Well, I've not been reading much, which is why this blog has been so quiet, but I've also decided that blogspot and I don't get along that well. So, I've changed sites. This one will remain for old reviews, but everything new will be posted at the new site!
http://www.boombabyreviews.com/
Monday, July 9, 2012
Review: "The Red Man" by Anna Reith
The Red Man by Anna Reith, purchased on my own from Smashwords.
Description: An archaeological dig unearths an ancient Celtic secret that should have stayed buried.
Review: We hit another one of those books that has lots of raves and then... my opinion. I just didn't like it that much. The idea was interesting, and I liked the history she chose to use, but I found the story far from riveting and like... 90% of it was Tell. Now, in a short story, that's hard to avoid. In First Person, it's also hard to avoid, but it felt like the entire thing was just Telling me. I want to be Shown a little more than that.
I'm afraid I can only give this a 2.5 Fireballs, but it seems other people enjoyed it far more and I wish everyone to like it better than I did.
Description: An archaeological dig unearths an ancient Celtic secret that should have stayed buried.
Review: We hit another one of those books that has lots of raves and then... my opinion. I just didn't like it that much. The idea was interesting, and I liked the history she chose to use, but I found the story far from riveting and like... 90% of it was Tell. Now, in a short story, that's hard to avoid. In First Person, it's also hard to avoid, but it felt like the entire thing was just Telling me. I want to be Shown a little more than that.
I'm afraid I can only give this a 2.5 Fireballs, but it seems other people enjoyed it far more and I wish everyone to like it better than I did.
Friday, July 6, 2012
I've moved!
I had started my review blog on blogspot, but find a wordpress site off my own site is easier and so I've moved! You can view the old site and the reviews on it: here.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Review: "Klondaeg the Monster Hunter" & "Smite Me, Oh Dark One" by Steve Thomas
Title: Smite Me, Oh Dark One
Title: Klondaeg the Monster Hunter
Author: Steve Thomas
Available: Smite Me, Oh Dark One & Klondaeg the Monster Hunter at Smashwords
Summary: "Acerbus hates his job. While he is content to watch and study the mortal races, the other gods constantly look for reasons to destroy their newly-created world. When they finally find an excuse, they command Acerbus to become the Smiter, destroyer of all creation. Acerbus decides that there is only one way to ensure his own failure and save the world: by becoming an Evil Overlord."
"Klondaeg is a simple Dwarf with a simple plan: rid the world of monsters. When he was a boy, his parents were killed by unidentified monsters, and he swore revenge against all of them. Armed with a talking battle axe with two personalities, Klondaeg travels the countryside, slaying everything from tiny werewolves to gold-devouring demons. But will he ever find the thing that killed his parents?"
Source: I received this free/purchased on my own.
Review: Since one is a short story, and they are in the same world, I'm combining reviews.
I enjoyed both of these. They're very funny, merrily poking at epic fantasy while, you know, writing epic fantasy. I've been on a humor/fantasy kick lately, so these were right up that alley. I liked the over-lapping between the stories, and the gods that there were greatly amused me.
Something about Smite Me didn't quite snag me enough to give a huge rating, but I did like it. Klondaeg amused me more. I really liked the banter between the King's Rest, and anyone else. Plus, gnomes are funny. And the silent G thing.
All that being said, the stories didn't quite smack me around enough to rave about them, but that could be the real life crazy distracting me. I really did enjoy them. So, 4 Fireballs to Smite Me, Oh Dark One and 4.5 Fireballs for Klondaeg the Monster Hunter.
Title: Klondaeg the Monster Hunter
Author: Steve Thomas
Available: Smite Me, Oh Dark One & Klondaeg the Monster Hunter at Smashwords
Summary: "Acerbus hates his job. While he is content to watch and study the mortal races, the other gods constantly look for reasons to destroy their newly-created world. When they finally find an excuse, they command Acerbus to become the Smiter, destroyer of all creation. Acerbus decides that there is only one way to ensure his own failure and save the world: by becoming an Evil Overlord."
"Klondaeg is a simple Dwarf with a simple plan: rid the world of monsters. When he was a boy, his parents were killed by unidentified monsters, and he swore revenge against all of them. Armed with a talking battle axe with two personalities, Klondaeg travels the countryside, slaying everything from tiny werewolves to gold-devouring demons. But will he ever find the thing that killed his parents?"
Source: I received this free/purchased on my own.
Review: Since one is a short story, and they are in the same world, I'm combining reviews.
I enjoyed both of these. They're very funny, merrily poking at epic fantasy while, you know, writing epic fantasy. I've been on a humor/fantasy kick lately, so these were right up that alley. I liked the over-lapping between the stories, and the gods that there were greatly amused me.
Something about Smite Me didn't quite snag me enough to give a huge rating, but I did like it. Klondaeg amused me more. I really liked the banter between the King's Rest, and anyone else. Plus, gnomes are funny. And the silent G thing.
All that being said, the stories didn't quite smack me around enough to rave about them, but that could be the real life crazy distracting me. I really did enjoy them. So, 4 Fireballs to Smite Me, Oh Dark One and 4.5 Fireballs for Klondaeg the Monster Hunter.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Review: "Sweet Dreams (The Lyndsey Roughton Anthology)"
Title: Sweet Dreams (The Lyndsey Roughton Anthology)
Author: Various
Available: Kindle
Summary: "17 talented authors present their tales in order to raise funds for Lyndsey Roughton, a 27 year old currently suffering from an inoperable brain tumour. Ranging from dark fantasy, humour, sci-fi to horror the tales in this book will transport you to a different world."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: First off, I will say that even though I have written a couple short stories myself, they tend not to be my thing. To fit as much as you want into the confined space, you tend to have to get a little abstract and I tend to be a little more linear. Still, when the chance to join this anthology and help a little came by, I was glad to pitch in. I will say that I will not be reviewing my own story. (I'd probably give myself a lower rating anyway!)
So, that being said... there's a lot of good stuff here, including work from a couple authors fast becoming favorites and some new-to-me authors that I really enjoyed. I'll do a little story by story reviewing.
EVERYONE GOES TO HELL – Joseph Garraty
I liked this one. It was quick and funny. I won't say that it caught me by surprise in any way, but I'm a cynical person and I still really enjoyed it.
HERE BE MONSTERS – Namoi Clark
This story kind of meandered to me and I would have liked a little bit more to the things that we were presented with -- like the main character's issue with the sea and the scientist guy, and what was Andrew's deal? -- but otherwise it was interesting. I liked the idea of it.
THE EASTER WEREWOLF – Jason McKinney
This one was just kind of goofy, but in a good way. The idea was really quirky and Felicia made me think of the Ghost of Christmas Present from "Scrooged" with Bill Murray. (That's a good thing.)
A SEASON FOR MICKEY BLAYTON – Chris Fraser
This one I'm not entirely sure of my thoughts about. It was all right, though meandered through its point a bit for my taste. But then, again, I'm not a short story person so that might of been it.
THE GREAT ZOMBIE POT-PLANT LOVE THANG – J H Sked
Sked is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. This was just funny. It's the "nom nom nom" line -- you'll know it when you read it -- that makes it art.
DESCENT – Mia Darien
Man, this writer sucks! ...okay, so this one was me. I won't review it, but will say as my short stories go, this was always one of my favorites cause it still kind of creeps me the f*** out.
BAKKIAN CHRONICLES, DISNEYLAND DEBACLE – Jeffrey Poole
Oh, Mr. Poole. Another round of crazy Bakkian fun. In Disneyland no less. And so many hearts for Christopher. Now I really can't wait for book three!
THE DESERT – Richard Shury
I like stories that contrast outer and inner conflict, breaking down the human condition from inside and out, and this one did that. I liked that. The delivery was a little heavy handed for me, but only a little and I generally thought it was good.
LAID TO REST (A CHERRY GARCIA STORY) – Leanne Fitzpatrick
I need to find more Cherry Garcia stories. I'm a big fan of First Person Sarcastic, and paranormal. This story was totally up my alley and snarky fun.
THE GARDEN – Renee Carter Hall
Not usually big on flash fiction, but this was good. I liked the ending.
A THIEF’S ESCAPE – Joseph Occipinti
This one was interesting. Not quite Locke Lamora, but had that edge to it.
ALL STRUNG OUT – Sky Corbelli
This one was good, although I had this feeling halfway through of it being a fantasy take on a well known sci-fi movie -- won't say what one to not give anything away -- but I liked the strings thing. Not sure about certain other elements, if they were too much device or not, but generally, I liked it.
CYPHER – Edward Larel
This one was kind of odd, but interesting.
HARD CANDY WITH STRUDEL & TEA – Jana Hill
Good, but depressing.
PHANTOM OF THE NIGHT – Nicholas Ordinans
Odd and totally creepy, but that's a good thing.
SUMMER GHOSTS – Leigh Roughton
This one was interesting, sad and yet not, in its introspection. Even more so when you realize the author in relation to the time frame.
