**Book Review: *Corpse Walker: The Night Parade* by Ralynn Kimie**

Ralynn Kimie’s *Corpse Walker: The Night Parade* is a gripping and unique blend of historical fiction, supernatural elements, and high-stakes adventure. As the first book in *The Infernal Artifacts Collection*, this novel sets the stage for a thrilling series where the paranormal intersects with our world’s most pivotal moments in history. In this case, the backdrop is World War II, where an ancient Japanese demon seeks to reshape humanity's future, and an unlikely hero rises from the ashes to stop it.

The story kicks off with the mysterious resurrection of a Marine, whose death in battle has been undone by the forces of the supernatural. This resurrected Marine, now a figure caught between life and death, is tasked with stopping the powerful supernatural forces that threaten humanity’s survival. These forces, led by the sinister Yamata no Orochi, a Japanese demon controlling Imperial Japan, are on the hunt for powerful artifacts—Infernal Artifacts—that can shift the balance of power in the world. The artifacts are ancient relics of unimaginable power, and Commander Isamu Mori is determined to collect them to execute his world-ending plan.

The concept of supernatural beings, Infernals, influencing historical events is an inventive and exciting premise, giving the novel a fresh twist. Kimie skillfully intertwines real-world historical events with paranormal lore, creating an alternate reality where humanity's fate is threatened by forces beyond comprehension. The idea that the United States may have its own otherworldly allies introduces an element of mystery, keeping readers hooked as they try to piece together the larger picture of this supernatural war.

One of the novel’s strengths is its well-crafted world-building. Kimie brings the reader into a reality where the supernatural is integrated seamlessly with human history. From the terrifying legend of the Yamata no Orochi to the concept of ancient, sentient artifacts, the paranormal elements are thoughtfully developed and richly described. The supernatural lore is detailed but not overwhelming, allowing readers to dive into the action without feeling lost in too much exposition.

The characters in *Corpse Walker: The Night Parade* are complex and multifaceted. The resurrected Marine, who begins the story as a reluctant hero, gradually transforms into someone who must grapple with the weight of their new life and the monumental task at hand. Isamu Mori, the villain, is chillingly charismatic, embodying the ruthless ambition of a commander driven by otherworldly forces. The dynamic between these characters—the tension between duty, identity, and fate—provides much of the novel’s emotional core.

The pacing of the story is fast and thrilling, with plenty of twists and action sequences that keep the tension high throughout. Kimie does a great job of balancing moments of intense action with quieter moments that allow for character development and reflection. The stakes grow progressively higher as the story unfolds, and the mystery of the Infernal Artifacts adds an intriguing layer of suspense.

While *Corpse Walker: The Night Parade* is the first book in *The Infernal Artifacts Collection*, it stands well on its own. However, fans of interconnected series and complex world-building will appreciate how Kimie sets the stage for future books in the collection. There is a sense that this book is only the beginning, with much more to uncover about the supernatural conflict that lies ahead.

In conclusion, *Corpse Walker: The Night Parade* is an exciting, fast-paced supernatural thriller with a unique premise, strong characters, and an immersive world. Ralynn Kimie has created a fascinating new universe where history and the paranormal collide, and readers will be eager to see where the series goes next. If you’re a fan of supernatural fiction with historical twists and high stakes, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Corpse Walker: The Night Parade by Ralynn Kimie is a dark and atmospheric horror novel that skillfully blends eerie folklore with suspense. The story follows a protagonist who encounters a terrifying supernatural force during a nightmarish journey. Kimie creates a tense, unsettling atmosphere, drawing readers into a world of paranormal horror and mystery. With strong character development and an intriguing plot, the novel delivers a chilling experience, though the pacing can feel uneven at times. Overall, it’s a gripping read for fans of horror and the supernatural.

Es una lectura que te atrapa desde la primera página. Está ambientada en la Segunda Guerra Mundial y tiene elementos de mitología japonesa.
Hayden murió durante el bombardeo de Pearl Harbor y, por alguna razón, fue resucitado. Él sabe que eso no debería ser posible, por lo que se esconde para evitar dar explicaciones. Sin embargo, al ser resucitado, se convierte en el Corpse Walker, quien debe evitar que el demonio Nurarihyon consiga los artefactos infernales y abra las puertas al infierno.

~


Me pareció muy interesante el concepto de la serie, y el hecho de que los siguientes libros serán de estilo diferente y podrán leerse de manera independiente. ¡Ya quiero leer a Hayden en el infierno!




