Reviews By Contributors

Book Review: The Birth of Death (The Legacy of Evorath #1) by Joseph Macolino

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Author: Joseph Macolino 
Release Date: 8th June 2014
Genre: Fantasy
Edition: E-book
Pages: 1,378
Publisher: Create Space

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

Artimus, the head investigator for the elvish kingdom of Erathal, is disturbed when he discovers that the culprit behind a recent string of kidnappings presents the greatest threat the world of Evorath has ever seen. As he develops feelings for Savannah, a beautiful elvish druid hiding a great secret, he struggles to separate his personal feelings from his responsibilities to the crown. Meanwhile, Irontail, a young centaur warrior, endeavors to find his way in a tribe where independent thought is discouraged.
When their paths cross, the entire forest must unite, performing an ancient ritual to combat this new evil. While the world of Evorath deals with this great threat, Artimus and his companions must put their internal conflicts to rest as they work together to combat this harbinger of death. As they work towards this common goal, they find that they each have their own, unique gifts to offer. But, will they be strong enough to survive?
The first of many stories taking place in the world of Evorath, this series gives readers the thrill of an epic fantasy while introducing characters who are struggling to balance the demands of society with their own personal desires. One thing is for sure: at the end of it all, nothing will be the same.

Review

The story follows Artimus who is the head investigator for the Elvish kingdom. Artimus comes across an interesting investigation and falls in love with a beautiful elvish druid named Savannah. Artimus must fight off the dangers all around the kingdoms while balancing his personal life and his love to Savannah. This was a very nice story to read. This book is a great fantasy book and I enjoyed the classic fantasy feel of the book. I fell in love with the world from the beginning till the end and the author shows us many races and gorgeous places. The land of Frovath seems perfect and the story is full of adventures and friendships.

This book has lots of races, wonderful adventure, magic and tons of action. All these make the story a fast pass read and a fun story to follow and I can’t wait to read the next book.

 

You go through everything with the characters and feel their problems. I loved the Dryads, they are so intriguing and they bring a lot to the story. My favorite character is Irontail, but they are all written in a wonderful way, even the bad guys (this was important to me).

 

I loved the author’s writing style. The author has done something unique here, he shows us the character as humans that need to cook or clean, even when their world is in danger. These simple acts show us, just how much we need to feel normal and do normal things, even if the world around us is in chaos.

The story follows different characters, through the different point of views, but the author did a great job following them and describing everything that you knew who the character was, just by how they moved and did things, even before they spoke.

The first 3 chapters were a bit slow to read, but as an avid Fantasy reader, this is a common thing so I was used to it.

The ending of the book left me with wanting more, and more questions were asked. I want to know of this world and about the characters, can’t wait to read the next book.

The cover is gorgeous and once you read the book, you’ll know who it is on the cover.

The blurb was nice and intriguing and made me want to read the book.

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Book Review: New Megiddo Rising (The Apostates #0.5) by Lars Teeney

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Author: Lars Teeney
Release Date: 14th September 2015
Genre: Non-Fiction
Edition: E-book
Pages: 87
Publisher: Self-Published

Rating: ★★★★+1/2

Blurb:

At the Dawn of the Texas Republic declaring independence from Mexico, New Megiddo was born. Created by a death cult led by the Reverend Brigham Wainwright, who actively works to flood the empty, barren land with his American followers; undermining his Mexican overlords.

Fast-forward several centuries and America has become New Megiddo, a theocracy run by the Schrubb Administration, where order is kept using the technology of the [Virtue-Net] to feed the Reverend Wilhelm Wainwright’s sermons to the minds of the people. In the slums the humble beginnings of an insurgency of Apostates take shape. The cruel and clueless policies of the Church of New Megiddo and the ruling Regime push the disenfranchised masses one step closer to all-out rebellion.

Review

This is the prequel novella to the Apostates Series.

In my opinion, it will help you a lot if you’ll read the 3 books in the Apostates Series, or even just the first so you’ll be familiar with the world, characters and overall the plot of the story.

This novella flew by fast and I when I finished, it left me craving for more of this world. You could easily see that the world was well thought-out. The author is giving us a bleak view of a future and keeping us wanting more of this world.

This novella is a wonderful background story that shows us how it all started and how this dystopian world came to life and why. This book is not centered on a plot, and at first, it was hard to connect and read, but as soon as I had a few moments to myself, I was quickly reading through the book, and before I knew it, I’ve reached the end.

Each character has their own story but they are not connected. I think this is a wonderful origin story and Lars did an amazing job and even the gorgeous cover, made me enjoy this book a lot.

I love the cover art of this book so much, it’s so pretty.

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Book Review: The Rustle Of Silence by Lalitha Venkatraman

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Author: Lalitha Venkatraman
Release Date: 10th September 2016
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Edition: E-book
Pages: 131
Publisher: –

Rating: ★

Blurb:

Christopher is a handsome and brilliant businessman. His business empire had sprawled across several countries and he could have any woman he wants. His is a loving and caring nature and people adore him for his sterling qualities. For the outside world, Christopher has it all, did he really?
Preeti is an intelligent, savvy professional who has spent her life consumed with work. She lived the life of a Saint, happy to bask in the glory of her parents’ love.
Pulled together by peculiar circumstances, Christopher and Preeti quickly tear down each other’s barriers, bonding over a deep passion for their loving families as they explore the vibrant cities and rich, exotic culture of India. They grew quite close.
Preeti makes a startling discovery in Christopher’s house and to a certain extent, about the man himself. Suspicions run wild. Inexplicably, Preeti becomes the centre of accusations herself when a mysterious man with a traumatic past questions whether her love is truly for Christopher or his incredible wealth. Will Preeti be able to prove her good intentions, or will she have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the man she loves?
And then there is a jungle and people say that it is cursed. The forest is alive and breathing; from time to time, one could hear a huge rumbling noise from within. The trees shed millions of leaves. The hills move a few miles from their places. The river water rises to form solid arches. The forest dazzles the surroundings with its own magical light show. People are terrified of the living, breathing woodland and keep their distance from it.
De Silva lives all alone in the cursed jungle and he rushes to meet total strangers, Christopher and Preeti in the middle of the night…

Review

I tried really hard to not give up on this book and have faith that it will get better as the story progressed, but it just wasn’t for me.

The plot wasn’t entirely original and my main problem with the book was the writing and narration. The narration lacked cohesion with weird time jumps and the pacing was erratic. The book also had too many metaphoric descriptions for mundane aspects and didn’t spend enough time explaining the actual plot.

There was a subplot plot with references to slightly supernatural elements. But it was never properly explained or explored and it just existed to tie up loose ends of the main story. The characters and dialogues were unrealistic and flat.

The book had a decent build up, but around 40% I started to lose interest and ended up skimming over the rest of it. The ending was rushed and predictable with too much exposition crammed into the last few pages.

I feel that strong editing and a better plot structure would have helped this book, but right now, it just didn’t work for me.

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Book Review: Lake Of Fire (Apostates Book #3) by Lars Teeney

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Author: Lars Teeney
Release Date: 1st July 2016
Genre: Science-Fiction, Dystopian
Edition: E-book
Pages: 250
Publisher: Xcism Press

Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb:

Archon Greta Sanchez and Strategos Evan Nubia struggle to hold together the Manhattan Union, amid Acolyte Possession Attacks, factional strife, and Database cartel crimes, while Sister Consuela Grajales tries to provide spiritual guidance to the people after she has renounced violence. But, when the Acolyte Possessions threaten all of their families directly the former Apostates consult Simon Schrubb about this mysterious threat. Simon Schrubb directs them to seek out Paradise, a hypothetical super backup server that just may hold the key to the Acolytes. And so, they set off in an armored convoy across the radioactive city ruins and dead tree littered wastelands on their perilous quest.
Little do the Apostates know that Apedemak Nubia and his Nubian Braves fight for control of their home, Sulfur Springs, which is said to hold Paradise, against the Trinity, a being that somehow controls the Acolyte Horde. As the Nubians split up to search out allies east and west, the Republic of Ukiah finds unlikely allies in the Nubian Braves, and the former Prelate Ayane Inoguchi, who struggles to reconcile her past, while helping to defend the Republic from an all-out Chinese invasion of the West Coast.
But, amid all the chaos the Lake of Fire burns deep below the Earth and threatens to undue all labors to consume the world and usher all souls to Paradise in the name of the Trinity and the Proxy Messiah.

Review

I must say that this story was surprisingly quick read. Evan nubia fights to keep the Manhattan Union from getting in the middle of the Acolytes attacks while others fight against Trinity and protecting their home and themselves. Sister Gvajales is offering spiritual guidance and Apostate Simon is trying to find the Super server that is so important to the Acolytes.

This book has everything in it: Those who fight for power, those who fights for justice, war, betrayal. These elements make you want to read more and be more engaged with the characters. They try to find the answer for the Acolytes while trying to find the right man for the job. Everyone here has neural implants and this can bring all sorts of problems to regular people.
Everything is falling apart fast and Lars did a wonderful job of keeping the suspense until the end.

The characters are well written and well plotted out, that as a reader you get deeply involved with them. I really loved most of the characters, their determination, and strength to keep on fighting. I didn’t have a favorite character like the in the other books, everyone here plays their part beautifully.

This book like the others in this series was well crafted and lots of mystery and suspense. Lars did even better with this book’s descriptions; it felt like I was watching an action movie. I loved the advanced technology so much (omg). With all the different factions that are fighting for the power to rule, gives us a wonderful view of a potential future and how our world can change so drastically.

From the beginning, I was hooked on the story and the characters, but what made me turn the pages more than anything was this world and see what the characters will do next.

The story ended in a perfect way (I will not spoil it for you). The ending truly surprised me, and I’m usually good at seeing what the ending will be. It was truly the perfect ending to this story.
I enjoyed this series a lot and this book was even better than the rest. Even though this series has ended, I can’t wait for what Feeney will write next.