THE GENE PRIEST – B. Throwsnaill
This is among my favorites. I really liked the set-up/world, found that idea fascinating. It wasn't really... unpredictable or surprising at all, but that was okay. I still really liked where it started and where it went.
Over all, I say this anthology -- my story totally not included -- is a solid 4 Fireballs!
Author: Various
Available: Kindle
Summary: "17 talented authors present their tales in order to raise funds for Lyndsey Roughton, a 27 year old currently suffering from an inoperable brain tumour. Ranging from dark fantasy, humour, sci-fi to horror the tales in this book will transport you to a different world."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: First off, I will say that even though I have written a couple short stories myself, they tend not to be my thing. To fit as much as you want into the confined space, you tend to have to get a little abstract and I tend to be a little more linear. Still, when the chance to join this anthology and help a little came by, I was glad to pitch in. I will say that I will not be reviewing my own story. (I'd probably give myself a lower rating anyway!)
So, that being said... there's a lot of good stuff here, including work from a couple authors fast becoming favorites and some new-to-me authors that I really enjoyed. I'll do a little story by story reviewing.
EVERYONE GOES TO HELL – Joseph Garraty
I liked this one. It was quick and funny. I won't say that it caught me by surprise in any way, but I'm a cynical person and I still really enjoyed it.
HERE BE MONSTERS – Namoi Clark
This story kind of meandered to me and I would have liked a little bit more to the things that we were presented with -- like the main character's issue with the sea and the scientist guy, and what was Andrew's deal? -- but otherwise it was interesting. I liked the idea of it.
THE EASTER WEREWOLF – Jason McKinney
This one was just kind of goofy, but in a good way. The idea was really quirky and Felicia made me think of the Ghost of Christmas Present from "Scrooged" with Bill Murray. (That's a good thing.)
A SEASON FOR MICKEY BLAYTON – Chris Fraser
This one I'm not entirely sure of my thoughts about. It was all right, though meandered through its point a bit for my taste. But then, again, I'm not a short story person so that might of been it.
THE GREAT ZOMBIE POT-PLANT LOVE THANG – J H Sked
Sked is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. This was just funny. It's the "nom nom nom" line -- you'll know it when you read it -- that makes it art.
DESCENT – Mia Darien
Man, this writer sucks! ...okay, so this one was me. I won't review it, but will say as my short stories go, this was always one of my favorites cause it still kind of creeps me the f*** out.
BAKKIAN CHRONICLES, DISNEYLAND DEBACLE – Jeffrey Poole
Oh, Mr. Poole. Another round of crazy Bakkian fun. In Disneyland no less. And so many hearts for Christopher. Now I really can't wait for book three!
THE DESERT – Richard Shury
I like stories that contrast outer and inner conflict, breaking down the human condition from inside and out, and this one did that. I liked that. The delivery was a little heavy handed for me, but only a little and I generally thought it was good.
LAID TO REST (A CHERRY GARCIA STORY) – Leanne Fitzpatrick
I need to find more Cherry Garcia stories. I'm a big fan of First Person Sarcastic, and paranormal. This story was totally up my alley and snarky fun.
THE GARDEN – Renee Carter Hall
Not usually big on flash fiction, but this was good. I liked the ending.
A THIEF’S ESCAPE – Joseph Occipinti
This one was interesting. Not quite Locke Lamora, but had that edge to it.
ALL STRUNG OUT – Sky Corbelli
This one was good, although I had this feeling halfway through of it being a fantasy take on a well known sci-fi movie -- won't say what one to not give anything away -- but I liked the strings thing. Not sure about certain other elements, if they were too much device or not, but generally, I liked it.
CYPHER – Edward Larel
This one was kind of odd, but interesting.
HARD CANDY WITH STRUDEL & TEA – Jana Hill
Good, but depressing.
PHANTOM OF THE NIGHT – Nicholas Ordinans
Odd and totally creepy, but that's a good thing.
SUMMER GHOSTS – Leigh Roughton
This one was interesting, sad and yet not, in its introspection. Even more so when you realize the author in relation to the time frame.
THE GENE PRIEST – B. Throwsnaill
This is among my favorites. I really liked the set-up/world, found that idea fascinating. It wasn't really... unpredictable or surprising at all, but that was okay. I still really liked where it started and where it went.
Over all, I say this anthology -- my story totally not included -- is a solid 4 Fireballs!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Review: "The Speaker for the Trees" by Sean DeLauder
Title: The Speaker for the Trees
Author: Sean DeLauder
Available: Kindle
Summary: "Hedge is a typical human--fat and bald, not pretty but not ugly, with a round, doting wife, and a farm where he tends beehives. Except Hedge is not a typical human. In fact, Hedge is not human at all, but a plant sent by the Council of Plants and the Plant of Ultimate Knowing to observe humanity and determine whether or not humanity is a threat to the universe. A task he has blithely performed for twenty years. Until the night he receives a message to report back to the Council and realizes he has to leave everything behind.
Pursued by an agent of the notorious Visitors, whose appearances have heralded the end of civilizations, torn between his fellow plants and an awakening affection for his earthwife, Anna, and armed only with a toaster, Hedge must find a way to save humanity from Visitors, plants, and themselves."
Source: I received this free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Apparently, I'm on a funny indie book kick. My non-indie reading has not been so much with the funny, but this is the third humorous indie I've read in a row. And you know what? I love it. They've been a blast.
This one was a riot. I had only meant to read a couple chapters this evening, and ended up finishing the whole damn thing! (Mr. DeLauder, if my characters haunt me because your story delayed my writing of theirs, I'm sending them to your doorstep.) There are some truly precious lines. The "Touchdown!" scene -- you'll know it when you read it -- nearly put me into a giggle fit.
The story is pretty hysterical. I love the idea of the plants. The story had some philosophizing about big topics, you know, like the nature of God and the future of humanity, but never got the feeling that it was trying to be more than it was. Remarkably. It really gave me that loony, funky feeling that the first book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy did. Dry and witty. After the day I've had, I needed it too.
5 Fireballs for this one!
...will try not to light the plants on fire.
Author: Sean DeLauder
Available: Kindle
Summary: "Hedge is a typical human--fat and bald, not pretty but not ugly, with a round, doting wife, and a farm where he tends beehives. Except Hedge is not a typical human. In fact, Hedge is not human at all, but a plant sent by the Council of Plants and the Plant of Ultimate Knowing to observe humanity and determine whether or not humanity is a threat to the universe. A task he has blithely performed for twenty years. Until the night he receives a message to report back to the Council and realizes he has to leave everything behind.
Pursued by an agent of the notorious Visitors, whose appearances have heralded the end of civilizations, torn between his fellow plants and an awakening affection for his earthwife, Anna, and armed only with a toaster, Hedge must find a way to save humanity from Visitors, plants, and themselves."
Source: I received this free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Apparently, I'm on a funny indie book kick. My non-indie reading has not been so much with the funny, but this is the third humorous indie I've read in a row. And you know what? I love it. They've been a blast.
This one was a riot. I had only meant to read a couple chapters this evening, and ended up finishing the whole damn thing! (Mr. DeLauder, if my characters haunt me because your story delayed my writing of theirs, I'm sending them to your doorstep.) There are some truly precious lines. The "Touchdown!" scene -- you'll know it when you read it -- nearly put me into a giggle fit.
The story is pretty hysterical. I love the idea of the plants. The story had some philosophizing about big topics, you know, like the nature of God and the future of humanity, but never got the feeling that it was trying to be more than it was. Remarkably. It really gave me that loony, funky feeling that the first book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy did. Dry and witty. After the day I've had, I needed it too.
5 Fireballs for this one!
...will try not to light the plants on fire.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Review: "Luna for the Lunies!" by Ira Nayman
Title: Luna for the Lunies!
Author: Ira Nayman
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Luna for the Lunies! is the third collection of Alternate Reality News Service stories. Robots who rue their consciousness! Alien invasions foiled by bureaucrats! A successful conclusion to the war on squirrels! Humorous science fiction journalism has never been so...so...science fictiony!"
Source: I received this free from the author.
Review: First off, I received this free from the author for background/research so we could do a character interview for my author-ego sister site miadarien.com, but I liked it and it's indie, so I decided to review it.
That being said...
This is a very interesting book. It's not for the uptight politically correct, and it's not subtle in its satirical nature or targets. But if you can loosen up, it's quite amusing.
The format is interesting and takes a little getting used to. It moves from news story to news story from the Alternate Reality News Service, over several categories. In between the categories there is a short story about the Editrix-in-Chief, Brenda... who has a last name I can't spell from memory to save my life.
Sometimes it felt like it got a little weighted down and dragged a bit under it's own sense of humor, and when it got too much into obvious present politics (referencing real life politicians today, etc.,) then it lost me a little but that's just 'cause it's not my thing.
But literary diseases? Apostrophisis... I spelled that wrong, I'm sure... but that was great. I think I've known people who've had it, really. And the Editrix-in-Chief break-ins to the science reporters article towards the end was just hysterical. The reporters and their ways of writing their articles were also funny and enjoyable.
Over all, I give it a solid 4 Fireballs. And I'm looking forward to this upcoming character interview between Brenda and another Brenda from the multiverse...
