the perfect gift for the book lover in your life. Even better, grab these books and binge-read them over the long winter. Whatever the reason, you’ve got to check this series out.