I think the cover is simple and pretty and I like it.

The blurb is very accurate in the story’s plot and of what the characters will have to deal with. I think it’s witty and very engaging.

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Book Review: Class of ’59 by John A. Heldt

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31978127Author: John A. Heldt 
Release Date: 1st September 2016
Series: American Journey (Book #4)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Science-Fiction-Time Travel
Edition: Ebook
Pages: 293
Publisher: Self-published

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

When Mary Beth McIntire settles into a vacation house on June 2, 2017, she anticipates a quiet morning with coffee. Then she hears a noise, peers out a window, and spots a man in 1950s attire standing in the backyard. She panics when the trespasser sees her and enters the house though a door to the basement. She questions her sanity when she cannot find him.
In the same house on March 21, 1959, Mark Ryan finds a letter. Written by the mansion’s original owner in 1900, the letter describes a basement chamber, mysterious crystals, and a formula for time travel. Driven by curiosity, Mark tests the formula twice. On his second trip to 2017, he encounters a beautiful stranger. He meets the woman in the window.
Within hours, Mary Beth and Mark share their secret with her sister and his brother and begin a journey that takes them from the present day to the age of sock hops, drive-ins, and jukeboxes. In CLASS OF ’59, the fourth book in the American Journey series, four young adults find love, danger, and adventure as they navigate the corridors of time and experience Southern California in its storied prime.

Review

The Class of ’59 by John A. Heldt is a great romance book, the perfect company for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It combines love story and time traveling with details of ’59 and just a little bit of suspense, crime, and danger.

The book is easy to read and made me curious from the start. When I read about the death of Mary Beth’s boyfriend in the first pages of the book, I didn’t imagine that it will be some time traveling involved.

The characters were so simple, no drama, just enjoying life. I almost envied them. All the problems were so easily solved. So it made me think of a fairytale. A ’59 fairytale.

The descriptions parts, nice and simple, gave me the impression of watching a movie. But still,  I would have loved more of the ’59, something that I can not find on google.

I also liked the unpredictable.I had no idea of what would happen next and how it would end.  Every time I thought the book was leading me somewhere, another event changed the direction.  I really enjoyed the simple optimistic end. It is not the type of book that makes me think but the type of book that makes me smile.

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Book Review: Indiana Belle (American Journey #3) by John A. Heldt

Categories Reviews By Contributors3 Comments on Book Review: Indiana Belle (American Journey #3) by John A. Heldt

29922773Author:  John A. Heldt
Release Date: 14th April 2016
Series: American Journey
Genre: Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Romance
Edition: Ebook
Pages: 295
Publisher: Self-Published

Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb:

Providence, Rhode Island, 2017. When doctoral student Cameron Coelho, 28, opens a package from Indiana, he finds more than private papers that will help him with his dissertation. He finds a photograph of a beautiful society editor murdered in 1925 and clues to a century-old mystery. Within days, he meets Geoffrey Bell, the “time-travel professor,” and begins an unlikely journey through the Roaring Twenties. Filled with history, romance, and intrigue, INDIANA BELLE follows a lonely soul on the adventure of a lifetime as he searches for love and answers in the age of Prohibition, flappers, and jazz.

Review

To say this book surprised me would be an understatement. I mean, wow. I didn’t look at the Goodreads tags for this book so I was extremely intrigued when the word time-travel popped up. After that, I was hooked. I could not put it down until I reached the very last page.

It starts with Cameron, a dissertation student, researching the state of Indiana who comes across a picture of a woman and tt is pretty much love at first sight for him. He is then presented with the opportunity to travel back in time and actually meet this woman, and at the same time add some adventure to his otherwise lonely life.

Although time-travel is a major aspect of this tale, it’s more about adventure, romance, and a little mystery. It’s about a man and woman who are nearly a century apart but have the same dreams and aspirations and, decide to take a few risks because life’s too short to keep second guessing everything.

I adored Cameron. He was charming, intelligent, witty and an absolute gentleman. I could relate to his lonely existence and his thirst for some excitement in his life. I was rooting for him right from the start. Candice was a delight and extremely likable. All characters, including the supporting ones and the bad guys, were very well developed and well written.

The writing was amazing, with an almost poetic atmosphere. The author did a great job in bringing the Roaring Twenties alive; from the quaint little town to the illicit clubs, from the church to the Ku Klux Klan, this book had it all. And the author managed to weave everything together beautifully.

The book began with the right pace, setting up the plot and characters quite early on and I held onto them until the very end.

I had predicted the ending but I was pleasantly surprised by the twist. It had the right amount of action without being overly dramatic. In short, I loved it.

I loved the romance. It was light and sweet, and a pivotal part of the story. Cameron had already decided that he had fallen in love with the woman in the photograph but to actually see it happen when he was with Candice was even more amazing. Their scenes were incredibly sweet and their relationship progressed naturally.

It’s no surprise that the cover art features the very picture that sets the plot rolling. It’s lovely and fits the book perfectly.

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Book Review: Southernmost by Sarah Sadler

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31080280Author: Sarah Sadler
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Series: –
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Edition: e-book (Kindle)
Pages: 350
Publisher: Blue French Press

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

Former Alabama beauty queen Kayla Carter is given an ultimatum by her wealthy ex-boyfriend Jackson Winslow – either move to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina with their seven-year-old daughter or support herself on a waitress’s salary. She relocates only to discover Jackson’s life is suddenly in shambles, and he has become a broke, undependable and depressed alcoholic.
Kayla hesitantly establishes herself in Charleston’s bustling culinary scene and becomes involved in a delicious fling with a free-spirited and visceral photographer. While she navigates the turbulent waters of Jackson’s new emotional state and fights feelings for him that she’s suppressed for years, Kayla’s personal success is overshadowed by an unexpected complication.
With a secret from the past threatening the chance of restoring her family, Kayla forces herself to break Jackson’s heart – and her own – once and for all, or risk everything by facing the shameful truth that has kept them apart.

REVIEW

Before I begin this review, let me just say I rarely read books with this much content. I found the descriptions and mentions of sex disgusting and admittedly skimmed or skipped the scenes. The rating is not at all based on that, though – it’s my honest opinion of the book’s quality, not the content.

In many ways, this was a fantastic novel that fully deserved five stars, and at times I really enjoyed it. I liked the main character and most of the supporting characters a lot … Avery was especially sweet! She was a very real, very adorable little girl!

The plot was very interesting, and I definitely didn’t get either of the big twists at the end! There wasn’t a ton of foreshadowing, but still, when it happened, it made so much sense and fit in so well that, though it blew my mind and I was reeling with the wonderfulness of it all, I felt like totally should have gotten it. How do people think up these amazing, beautiful plots?

I was disappointed with the love triangle. {*Spoilers*} I guess there just is no way to satisfy everyone with those, and although I was rooting for Jackson all the way, I found Kayla’s fling with J.B. (what? That’s my nickname for him …) just plain silly. I don’t know how you feel about it, but she was acting pretty committed (and so was he) for it to just end like that. {*End of Spoilers*}

Also, I felt that the story wrapped up a little too quickly – and perhaps a little too conveniently. A couple things – such as the stories of Kayla’s best friend and her mother – didn’t really get wrapped up at all. Perhaps these things will be resolved in a sequel, though.

I must say, I loved everything southern in this book! I want to go live there. Of course, I’d always be a Yankee. 😉

Overall, this was a great book with just a few problems that most people probably wouldn’t mind. Go pick up a copy of Southernmost now if you love a beautiful setting, interesting characters, a fast and interesting plotline with phenomenal twists, and mouth-watering descriptions of food.

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Book Review: Dead Lucky By Matt Brolly

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51uxt0wy3ulAuthor: Matt Brolly
Release Date: January 11, 2016
Series: DCI Michael Lambert
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Triller, Detective Fiction
Edition: e-book (kindle)
Pages: –
Publisher: Carina

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

DCI Michael Lambert is back…

When a woman is murdered, the twisted killer forcing her husband to watch her slow and painful death, DCI Michael Lambert knows that his next case might be his toughest yet.

And when a second set of killings are discovered, with exactly the same MO, the race is on the find the lethal sociopath before he strikes again.

But Lambert never expected to receive an anonymous call from the killer. This time, it’s personal: if Lambert doesn’t find the murderer soon, his own loved ones will be next…

Review

Plot: Dead Lucky started off quite nicely, setting up the plot early on and at the same time giving a quick gist of DCI Michael Lambert’s life. The strongest feature of the book is the plot itself, which is typical British police procedural with an interesting plot and engaging characters. DCI Lambert is investigating a series of murders where the victims seeming have no connection at all.

I loved the natural progression of the murder case and the manner in which DCI Lambert went about gathering evidence and information to catch the murderer. It neither seemed rushed nor slow and followed a logical line of investigation rather than flashy action or over dramatization of the characters.

Characters: Michael Lambert is equal parts cliched and intriguing. He is one hell of a detective and I loved the way his mind worked, stretching out in every possible direction without losing conviction. His personal life was a similar to a lot of other detective protagonists: a tragedy resulting in estrangement from his wife. Another character I really enjoyed reading was DS Matilda Kennedy. She was a smart detective and an apt secondary to Lambert.

Writing: The alternating POVs really worked for this book, keeping the suspense going. The pace keeps shifting throughout the book. There were times when it dragged on a little and some other times I was left on the edge of my seat and reading quite late in the night. The descriptions were handled really well, without being too gruesome and at the same time in detail enough to make you feel a little uncomfortable.

Beginning: The book started off really well, setting up the plot and characters, adding layers and layers of depth and detail.

Ending: My only problem with the book was the ending. The final showdown was set up quite nicely but the ending itself was way too abrupt. Everything happened so quickly and before I knew it the book had ended.

Romance/Kills: I liked the dynamics between Lambert and Sarah May. They seemed to have a very matured and mutually understanding relationship between them. The platonic work relationship between Lambert and Kennedy was also fun to read.

Cover Art: The cover is rather bland and doesn’t really capture the intensity of the book.