Author: Ira Nayman
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Luna for the Lunies! is the third collection of Alternate Reality News Service stories. Robots who rue their consciousness! Alien invasions foiled by bureaucrats! A successful conclusion to the war on squirrels! Humorous science fiction journalism has never been so...so...science fictiony!"
Source: I received this free from the author.
Review: First off, I received this free from the author for background/research so we could do a character interview for my author-ego sister site miadarien.com, but I liked it and it's indie, so I decided to review it.
That being said...
This is a very interesting book. It's not for the uptight politically correct, and it's not subtle in its satirical nature or targets. But if you can loosen up, it's quite amusing.
The format is interesting and takes a little getting used to. It moves from news story to news story from the Alternate Reality News Service, over several categories. In between the categories there is a short story about the Editrix-in-Chief, Brenda... who has a last name I can't spell from memory to save my life.
Sometimes it felt like it got a little weighted down and dragged a bit under it's own sense of humor, and when it got too much into obvious present politics (referencing real life politicians today, etc.,) then it lost me a little but that's just 'cause it's not my thing.
But literary diseases? Apostrophisis... I spelled that wrong, I'm sure... but that was great. I think I've known people who've had it, really. And the Editrix-in-Chief break-ins to the science reporters article towards the end was just hysterical. The reporters and their ways of writing their articles were also funny and enjoyable.
Over all, I give it a solid 4 Fireballs. And I'm looking forward to this upcoming character interview between Brenda and another Brenda from the multiverse...
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Review: "The Dark Lord's Handbook" by Paul Dale
Title: The Dark Lord's Handbook
Author: Paul Dale
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "To become a Dark Lord is no easy thing. The simple ambition to hold dominion over the world sounds straightforward but it's not. After many spectacular failures, Evil wrote an easy to follow Dark Lord's Handbook. It had been hundreds of years, and the Handbook was seemingly lost in the annals of time. But then the Handbook found its way to a new contender, Morden. He had better be a quick study."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun, which is certainly what a description like the above promised that it would be. The extended description reminded me of a line from "The Princess Bride" which is among the annals of legend for late twenty-something geeks everywhere, and thus drew me right in.
It had a lot of wry humor, poking astute fun at our archetypes for epic fantasy. There was more than a dash of social satire. It had much grey in characters pretending to be black and white, and some fun and funny stuff going on all around them. Some of the Deathwing stuff particularly amused me, mainly just the idea of the domestic life of dragons. Yet all the way, it gave you what it was poking fun at: an epic fantasy.
There were times that I found it dragging and kind of wandering, but it wasn't ever enough to drop me out of enjoying the general narrative or make me want to stop reading. I liked the ending, really, but it was missing that extra something that made me "close" the book and go: wow! Even so, it was an incredibly solid and enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a dry wit and well-played satire.
I give it a solid 4 Fireballs.
Author: Paul Dale
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "To become a Dark Lord is no easy thing. The simple ambition to hold dominion over the world sounds straightforward but it's not. After many spectacular failures, Evil wrote an easy to follow Dark Lord's Handbook. It had been hundreds of years, and the Handbook was seemingly lost in the annals of time. But then the Handbook found its way to a new contender, Morden. He had better be a quick study."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun, which is certainly what a description like the above promised that it would be. The extended description reminded me of a line from "The Princess Bride" which is among the annals of legend for late twenty-something geeks everywhere, and thus drew me right in.
It had a lot of wry humor, poking astute fun at our archetypes for epic fantasy. There was more than a dash of social satire. It had much grey in characters pretending to be black and white, and some fun and funny stuff going on all around them. Some of the Deathwing stuff particularly amused me, mainly just the idea of the domestic life of dragons. Yet all the way, it gave you what it was poking fun at: an epic fantasy.
There were times that I found it dragging and kind of wandering, but it wasn't ever enough to drop me out of enjoying the general narrative or make me want to stop reading. I liked the ending, really, but it was missing that extra something that made me "close" the book and go: wow! Even so, it was an incredibly solid and enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a dry wit and well-played satire.
I give it a solid 4 Fireballs.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Review: "Thaw" by Kelly Allan
Title: Thaw
Author: Kelly Allan
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Isabel “Isi” Simmons died. Only, she’s living to tell the tale. On an Alaskan lake, when she was three-years-old, Isi and her family were ice skating when her world – literally – came crashing down. The ice cracked and they splashed into the frigid waters below, fighting for their lives. The fight was futile, however, and Isi and her parents went under. Now Isi is starting her final year of high school. Her grandmother is sick, her best friend is leaving and her math classes are threatening her graduation. On top of that, she’s the freak at school – with her inhumanly cold skin and dead parents – and struggles to make friends. When newcomers to the area find an interest in her, she is more than on the defense. Memories of the day her parents died come flooding back to her when they’re around and it drives her crazy. Why and how did she make it out of the water but her parents didn’t? It’s a mystery only she must solve. THAW is a mixture of retold Alaskan Indian tales, about a young girl attempting to defeat an elusive monster."
Source: I received this free from the author.
Review: I actually read this as a Beta before it was published, but the author has assured me that there's been no major changes, so I feel safe writing this review without re-reading. (Though I may do that down the line!) I remember liking this book so much that I wanted to tell people about it, but I couldn't because it wasn't published, so I'm very glad that it is now!
This is one of the few YA-ish stories I've read where a female MC did not make me want to reach through the pages and strangle her. I don't know what my issue with YA MC women is, but I have one. I have it with female MCs a lot, though, as it appears for me in some adult fiction, but more strongly in YA. I guess I just have issues. Anyways.
I liked this book a lot. I started reading it chapter by chapter at the crit site that I was at for a while, and when I stopped being active, I wanted to read the rest and Allan was nice enough to send it to me. It had me pretty riveted. I read it in something like two or three days.
I found Alaska as a setting to be new from the books I usually read and I really liked the Alaskan mythos she wove into it. My heart now forever belongs to Dexter. Isi is the "outsider" teen without ever lapsing too far into emo outsider, and she moves things along herself. Although she occasionally needs saving in some ways, she does it herself otherwise.
I remember I had some small issues here and there, but I don't even really remember what they were now, so I guess they weren't that big a deal. I just really enjoyed the story, so I'm giving this 5 Fireballs. I hear rumor that if this book does well, she might write another one. So go out and get this book, 'cause I want another one!
Author: Kelly Allan
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Isabel “Isi” Simmons died. Only, she’s living to tell the tale. On an Alaskan lake, when she was three-years-old, Isi and her family were ice skating when her world – literally – came crashing down. The ice cracked and they splashed into the frigid waters below, fighting for their lives. The fight was futile, however, and Isi and her parents went under. Now Isi is starting her final year of high school. Her grandmother is sick, her best friend is leaving and her math classes are threatening her graduation. On top of that, she’s the freak at school – with her inhumanly cold skin and dead parents – and struggles to make friends. When newcomers to the area find an interest in her, she is more than on the defense. Memories of the day her parents died come flooding back to her when they’re around and it drives her crazy. Why and how did she make it out of the water but her parents didn’t? It’s a mystery only she must solve. THAW is a mixture of retold Alaskan Indian tales, about a young girl attempting to defeat an elusive monster."
Source: I received this free from the author.
Review: I actually read this as a Beta before it was published, but the author has assured me that there's been no major changes, so I feel safe writing this review without re-reading. (Though I may do that down the line!) I remember liking this book so much that I wanted to tell people about it, but I couldn't because it wasn't published, so I'm very glad that it is now!
This is one of the few YA-ish stories I've read where a female MC did not make me want to reach through the pages and strangle her. I don't know what my issue with YA MC women is, but I have one. I have it with female MCs a lot, though, as it appears for me in some adult fiction, but more strongly in YA. I guess I just have issues. Anyways.
I liked this book a lot. I started reading it chapter by chapter at the crit site that I was at for a while, and when I stopped being active, I wanted to read the rest and Allan was nice enough to send it to me. It had me pretty riveted. I read it in something like two or three days.
I found Alaska as a setting to be new from the books I usually read and I really liked the Alaskan mythos she wove into it. My heart now forever belongs to Dexter. Isi is the "outsider" teen without ever lapsing too far into emo outsider, and she moves things along herself. Although she occasionally needs saving in some ways, she does it herself otherwise.
I remember I had some small issues here and there, but I don't even really remember what they were now, so I guess they weren't that big a deal. I just really enjoyed the story, so I'm giving this 5 Fireballs. I hear rumor that if this book does well, she might write another one. So go out and get this book, 'cause I want another one!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Review: "Quest" by Michayla Roth
Title: Quest
Author: Michayla Roth
Available: Amazon
Summary: "Two powers, two quests, two fates...two mortals struggling against the very forces with which they might have aligned themselves, had they been given the opportunity to choose. Two mortals, light and dark, locked into one intense battle. A battle of which the end has already been written in blood. A blood not their own, just as the battle is not their own. And yet, they must fight.