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Going in I wasn't sure this was going to call to me. I really ended up enjoying this
It will make me think twice next time I'm doubting if I will enjoy.

I absolutely loved all three of these books and read them back to back because I needed to know what would happen next! The characters were so well done and believable it felt like I was getting to know new friends and enemies and I was so sad to reach the end! But these are stories that i will absolutely be reading again, the story never went where I expected and had me enthralled throughout.

Thank you to Steely Co. Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book
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I ended up DNF’ing this book. This story could not capture my attention after a month of trying to read it. I like historical fiction and fantasy books; I just didn’t care for this book.

The writing is well done. The author threw in a bit of mystery along with historical information. Unfortunately, it was just not a book for me.

This novel is beautifully written, has wonderful imagery and pulls you into the landscape. I think the author does a great job indulging the reader in the story. Historical fiction hasn't really been my reading preference, so I found it really difficult to get fully into this book. I was hoping it would lean a little more into the fantasy aspects, which it may have done later in the novel, but I was not able to finish it. But only because it does lean heavier into the historical aspect than I personally would have preferred. I honestly think based on what I read that this is a fantastically written book and I people who read the genre more would probably enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this masterpiece book!
Corpse Walker was an interesting read for me. As a history-enthusiast, this book full filled my hunger for the indepth details and artifacts for WW2. The mytho-paranormal twist kept me HOOOKED till the end!! Hayden's character was extremely well written and the supporting characters are great as well. The Villian actually got on my nerves!!! The author sure had a great hold of my attention and made a masterpiece first book!!! Excited for book 2 😍😍😍💖
Definitely a good first read 😁

Corpse Walker: The Night Parade (The Infernal Artifacts Collection Book 1) is a quick and engaging read that effortlessly keeps your attention from start to finish. The story flows smoothly, with a clear and consistent plot that unfolds naturally from the beginning.

The author’s extensive research shines through, particularly in the depiction of WWII Guam and its role during the war. The inclusion of Japanese spirit legends adds a fascinating layer to the narrative, with the spirits well-researched, named, and vividly portrayed. The characters are easy to follow, with their roles and statuses clearly defined, making the story easy to immerse yourself in.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I did subtract one star due to the use of profanity that begins about halfway through. Although raw language is sometimes a reflection of military settings, in this case, I felt it was unnecessary and didn’t enhance the intensity of the scenes. By that point, I was already hooked and eager to finish, but it might have been a dealbreaker for me earlier in the story.

Despite this, Corpse Walker: The Night Parade is an intriguing and enjoyable read, especially for those interested in historical fiction with a supernatural twist.

Historic fiction is not my favorite genre but when horror is invovled I love it! This book is no exception. I love the Japanese horror trope and it fits to take time during the WWII. The writing is splendid and the plot thickens with every page. The pacing is perfect, not too slow and not too fast. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kimi built a world that could probably be real, the way she tied fact with fiction was very well done. This was a real page turner and I can’t wait to read the next book. I was surprised in a good way about a few things in this book including that part of it took place in Harrisburg and York Pennsylvania, and being from PA that was really cool especially since its not often that you find stories that take place there. There is a trigger warning in the begging of the book and for good reason so make sure you pay attention to it. One of my favorite quotes of the book was “Do not let the confinements of your humanity define you.”

I rarely read historical fiction and I reading Corpse Walker was enjoyable for me. The setting on World War II and the integration of Pearl Harbor made this story interesting for me.

This is also somewhat having elements same with one of my favorite animes - One Piece. Just a bit! So if you are into marines, demons, monsters and the like. This book can be your best read.

„What brought you to York?”
“Peace.”
Dr. Susanoo only smiled. “You really want peace, don´t you?”
Hayden shrugged. “People take it for granted.”

“Corpse Walker: The Night Parade” by Ralynn Kimie is the first book in The Infernal Artifacts Collection. It blends historical fiction with supernatural fantasy, set during World War II. The story begins after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and follows a resurrected Marine named Hayden. He must thwart the plans of Commander Isamu Mori, who is seeking to harness the power of a fragmented Infernal Artifact—a mysterious and potent supernatural object.
The narrative interweaves elements of Japanese folklore, historical events and paranormal intrigue. The plot involves secret agents, ancient demons (and demon dogs, I'd love to have one of those!) and the exploration of moral dilemmas against the backdrop of war.
I really liked the idea. I find Japanese mythology incredibly exciting, but for someone who doesn't know much about it, some things happened a little too quickly and were sometimes not explained enough. The descriptions were well written and the writing style was easy and fluid to read.
Personally, I couldn't really connect with the characters. But the relationship between Hayden, his brother or his friendship with Stolly or Kamuela was very well portrayed. The humour was also very good and I really enjoyed the timely references such as Captain America.

