Reviews

Amazon Review: The Chamala Quest by Mason Malone is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel, with brilliantly drawn characters. The author weaves a well-crafted suspenseful thriller with intriguing twists and turns that will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. Skillfully constructed, it’s a gripping tale that fans of mystery, thriller and suspense will enjoy. The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘To those who study plants, the Chamala represents the Holy Grail. Finding it would be the discovery of a lifetime—make that a dozen lifetimes. It produces a berry with phytochemistry possessing the unique ability to hyper stimulate nerve cell reproduction. It will be instrumental in the development of the next generation of biopharmaceuticals capable of curing blindness, deafness, dementia and paralysis. Famous botanist, Doctor Liberty Belle Corcoran, may have the inside track in the search for the Chamala plant. While speaking at the Global Federation of Botanists’ annual symposium on the island of Mahé, she learns of its possible location from the mysterious Cheung brothers. There is one small problem, however. It grows somewhere in an unexplored mountainous region of West Papua, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea, and is closely guarded by a primitive tribe of cannibals who hold the Chamala berry sacred. Libby will have to get past them if she is to succeed, and they plan to take the Chamala’s location and its secret with them to their graves, along with anyone who interferes…’ Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed. The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. This was a fascinating and captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a gripping journey. Recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.