Review: Behind the Chimera

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. Behind the Chimera can't really be classified into one particular genre. While I thought it would be fantasy, it also includes elements of horror, mystery, science fiction, and the paranormal.  While I expected a YA romance to be a big part of the story, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the case at all.  There was actually very little romance in the story. Instead, it was a fast-paced, edge of your seat adventure that kept me reading well into the night.

Synopsis from Amazon:
When Ian Crowell's best friends are torn apart right before his eyes and he narrowly escapes the killer, he can't imagine life could get much worse. That is, until the doctor tending to him starts acting strange and Ian knows the safest thing to do is get away. But while on the run, he discovers his pursuer may be a little less than human. Cornered in a library, Ian stumbles on a dusky passage in the wall behind a statue. He thinks it's an air shaft--a way out! In fact, it's the way in… This story is about a young man who gets sucked into another world, as ancient as it is technologically advanced. His goal is simple: find the one who can show him the way home. But Ian is unaware that a dark entity was awaiting his arrival and is intent on destroying him. It isn't his fate. It isn't his destiny. He was a regular person in the wrong place at the worst time. 

The main character in the book, Ian, is a jerk at the start of the story (at least in my opinion).  He may be attractive and popular at first but he isn't your typical leading man.  He hides his new girlfriend from his friends because she doesn't fit in with them, he cheats on her, and even once he realizes his mistakes later in the book and how much he really likes her, he is still far from a knight in shining armor.  There is some character change and Ian does grow as a person throughout the story but just when he starts to be likable and truly bond with a few of the other characters, the book ends.  There will most definitely be a sequel in the future and I hope to see Ian continue to develop.

There are plenty of fantastical creatures in the story, all wonderfully imagined and created to instill fear into the reader.  It was overwhelming at times to keep all of the places and creatures straight but it was also equally engaging and very difficult to put down.  I would love to have the next book explain more about how the two worlds connect and about who (or what) Ian really is.  I had a lot of questions that weren't answered so I'm hoping things become clearer in the next installment.

If you like fantasy that is borderline horror and a bit atypical, you will enjoy this. It was unique and fun and I look forward to seeing (or reading about) some of the characters again soon. If you would like to know more about this author, head over to her website at http://www.tiffanyreyes.com/