Goodreads | Amazon

This book has been reviewed by a TRB review-contributor.

Book Review: Myxocene by Troy Ernest Hill

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27406604Author: Troy Ernest Hill
Release Date: November 1, 2015
Series: –
Genre: Medical Thriller | Psychological Thriller
Edition: E-book (mobi)
Pages: 272
Publisher: Createspace

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

When single mother and freelance science writer Sarah Bennett interviews Dr. Ronald Keating on the Chernobyl disaster for its 30th anniversary, she unwittingly gets entangled in the retired pharmaceutical researcher’s strange plot to combat global warming with an experimental medication. In a wry voice both funny and provocative, she grapples with Keating’s true motivations as well as profound questions about the value of an individual human life versus a society of billions in a climate-changing world.

Review

Plot:

I must admit, this book definitely surprised me. What started off as a medical thriller slowly became a neurological thriller surrounding a rather controversial topic, which makes this book a great choice to have intense discussions over.

At the center of this story is a freelance writer and a single mother, surrounded by a near-autistic daughter and a fanatic Christian mother. This itself sets the dysfunctional tone of the story. The conversations between Sarah, our main character, and the other minor characters, especially Keating and her ex-boyfriend Ted were by far the most interesting and thought provoking.

On the whole, I enjoyed the plot as well as the pacing. The subtlety of the suspense was especially enjoyable and I was definitely eager to know it ends.

Characters:

The characterizations were diverse with each character being a metaphor for acertain political or social ideology. However, I was unable to feel a real connection with anyone but I suppose that was more due to the slightly surreal nature of the book.

Writing:

The author was consistent with the first person narrative and the subtle change in Sarah’s thoughts as she became more rational and detached from sentiments made it even more intriguing.

Beginning:

The beginning was slightly slow and it takes a while to really get into the groove of the book.

Ending:

The ending felt a little rushed and it seemed that the author tried to cram a lot of things within the final few chapters. However, the concluding conversation between Sarah and Keating was where the essence of the entire story was.

Cover Art:

I love the simplicity and minimalism of the cover art and it definitely has a deeper meaning once you have read the book.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

This book has been reviewed by Mythili Hariharan.

Book Review: Shattered (House of Crimson and Clover 0.9)

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25471072Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Release: February 6th 2014
Series: House of Crimson and Clover
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 154
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb:

Anasofiya Deschanel fled to Maine to escape her demons. She learned quickly, and violently, that you cannot run from what’s inside you.
Following a series of unfortunate events, Ana finds herself drowning in the consequences of her actions, as her heart dangles between the hearts of the St. Andrews brothers. Jon’s understanding darkness threatens to consume her, while Finn’s kind heart reminds her of a goodness she does not feel she deserves. Between all three of them lies a secret with the potential to change everything.
When the truth comes crashing down, Ana is forced to face the same demons she once ran from. As she learns more about where she came from, these realizations drive her to a desperate decision that will change everyone’s lives, forever.

Review

Plot/Story: This is a short story and more of a novella. The story continues to follow Ana who found the love she needed and after all the things she’s been through she thought now everything will be okay, but life doesn’t work that way.

Characters: I love Ana and I still relate to her the most, but even after reading the books before and I knew she was, but in this book I wanted to grab her and shake her hard, lol. After surviving all that has happened to her we get a closer look at the darkness in Ana and in Jon. Finn is still my favorite character 🙂

Romance/Kills: So many twists and turns, The darkness that lays deep in us all, truly come up in this book in Ana and John, in a way that surprised me completely. We learn more about Ana and the history behind these characters.

Writing: The author’s crafts a wonderful story that follows the characters we already knew, or we thought we knew. In this short story, there are so many things happening, with twists and turns and the author shows the human nature and the darkness in us so well. Believe me that you won’t get bored reading this book. Every detail is weaved in perfectly.

Beginning: From the beginning, I was hooked to the story and to the characters; I didn’t want to let them go. The flow and the pacing of the book were great, letting the suspense build up and making me even more connected to the story.

Ending: Noooo! It ended too fast (I will leave you all with that).

Cover Art: The cover is gorgeous as ever ❤

Blurb: As always Cradit’s blurbs make me grab the book without any hesitation. Love the blurb.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Anasofiya Deschanel sat before the antique glass vanity, gazing mournfully at the contents of her cosmetic case.”

Highlights: This series is well written and this novella is by far my favorite so far. From the skilled writing to the amazing twists, this story will won’t let you rest until the end.

Lowlights: None.

Final Thoughts: Wow (must read the next book).

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Storm And The Darkness (House of Crimson and Clover 0.8)

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25471057Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Release: June 4, 2013
Series: House of Crimson and Clover
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 427 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb:

Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first winter storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown- Ana realizes that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.
With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.

Review

Plot/Story: Ana the main character leaves her childhood home of New Orleans and runs to a Summer Island in Maine, where a storm will change her life forever.

Characters: I loved following all the characters in this story. Ana (who I relate a lot to many of her characteristics), Nicolas (so powerful and all he wants is love), Jon and Finn (brothers, but Finn is my favorite). The made many great characters, that you will find yourself wanting to meet them in real life 😉 The author did a wonderful job of making them relatable and lovable. I was hook from the first page. I loved walking beside them as they went on their adventures looking for love.

Romance/Kills: I loved the relationship between Ana and Finn, you could see that there’s a true connection between them, but the author keeps us in the guessing mode until the very end. With all the mystery and twists, it was a beautifully written love story.

Writing: The author’s writing style is wonderful to follow and each chapter follows the characters from a different Pov that made the book so much interesting. She grabbed my attention from the start and I was taking the journey with all the characters. The powers the characters are given are so unique and I found myself, wishing I had Ana’s healing powers (that could be amazing). I loved the author’s imagination and the flawless descriptions, but it wasn’t too much that you would get bored. The author really makes you feel everything (I love that).

Beginning: From the beginning, I was hooked to the story and to the characters, I didn’t want to let them go. The flow and the pacing of the book were great, letting the suspense build up and making me even more connected to the story.

Ending: Why did it have to end? (Oh wait; I have the next book, yay).

Cover Art: The cover is gorgeous ❤

Blurb: I loved the blurb. It pulled me in and made me want to know more. It is also well written and describes the story so well.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “All I’m saying is, Deliverance was based on a true story.”

Highlights: This series is by far unique and different from any book I’ve read so far, in a very good way. I loved the Pov changes (I normally don’t like it), it made the story feel more unique and it made me fall in love with the characters from the very beginning.

Lowlights: None.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Apostates Book Two: Remnants

Categories Reviews By Contributors1 Comment on Book Review: The Apostates Book Two: Remnants

27343130Author: Lars Teeney
Release: October 27, 2015
Series: The Apostates
Genre: Science Fiction. Post-Apocalyptic. Dystopian.
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 198 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb: After the fall of the ruling Regime of New Megiddo, the John W. Schrubb Administration, the remnants of the country are fought over by the Republic of China Army, the Societatum Pentagram, ‘Database’ cartels, and independent city-states. Greta Sanchez, a former Apostate resistance commander who had sought refuge in West Europa is haunted by the nuclear annihilation of the old capital, New Megiddo City. In order to atone for her complicity in the destruction, she resolves to return to America to stop a new war. Greta sets out to track down her old comrades to reform the Apostates to meet new threats.

Review

Plot/Story: The rebellion won the fight and the government had fallen, but now things need to be fixed and rebuild. The new world is left unclaimed which bring new players into a potentially new war.

Characters: Evan and Consuela in America while Greta in Paris. In this book, we learn more about the character’s past and family. I loved learning more about them.

Writing: The author kept to his style here as well, making the read very east to follow, even with all the POV changes and history of the characters.

Beginning: You dive deep and fast into the story and the chaos that was left from the first book, feels real with a lot of pain.

Ending: Missing some sort of a resolve for the characters, but I think it might be in another book.

Cover Art: The author kept the same motive of the cover and I loved that the cover stays very much the same.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Evan and Consuela had been dragged into situations and skirmished in and around New York and what had once been called New England.”

Highlights: I loved getting to know the old and new characters better. I also enjoyed the writing style of the author a lot. The author stayed true to his own style making book 1 and 2 feel as one.

Lowlights: The story felt as unfinished and it was too short.

Final Thoughts: It was a good read and I enjoyed reading what happened to all my favorite characters.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset

Categories Reviews By Contributors2 Comments on Book Review: Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset

21928224Author: Sarah Ashwood 
Release Date: April 16, 2014
Series: The Sunset Lands Beyond
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Edition: mobi
Pages: 374
Publisher: Griffineus Publications
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

The mystery of other worlds is not one Hannah Winters ever thought she’d solve. However, the day she spots a brown-robed stranger with a magical staff in a neighbor’s field is the day she also discovers Aerisia, a magical land beyond Earth’s sunset. Here in Aerisia, Hannah is believed to be the Artan, a legendary heroine prophesied to deliver Aerisia from the Dark Powers. Plenty of people, including the Simathe, a race of immortal warriors, and the Moonkind, people of the Moon, are willing to help her discover her true identity, but Hannah’s just an ordinary girl from Earth. She doesn’t have any latent magical abilities and she’s not the Artan. However, her allies aren’t seeing it that way. Neither are her enemies. In fact, Hannah’s life is in jeopardy nearly from the moment she arrives in Aerisia. And becoming the Artan may be the only way to survive…

Review

 

Plot/Story:

This story reminded me a lot of another story I read last year. But I am sure it will remind you of a lot of stories. It is about a girl who finds herself taken off into a new world and something about her makes her special and important to that world. While some may say that this storyline has been outplayed and many are bored with it, I still love it! I still love the idea of being taken away into different world and finding out that something about me is special and unique and I am some how supposed to save this new world.

Hannah is just a normal college student. Nothing special about her, until a strange man in a horse pasture lures her in and takes her off to a new world. A place called Aerisia. In Aerisia she is told that she is what they call the Artan, though she doesn’t know who or what that is or what it has to do with her. From there is only collects more questions and no one seems to want to tell her what it is she is supposed to do.