The year is 2E739, the second millennium since Euroclydonus, the last epic battle to shake Wundyrr's foundations. Two thousand years of peace--at least between mortal and spiritual elements--and now, the hidden script of a writing called simply "the prophecy" threatens to immerse the world of Wundyrr once more in a hideous battle, the likes of which could very well rival the infamous Euroclydonus.
Tiernan Lebonn is the single last link between Wundyrr and vitality. Should he fail in his impossible quest to seal evil once more within its fiery prison, the shadow will rise up to devour not only him, but also the world he calls home.
His counterpart, Shiloh of Cheokk, has been steeped in darkness since the day she was born and is bent on winning her own glory through the very disaster Tiernan is trying to prevent.
For either one to claim victory, they must completely lose themselves within the essence of their quests and trust that the powers to which they have surrendered will bear them up in triumph.
But as with any battle, only one can claim the victory. Or perhaps neither can."
Source: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Once again, I see the reviews of others and wonder if we were reading the same book.
This book, and thus this review, are a source of great conflict for me. There is firstly the fact that I want to say every indie book I read is spectacular, but I can't. I hate to not be able to only say great things about a book that has been entrusted to me to review, but I won't lie. That's not fair to anyone.
So. I liked the ideas of this book. I'm a sucker for a Good versus Evil tale. I like epic/high fantasy, as it's long been my first love. I liked the characters as the embodiment of these concepts. I like some of the parallels to Christianity. Big quests are great, too.
I really liked the ideas of this book, but I feel that, for me, the execution of them fell down.
Detail: in EPUB version as read on my dinosaur Sony e-reader, this book was 385 pages.
For the first hundred pages, I found it very over-written and over-drawn. Honestly, if I hadn't felt an obligation to finish this, I probably would have stopped reading it. It struck me as an epic story that was trying too hard to be epic. Every verb, every adjective, every adverb was very active and strong. Taking both "show, don't tell" and "be active, not passive" too far. It's possible, in my opinion, to do.
The characters were overdrawn. Too exaggerated. And repetitive. By page 100, I was thinking: "I got it, I got it. Tiernan is good, faithful, doubts his strength, but has to save the world, he cannot afford to fail. Okay, Shiloh is evil, has been made evil, has her own quest, hates the world, will not fail." I didn't need it repeated every other page.
Now, after that, it started getting a little better. But it wasn't really until after two hundred pages or so that the text finally settled down. Characters and exposition and dialog were still a bit over the top, but it wasn't nearly so bad and I could fall into an easier reading flow.
Unfortunately, it came a little too late. While I started falling into the story more during the final hundred pages, I'd been put off too much and I was just not invested. I didn't really care who won or who lost, or what happened. As such, the ending didn't grab me the way it should have. It didn't surprise me at all.
The pacing felt kind of odd to me, and events that should have been big and dramatic were practically glossed over while scenes that should have been simple were dragged out unreasonably. Scenes, Perspectives, events and characters come in and go out that seem to lack any real build up or point. (Maybe I'm just blind, or just wasn't reading close enough. Maybe they'll come up again in the sequel promised in the Author's Note.)
I would love to be able to say that I fall in with all the other reviews I saw and just rave about it, but it just wasn't the novel for me. Epic stories shouldn't try so obviously hard to be epic. I'm a girl who likes more subtlety in these things. I believe that Roth has talent, but just put too much into this. Had the first couple hundred pages, and some to follow, been streamlined and tightened. With impact used sparingly and a better flow and pace, this would have been just my type of story.
But that's also just my opinion. I am most obviously in the minority on this, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm sure there are many people who won't mind the things that bothered me and will love this book, because it does have things going for it. Still, it wasn't for me and I wouldn't feel honest giving it more than 2.5 Fireballs.
Author: Michayla Roth
Available: Amazon
Summary: "Two powers, two quests, two fates...two mortals struggling against the very forces with which they might have aligned themselves, had they been given the opportunity to choose. Two mortals, light and dark, locked into one intense battle. A battle of which the end has already been written in blood. A blood not their own, just as the battle is not their own. And yet, they must fight.
The year is 2E739, the second millennium since Euroclydonus, the last epic battle to shake Wundyrr's foundations. Two thousand years of peace--at least between mortal and spiritual elements--and now, the hidden script of a writing called simply "the prophecy" threatens to immerse the world of Wundyrr once more in a hideous battle, the likes of which could very well rival the infamous Euroclydonus.
Tiernan Lebonn is the single last link between Wundyrr and vitality. Should he fail in his impossible quest to seal evil once more within its fiery prison, the shadow will rise up to devour not only him, but also the world he calls home.
His counterpart, Shiloh of Cheokk, has been steeped in darkness since the day she was born and is bent on winning her own glory through the very disaster Tiernan is trying to prevent.
For either one to claim victory, they must completely lose themselves within the essence of their quests and trust that the powers to which they have surrendered will bear them up in triumph.
But as with any battle, only one can claim the victory. Or perhaps neither can."
Source: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Once again, I see the reviews of others and wonder if we were reading the same book.
This book, and thus this review, are a source of great conflict for me. There is firstly the fact that I want to say every indie book I read is spectacular, but I can't. I hate to not be able to only say great things about a book that has been entrusted to me to review, but I won't lie. That's not fair to anyone.
So. I liked the ideas of this book. I'm a sucker for a Good versus Evil tale. I like epic/high fantasy, as it's long been my first love. I liked the characters as the embodiment of these concepts. I like some of the parallels to Christianity. Big quests are great, too.
I really liked the ideas of this book, but I feel that, for me, the execution of them fell down.
Detail: in EPUB version as read on my dinosaur Sony e-reader, this book was 385 pages.
For the first hundred pages, I found it very over-written and over-drawn. Honestly, if I hadn't felt an obligation to finish this, I probably would have stopped reading it. It struck me as an epic story that was trying too hard to be epic. Every verb, every adjective, every adverb was very active and strong. Taking both "show, don't tell" and "be active, not passive" too far. It's possible, in my opinion, to do.
The characters were overdrawn. Too exaggerated. And repetitive. By page 100, I was thinking: "I got it, I got it. Tiernan is good, faithful, doubts his strength, but has to save the world, he cannot afford to fail. Okay, Shiloh is evil, has been made evil, has her own quest, hates the world, will not fail." I didn't need it repeated every other page.
Now, after that, it started getting a little better. But it wasn't really until after two hundred pages or so that the text finally settled down. Characters and exposition and dialog were still a bit over the top, but it wasn't nearly so bad and I could fall into an easier reading flow.
Unfortunately, it came a little too late. While I started falling into the story more during the final hundred pages, I'd been put off too much and I was just not invested. I didn't really care who won or who lost, or what happened. As such, the ending didn't grab me the way it should have. It didn't surprise me at all.
The pacing felt kind of odd to me, and events that should have been big and dramatic were practically glossed over while scenes that should have been simple were dragged out unreasonably. Scenes, Perspectives, events and characters come in and go out that seem to lack any real build up or point. (Maybe I'm just blind, or just wasn't reading close enough. Maybe they'll come up again in the sequel promised in the Author's Note.)
I would love to be able to say that I fall in with all the other reviews I saw and just rave about it, but it just wasn't the novel for me. Epic stories shouldn't try so obviously hard to be epic. I'm a girl who likes more subtlety in these things. I believe that Roth has talent, but just put too much into this. Had the first couple hundred pages, and some to follow, been streamlined and tightened. With impact used sparingly and a better flow and pace, this would have been just my type of story.
But that's also just my opinion. I am most obviously in the minority on this, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm sure there are many people who won't mind the things that bothered me and will love this book, because it does have things going for it. Still, it wasn't for me and I wouldn't feel honest giving it more than 2.5 Fireballs.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Review: "Night of Wolves (The Paladins #1)" by David Dalglish
Title: Night of Wolves (The Paladins #1)
Author: David Dalglish
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Wolf-men, savage creatures given humanoid form in an ancient war, mass along the Gihon River. Led by their packleader Redclaw, they seek to cross the river and claim a land of their own, slaughtering those that would stand in their way. Two paladins must lead the desperate defense to stop the invasion."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: This one is a little tough for me. I liked the concept. I haven't seen enough paladins in my epic fantasy reading. I liked the "competing" faiths ideas, and the beacon of faith details. The wolf-men were interesting. I would have liked more on the history of it all, about how they ended up in the Wedge and so on. I got the idea, but would have liked more. And more on the gods.
Generally speaking, I was enjoying the story pretty well. The writing is smooth and flowed well. I was into the concepts, and I liked Jerico and Darius. The build up was good.
Then something went awry. I felt like he was setting up a scene, that a critical event at the end of the story would go a certain way, and I liked where I thought it was going. I liked the idea. It didn't happen that way and I didn't really like how it did happen. (I can't say too much without giving it away.)
I realize it's the author's choice to do as he likes, and he was clearly setting up the second book... but that didn't make me like it any better.
So, I'm actually rather disappointed, because I wanted to end up liking it better but the ending has just left me with a bit of a bitter taste that makes it hard to say I really liked the story over all. I don't know if I'll read the second book or not. I'd like to see what happens, but I was so disappointed in this one, I fear getting disappointed again.
