It’s with thanks to Dave of The Write Reads and Mark Richardson for the copy of Malibu Burns, that I can bring you my honest and unbiased review today. Apologies to Mark Richardson and Dave himself! My review spot was on the 28th, so I’m so late!
Near-future San Francisco is a dark world where reality is changeable and different dimensions overlap.
Teen Malibu Makimura discovers she can feel people’s emotions, and senses an ominous voice growing inside her. She lands a job at a women’s nightclub drawing surrealist caricatures. One night while drawing a portrait, she feels a sinister emotion projected by a woman named Luciana, who invites Malibu to her Presidio Heights mansion.
There, she makes a peculiar request – and Malibu agrees. With each following act the evil inside her grows, and Malibu begins to wonder if she will ever be in control again… or if she even wants to be.
A dystopian, dark thriller from an author new to me. This book definitely made me want to read it due to the blurb and the cover. Being an author I wasn’t familiar with, I started reading with no expectations and I must say I was hooked straight away.
Set in a near future San Francisco we meet Malibu Makimura, a teenage artist who discovers she can sense other people’s feelings. After accepting a shady opportunity from a woman called Luciana,an evil begins to grow, We follow her on her journey attempting to keep her head above water in the grim reality in which she lives.
I was sure I wouldn’t be able to like Malibu. A girl who has so many flaws. As the story unfolded I found that I couldn’t help but be invested in her. I wanted to mother her, guide her and give her a security she has never experienced. Both Luciana and Malibu are complex and intriguing characters who make this book even more than ‘just’ a dystopian thriller.
Mark Richardson’s skill in setting the grim, gritty tone is apparent from the start. His world building took me right out of my chair and straight by Malibu’s side as she struggles with the conflicting thoughts of her own and the strengthening voice inside her.
Malibu Burns is almost a cross genre in that it isn’t just a thriller. It has dystopian and futuristic themes as well as undertones of horror. It made it a story that wasn’t predictable and that made me keep turning the pages to find out how everything would end for Malibu.
It’s, fast paced, engrossing and unpredictable. If you like a dark, sinister feel to your stories,with complex characters who will keep you guessing, then Malibu Burns needs reading!
Genre: Dystopian Urban Fantasy
Length: 288 Pages
Publishing: 29th September 2022
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGHFXD5D/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62830791-malibu-burns
Author Bio
Mark Richardson is the author of the novels Malibu Burns, The Sun Casts No Shadow, and Hunt for the Troll.
His short stories have appeared in numerous crime and literary publications, including Hobart, Fugue, Segue, Crime Factory, Switchback, and Nth Position.
Born in the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Iowa, and promptly escaped the midwestern winters for sunny California, first living in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent thirty years working as a writer and marketer for tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Mark now lives in the East Bay with his wife, two children, and the world’s cutest dog. He spends his time writing fiction, obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, attending his daughter’s softball games, and reading stacks of books. He loves genre-bending fiction, especially speculative writing with a noir flavor. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Social media
https://www.authormarkrichardson.com
https://www.instagram.com/markrichardsonauthor/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-richardson-1711111/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62830791-malibu-burns
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 
Thanks for reading 😊
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Fantastic review, Sharon xx
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