The story at times did get frustrating because Hannah keeps asking questions and no one wants to answer her. Then again, Hannah also has the tendency to run off when answers are coming to her.

Characters:

The characters in this book are fantastic beings. Hannah, again, is your typical collage age girl and head strong. She questions everything and demands answers, but can never sit long enough to hear the answers.

The Simathe are quiet and emotionless, or so it seems. The high lord Simathe, Ilgard seems to be much deeper than what most think of him, and Hannah seems to be bringing out a new side in him.

Romance/Kills:

There is only one kill that really matters in this book. Not much romance. It is a world building book. There is a lot of backstory and explaining this new world that Hannah has been dumped into. 

Writing:

The writing is fantastic and very magical. It was also easy to read and keep up with the story.

Beginning:

The beginning is very quick. Only a quick few pages about Hannah’s family, and then Hannah is transported into Aerisia. The whole story was fast paced and didn’t have many dull moments. 

Ending:

As this is the first book in the series, the ending did leave much to be desired. There are tons of questions left unanswered. For the ending of the first book in a series, it was well done and will keep the reading interested enough to pick up the next book.

Cover Art:

I love the cover art. It’s colorful and gives a sense of magic. It really gives you a quick preview of the story to come.

Blurb:

The blurb is very true to the story.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Hannah, what are you doing? Why are you just standing around? They’ll be here in a little over an hour.”

Highlights: I love the world of Aerisia and the Simathe

Lowlights: I feel like not enough questions were answered in the first book.

Final Thoughts: This is a magical story that I would suggest to my friends.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

You can read the author’s interview here: Author Interview.

Book Review: The Apostates

Categories Reviews By Contributors4 Comments on Book Review: The Apostates

26003128Author: Lars Teeney
Release: July 20th, 2015
Series: The Apostates Series
Genre: Science Fiction. Post-Apocalyptic. Dystopian.
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 615 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb:

New Megiddo has been born out of the ashes of America, an America that has sacrificed liberty for security. Ravaged by environmental disaster and shuttered off from the rest of the world by border fortress walls, and the strict dogma of spiritual leader, The Reverend Wilhelm Wainwright, the people take small comfort from the sermons the Reverend delivers straight to the people’s minds via the [Virtue-Net]. However, the President John W. Schrubb Administration has been losing its grip on power. Murmurs and rumors of a resistance group of Apostates emanate from “Database” dens in the slums, financed by a mysterious source, are said to be scheming to free the people. Will the Apostates strike in time before the Born Again Gathering ushers in a state-induced Armageddon?

Review

Plot/Story: I love the moral issue the author addresses, of putting your freedom for your safety. Would you give up your freedom for safety? The author took this subject and gave it a nice dark twist to a Dystopian story.

New Megiddo is the new post-apocalyptic America and The Apostates are the people who fight against the brainwashed and chip-implanted people. These people fight for their freedom and against the strict spiritual leader.

Characters: Greta was revived (yep… revived) after she killed herself and she starts to fight for freedom and against the mindless following. Graham, who came from a rich family and was part of the government, but knew what, was the right thing to do.

Somewhere just after the third part of the book, the characters seem to blur all into two major groups. Now, if it would be a different book I would mind, but here it worked nicely and I just didn’t mind.

There are many amazingly written characters that made the story feel more real, that at some point you will wonder on which side it is best to be.

Romance/Kills: Well, there is a lot of violence here and dark issues rise up, so keep in mind when you’re about to read this book. This book has a lot of actions scenes full of kills, bombs but for me it was not too much and I liked the fast pace of it.

Writing: I love the writing style. There are many twists and turns to this story and many layers. This story touches a lot of subjects like Science Fiction, religion, politics and war and most important, humanity… and what make us human. These are all writing and woven so well together that even though this book long book but it feels relatable and I wanted to know more of that world. The author takes us through different POV’s and he did it effortlessly.

Beginning: From the beginning we see Greta takes her life and reborn to help the fight against the new government and religion. The Apostates want to bring freedom and free will back to everyone.

Ending: The story ended with a positive tone, living me satisfied. The ending also jumped on me fast and I left wanting more.

Cover Art: I love the dark feel of the cover. It fits the story perfectly.

Blurb: The blurb was written well, giving you enough information but no spoilers and it pulled me right into the story with questions of what might happen next.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “The video feed began with rapturous choir music, and funk bass guitar began playing.”

Highlights: From the amazing world building to the great story, I enjoyed reading this book a lot. There is so much to this story that no matter how long this book is, I still felt it fly by fast. Loved it!

Lowlights: None.

Final Thoughts: This is not a light read, but it is a wonderful book to read.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Timeweaver’s Wager

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29545245Author: Axel Blackwell
Release: March 17, 2016
Genre: Time Travel | Mystery | Paranormal
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 220
Publisher:
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb: Glen McClay sits on a fallen log by the railroad trestle, watching for his girlfriend’s ghost. Eight years ago, Connie Salvatore was savagely murdered here. Glen has spent his life seeking redemption, haunted by the knowledge that he might have been able save her. The time has come to let go of his past and move on with his life. But as he prepares to do so, an old friend offers Glen the redemption he has always sought – a chance to relive that horrible night and change the past. All he has to do… is die.

Review

Plot/Story: Glen, the main character is full of guilt and regret. He couldn’t save his girlfriend and for 8 years, he kept wishing for only one thing…Going back in time to change the outcome. He builds his life around his girlfriend’s death.
I love the idea of time traveling to able to change at least one thing in our life. Who haven’t thought of that? Or how it will go? Will you change the outcome to the worst? Love the idea!

Characters: Glen is a very agonized character here. He is so haunted by what happened to his girlfriend, Connie. The author is written these feeling of loss and grief so well, it made me connect to the Glen so fast and for me, it’s a huge part pf a great read.

Romance/Kills: Connie (Glen’s girlfriend) was killed in a horrible death.

Writing: The balance in writing the older Glen and the younger Glen was made so beautifully. I didn’t just enjoy the writing style of the author, I loved it and it made everything move better and flow faster.

Beginning: From the start I was taken to a roller-coaster of emotions and it hit home with me.

Ending: Even though there were a few times where the story was dragged when I came to the end all I wanted is more for this world the author had built.

Cover Art: It’s pretty but very simple. I would love a more attractive cover.

Blurb: The blurb really set the mood for the story and it did a wonderful job in attracting my attention, making me choose this book to read.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Glen McClay sat on a fallen tree beside the dead girl’s shrine, staring down the train tracks to the point in the distance where the two rails converged.”

Highlights: A fast paced read, which was amazing that the story just flew by fast and easily.

Lowlights: The only thing that I can say is that I didn’t like how much time it took for Glen to really make a decision. That part dragged for a long time, but how can you take a decision so horrible, fast, lol.

Final Thoughts: It was a great book to read.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: Exodia

Categories Reviews By Contributors2 Comments on Book Review: Exodia

25498587Author: Debra Chapoton
Release Date: June 25th 2015
Series: Exodia Ledgers
Genre: Science Fiction | Dystpia/YA
Edition: mobi
Pages: 218
Publisher: Not Specified
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating:  ★★★★

Blurb:

By 2093 American life is a strange mix of failing technologies, psychic predictions, and radiation induced abilities. Tattoos are mandatory to differentiate two classes, privileged and slave.

Dalton Battista fears that his fading tattoo is a deadly omen. He’s either the heir of the brutal tyrant of the new capital city, Exodia, or he’s its prophesied redeemer. Shy, handsome, smart and in possession of powers he doesn’t yet realize, he escapes an order for his execution by fleeing the city with the help of Lydia, who quickly captures his heart. But can he escape a destiny that will force him to marry another girl and return to Exodia as its liberator?

Review

Plot/Story:

I somehow missed the part of the blurb that this was loosely based on the story of Moses. But reading it, I caught the similarities and it was fantastic. I love the bible stories and I love when people take them and modernize them. After finding out that it was based on the story of Moses I actually enjoyed reading it that much more, not that I had any trouble getting into it to begin with. Actually, I was drawn in from the very beginning. The world was so different and even though there is a little history/background about how the world came to its current stasis, I was never bored of the world building. In my opinion, there was nothing boring about this novel and I almost couldn’t read it fast enough.

Characters:

I would say that the characters are not as well developed as they could be, but it was enough to keep the story going and wasn’t that big of a distraction. We could learn a little more about some of the side characters. Dalton, the main character, was a little dense, as in he could have used a little more development. It was almost as if we only dipped our toe into the big deep ocean of what Dalton could be. Despite that, you can see where Dalton is a strong character.

Romance/Kills:

The romance! Ugh! Killed me. Dalton instantly falls in love with Lydia, basically the first girl he comes across after jumping the fence and exploring the world. Because of circumstances, his path leads him in another direction and he leaves Lydia behind. Of course, he finds another girl, one he doesn’t love, but for some reason marries. But all the while Dalton can’t forget Lydia. It’s not even a love triangle. He marries one woman out of necessity, he never loved her and it’s questionable if she ever loved him.

As far as kills go, the story actually begins with a kill by Dalton. It isn’t bloody, gory, or even that spectacular. It’s very down played. Almost like when a movie implies that there is a dead body, but all you see is the white sheet over a body shaped object.

Writing:

The writing was fantastic. No glaring errors that distract from the story. It’s also very fast paced and I love a fast paced story.

Beginning:

The beginning really draws you in with in the first few minutes of reading. There just seems to be so much going on at the start. There is no build up, just BAM action.

Ending:

Seeing as there is another book following this one, the ending was perfect. It was an ending, but a cliff hanger as well. It made me want to instantly buy the next book so that I could finish Dalton’s story.

Cover Art:

After reading this book, I feel like the cover could be better. But, it was enough to get my attention. It actually gave me a Harry Dresden vibe (series by Jim Butcher).