Thus, even though it all went well up until then, I'm forced to give this a 3 Fireballs since I just can't get past my disappointment.
Author: David Dalglish
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Wolf-men, savage creatures given humanoid form in an ancient war, mass along the Gihon River. Led by their packleader Redclaw, they seek to cross the river and claim a land of their own, slaughtering those that would stand in their way. Two paladins must lead the desperate defense to stop the invasion."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: This one is a little tough for me. I liked the concept. I haven't seen enough paladins in my epic fantasy reading. I liked the "competing" faiths ideas, and the beacon of faith details. The wolf-men were interesting. I would have liked more on the history of it all, about how they ended up in the Wedge and so on. I got the idea, but would have liked more. And more on the gods.
Generally speaking, I was enjoying the story pretty well. The writing is smooth and flowed well. I was into the concepts, and I liked Jerico and Darius. The build up was good.
Then something went awry. I felt like he was setting up a scene, that a critical event at the end of the story would go a certain way, and I liked where I thought it was going. I liked the idea. It didn't happen that way and I didn't really like how it did happen. (I can't say too much without giving it away.)
I realize it's the author's choice to do as he likes, and he was clearly setting up the second book... but that didn't make me like it any better.
So, I'm actually rather disappointed, because I wanted to end up liking it better but the ending has just left me with a bit of a bitter taste that makes it hard to say I really liked the story over all. I don't know if I'll read the second book or not. I'd like to see what happens, but I was so disappointed in this one, I fear getting disappointed again.
Thus, even though it all went well up until then, I'm forced to give this a 3 Fireballs since I just can't get past my disappointment.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Review: "Bakkian Chronicles, Book II - Insurrection" by Jeffrey Poole
Title: Bakkian Chronicles, Book II - Insurrection
Author: Jeffrey Poole
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Bakkian Chronicles, Book II! Add one magic-stealing goblet, half a dozen dimwitted trolls, and one conceited wizard. Next add one kidnapped member of the royal family, one concerned son, two bodyguards, a soldier, and an adolescent griffin. Throw in a pinch of green dragon. Mix well and you will have yourself one fantastic action-packed fantasy adventure set in the magical kingdom of Lentari."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: See, this time I was smart. I went into it knowing what sort of book I was going to get, after that little expectation mishap in my review of the first book.
Although the book still straddles an odd line for me between being Young Adult or Breezy Grown-up, it's still a lot of fun. Reading too much dark fantasy makes me expect every "good guy" of being a turncoat, and it's a happy relief at the end of the book when they're actually genuinely good guys. Don't get me wrong, I love a twisty-turning book, but I also like reading stories where I know what I'm getting.
Admittedly, I apologize to Mr. Poole. I'm sure my review would be more enthusiastic if I wasn't in a bit of a reading slump. I was just determined to finish this once I'd started it, so I dragged a little but I know it wasn't the book. The book kicks off the action very fast, which draws you right in, and doesn't require any "info dumps" to tell us what happened in the last book. (A tribute to the author's skill.)
Rhenyon still rocks. Steve, Sarah and Annie all reading more like teenagers than adults is still a bit strange, but far from intolerable. I'll admit I'm a little uncertain about the necessity of the Ylani (that didn't involve Main Characters) scenes, but they weren't so bad either. Otherwise, I got no complaints. I liked the sorceress sister concept, dwarf versus wizard was fun, and I like the set-up for the next book.
So, a solid 4 Fireballs for this fun, exciting romp through Lentari!
Though, reading about Steve makes me really want to up my Crit on my WoW fire mage. That's a dangerous thing! ;-)
Author: Jeffrey Poole
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Bakkian Chronicles, Book II! Add one magic-stealing goblet, half a dozen dimwitted trolls, and one conceited wizard. Next add one kidnapped member of the royal family, one concerned son, two bodyguards, a soldier, and an adolescent griffin. Throw in a pinch of green dragon. Mix well and you will have yourself one fantastic action-packed fantasy adventure set in the magical kingdom of Lentari."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: See, this time I was smart. I went into it knowing what sort of book I was going to get, after that little expectation mishap in my review of the first book.
Although the book still straddles an odd line for me between being Young Adult or Breezy Grown-up, it's still a lot of fun. Reading too much dark fantasy makes me expect every "good guy" of being a turncoat, and it's a happy relief at the end of the book when they're actually genuinely good guys. Don't get me wrong, I love a twisty-turning book, but I also like reading stories where I know what I'm getting.
Admittedly, I apologize to Mr. Poole. I'm sure my review would be more enthusiastic if I wasn't in a bit of a reading slump. I was just determined to finish this once I'd started it, so I dragged a little but I know it wasn't the book. The book kicks off the action very fast, which draws you right in, and doesn't require any "info dumps" to tell us what happened in the last book. (A tribute to the author's skill.)
Rhenyon still rocks. Steve, Sarah and Annie all reading more like teenagers than adults is still a bit strange, but far from intolerable. I'll admit I'm a little uncertain about the necessity of the Ylani (that didn't involve Main Characters) scenes, but they weren't so bad either. Otherwise, I got no complaints. I liked the sorceress sister concept, dwarf versus wizard was fun, and I like the set-up for the next book.
So, a solid 4 Fireballs for this fun, exciting romp through Lentari!
Though, reading about Steve makes me really want to up my Crit on my WoW fire mage. That's a dangerous thing! ;-)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Review: "Die Laughing" by J. H. Sked
Title: Die Laughing
Author: J. H. Sked
Available: Kindle
Summary: "The gods are back in town. Well, one of them is - and he doesn't play nice.
Jane Rossa is trying to find out who - or what - killed her brother. Enter Billy, a nice guy with a few unusual talents, and very unusual friends.
Can a vampire, a ghost, and a shape-shifting house-cat stop a deranged god who thinks killing people and wearing their bodies is laugh-out-loud fun?
Maybe - with a little help from their friends. And a hell of a lot of luck."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I've read both "Basement Blues" and now "Die Laughing" and they are, no doubt, very funny. I really did enjoy them. They're fairly short, but entertaining. I like all the main characters.
My only real problems is that it's written in a very... sparse style. Now, I'm one for subtlety. I don't believe authors need to treat readers like idiots and spell things out in crayon, but Sked's style (at least with these books) is a little too sparse for me to be fully satisfied. I feel like I'm left a little confused about what certain things are meant to be or meant to mean.
I also felt the story was kind of short for what should have been a bigger "scope" for the plot introduced.
And yet, all that being said, I did really like it. It was a fast, fun, funny read and I will definitely be back for more from the Blue Moon Detectives. So, a solid 4 Fireballs for this one.
Author: J. H. Sked
Available: Kindle
Summary: "The gods are back in town. Well, one of them is - and he doesn't play nice.
Jane Rossa is trying to find out who - or what - killed her brother. Enter Billy, a nice guy with a few unusual talents, and very unusual friends.
Can a vampire, a ghost, and a shape-shifting house-cat stop a deranged god who thinks killing people and wearing their bodies is laugh-out-loud fun?
Maybe - with a little help from their friends. And a hell of a lot of luck."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I've read both "Basement Blues" and now "Die Laughing" and they are, no doubt, very funny. I really did enjoy them. They're fairly short, but entertaining. I like all the main characters.
My only real problems is that it's written in a very... sparse style. Now, I'm one for subtlety. I don't believe authors need to treat readers like idiots and spell things out in crayon, but Sked's style (at least with these books) is a little too sparse for me to be fully satisfied. I feel like I'm left a little confused about what certain things are meant to be or meant to mean.
I also felt the story was kind of short for what should have been a bigger "scope" for the plot introduced.
And yet, all that being said, I did really like it. It was a fast, fun, funny read and I will definitely be back for more from the Blue Moon Detectives. So, a solid 4 Fireballs for this one.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Review "Bred" by Darryl Branning
Title: Bred
Author: Darryl Branning
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Demel was bred for power, born into slavery, and lives in the city of sorcery. His talent for remaining unnoticed allows him to grow into, and master, his power. But when he frees himself from a powerful control curse, he releases a storm of events which threatens all of Lyn. Demel, and his sometimes reluctant allies, are the only ones who can stop a thousand years of violence and oppression."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: This book was really good. My housework got done late today, because of this book.
It wasn't quite perfect. There was some world building and politic details that played big parts in the finale scenes that I thought should have been foreshadowed earlier. And despite the professional editor, there was quite a few edits missed. The beginning wandered a little bit, for my tastes.
Oh, and I am not happy with the author about one of Thamus' actions. (You'll know it when you read it.) *shakes menacing finger*
...and YET. The narrator, the characters, the world, the plot were all engaging and active enough that I didn't care about the "defects" and was glued to my ereader. I really liked all of it. I found some of the characters complex and some straightforward, yet only as I wished. (Characters I wanted to be straightforward were, and characters I didn't mind being twisty were.)
The world was quite fascinating. I really liked what the author did with the Prologue and Epilogue set-up, although I didn't "get it" until the Epilogue.
