Lying Beneath: Aura Operations, Book One

Hey guys, I hope you’re having an amazing week. Today, I’d like to share my thoughts about Lying Beneath, a short science fiction novel, by Kevin Moran.

About

Bored of her mundane everyday life, young Ayla (a curious photographer) seeks adventure. When she investigates a peculiar hatch in an abandoned building, she finally finds the adventure she seeks, but it isn’t what she hoped for.

Trapped below ground and thought of as a spy by a strange group of people, Ayla must find a way to escape back to the world above.

Characters

While each character was easy to identify, I don’t feel as though I was given much of a glimpse below the surface of their being.

Ayla, a spontaneous photographer appeared determined and mentally strong. Her boyfriend Derek, an ex-military man, appeared brave and stubborn, content with their more mundane existence, however I didn’t get to know much more about him.

The other characters felt intriguing at first, however again, I don’t feel as though they were particularly well developed.

Likes and Dislikes

The story itself had several aspects that drew me in. I liked the way the point of view switched from Ayla, to Katherine (an underground doctor), showing how each of them perceived the strange world below ground. The contrast between their views provided some additional depth that made it easier to root for these two characters, even though they started off on separate sides.

The slow revelation of information kept me hooked as I waited to uncover new secrets regarding the below ground environment Ayla stumbles across.

My only dislikes were the characters appearing a little less developed than expected and the conflicts not feeling as though they were explored in much depth. Any obstacle felt as though it was easily brushed aside, instead of there being any real risk/effort in overcoming it. Sadly, this left a shallow impression of the events in my mind and nothing more.

Memorable Quotes

Two particular quotes stood out to me throughout the story.

1) ‘She didn’t want to turn back and face reality. She didn’t want to turn back to the comfortable and known.’

This quote highlighted a contrast in human nature, how we often (especially in modern society) do not wish the face the hardships of our own reality, often preferring the comfortable and known. The contrast comes with the fact that Ayla’s reality was the comfortable and known and as a strong individual, she craved more and was willing to take the risks that many in life don’t, in order to realize that further potential.

2) ‘I’m not convinced we ever know anybody quite the way we think we do.’

This quote really struck me. Whenever I’m out for a walk with my dog, I have the habit of people-watching, observing others and what they do, in order to learn more about them. As humans, we often make snap judgements about people based on what we see, however this quote makes me wonder- how much do people’s actions really tell us about them if we don’t know the motivations behind those actions.

Overview

Overall, reading Lying Beneath was an enjoyable experience and gave me some things to ponder over, however I didn’t feel as though the characters or plot were as developed as they could have been.

My Rating: 3 stars.
Recommended to those who enjoy mysterious, short sci-fi reads.

To learn more about Lying Beneath, visit its Goodreads page HERE.

To learn more about author, Kevin Moran, visit his website HERE.

Thank you for joining me for today’s review guys. If you enjoyed it, why not share this post using the social media buttons below, or have your say by leaving a comment.

As always, here’s wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

Take care,
Ellie. xoxo