Blurb:

The blurb does enough to really draw in the reader. It also makes the book seem like any other YA dystopian novel, but I feel this book is much more than that and the blurb doesn’t do it justice.

Other Stuff 

Opening Line: It’s as if I too am running for my life.

Highlights: Fantastically fast paced and fun.

Lowlights: The cover could be better.

Final Thoughts: This book will stick to my memories for years to come.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Urban Boys (Discovery of the Five Senses)

Categories Reviews By Contributors1 Comment on Book Review: The Urban Boys (Discovery of the Five Senses)

26850355Author:  K.N. Smith
Release: September 29th 2015
Series: –
Genre: YA | Paranormal
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 208 pages
Publisher: Two Petals Publishing
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★

Blurb:

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses is an action-adventure story about five teen boys who are mysteriously exposed to a foreign energy source that gives them extremely heightened senses. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become hypersensitive gifts that forever change the world. The story chronicles their effortless interrelations and later exposes the testing of their deep bonds. It introduces the reader to an array of supporting characters who alter the boys’ lives forever. The Urban Boys offers young and mature readers central themes of loyalty, responsibility, honesty, fear, and triumph, which become artfully integrated with cinematic-level action and high drama. The story twists, turns, and grinds through elements of science-fiction and action-adventure in a diverse, exciting, edge-of-your-seat narrative!

Review

I really don’t like giving a “bad” review to an author who worked hard on a book, but I just didn’t connect to this book at all. The read was a complete struggle.

I loved the poetic side of this book.The story was confusing (at best) and the premise of finding their 5th sense just fell flat.

I think the idea of the story can be great with a lot more research and more editing. The author put a large amount of detail on the things that really didn’t interest me, but put very little details on the things that truly matters, like the paranormal part.

The characters are so blurred together, it was confusing and at some point, I just didn’t care at all. The friendship between the boy was really nice to see and the unbelievably supporting parents were truly amazing, but other than that, there was nothing to keep me going here.

The beginning of the story started out nice and did keep me reading for a few more pages, but it quickly fell apart for me.

Overall, I am sad to say that this book is just not for me, even though I loved the idea and the poetic side… I couldn’t connect to the characters at all.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “HUGE, CURVY LEAVES BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED WITHIN THE PRESERVE offered the perfect backdrop for a midnight encounter between two friends who happened to be unequal in their mindsets as well as in their needs to control.”

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Surface’s End (Book #1)

Categories Reviews By Contributors5 Comments on Book Review: The Surface’s End (Book #1)

27802591Author: David Joel Stevenson
Release: November 1, 2015
Series: The Surface’s End
Genre: Dystopian
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 2691 (219 pages)
Publisher: Createspace Publishing
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★ + 1/2

Blurb:

Near the edge of Jonah Whitfield’s small farming village lies the Deathlands – a strange desert in the middle of a lush, green landscape.

It is strictly forbidden.

Jonah often lingers at the border of the Deathlands out of curiosity, hunting wild game where no one else feels safe. When he follows a wounded deer into the desolate expanse, he stumbles upon a hatch to a futuristic underground society.

After setting eyes on a beautiful girl whose only wish is to see the surface, Jonah is determined to free her from a prison made of comfort and lies. Will he rescue her, or will he find himself trapped mere miles away from the life he has taken for granted?

Review

Plot/Story: The book is in the Dystopian genre. There are two worlds (one above the ground and the other below). They are so different from one another, but they’re both trying to survive.
I loved the name of the book as it played so beautifully in the book. I loved the twist the author put into the Dystopian genre and I think he did a great job plotting and showing us the worlds and the real struggle. The book has many layers underneath the surface of the main plot.

Characters: Jonah always lived above the ground and even though he knew better than to go out to The Deathlands, his curiosity was too much and he found his way to the world below. There he found Talitha. I loved how much Jonah changed and grew over from the beginning of the book to the end. He has become so different and strong, I loved reading and watching him grows throughout the book. Jonah is my favorite character. I always wanted the story to be more focused on him, his thoughts and his emotions…Just him, lol.

Romance/Kills: The romance here was built nicely into the plot and it wasn’t too much. I will say that it wasn’t my favorite part of the book, but as it was so necessary to the plot, I felt that the author did a great job with them and how showed their importance to the plot itself.

Writing: I loved the author’s writing style here and enjoyed the reading with each page I turned. It was so nice to just enjoy the read, without any struggle. It was a fast read and even the premise itself was very interesting and had a unique look to it. The writing itself had some editing issues, but not in a way that ruined my read.

Beginning: The beginning was a bit slow, but quickly I’ve been able to pick up the pace and read faster.

Ending: By the end of the book, Jonah is so mature and brave and even though I had a good idea of how the book is in the end, it still didn’t make the reading less enjoyable.

Cover Art: The cover is very simply made, but I still like it 🙂 From the cover you know what the book might be about.

Blurb: I think the blurb could use a bit more to it or change it in some way, but it was enough for me to pick it up from the list and not others. I really wasn’t sure about the book, but I’m glad I had picked it 🙂

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Never go near the Deathlands. This was a rule that everyone in the village could agree on.”

Highlights: I loved the plot and the premise. Jonah was such an enjoyable character and I loved his journey and growth.

Lowlights: The start of the book was a bit slow and a few editing issues here and there.

Final Thoughts: I loved and enjoyed reading this book a lot and if you love the Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian genre, you will enjoy reading this one as well 🙂

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: Ripples Through Time

Categories Reviews By Contributors5 Comments on Book Review: Ripples Through Time

28695198Author: Lincoln Cole
Release: August 2, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 200 pages
Publisher: LC Publishing
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

Calvin is alone for the first time in over sixty years, and he is discovering that it’s more difficult than he ever would have guessed. A long time family friend, Edward White, comes to visit and check up on him. Edward is worried because he knows what Calvin is planning, and he just hopes he isn’t too late to help. Help, though, isn’t always the easiest thing to offer, and it can be even more difficult to accept. Told from multiple perspectives, this is a story of love, loss and forgiveness.

Review

Plot/Story: This is the story of an old man who grieves over his wife and wishes to join her. The struggles of being alone and the feeling of loss were too much for him. But when Edward enters his life to see how he is, they both started to talk and memories came up and feeling of not only lost but struggle, forgiveness and regret.

Characters: Calvin is an old man, who grieves over his dead wife and think of really ending his own life. His thoughts, memories, and feeling were all about his wife, the life they shared together and how much he misses her and needs her. It was both heartbreaking and amazing to get to know Calvin. Edward enters Calvin’s life with the hope he is not too late to save him they start to talk as memories came to them. I really loved Calvin and I think that there’s more to be told about his life. Edward was a wonderful character as well, but I had a really hard time connecting to him.

Writing: This is a well-written story and I loved the author’s writing style. The author wrote all those difficult feeling so beautifully, that you cannot stand from the side and not feel as well. Cole the author did a wonderful job writing this story.

Beginning: The beginning of the story was a bit hard for me, but I still enjoyed reading and simply fell in love with Calvin and his struggle were very real to me. All his memories of the wife he lost made the story real and painful for me and it made the book worth reading.

Ending: The story ended well, but I really wanted to know more about Calvin and I still do, lol.

Cover Art: The cover art is beautiful.

Blurb: The blurb was to the point. It was short and said just what I needed in order to pick this book.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “The damned doorbell is ringing.”

Highlights: I loved the characters so much and the struggle was so real and so true, that made me just want to know what will happen and what will the characters decide to do.

Lowlights: I have to say that at first I struggled with this book. The first time I’ve read it, I couldn’t go beyond the 60% so I put it aside and started reading again after things got a bit calmer in my life and I’m happy I did. I don’t know why I couldn’t connect at first but the only thing that pops into my head is that the first part was a bit too slow for me.

Final Thoughts: Even though the subject of the book is dark and hard to deal with, I really enjoyed reading the book. There are a lot of feels in this book.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Legendary Haunting of Quentin Wallis

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27784139-2Author: C K McKenzie
Release Date: February 13, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 214
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★

Blurb:

It has been in the nature of fairy tales that they begin with ‘Once Upon a Time’ and end with a ‘Happily Ever After’. However this is not a fairy tale. It is a somewhat true story… Quentin Wallis was not dead but neither was he entirely alive. He was something very much ‘in-between’. In short, Quentin Wallis was cursed. For a century he had been fated to live only on Halloween, seeking out his true love so that he might break the curse which had been laid upon him. The tricky situation was no treat when faced with bad men, murderous ghosts and an inconsiderate army of assassins determined to kill him. With only an honest heart, a haunted house and lashings of candy to assist him Quentin must resolve the small matter of an almost kiss, and a girl with wild grey eyes. And as night falls, and the bonfires burn, so starts the greatest of all adventures.

Review

Plot/Story:

I love the story that has to be told here. It’s a story of love that keeps you guessing until the very end. You are basically on edge the whole time, hoping that everything turns out the way it should. While I did enjoy the story, I felt like a lot of it was very long winded and had a hard time getting through the book. It didn’t lessen my interest in the story, it just felt more like a chore to get to the end. It’s a cute story, and for that, I would recommend it to others.

 

Characters:

I felt like a lot of the characters were very flat. You don’t really get a feel for who each character is because there are so many characters to explore. Also, you do a lot of jumping around. One minute you are in Quentin’s head and the next you are in Nell’s head. The voice of the story is as if you are watching everything from above and know exactly what everyone is thinking. I just think there were too many perspectives and too many characters.

 

Romance/Kills:

There is one main love story. The love between Quentin and Nell. There is a lot of death in this book, nothing too gory or graphic.

 

Writing:

Sometimes the writing was a little hard to follow. Maybe because as you are reading you are in every one’s head. You know what everyone is thinking or feeling and it can get a little confusing at times.

 

Beginning:

The beginning is very captivating. It made me want to continue on with the story to see what has happened and what is going to happen

 

Ending:

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I will just say that the ending was interesting.

