Master of Bodies – Robert Essig

5 stars

Man, the faces I made throughout this book! I think I’ve found something even worse than a man with commitment issues……it’s a man with over-commitment issues.

Kipp has struggled with death and his inability to accept it since his Grandma died when he was young, and he discovered his power to wake the dead. But something isn’t right with those he reanimates, and his new flame, Shannon, and her daughter, Sienna, are about to get up close and personal with all of Kipp’s secrets.

Something that Robert did that was particularly impactful was reminding the reader that those who were reanimated were once individuals with thoughts and feelings, and that didn’t go away in their rebirth. Once you understand that as a reader, Master of Bodies becomes so horrifyingly sad. I can’t imagine what it must be like to exist in that in-between state, able to do nothing but rot and keep living despite it.

I really felt for Shannon and Sienna, too. They really got dealt a bad hand here, but as Robert said, it all comes down to the choices that are made. Shannon made the choice she thought was right, and, unfortunately, they suffered the consequences of those choices. It’s all very tragic.

Read this, if you dare (Robert, I loved that!), but be ready for a story to simultaneously disgust you and squeeze your heart to bits.