I found it hard to get into this book and to get a grasp of what it's about. It starts off floral and poetic, in an almost incomprehensible language, but after a few pages, it completely changes to a very simple style.

For the most part, this novel read like a first draft written by an adolescent and, in places, it was quite chauvinistic. But there are sections where the prose is beautiful, too.

I think this author has great potential, but he definitely needs the help of a good editor to make this novel better.

Overall, a wholly fascinating and thought-provoking book! Violina's writing technique is clever, and is really superb in the way that he manages to build up plot to revolve around such complex and original ideas.

I really enjoyed the psychological side of the book, Even though it is labelled as a "psychological thriller", Violina's writing felt much deeper than that. He tackles the subjects of mental health and the deterioration of a character's state in such a tactful way that feels very modern and this kept me interested in the book.

In my opinion, the beginning of the book was more slow-paced than the ending, but I don't think this took away from the severity of the ideas that Violina addresses within the book. I must note that I typically prefer more of an internal focus within what I read, and I didn't get that with Apricus.

Yet, I did really enjoy this book and look forward to see more of Violina's work in the future!

The story of Nathan, the main character, is torturous and, indeed, baffling. Aside from his struggle with mental health and drugs putting him in a precarious position, the curse that his mother revealed to him aggravated his situation. It's heartbreaking to know what Nathan went through but his choices led him to his demise. The novel is an interesting take on human struggles.

Are Curses real? Can one person or group condemn an entire family lineage? If we know of a curse, does our knowledge become self-actuating? What of those who are unaware? Is the curse still active?


APRICUS is a contemporary fantasy whose fulcrum is a curse leveled long, long ago, and its effects.

I did not finish this book unfortunately. I was about 50 pages into it and seemed that I could not get along to finishing it. I may give it another try later on but there was too much focus on what seemed to be everything but the main plot line.

Nathan Marque is struggling with his mental health after the murder of his best friend. In pursuit of the friend's dream, Nathan enters an intern program for a space exploration program. Nathan continues to face various problems through this journey, including a supposed curse against his family, and an estranged illegitimate daughter..

The title of this book is pretty apt - It is a perplexing story indeed.
The book deals with various struggles including mental health and addiction. The book gives an insight to how loss can really affect a person, and how destructive it can really be. The author deals with mental health very well, and what mental struggles really look like, and how they affect not only the person, but also the people around him.

The book felt pretty slow in the beginning, and it did deviate quite a lot. This made it a little hard to continue reading. However, it all came together in a pretty fast paced ending.

Jordan Violina's writing style is superb, and is honestly, this is what kept me reading. Further, he really touches on some important topics that need to be talked about more. However, I must say, this book was not really my cup of tea. I did enjoy reading the parts where the author explored other characters, especially the protagonist's family, and I wish they had a bigger role in the book.

Overall it was a decent read. A little perplexing (as the title promises), but if you enjoy reading about real issues and how gritty they are, and if you're interested in psychology, I would definitely recommend the book.

A perplexing story indeed! However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Apricus despite the title or book cover art not giving off a clear indication on what the story is about... Don't worry, everything comes together and makes perfect sense in the end.

There are some elements in tbe book that can become uncomfortable to read through, but I feel that those are important topics that we should be discussing. Especially in our current society. And instead of hitting those topics head on, Jordan Violina perfectly crafted in a way that is told through the main character's perspective.

If you have an interest in psychology, spirituality, and superstition, I'd highly recommend this book!

There were a few lovely meandering passages, disjointed tapestries of words gathered in this book where I thought the author's voice would be better suited for poems rather than a novel.

I'm not sure exactly what genre this type of story falls under or who the ideal reader would be. This book clearly wasn't written for me and near the end, I realized that I had absolutely no connection to any of the characters nor the storyline, it all felt one-dimensional. A perplexing story indeed.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Violina Books for an advanced copy of Apricus for my unbiased evaluation. 2.5 stars

The parts of the book that referred to the main character's family were the best parts. The gypsy curse, his mom who owned a book store, his sick dad, his estranged daughter. All of these characters had potential and could have taken up much more of the book than they did.

More family - less drug use.

I found the drug and alcohol abuse to be too much.

Parts of the book felt like reading a creative writing assignment with too many adjectives.

Unnecessary plot lines were brought up and went nowhere (the mafia, for instance).

That being said, I kept reading and wanting to know how things were going to end. The author has a lot of potential but, for me, this book fell flat.

I sadly had to dnf this book around 30%.

While the premise around Nathan's best friend getting murdered and his mom thinking it was a curse attacking their family and those they associate with was definitely intriguing and pulled me in, what made me dnf the book was the first 200 pages that i simply couldn't stomach through.

The book depicts a life style of alcoholism, drug use and constantly hooking up with women then and there.
The main characters none stop talk about women and sex, constantly chasing one girl after the other, at which i just could not push through with reading and decided that this book simply isn't for me.

I rate it with 3 stars however because the writing style is superb and i do think that the book touches on important topics, delving into philosophy of human minds.

I definitely think this book will appeal to some, while maybe not to others, i still do urge people to pick it up and form their own opinions on it!

Title: Apricus A Perplexing Story

Author: Jordan Violina

Available -December, 9th 2021

https://www.jordanviolina.com/

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“If the winds of life caused him to stumble, drops of bliss spill from the bottle.”

Apricus is a story filled with silent struggles. Wether it be addiction, mental health, infertility, family structure, or the characters over all moral fiber. Apicus really offers a realistic outlook on external forces and the individuals respond and justifications. The author gives us a deep look into how devastating loss can be and what mental health struggles really look like, and how it affected the main character and those around him. The book offers up so many twists and turns . We are given a plethora of possibilities and outcomes to wish on for Nathan through out.

“I forgot to tell you that I saw her in the mall pushing a stroller. She’s gotta baby now.”

When we are introduced to Nathan, he has not yet decided to enter the space program at Intelup, But with the loss of his friends he decides to follow his dream and apply. He is accepted and begins the career, marking one of the more positive points in the story.

Around the same time in his grief, it is explained by Nathan’s mother that the family losses loved ones due to a gypsies curse. Keeping this in the back of his mind the story continues on. Nathan has a very active social life, as well as dating life. He has a strict rule not to date married women, as a few seem to seek him out. We soon meet his friend Matteo, and are taken on a journey of partying, travel, and misfortune.

“A place where depression is just a word for being too weak to face reality or deal with it.”

Will Nathan get a chance to be the father, that he thinks he should be? Is there a gypsy curse? Will Nathan find love, and overal happiness in the end?

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I gave this book 🌟🌟🌟

Overall I found the book to have a slow beginning in a very fast ending. Giving plenty of time to get to know the main character, but also to see patterns develop, caused by the characters reactions. Bringing the readers realistic hopes up, but not always to a happy outcome.

I would have loved more description and internal dialogue from the main character. I struggled to understand his decisions and conclusions at times, and would have enjoyed more insight.

I did however appreciate the two or three subtle messages that are also included in the story. The ending definitely leaves you pondering what is important and what is not.

A lot more interesting then I thought it would be, I honestly enjoyed this a lot, the book itself solidified that I should keep a watch out for Violinia and their works!