 

Cover Art:

The cover gives the book a fairytale, Cinderella, kind of feel. Which makes sense, as this story is supposed to be a fairy tale, unlike any other fairy tale. With that being said…I feel like the cover could have been better.

 

Blurb:

The blurb is very spot on with how the story goes.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: Once upon a time it was autumn in the golden city of New York and the sparkling metropolis had pulled on its gilded mantle of russet hues so that it might celebrate the most glorious season and the best of all holidays, namely Halloween.

Highlights: It was a unique and intriguing story.

Lowlights: Somewhat long-winded.

Final Thoughts: I would recommend this book to friends, but warn them of how drawn out it can feel.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: Fools’ Apocalypse by Anderson Atlas

Categories Reviews By Contributors6 Comments on Book Review: Fools’ Apocalypse by Anderson Atlas

31441018Author: Anderson Atlas
Release Date: August 26, 2015
Series: The Extremist Edge
Genre: Horror
Edition: mobi
Pages: 392
Publisher: Synesthesia Books
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

Betrayed by one man. Sick with Lies. As the world crumbles, rots and succumbs to chaos, Ian seeks the truth. He seeks revenge. He needs his hands around the throat of the mastermind, the 6th Horseman.
6 other survivors learn they were the pawns of the 6th Horseman; who has left them to be torn apart by the puppets, the undead, who were their neighbors, friends and once beautiful strangers.
For hundreds of years, a ninth century mosque guarded a secret, an artifact covered with strange spores. Zilla tinkered with the spore’s DNA until a biological weapon emerged, one that obliterated all but a fraction of humanity. A new creature spawned inside the rotting corpses. In symbiosis, they attacked, adapted and learned. They were poised to inherit the Earth when they met Ian Gladstone.

Review

Plot/Story: I really enjoyed the plot. I like the idea that these zombies could not be killed by simply shooting them in the head. It was fun…in a horror sort of way. I will not say it was fast paced, because it did take it’s time to getting to the zombie part. But, I was okay with that because the author was just building the scene and showing how all these people played a part in the end of the world. Everyone had their valid reasons of why they participated and I loved it.

Characters: I felt like we got more of a sense of who Ian was more than anyone else. He seemed to be the main character in a story that had several main characters. He was also my favorite character from them all. I seemed to connect with him better than the rest.

Romance/Kills: There was no romance, at least not an obvious one. I felt like there was a budding romance between a few characters (Ian and Hannah), but nothing outwardly forward. As far as kills…it’s a zombie book, the end of the world. There are a million bloody kills. The descriptions of some of the killings were rather brutal and enjoyable to my horror loving heart.

Writing: The writing was fair. I feel like the novel could use a few more look throws for grammatical and spelling errors. I did notice a lot of words that were missing a few letters and a few places where the word was missing completely or there were extra words.

There was also an issue with switching the perspective of the story. I had a hard time keeping up with which character’s POV I was reading from. This could be a mistake of my own as I sometimes don’t even pay attention to the title of chapters half the time. But even when I did remember to read the chapter title to see whose POV I was reading from, I still got a little confused.

Beginning: The beginning was slow going and at one point I was a little bored. But once you get to the meaty part of the story, you understand the purpose of the slow beginning.

Ending: I enjoyed the ending. I felt like there was enough closure to end the book, but open enough to continue on to the next book.

Cover Art: The cover is simple and tells a story. It’s the picture of a world at its end and that is exactly what this book is about.

Blurb: The blurb is right to the point of the story. It doesn’t prepare you for the gore that riddles this book, which is great.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: I ran barefoot through deep, thick mud, not caring about the chill that was creeping into my skin, or the searing pain at the stump of my phantom arm.

Highlights: ZOMBIES!

Lowlights: A few errors.

Final Thoughts: This book is totally worth the read, even in its rough state.

 

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Nth Day by Jonathan Huls

Categories Reviews By Contributors4 Comments on Book Review: The Nth Day by Jonathan Huls

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Author: Jonathan Huls
Release Date: November 11, 2015
Series: –
Genre: Fantasy
Edition: E-Book (mobi)
Pages: 330
Publisher: Duvinchi Media Group
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Rating: ★ – DNF

Blurb:

Justin is an immaculately conceived deity who roams the earth wreaking havoc as an adolescent. As his supernatural powers become catastrophic for the whole world, Cassie and Theodore must learn how to cope with the changes he has inflicted. Living as a vagrant on the streets, attempting to avoid the problems that come with millions of dollars sitting in his bank account, Theodore is suddenly thrust into a new-world leadership role, even after botching his own life early on. Abused by her drug addict mother then tossed from one foster home to the next, Cassie has been able to survive in a world that gobbles up little girls with a side of ranch dressing – but barely, and only after being miraculously revived after dying the first time.

Review

The synopsis of the book sets up an intriguing premise: a child, who may or may not be God but does have supernatural abilities, is born which causes certain events to be set into motion. Despite the seemingly original idea of this book, I had a very difficult time reading it and gave up halfway through it.

The main problem was the language. It was too crass and crude for my taste. I normally have a good stomach for violence and gore but the kind of language used in this book made it an unpleasant read for me. The throwaway violence felt unnecessary and the descriptions of sex were cringeworthy.

Another aspect that bothered me was the scene where a little girl is almost raped by her foster father. I can understand if it adds more depth to her character further in the story. But I still don’t want to read a little girl being raped in sadistic detail.

The timeline was confusing since the age of the characters was never explicitly mentioned. But from what I understood, Cassie should be nearly as old as Justin or maybe slightly older. Which was odd considering the sort of perception and thoughts she had.

The writing felt a little flat and some of the sentences were poorly structured. At times, the paragraphs were too long, sometimes as long as two pages. There were a few grammatical errors, and some of the phrases and metaphors made no sense.

If you don’t mind gore, violence, and can overlook the language, you can definitely give this book a shot. It’s simply not my cup of tea.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “And on the 8th day, as foretold by the Bible, God was reborn.”

Highlights: –

Lowlights: Writing and descriptions.

Final Thoughts: A very intriguing premise and an original idea but it lacked finesse.

This book is reviewed by Mythili Hariharan.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Illusions of Eventide (House of Crimson and Clover #1)

Categories Reviews By Contributors4 Comments on Book Review: The Illusions of Eventide (House of Crimson and Clover #1)

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Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Release: December 14h, 2013
Series: House of Crimson and Clover
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 407 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Nicolas Deschanel was betrayed by the only two people who matter to him. Their disloyalty stung and an overwhelming sense of loss lingers. Nicolas has lived the high life professing to not have a care in the world, and now this illusion is calling his bluff.
Determined to take control of an existence now devoid of purpose, he sojourns to his family’s holiday home on the Gulf of Mexico. Resolved more than depressed, he plans to privately say goodbye to a world which no longer needs him. Of questionable fortune, he finds a woman, Mercy, sitting alone on the shore at eventide. Nicolas is conflicted between an obligation to help, and annoyance at her intrusion.
Mercy has many layers of secrets. Deepest of all, she cannot tell this Child of Man she is thousands of years old and very powerful. In her presence, Nicolas’ own dormant powers begin to surface, triggering a sequence of events that cause both of their lives to spiral further out of control. When old friends from both sides come to help, together they all learn a painful truth: new life can only begin once you’ve set free what means the most.

Rating

★★★★★

Review

Plot/Story: The book has a weird/awesome combination of Paranormal, Fantasy, and Romance. The evolving relationships made the book a great read and not just another Romance book, it had real emotions and dark problems combined.

Characters: Each character comes with lots of secrets that made the story even more compelling and fun to read.
I loved Nicolas Deschanel a lot and his attitude, he was the main reason I stuck with the story. Loved his humor and his dark view on things, Nic may seem like pretty boy type jerk, lol and he is but I just get him, lol 😉 He has changed much throughout the story, making him even more compelling.
It was a bit hard for me to connect with Mercy but as I read further I could really see who she really is. She is such a strong Empyrean and I really enjoyed knowing her better.
Finn, Oz, Ana, and Aidrik are such wonderful addition to the story.
All the characters are so fantastically created and I enjoyed the different POVs.
Romance/Kills: Sorry, must read the book. Even the smallest hint (and I have placed a few hints here and there) will tell a lot, must keep this spoiler free 😉

Writing: This is my first ever book of Sarah M. Cradit and I truly enjoyed her writing. Even though it’s hard for me to connect to Romance type of books, her writing made it much easier for me to do so 🙂
The author wrote so well that this book can be even a standalone if you want and her world building is amazing and flawless.

Beginning: The Deschanel family has mysterious abilities and the story start by explaining all this and why the main character Nicolas does not have any abilities, but things are not as they may seem.
I was completely glued to the book from the start. The author shows us the dark side of Nic and even though he is such a jerk, he still has such complex emotions and is willing to help Mercy even though he hates the idea of helping at all.

Ending: The book ends in a perfect moment. All my questions were answered, but still making me crave for more, perfect.

Cover Art: The cover is gorgeous, just look at it. I love the colors and the burning phoenix, amazing cover.

Blurb: The blurb set the mood nicely for the beginning of the story, but the story is even better written and more gripping than the blurb.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Living no longer interested me.”

Highlights: Everything, from the wonderful writing to the great characters and amazing plot.

Lowlights: None.