And I had to laugh, my apologies to the author, at the Glossary. It was useful, though still missed a couple titles I wanted better explanations for, but there was one part that looked like something Branning meant to go back to and fix before publishing and didn't. Namely, the wrong name of a father's character beside the son's name with a ? beside it. The name with ? was the name of one of the gods, but the father was correctly named in his own listing.
Don't worry, I've done it myself. Still, having been there, I did have to giggle.
Anyways. Despite my minor issues with some of it that might have meant a 4 or 4.5 otherwise, any book that holds on to my attention the way this one did once I was about a third of the way in deserves 5 Fireballs. This author has another novel, which is awesomely free, that I totally just grabbed and will read soon.
Author: Darryl Branning
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Demel was bred for power, born into slavery, and lives in the city of sorcery. His talent for remaining unnoticed allows him to grow into, and master, his power. But when he frees himself from a powerful control curse, he releases a storm of events which threatens all of Lyn. Demel, and his sometimes reluctant allies, are the only ones who can stop a thousand years of violence and oppression."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: This book was really good. My housework got done late today, because of this book.
It wasn't quite perfect. There was some world building and politic details that played big parts in the finale scenes that I thought should have been foreshadowed earlier. And despite the professional editor, there was quite a few edits missed. The beginning wandered a little bit, for my tastes.
Oh, and I am not happy with the author about one of Thamus' actions. (You'll know it when you read it.) *shakes menacing finger*
...and YET. The narrator, the characters, the world, the plot were all engaging and active enough that I didn't care about the "defects" and was glued to my ereader. I really liked all of it. I found some of the characters complex and some straightforward, yet only as I wished. (Characters I wanted to be straightforward were, and characters I didn't mind being twisty were.)
The world was quite fascinating. I really liked what the author did with the Prologue and Epilogue set-up, although I didn't "get it" until the Epilogue.
And I had to laugh, my apologies to the author, at the Glossary. It was useful, though still missed a couple titles I wanted better explanations for, but there was one part that looked like something Branning meant to go back to and fix before publishing and didn't. Namely, the wrong name of a father's character beside the son's name with a ? beside it. The name with ? was the name of one of the gods, but the father was correctly named in his own listing.
Don't worry, I've done it myself. Still, having been there, I did have to giggle.
Anyways. Despite my minor issues with some of it that might have meant a 4 or 4.5 otherwise, any book that holds on to my attention the way this one did once I was about a third of the way in deserves 5 Fireballs. This author has another novel, which is awesomely free, that I totally just grabbed and will read soon.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Review: "Pursuit of Darkness" by Jeff Gillenkirk
Title: Pursuit of Darkness
Author: Jeff Gillenkirk
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Could vampires take over the US government? They already have. Washington Post reporter Nate Hallberg uncovers the startling reality that American politics has been controlled by vampires for more than 200 years. "Pursuit of Darkness" follows Hallberg's heroic struggle to overcome his own personal demons while exposing the evil at the heart of our political system. They want more than your vote!"
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: The premise was what drew me. I have NO problem believing that vampires run politics! And I liked the idea of mixing politics and the preternatural -- anyone who reads my Adelheid series knows what. I felt like this would kind of be The West Wing meets Dracula. I liked that idea.
The writing is very competent. Words are put together well, though the author had a slightly disturbing habit of getting fascinated with details I didn't really care about. (Like, mixing in some street names to give a location feel is fine, but there were so many location/driving details and other things that it got a little dense for my tastes.)
I did not finish this book, though, and I doubt I will. It had interest for me, but the author has a disconcerting habit of writing "impact" endings to scenes and chapters -- like with dramatic questions -- and then hopping to the next scene, without having finished the other, and offering no explanation for how the character reacted.
Like... there's a scene where Drees asks Hallberg, "Do the cops know who Moises Rodriguez is?" -- or something like that -- and it's dramatic, it's impact. Then the next chapter opens with Hallberg somewhere else, day or more later, doing something else, and there's only one line somewhere pages ahead referring to the question Drees asked but never to Hallberg's answer, or even his full reaction.
There were a few places like this, and they bothered me. Maybe if I felt like there was some purpose and promise to it, like it would be unfolded later or there was a specific reason it dropped off, but I was a third of the way through and didn't feel like I had any of that. That made it feel like... kind of cheap grabs for attention, and that bothered me.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was explained later, and I'm depriving myself of it by not slugging it out, but I'm worried that I'm right and I'll end up finishing the book, being very frustrated. It wasn't holding my interest enough for that, so unfortunately this gets the default DNF 1 Fireball.
Other readers may not mind the impact/drop-off scenes the way I did and may find this a great book. I wish them well. It just didn't do it for me.
Author: Jeff Gillenkirk
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Could vampires take over the US government? They already have. Washington Post reporter Nate Hallberg uncovers the startling reality that American politics has been controlled by vampires for more than 200 years. "Pursuit of Darkness" follows Hallberg's heroic struggle to overcome his own personal demons while exposing the evil at the heart of our political system. They want more than your vote!"
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: The premise was what drew me. I have NO problem believing that vampires run politics! And I liked the idea of mixing politics and the preternatural -- anyone who reads my Adelheid series knows what. I felt like this would kind of be The West Wing meets Dracula. I liked that idea.
The writing is very competent. Words are put together well, though the author had a slightly disturbing habit of getting fascinated with details I didn't really care about. (Like, mixing in some street names to give a location feel is fine, but there were so many location/driving details and other things that it got a little dense for my tastes.)
I did not finish this book, though, and I doubt I will. It had interest for me, but the author has a disconcerting habit of writing "impact" endings to scenes and chapters -- like with dramatic questions -- and then hopping to the next scene, without having finished the other, and offering no explanation for how the character reacted.
Like... there's a scene where Drees asks Hallberg, "Do the cops know who Moises Rodriguez is?" -- or something like that -- and it's dramatic, it's impact. Then the next chapter opens with Hallberg somewhere else, day or more later, doing something else, and there's only one line somewhere pages ahead referring to the question Drees asked but never to Hallberg's answer, or even his full reaction.
There were a few places like this, and they bothered me. Maybe if I felt like there was some purpose and promise to it, like it would be unfolded later or there was a specific reason it dropped off, but I was a third of the way through and didn't feel like I had any of that. That made it feel like... kind of cheap grabs for attention, and that bothered me.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was explained later, and I'm depriving myself of it by not slugging it out, but I'm worried that I'm right and I'll end up finishing the book, being very frustrated. It wasn't holding my interest enough for that, so unfortunately this gets the default DNF 1 Fireball.
Other readers may not mind the impact/drop-off scenes the way I did and may find this a great book. I wish them well. It just didn't do it for me.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Review: Bunch o' Shorts
I read some short stories today that were too short to feel like I should dedicate a whole review, so I'm writing one review to include all three!
Title: Medusa V. Athena
Author: Alan Leddon
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Based on the extant mythology, this short book written in the style of a legal brief covers the grievances of Medusa - once the most beautiful woman in all of Greece - against the Goddess Athena, whom Medusa alleges assaulted and mutilated her!"
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This was the shortest of the three I read, only about eight pages on my e-reader, but given the legalese style, that's just fine! It was very quirky for those who know and enjoy mythology, and unique takes on them. I give it 4 Fireballs.
Title: Faster than Light: The Fallen Goddess
Author: Malcolm Pierce
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "The first in a series of short stories about the I.S.S. Fenghuang, the last faster-than-light starship in the galaxy, and its crew of rebels determined to reunite humanity."
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This one is a little harder to judge. I really liked the idea and concepts. I found that and elements of the story to be fascinating. I also liked the "weave-ins" (the italicized segments) in between chapters. But the story itself I struggled with because I didn't feel the characterization was done very well. I found Seth thoroughly unlikable, Caitlin tolerable, and everyone else to be a bit too flat to be engaged with. Details about the characters released too late in the story to hook onto, and not enough of it for any of them to have the "big" speeches and actions towards the end have the emotional hook they should have, with the exception of Sam. So, I'd like to score it higher for creativity, but it just didn't hook me. I don't know if my curiosity is enough to carry me to other books in the series, but it was intriguing, so I might. So, I give it a 2.5 Fireballs.
Title: Firebird
Author: Drew Beatty
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "In space, Zombies still hunger for brains."
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This one has the best summary. And I liked it. There was a casualness to the more brutal/gruesome scenes that made it rather horrific, and zombies in space is great. Mop of Death FTW. The beginning moved a little slow for me, took a bit too hook me in, and the perspective shifting was kind of odd... I still would have liked to have met the character we ended with at the beginning in some form. It also didn't feel like it had a climax. It just built, then ended. Still, it was a fun (such as zombie fiction is) short story. Another one that makes me want a 3.75 rating, but since I'm not sure I can say I really liked it, I have to go with a 3.5 Fireballs. But I think I may well be checking out more of Beatty's work.
Title: Medusa V. Athena
Author: Alan Leddon
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Based on the extant mythology, this short book written in the style of a legal brief covers the grievances of Medusa - once the most beautiful woman in all of Greece - against the Goddess Athena, whom Medusa alleges assaulted and mutilated her!"
