Review - The Compound

Age range: Young adult / Teen 

As I enjoyed The White Lilac so much, Christina Adams suggested I try her (free) short story; The Compound a prequel to The White Lilac.



My Rating: 5/5

In this we learn a bit more about Kai/Brian's Mother Allia and the risks she took to keep her son from being used by The Compound; to avoid the same fate as the previous children.

The short story highlights the true evil nature of The Compound; so it is indeed wise to read The White Lilac first! It also clears up a few loose ends, nothing that effects the plot but are just interesting to know.

Although the short story revolves around Allia we do meet some of the more well known characters. Caryn is a four year old who often plays with Kai/Brian, we meet her father as well. Those moments with the children show how they that are more than an experiment to gather the cure. They are innocent children with their whole life ahead of them; but The Compound has other ideas.

I enjoyed the fact Father Merrick makes an appearance; of course for a story about how Kai was saved he needed to be in it. He came across as a cold character in The White Lilac as sadly all the reader is really told is from Kai's point of view. I would adore another short story told from Father Merricks view of Kai growing up with his desire to learn about his parents and his rather unnatural abilities (being able to breath underwater).

Even though it was a short story I was overcome with emotion for Allia; the only way to save her son was to make him an orphan. It shows that a mother's instinct to care and protect her child knows no bounds. You also really feel for Kai as he only knows part of the story. We, the reader, are able to be inside of Allia's head and gain the whole picture.


Price: Free.
Value for money: Excellent.
Where to buy: Smashwords