Final Thoughts: Amazing book and I enjoyed ever second reading this book, now I must go and read the rest of Sarah’s work.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review: The Orb Of Wrath (The Merchant’s Destiny #1)

Categories Reviews By Contributors3 Comments on Book Review: The Orb Of Wrath (The Merchant’s Destiny #1)

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Author: Nic Weissman
Release: June 17th, 2015
Series: The Merchant’s Destiny
Genre: YA | Fantasy
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 318
Publisher: Nic Weissman
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

 

Blurb

The Orb of Wrath combines fantasy, intrigue and adventure, while transports the reader into a world where almost nothing is what it seems. Plots, counterplots, mysteries, blossoming relationships, disappointments, betrayals, dangers and successes, are combined in this fun cocktail.
Erion is a skilled looter who runs the kingdom of Bor with his “brother” Mithir, performing dangerous commissions for wealthy clients. Mithir helps with his long trained magical abilities. One day, when they are doing one of their assignments, they encounter another group of adventurers, with whom they are forced to cooperate.
The plot runs in the World of Oris which consists of 12 kingdoms and includes elves clans, dangerous monsters, dwarf kings, rich desert emirs, strange beasts, hospital halflings, ferocious orcs, ingenious gnomes, powerful wizards, brave knights, merchants, terrible vampires, etc. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.
Do you dare to accompany Erion and his friends in their adventures?

Rating

4.5/5

Review

Plot/Story: The Kingdom of Bor is a dangerous place, but I loved how the author made the plot and subplots move so fluidly, showing us through the characters how they fight, survive in this dangerous world. The magic here was so fun and easy to see and my connection of the story was really strong after the first few chapters. The entire book felt as if I am playing a wonderful game of D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). I was fighting evil beings, dragons and walking with them through their adventures.

Characters: Knowing better the characters and how they think and work as there are out there fighting and going through another adventure was so amazing. Erion may be my favorite character here, but Mithir was amazing as well with his magical powers. The other characters that joined their adventure were great to follow as well, but sometimes I got confused a bit of who is who, but other than that, they were great and strong characters to help out the “brothers” in their assignment.

Writing: I loved the writing style of the author. It reminded me so much of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) of how the characters move and how the story is played out.

Beginning: The first part of the book was a bit slow for me. It resembled D&D game very much (in a very good way), but I just couldn’t connect. It felt like something was missing, but I am beyond happy that I kept on reading. From there on, the book was so fun to read and everything fell into place. I loved following the Fantasy adventure 🙂

Ending: Must have the next book (I think that says it all, lol).

Cover Art: The cover is simple but very beautiful.

Blurb: The blurb really set you in the right mood and you already start to follow Erion’s adventures with his friends. The blurb starts with a small background story of their world and you are ready to fight alongside with them and battle evil spirits.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Erion should exercise extreme caution now.”

Highlights: I loved the adventure the party took and going through it with them was amazing. The strong plot and the adventure game me a great feeling of playing D&D and fighting with them.

Lowlights: The first 20 pages, lol, were a bit slow for me and the names of the other members of the party were sometimes a bit confusing to remember.

Final Thoughts: The author is a very gifted storyteller and I enjoyed reading the book a lot (even read it twice). You feel part of the story and that’s a rare thing these days. If you are an avid fan of Fantasy (LOTR type stories or D&D,) this one will be your next must read 😀

I can’t wait to read the next book ❤

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

 

TRB’s Year In Book Reviews (2015)

Categories Miscellaneous, Review Roundup, Reviews By Contributors6 Comments on TRB’s Year In Book Reviews (2015)

Hello, everyone.

2015 has been an excellent year and in order to say goodbye to this amazing year, I have decided to do a post listing all our reviews in 2015. So here it is, but before we begin, I’d like to thank the review contributors of TRB.

This year I spent almost 4 complete months writing and editing my novel, Decieved, I was short on time fulfilling all the review requests and it was then that these review contributors really helped me keep TRB flooded with reviews. So a big THANK YOU to all the review contributors (even those who are no longer doing reviews for TRB.) You guys have been a really great help to me!
Special thanks to Galit and Heather. You guys rock! ❤

Also, a big THANK YOU to all the lovely readers of TRB. Thanks for all you Likes, Comments, and Support. You are the soul of this blog ❤

Here are the books that we reviewed at TRB in 2015:

Reviews by me (Heena):

Continue reading ➞ TRB’s Year In Book Reviews (2015)

Book Review: Smokescreen

Categories Reviews By Contributors1 Comment on Book Review: Smokescreen

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Author: Tasha Lessey 
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Series: Standalone
Genre: Science Fiction | Thriller
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 288
Publisher: Self-published Amazon Digital Services, Inc
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

It starts in Washington when a lone gunman enters a busy burger chain and opens fire killing twenty-five people. It continues in Paris, London, Sydney and Beijing. Authorities, including FBI agent Jack Rossi find no motive or any connection between the shootings causing fear and panic in the world’s major cities.

As Jack scrambles to get answers, he stumbles upon a secret world of hybrid humans, moles and a threat he never saw coming. One that could lead to the loss of an unprecedented number of lives. Including his own.

Rating

3half-stars

Review

Plot/Story:

I thought the story had great build up. In the beginning, it starts off as your standard novel with a globalized terrorist threat to set the scene for the action. I was prepared for the aliens, but I was not prepared for feeling like I was on the edge of my seat.
The story was similar to Independence Day (the movie) in the sense that the aliens seemed to have an impenetrable defense. But that is not to say that if you saw the movie, it was the same story. This was different is so many ways. There are secrets, lies, intrigue, action, plot twists, and light romance.
A lot of the suspense came from the fact that it was difficult to know who to trust. Who is a hybrid human? Who is a mole? I need answers! I need to know now!

Characters:

The characters acted in a way that was understandable for the circumstances. Jack was a no-nonsense FBI agent that is trying to figure out how to solve the case. He is dealing with a threat that he never knew existed. A lot has changed in his life in a short period of time and he has hardly any time to decide how he is going to handle all this new information. At the same time, he is trying to resist his urges to initiate a physical relationship with his partner Lauren.
Lauren has feelings for Jack too but knows the timing is off. They are dealing with a global catastrophe and other personal issues. There seemed to be little room for developing their romance. As the story progressed, I could understand her hesitancy.

Romance/Kills:

I was not surprised at the number of kills in this book. After all, the story starts with several mass shooting scenes. However, the killing was not overly graphic. As the reader, I knew there was carnage but it was not described in a way that I could see the blood dripping from wall. The stage was set for the story.
I was surprised that there was a little romance element included in the story. Similarly to the killing, the love scenes were not too graphic. There was enough detail to get a mental picture of who was touching whom and where.

Writing:

I think the author did a good job of writing the story from the various viewpoints and tying everything together at the end.

Beginning:

The opening scene is the mass shooting in the restaurant in DC. The action gets started on the opening page.

Ending:

While the story focuses on Jack, by the end, I thought that Lauren was the true hero of the book. I think the ending was fitting and leaves the reader to imagine the possibilities for the future.

Cover Art:

The cover art is fits the story because the overall vibe is ominous with the freaky looking eyes.

Blurb:

From the blurb mention of “hybrid humans”, I could tell there was going to be a sci-fi aspect. I could not tell that the book was going to be about alien invasion. However I had a clue as to what the book would be about because it is categorized in Amazon under the following genres: Alien Invasion, Science Fiction, and Supernatural Thrillers.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: Her penchant for French fries and hamburgers had finally gotten her in trouble.

Highlights: The suspense.

Lowlights: I wish some of the characters had not been killed.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed it.

Review Contributor:

pics-3Amaryllis Turman

I work in an office. Outside of work, I participate on several non-profit boards and volunteer time as a life skills mentor. One of my favorite past times is reading, especially romance genre. I also enjoy writing, travelling, and trying new experiences with my hubby.

I write poetry when inspiration moves me. My hubby and I try to travel a new location each year. I have a goal each year to try something that I have not tried before. Because of that goal, I have ran various types of 5k races, started playing tennis, and attended numerous wine tastings.

You can read more about Amaryllis here.

Book Review: The Perfect View

Categories Reviews By Contributors1 Comment on Book Review: The Perfect View

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Author: Carolyn Young 
Release Date: August 23rd 2014
Series: None
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Adult
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 554
Publisher: Lulu Publishing
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Mara is unaware that she is not the only one with the perfect view of her own life. Someone who has known her since the very beginning is watching her from across the lake and has been hiding in the shadows around and behind her for years, even long before she moved into her beautiful house with her husband and his daughter. The watcher has witnessed all that she has suffered and every horrible mistake that she has made in each turbulent phase of her life, but he also knows why she made them, just as he knows with certainty that she needs him to watch over her so that he can rescue her when the time comes.

Rating

5-stars

Review

Note: In most reviews when I give above 3.5 stars it’s so easy to write a review for that book, but here… Here writing the review was extremely hard. Every other word I wrote just reviled a lot of details that I didn’t wanted to share (keeping this spoiler free, lol). So it took me a while to write the review where I share what I love but without any revealing details.
Before I will start with the review, I have to say that this book is more suitable for adults due to its harsh content.

Plot/Story:

Okay, this book was a great read. I enjoyed it so much and it was a fast pace read. You get immersed in the story fast (I loved that) and your connection with the character is from the start.
This is a story that makes you want to read more with page turn. The plot here is Mara’s (the main characters fights her demons and trying hard to heal the past.
I will say that the book is mostly one flashback after another and sometimes this can be a bit overwhelming, but here the author did a great job of making it feel smooth and not overbearing as most books with a lot of flashbacks.
I normally don’t read Psychological Thriller, but I am happy that I’ve read this book. It was an awesome read.

Characters:

Mara (the main character) is struggling a lot to find her right place in the world while she battles against her own demons.
I loved how Carolyn (the author) made Mara so strong, even if she drinks a lot and self medicate to forget, but she is so strong and slowly she knows that the only thing that will help her is to remember.
You go from frowning at Mara and get upset by all the wrong choices she make and then you sympathy towards her. The author made this character so well, that Mara will not be forgotten.
Jack is another strange, dysfunctional character and when the author showed his point of view it was really scary and chilling. Trust me when I say, that these two characters will hunt you in your thoughts.

Romance/Kills:

Wow, this story is full of emotions; more like an emotional roller-coaster (I will end this here before I will start telling too much, again, lol).

