Review: Final Protocol by J.C. Daniels

Final Protocol
J.C. Daniels
Published: July 7, 2015 (Samhain)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Her name is Silence. As far as she knows her past only extends back ten years. Before that, she only vaguely remembers bits and pieces. She knows she was once free and now she’s a killer. Sent out on missions by her handler, she’s trained to take out her targets quickly. The penalty for failing is so extreme she would rather die. When an opportunity presents itself on her next mission, despite being wary of trusting her handler, Silence can’t help but take it. If she successfully completes this next mission and takes out her target, she will be free. Only thing, when she finally comes face to face with her target he seems oddly familiar and has Silence recalling memories long thought buried.

J.C. Daniels really makes a big impression in a relatively short space with Final Protocol. You immediately feel for Silence and the obvious loss she has suffered. The brief glimpses she has of the past in her dreams (or nightmares) only make her yearn for freedom even more. At the same time, she’s been trained and conditioned to love the kill. Her handler uses her body against her, and Silence hates herself for the things he makes her feel.

I found Final Protocol to be slightly bittersweet because no matter the course of events Silence has still had to endure ten years of hell. She’s strong in that even after ten years, when most people would give up—and even though Silence has contemplated it herself—she remains focused on her freedom. Life is still valuable to her even though at the start of the book one can clearly see she’s almost at the end of her tolerance.

The only thing that was a little on the rough side for me was the setting. Final Protocol takes place in the future when the Earth as we know it is no longer livable, and obviously there’s space travel and other inhabited planets. If you understand that much you will be fine reading this story. But I found there were a lot of nuances in regards to the politics and different species which I would have loved to see explored more. I think the more stories Daniels writes in this world (hint, hint; wink, wink), the more things will become clear. I don’t hold my somewhat foggy view of the setting against the book as a whole.

I don’t know what the plans are for this being a series, but it certainly warrants further exploration. I liked Silence a lot and would love to see what’s next for her.

Sexual content: rape, graphic sex