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This was the shortest of the three I read, only about eight pages on my e-reader, but given the legalese style, that's just fine! It was very quirky for those who know and enjoy mythology, and unique takes on them. I give it 4 Fireballs.
* * *
Title: Faster than Light: The Fallen Goddess
Author: Malcolm Pierce
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "The first in a series of short stories about the I.S.S. Fenghuang, the last faster-than-light starship in the galaxy, and its crew of rebels determined to reunite humanity."
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This one is a little harder to judge. I really liked the idea and concepts. I found that and elements of the story to be fascinating. I also liked the "weave-ins" (the italicized segments) in between chapters. But the story itself I struggled with because I didn't feel the characterization was done very well. I found Seth thoroughly unlikable, Caitlin tolerable, and everyone else to be a bit too flat to be engaged with. Details about the characters released too late in the story to hook onto, and not enough of it for any of them to have the "big" speeches and actions towards the end have the emotional hook they should have, with the exception of Sam. So, I'd like to score it higher for creativity, but it just didn't hook me. I don't know if my curiosity is enough to carry me to other books in the series, but it was intriguing, so I might. So, I give it a 2.5 Fireballs.
* * *
Title: Firebird
Author: Drew Beatty
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "In space, Zombies still hunger for brains."
Source: I purchased it on my own.
Review: This one has the best summary. And I liked it. There was a casualness to the more brutal/gruesome scenes that made it rather horrific, and zombies in space is great. Mop of Death FTW. The beginning moved a little slow for me, took a bit too hook me in, and the perspective shifting was kind of odd... I still would have liked to have met the character we ended with at the beginning in some form. It also didn't feel like it had a climax. It just built, then ended. Still, it was a fun (such as zombie fiction is) short story. Another one that makes me want a 3.75 rating, but since I'm not sure I can say I really liked it, I have to go with a 3.5 Fireballs. But I think I may well be checking out more of Beatty's work.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Review: "Where the Dead Talk" by Ken Davis
Title: Where the Dead Talk
Author: Ken Davis
Available: Kindle
Summary: "Out past the towns and villages of Colonial Massachusetts lies a lake, black and icy and deep.
When night settles on the deep woods, when the wind sings a mournful song through the trees, voices can sometimes be heard, rising from its still surface: voices of the lost, voices of the damned, voices of the dead.
When tragedy unlocks the terrifying secret of the lake, when revolution explodes across the countryside, the doorway to Hell opens a crack and the dead begin to rise."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: This is my second experience with Davis' work. I have also read his Array'd in Flames. I liked it, but I did have some issues with it. I'm happy to say that I did not have the same issues with this one. I felt for the characters and cared what happened to them all. Between both books, Davis has a real gift for creating atmosphere of the setting. He certainly did in this one, too.
Apparently I work in trends, since this is another New England story and you really got the feel for it, as well for the time period.
I liked it, a lot. I don't really have much to say about it, though. Something about it didn't quite stand out in my head to absolutely rave about it, so it's not quite a five but I didn't really have any issues with it. I did get kind of confused trying to keep threads from the back stories straight, who did who wrong at what time and in what way kind of stuff. But aside from that, it was good. I give it 4.5 Fireballs.
Author: Ken Davis
Available: Kindle
Summary: "Out past the towns and villages of Colonial Massachusetts lies a lake, black and icy and deep.
When night settles on the deep woods, when the wind sings a mournful song through the trees, voices can sometimes be heard, rising from its still surface: voices of the lost, voices of the damned, voices of the dead.
When tragedy unlocks the terrifying secret of the lake, when revolution explodes across the countryside, the doorway to Hell opens a crack and the dead begin to rise."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: This is my second experience with Davis' work. I have also read his Array'd in Flames. I liked it, but I did have some issues with it. I'm happy to say that I did not have the same issues with this one. I felt for the characters and cared what happened to them all. Between both books, Davis has a real gift for creating atmosphere of the setting. He certainly did in this one, too.
Apparently I work in trends, since this is another New England story and you really got the feel for it, as well for the time period.
I liked it, a lot. I don't really have much to say about it, though. Something about it didn't quite stand out in my head to absolutely rave about it, so it's not quite a five but I didn't really have any issues with it. I did get kind of confused trying to keep threads from the back stories straight, who did who wrong at what time and in what way kind of stuff. But aside from that, it was good. I give it 4.5 Fireballs.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Review: "Wood Spirit - A New England Horror Story" by Johanna Frappier
Title: Wood Spirit - A New England Horror Story
Author: Johanna Frappier
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Sebastian Park, hack ghost hunter, is called to Peachtree, Vermont, to help rid them of a black, aggressive mist that the townspeople believe to be a negative entity. When it comes to paranormal investigations, Sebastian is used to being the ringmaster in a circus full of clowns. But when he has the first nightmare and suffers the entity himself then begins to have urges to gnaw on the girl at the local diner, he regrets his career choice and his cross-country trek to the nightmarish, little New England town."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: On a nitpicking note, this story could have used a better edit-through to pick up a wealth of dropped quotation marks around dialogue, as well as other typos. The EPUB file - I don't know if it did this in other files - also did something really weird for the last fifty pages that made it strange to read.
Aside from that, however... this was a pretty good story. It doesn't quite stand out to me enough to rave about it, but it was engaging and funny, incredible gross in some parts (but it was a horror story). Being a hard core New England resident, I really liked that aspect of it. Park was an interesting character.
I'm not a fan of stories that bounce between Third and First person, so the few Third Person interludes -- which seemed overall kind of needless to me -- didn't do the story any favors, and I thought that the ending was way too abrupt. I wanted more there.
But otherwise, it was a good story and an easy read if you're looking for a horror story. I was able to read it in one day and never found myself doubting my desire to finish it. So, I'm giving it 4 Fireballs.
Author: Johanna Frappier
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Sebastian Park, hack ghost hunter, is called to Peachtree, Vermont, to help rid them of a black, aggressive mist that the townspeople believe to be a negative entity. When it comes to paranormal investigations, Sebastian is used to being the ringmaster in a circus full of clowns. But when he has the first nightmare and suffers the entity himself then begins to have urges to gnaw on the girl at the local diner, he regrets his career choice and his cross-country trek to the nightmarish, little New England town."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: On a nitpicking note, this story could have used a better edit-through to pick up a wealth of dropped quotation marks around dialogue, as well as other typos. The EPUB file - I don't know if it did this in other files - also did something really weird for the last fifty pages that made it strange to read.
Aside from that, however... this was a pretty good story. It doesn't quite stand out to me enough to rave about it, but it was engaging and funny, incredible gross in some parts (but it was a horror story). Being a hard core New England resident, I really liked that aspect of it. Park was an interesting character.
I'm not a fan of stories that bounce between Third and First person, so the few Third Person interludes -- which seemed overall kind of needless to me -- didn't do the story any favors, and I thought that the ending was way too abrupt. I wanted more there.
But otherwise, it was a good story and an easy read if you're looking for a horror story. I was able to read it in one day and never found myself doubting my desire to finish it. So, I'm giving it 4 Fireballs.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Review: "Lily Marin - three short steampunk stories" by Paul Kater
Title: Lily Marin - three short steampunk stories
Author: Paul Kater
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Three short stories about Lily Marin, a singer in the steampunk era, who has a mysterious other life."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: Apparently, I'm on a steampunk kick. Anyways. This story (or stories, more appropriately) is a little weird for me. Because the author writes competently. The idea of the story and of Lily was intriguing. I thought the wealth of gizmos was a little over the top and hokey, but I didn't mind it that much.
This wasn't a bad set of stories, but I'm not really sure I feel like I can say it was good either. It fell flat for me, and I'm not entirely sure why. The setting and the character both didn't get to me, one way or the other, for better or for worse. There was no emotional connection, even to the point of disliking it. I just didn't feel it.
The words were all laced together well in a technical sense, but the emotion that should be driving it wasn't there for me. It just gave me a real disconnect reading these stories, and by the end of the third one, I didn't really care much about Lily or her goals or her world, which leads me to give this set of short stories 2.5 Fireballs.
Author: Paul Kater
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Three short stories about Lily Marin, a singer in the steampunk era, who has a mysterious other life."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: Apparently, I'm on a steampunk kick. Anyways. This story (or stories, more appropriately) is a little weird for me. Because the author writes competently. The idea of the story and of Lily was intriguing. I thought the wealth of gizmos was a little over the top and hokey, but I didn't mind it that much.
This wasn't a bad set of stories, but I'm not really sure I feel like I can say it was good either. It fell flat for me, and I'm not entirely sure why. The setting and the character both didn't get to me, one way or the other, for better or for worse. There was no emotional connection, even to the point of disliking it. I just didn't feel it.