Writing:

I loved Carolyn’s writing style. She writes so beautifully, it was so smooth, clean and she was able to grip my attention from start to finish. She made all the flashbacks easier to handle and they were not overbearing. Even though this story talks about abuse, affairs and addictions, the author wrote so well that your heart is immediately go out for the Mara and her story.
The author puts a lot of details on the flashbacks, but here it made the story to take shape into a wonderful book to read.

Beginning:

It’s was a harsh start as you are thrown from the beginning to the inside of Mara’s mind and emotions, but it was still a very fast pace read and from the start I enjoyed the dysfunctional Mara and was able to connect with her immediately.

Ending:

I loved the ending so much. It has a nice twist to it (it did surprise me), but in a very satisfying way.

Cover Art:

I love the cover of this book a lot. It’s so beautiful and dark just like the story.

Blurb:

The blurb sounds really nice and it does set the tone for the entire plot of Jack and Mara.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Mara was dimly awake and sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor, but she could not quite force her weighted eyes to open completely.”

Highlights: I love Carolyn’s writing style a lot and how she shows us the inner turmoil of a person so beautifully. It’s such a sad but wonderful book.

Lowlights: None!

Final Thoughts: If you like to dive into the mind and soul of a person, you will love this book. This book has it all, hard life, harsh experiences, addictions, love and so much more. The Perfect View is wonderful read, it may not be an easy read, but it is a great one!

Review contributor:

pics copy 2Galit Balli

I am an avid reader, coffee addict, a writer and a blogger. I am a bit of agoraphobic (people scare me, lol). Me and my hubby love to spend every moment together, we even game together.

I live mostly in my own imaginary world full of dragons, magic and vampires and from time to time I pull myself away to deal with the real world.

Read more about Galit here.

Novella Review: Dyad

Categories Reviews By Contributors2 Comments on Novella Review: Dyad

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Author: C.M. Cox 
Release Date: November 3rd 2014
Series: The Empyrean Series
Genre: Fantasy | YA 
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 26
Publisher: -
Source: Author (Thanks, Courtney!)
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Evi is forced to leave her life behind as she flees from threatening consequences. Hoping the stories of hating humans are wrong, she seeks the land of fairies for refuge.

Rating

5-stars

Review

Plot/Story:

This is a very short story about Evi. A pregnant woman who is running from the queen. It just so happens that the man she is pregnant by is the King. The world is run by woman, so the queen is the most important person and the king is just another guy, until he cheats on the queen.

I thought this was a perfect and short introduction to the Empyrean series. It made me want to know more and to pick up the next book as quickly as possible. And since it was so short I was able to finish it rather quickly.

Characters:

You really only get to know Evi. And there isn’t much character development in this short story. At first you want to hate her and then you kind of love her. By the end you are not sure how you feel about her.

Romance/Kills:

There isn’t much of a romance. Evi has slept with the queens husband, but she is not in love with him. There may be one death, but it’s never really validated.

Writing:

I love the writing style. I wasn’t bored and the story progressed quickly without feeling rushed.

Beginning:

I was intrigued from the beginning.

Ending:

The ending sparked my interest and made me open the next book to see what was going to happen next.

Cover Art:

This is where I am disappointed. I do not like the cover art at all. It looks artistic, sure, but to me it just seems cheap.

Blurb:

The blurb is perfect for such a short story.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Don’t leave,” said Tyam with a groan.

Highlights: I like the twist that the world is dominated by women.

Lowlights: It was really short.

Final Thoughts: I am glad that I was able to read this and it’s promising.

Review contributor:

pics-2Heather Mostella:

I’m a reader, writer, dreamer, and crafter. I like to create things and I love to see what others create. I avoid reality as much as possible, and often pretend I’m a vampire. I also own a group of black cats, so my neighbors think I’m a witch and I’m okay with that. I am a fan girl.

I love shows like Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Grimm. I love anime and dream of one day going to Japan. I just like to have fun, enjoy life, and do what makes me happy.

Read more about Heather here.

Book Review: Salted (Salt #1)

Categories Reviews By Contributors5 Comments on Book Review: Salted (Salt #1)

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Author: Aaron Galvin
Release Date: April 18th 2014
Series: Salt #1
Genre: YA, Romance, Fantasy
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 6243
Publisher: Aames & Abernathy
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Life isn’t better under the sea. Lenny Dolan is all too familiar with this reality. A Selkie slave in the realm beneath the waves, he has no choice when charged with leading a crew ashore to capture an elusive runaway. If unsuccessful, the loved ones kept behind will pay for his failure with their lives. But when their target leads Lenny and his crew to deeper, darker secrets, the Selkies are faced with a moral dilemma. Secure their own freedom at the expense of others, or return empty-handed to face the grisly consequences? How Lenny and his crew answer the question will teach them the harshest truth of all. Only through the loss of innocence does one become Salted.

Rating

3half-stars

Review

Plot/Story:

I really loved the overall story and the author’s intriguing ideas of the life undersea, however I was craving for more (of the right) details. I wanted to know and understand better of how this world works other than just a few images here and there.

The first few chapters were hard to read as the author showed us from the start tons of characters and I got a bit lost in all of that. After a while I lost interest fast and some bits were a bit more confusing (I read the first few chapters three times), but soon after that, I dived (lol) deeper into the story and from there on it was a fast pace read.

This book deals with a lot of hard issues (slavery, bullying and more), but in a great way, that is not overpowering (truly is). I loved that even though the world is unique the characters stays real to what you find in a regular high school.

Characters:

The characters were nicely written, but were too stereotyped and somewhere in the middle of the book, it started to get a bit annoying (sorry). There are a few strong characters that are also very well written, but the others just weren’t.

Romance/Kills:

I loved the relationship between Garrett and Chidi. And I loved them as individual characters, but I also loved seeing their relationship grow…

(I really don’t want to give any more details on that, in order to keep this review spoiler free).

Writing:

The story is very creative and I did love the author’s writing style. I loved how Aaron (the author) took a very unique idea and turned It into a wonderful read, full of great characters, plot and world.
There were a few missing details and a few “plot holes” here and there, but not too noticeable.

Beginning:

As I said the start was a bit too much and a bit confusing, I just got lost, lol and lost my interest fast.

Ending:

The story ends well and pretty much with a cliffhanger, but I loved that here. It kept my interest and I really want to know what will happen next 😀

Cover Art:

I didn’t like the cover much. I think with the unique idea the author made, it could use a more suitable cover.

Blurb:

The blurb was actually really nice, with a subtle hint of what the reader will see in the book.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Lenny Dolan never asked for a Salted life. No one smart ever did.”

Highlights: I love the overall writing style of the author and the wonderful and unique Idea. I loved that the author tried to talk about some harsh subject and for my taste he done that pretty well.

Lowlights: Too ‘high school’ for my taste and a bit confusing (at the beginning).

Final Thoughts: Even though I gave this book 3.5 starts, I would still like to read the next one and see how things progress, but I do believe that this series is much more suitable for a much younger audience than me, lol. I think a young audience that is still in school or just finished school will love reading this book 🙂

Review contributor:

pics copy 2Galit Balli

I am an avid reader, coffee addict, a writer and a blogger. I am a bit of agoraphobic (people scare me, lol). Me and my hubby love to spend every moment together, we even game together.

I live mostly in my own imaginary world full of dragons, magic and vampires and from time to time I pull myself away to deal with the real world.

Read more about Galit here.

Book Review: Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure

Categories Reviews By Contributors4 Comments on Book Review: Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure

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Author: A.J. York
Release Date: June 1st 2014
Series: Delilah Dusticle
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Edition: mobi
Pages: 122
Source: Author
Publisher: Self-Published
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Delilah Dusticle is back with an action packed mission. In this illustrated instalment, Delilah and the Dustbusters are invited to Transylvania, to cater for the Hallow Eve Ball. All is not what it seems and Count Dracula has a very unusual request. Get ready to join the fun and experience the magic!

This book entices the reader into a new and magical world that appeals to both kids and adults. The reader can explore how the ordinary in life can be extraordinarily overlooked, how friendship can help you overcome life’s difficulties and how accepting yourself is the biggest challenge of all.

Reading these stories is a truly magical and uplifting experience that should not be missed. Read it today!

Watch the trailer! http://youtu.be/kBheXFxFpbI

Rating

5-stars

Review

Plot/Story:

I am in love with A.J. York’s work. Everything I have read by her has been amazing and this book is not different. We follow Delilah through another adventure as she meets Dracula! It is such an adorable story about believing in yourself and the power of friendship. Also, there are a lot of magical things happening. We also learn a little bit more about where Delilah gets her extraordinary gift to eradicate dust.

Characters:

My favorite character in this book was Count Dracula. He was so not what I was expecting! Of course, you have the characters from the first book, and they are still ever amazing.

Romance/Kills:

No kills and a tiny little romance between Delilah and her special someone, Duncan. It’s an adorable little romance that is only hinted at.

Writing:

I think A.J. York is a fantastic author. Her style keeps the reader interested without revealing too much too quick. And the novel has been very well edited.

Beginning:

The beginning jumps right into the story, but if you have read the first book, you don’t need a fancy first chapter to convince you to read the story.

Ending:

Fantastic ending! It leaves the story open for another book, but answers most of your questions.

Cover Art:

The cover is adorable and so perfect for the story.

Blurb:

The blurb doesn’t give much away, but with a short novel like this, there isn’t much you can say in a blurb. But, it is enough to draw a reader in.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: Delilah Dusticle has a special gift: she can wholly and completely eradicate dust.

Highlights: An adorable and fast read.

Lowlights: There is nothing I can think of.

Final Thoughts: This is a perfect story for kids and should be included in school libraries!

Review contributor:

pics-2Heather Mostella:

I’m a reader, writer, dreamer, and crafter. I like to create things and I love to see what others create. I avoid reality as much as possible, and often pretend I’m a vampire. I also own a group of black cats, so my neighbors think I’m a witch and I’m okay with that. I am a fan girl.

I love shows like Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Grimm. I love anime and dream of one day going to Japan. I just like to have fun, enjoy life, and do what makes me happy.

Read more about Heather here.