Impromptu by Martin Lilley
[Review]

Print Length: 62 pages
                       Publication date: 14th February 2022

             My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

The unforeseen is killing everyone who gets in its path. Nobody knows what it is or why it’s happening. People across the globe appear to be dying on their birthday, at the exact time they were born.

Inseparable twins, Cat and Tom, have two days left to live. With their sweet sixteenth fast approaching, they have to accept that this may be it. See ya later!
But then, Cat, a gifted writer who lacks confidence in her ability, is handed a mysterious brown envelope by her mother with the clear instructions; don’t show your brother, it will kill him.

Amidst a world gone crazy and people from all walks of life dropping dead, can the Government figure out a way to stop the unforeseen from taking those who are left?
And how will Cat and Tom survive in a world Cat had only ever dreamt of writing about herself?

Review

Impromptu is a novelette which is something I don't tend to read very often as I am a greedy reader. I always want more but Impromptu's synopsis had me intrigued and I knew I needed to read it. 

It's written from Cat's point of view as she scrawls down what is happening right up until the moment of her impending death. Cat and Tom are twins also referred to as 'TomCat' which I thought was a very cute touch! Cat tells the story of how people all across the globe start dying on their birthday at the precise moment of their time of birth but with no idea why, the government is clutching at straws, hopelessly trying to stop the world from falling apart who just so happen to have a leader who looked like Worzel Gummidge which should remind you guys of a leader of our own. 

The government fails of course and people become more and more unhinged when they are forced to face the fact that their next birthday will also be their death sentence. 

Cat is struggling to come to terms that she and her twin brother are going to die and she decides to document the moments that lead up to their birthday in a sarcastic and humorously way which perfectly reminds you of how young and vulnerable the twins really are. 

The tale is a sad one, there is no escaping death but Cat's humour really adds a lighter touch to the story and made me like her fairly quickly. Cat is given a mysterious letter by her mother which she is demanded not to open until a specific time to avoid hurting her brother but when she opens that envelope, it really throws a spanner in the works. 

I enjoyed the quick pace of this story, the character's personalities were strong and the twist was brilliant, but as I say, I am a greedy reader. I wanted to know more, I needed to know what happens after the big twist and why this happened in the first place? I felt like there were too many loose ends but that does give Martin the perfect excuse to write a sequel which I would love to read.

If you are after a short but unputdownable read then I highly recommend this unique novelette!

Please go and show this wonderful author some support by purchasing Impromptu from Amazon today.

About The Author

Martin was born and raised in Nottingham, but moved to Manchester in 1999 to study Illustration & Animation. After graduating with a First Class Honours, he backpacked down the east coast of Australia for a year.

He now lives in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, with his wife and two children.

Martin's dream is to be a published author and to see his work on a shelf in a bookshop. Ultimately, he wants to make those people around him immensely proud of what he has achieved.

He is now working on his next story in order to make that dream come true.

Follow Martin on Twitter: @yellilnitram