‘It could be worse - you could be on a stage wearing tights and selling war bonds.’
Hayden glanced at the Captain America comic book in her hands.
‘Well, I'd rather be a celebrity.’

What also made me think a lot was the portrayal of the military and the moral attitudes of some of the characters.
I didn't see the plot twist around page 130 coming and was pleasantly surprised!
The book was a really exciting read and despite a few little things that bothered me, I was convinced!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A blend of historical fiction, fantasy, multi cultural lore and kick ass characters! Loved it!

Pearl harbour is attacked by the Japanese and the USS Oklahoma is sunk.. with a full crew on board however not everyone dies. Hayden, Dr Stolley, Dr Susanoo and Dorothea Sharp embark on a journey to prevent the demon march which would see humanity wiped out. One man’s desire to be at peace becomes a true force to be reckoned with and his journey at building confidence, self belief and trust in himself to do what needs to be done is at the heart pf the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The pace was perfect with each page begging to be turned and hooks into the reader from an early stage.

I loved the lore elements that I had not been exposed to before and did find myself researching these when not reading. This was my first historical fiction and wasn’t sure how I would take to that but I actually loved it and the battle scenes were beautifully done!

The main characters were strong and relatable (not so much the demons) however I do still have unanswered questions which judging by the Q and A at the end of the books, indicates that there will be more in the series and I may get the answers within future books.

All in all an excellent read and whilst there was not a many plot twists or a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end, there was however a few small plot twists which I didn’t expect so it’s a big 5 stars from me!

Fantastically written book that strikes a very good balance between historical fiction and fantasy. The combination between the Second World War and the fantasy elements has been created fantastically. The details with the location and time gave the whole thing even more reality. The characters are wonderfully developed and you are drawn straight into the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
A bit of a hard read for me, it's a mix of scifi and fantasy which I love however I felt this book was a little all over the place, info dumps that made me go back and reread a few pages, many tells of many things instead of shows, great violence and animal harm, overall it could have been a much better book but I can appreciate the factual history, culture research and imagination the author did here.
3 stars

This book is an exciting mix of history and magic! Set during World War II, it tells the story of a secret supernatural group trying to find a powerful artifact that could change everything. There are mysterious discoveries, epic battles, and even mythical creatures. If you like adventures with history and a touch of magic, you’ll really enjoy this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publishers, for sending me a free ARC of this book!

01/12/24
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

This was an interesting one!

It took me a while to get into the story. Corpse Walker: the Night Parade is a new, unique, interesting take on historical fiction, with the supernatural aspect of demons included, blending the two genres seamlessly. I enjoyed the folklore of the book, and it felt refreshing to read a fresh take on these events that I’ve read about many times.

Unfortunately, my biggest issue with the book was the pacing. It started off very slow, and it took me about a week to get into it. There were switches in time, perspective and place that felt very jarring and sudden, which left me feeling a bit confused about where we were in the story. The story seemed to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing, and there were moments of “info-dumps”, where it felt like the dialogue was included for the sake of the readers and not the story.

The characters were mostly great. The pacing issues led to me being confused about who everyone was, but the overarching story was intriguing enough that this didn’t affect the enjoyment of the book.

I will be keeping my eyes open for the next book in the series, the ending left on the perfect amount of cliff-hanger to keep me interested.

Publication date: 02/06/25

Final Rating: 3.5/5

I adored the uchronism of the story. I've always been interested in books about WWII, and mixing in fantasy is brilliant ! Incredible work on making the events, dates, battles and all so accurate.
But I'm missing something, I'm having a hard time telling what. I couldn't quite connect with Hayden and it made me less invested in the story, I was almost more invested in Mori unfortunately.
I overall enjoyed it and will happily read the next ones !

This is such a refreshing take on WW2 fiction. The tie ins of Japanese, Celtic and South Pacific mythos are so fun and not something you see often at all. Hayden's journey as a bit of a reluctant hero is excellent, going from being an "ordinary" marine, to his second chance at life, and on to basically having the fate of the world depending on him. You can also tell a lot of care was put into researching the historical and miitary aspects of the story. I'm very excited to see what's next for our Corpse Walker and to see what other mythological elements the author decides to incorporate.