Realms by author Patrick Morgan
Thank you so much to Patrick Morgan for providing me with a copy of his book in exchange for this honest review.
Realms is a sort of science fiction romance with a couple supernatural elements thrown in. The otherworldly parts are fairly subtle so don’t worry this isn’t hard sci fi or fantasy, more of just a sweet romance between two young adults.
Realms starts very slowly with a vague dream. David wakes up in a hospital room but has no memory of who he is or how he got there. The first third or so of the book follows as David attempts to reconnect with the family and life he is told is his. But he has no attachment to these people calling themselves his mom and dad or any of the things he’s told he used to love.
He’s feeling very lost and out of sorts when he has a strong urge to visit the site of the car accident that put him in the coma he woke up from. Upon visiting the site he happens upon a young woman about his age, nearly dead on the ground off the side of the road.
This is when the book starts to get interesting, it’s unfortunate that it took 100 pages to get there. I understand that it is necessary to establish how uncomfortable David is in this body and this life but it honestly felt way too slow of a pace for my tastes.
He feels a connection to this girl but doesn’t understand why. His parents don’t remember her, they didn’t go to the same school, and her parents are highly antagonistic towards him. But they are drawn to each other in ways that only make sense when you really trust your gut and your heart over your brain.
The rest of Realms deals with David trying to determine if this girl is telling the truth about her traveling across dimensions to find him. How they are already married in another realm and how they have to get back there. Is she crazy or are his feelings telling him the truth?
I must not be a very romantic person at heart because I really think that I wouldn’t trust my gut on this one. My brain would talk me out of it no matter what my feelings said. It was hard for me to root for a romance that is so uncertain. It was also hard for me to care about David as a character since he’s basically a blank slate. He has no memories and no personality, it’s hard to find him relatable.
I honestly kept wondering if Realms would be better if it was told from the girl’s, Kirsa’s, perspective instead. I think following her through the dimensions and her quest to locate her lost husband would be more interesting to me than reading about how David doesn’t really like mashed potatoes anymore.
However, if we were to follow Kirsa through her journey we would know she’s telling the truth. Their love would not require a leap of faith on their behalf or the behalf of the readers. This book requires faith that I think I just don’t have. It’s not in my nature. But if you are the kind of reader who loves big romantic gestures and diving head first into a chance then you might find Realms to be a lovely story of two people finding each other against all odds.
I recommend this book to those readers. Please let me know how the other side finds this book.
3/5 hospital stays 🏨🏨🏨
If you like Realms you might also like Soulmate
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Buy it here: Realms