The words were all laced together well in a technical sense, but the emotion that should be driving it wasn't there for me. It just gave me a real disconnect reading these stories, and by the end of the third one, I didn't really care much about Lily or her goals or her world, which leads me to give this set of short stories 2.5 Fireballs.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Review: "Hunted (The Flash Gold Chronicles, #2) by Lindsay Buroker
Title: Hunted (The Flash Gold Chronicles, #2)
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Self-taught tinkerer Kali McAlister is determined to build an airship and escape the frigid Yukon forever. Unfortunately, she’s the heir to the secrets of flash gold, an alchemical energy source that tends to make her a popular target for bandits, gangsters, and pirates. Not to mention a mysterious new nemesis with an arsenal of deadly machines superior to Kali's own inventions..."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: Well, apparently I'm now a Lindsay Buroker fan. This is the third story of hers I've read and I really liked them all. The hard part for me is that Buroker is one of those authors that is so good, I find myself feeling entirely inferior in my own writing! Not many authors do that to me, but she does. She's that good.
This is the second novella in her Flash Gold steampunk stories. The first one, Flash Gold, was fantastic and there's not much I can say about this one that wasn't said about the other. The story isn't long, but it's a full storied romp with humor, action, and steampunk gadgets that blend seamlessly into her frigid Yukon setting. Too many of the steampunk stories I've read so far feel like they just tack on the steampunk stuff. Buroker makes it integral to both character and plot. Her characters are three-dimensional and real, but their flaws don't drive you away.
Kali is smart and scrappy. Cedar is everything a good Alpha Male should be. Too many romance, and non-romance, stories try to write Alpha Males and they just end up with Alpha Assholes. Not Buroker. I'm in love with Cedar. I want one of my own!
What else can I say? I have the first book in her other series on my ereader, but I'm terrified to read it lest it make me stop writing myself. ;-) Still, go. Buy her books. This story is totally 5 Fireballs.
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Self-taught tinkerer Kali McAlister is determined to build an airship and escape the frigid Yukon forever. Unfortunately, she’s the heir to the secrets of flash gold, an alchemical energy source that tends to make her a popular target for bandits, gangsters, and pirates. Not to mention a mysterious new nemesis with an arsenal of deadly machines superior to Kali's own inventions..."
Source: I purchased this myself.
Review: Well, apparently I'm now a Lindsay Buroker fan. This is the third story of hers I've read and I really liked them all. The hard part for me is that Buroker is one of those authors that is so good, I find myself feeling entirely inferior in my own writing! Not many authors do that to me, but she does. She's that good.
This is the second novella in her Flash Gold steampunk stories. The first one, Flash Gold, was fantastic and there's not much I can say about this one that wasn't said about the other. The story isn't long, but it's a full storied romp with humor, action, and steampunk gadgets that blend seamlessly into her frigid Yukon setting. Too many of the steampunk stories I've read so far feel like they just tack on the steampunk stuff. Buroker makes it integral to both character and plot. Her characters are three-dimensional and real, but their flaws don't drive you away.
Kali is smart and scrappy. Cedar is everything a good Alpha Male should be. Too many romance, and non-romance, stories try to write Alpha Males and they just end up with Alpha Assholes. Not Buroker. I'm in love with Cedar. I want one of my own!
What else can I say? I have the first book in her other series on my ereader, but I'm terrified to read it lest it make me stop writing myself. ;-) Still, go. Buy her books. This story is totally 5 Fireballs.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Review: "A Multitude of Daggers" by Joanne Merriam
Title: A Multitude of Daggers
Author: Joanne Merriam
Available: Kindle
Summary: "The Queen is dead and everybody wants her job! The Barkan High Priestess Gieu, the orphan rebel Mara Rin and the new Angan King struggle for dominance in this fun sword-and-sorcery novella featuring flying oppressors, bloody revolution and an afterworld staffed by therapists."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I am still trying to figure out what I think about this one.
Merriam writes very well. I liked the style of her prose. The story and its set-up were very interesting. I did expect a different kind of story from the description, but once I adjusted my expectations, I was good.
It was a little too short for the story being told, I think. A little more time to build the world without throwing so much information at the reader would have been nice, because I did find myself getting confused about who was who and doing what to whom and where... but once I got my feet, it flowed nicely.
The ending was kind of abrupt. It felt like a slower unfolding all through the story and then, suddenly, it's over and some elements of character and plot introduced at the end left me wondering why they were there at all if they weren't given more development, and I would have liked more development on points that would feed into the ending.
Still, it was interesting, creative and fairly entertaining. It's a story that makes me think I need a 3.75 rating, because it was better than 3.5 but I can't quite say I really liked it. As such, I'll give it 3.5 Fireballs because I did like it and would recommend it to others looking for a quick, fantastical story.
Author: Joanne Merriam
Available: Kindle
Summary: "The Queen is dead and everybody wants her job! The Barkan High Priestess Gieu, the orphan rebel Mara Rin and the new Angan King struggle for dominance in this fun sword-and-sorcery novella featuring flying oppressors, bloody revolution and an afterworld staffed by therapists."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I am still trying to figure out what I think about this one.
Merriam writes very well. I liked the style of her prose. The story and its set-up were very interesting. I did expect a different kind of story from the description, but once I adjusted my expectations, I was good.
It was a little too short for the story being told, I think. A little more time to build the world without throwing so much information at the reader would have been nice, because I did find myself getting confused about who was who and doing what to whom and where... but once I got my feet, it flowed nicely.
The ending was kind of abrupt. It felt like a slower unfolding all through the story and then, suddenly, it's over and some elements of character and plot introduced at the end left me wondering why they were there at all if they weren't given more development, and I would have liked more development on points that would feed into the ending.
Still, it was interesting, creative and fairly entertaining. It's a story that makes me think I need a 3.75 rating, because it was better than 3.5 but I can't quite say I really liked it. As such, I'll give it 3.5 Fireballs because I did like it and would recommend it to others looking for a quick, fantastical story.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Review: "Sunset: Pact Arcanum: Book One" by Arshad Ahsanuddin
Title: Sunset: Pact Arcanum: Book One
Author: Arshad Ahsanuddin
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "With millennia-old magic, emerging romance, and ever-shifting allegiances, this inventive new series unveils a scintillating, homoerotic world of Nightwalkers, Daywalkers, Sentinels, and Humans, who battle for world dominance in the not-too-distant future.
Los Angeles, 2040. The terrorist Medusa and her followers threaten to destroy the metropolis with a nuclear bomb. One individual, the vampire Nicholas Jameson, comes forward to oppose them.
For tens of thousands of years, the vampires, called Nightwalkers, had been entrenched in a bitter feud with their enemies, the Sentinels, those born to destroy the Nightwalkers with magic and steel. The battle drew to a close once the Redeemer offered the two sides a new path, allowing the Nightwalkers to step back into the sunlight as Daywalkers, in return for giving up the sword.
When Nick takes on the terrorists, he exposes his powers and advanced technology that had been previously unknown to humanity. In the wake of the confrontation, the fragile peace between the races hangs perilously in the balance. Will coexistence be possible, or will the final war destroy them all?"
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: I'm not ever sure where to begin.
This book was pretty crazy, but pretty amazing. It starts off with a hell of a bang and doesn't really let go, though it quiets here and there to let a reader catch their breath. I'm not generally a fan of "action" (any book with a thriller/suspense style plot) books that span as much time as this one did, but it made sense here and I don't imagine it could have been done realistically any other way. The only complaint I have about that was that it left some dramatic events to be told in retrospect, when I would rather have seen them written out.
My only other issue was Nicholas. He kind of became a character that falls into what I call the Pasquinel Syndrome (a cookie to anyone who recognizes the name), which is a character that commands an unimaginable amount of love, respect and devotion from almost everyone without my seeing the reasons for it. Not to say that I didn't like him, or find him a character I could ultimately side with, but I didn't feel like I saw enough to gain him quite as much of those things as he got from the other characters; his sins forgiven too easily, so to speak, but by the end, I didn't mind it so much. He showed enough in those last events to make me okay with it, unlike other stories where I couldn't do the same for similar characters.
I don't want to divulge too much, but the stuff with Icarus at the end... I don't think a book has produced this level of emotional response in me in a long time and that's incredible.
It's funny. The first... hundred pages or so are very densely packed with world-building, it was slow for me to get through. I felt like I needed a manual to keep up with it and a flow chart for all the emotional attachments, but once I got a grip on it, it moved very well. At one early point, I worried if I could finish it but am so, so glad that I did. It was worth it. The world-building and history (both world and character), if dense up front, was amazingly complex and fascinating.
I had originally been planning to give this a 4 or 4.5 because of the issues I mentioned above and other little things here and there, but the complexity of the world-building and the last several chapters just blew me away. It's gotta be a 5 Fireballs, and I don't imagine it will be long before I'm checking out more of this series!
As a footnote, it was also one of the best packaged indie books I've seen, in terms of formatting (it gets one formatting detail right that a lot of indie books don't), editing and cover art.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Review: "Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy" by Jeffrey Poole
Title: Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy
Author: Jeffrey Poole
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Griffins, Dragons, and BNPs (Bugs of Nightmarish Proportions). Who knew? It seemed harmless enough. See a mysterious door and step through to see what happens, right? Now stranded in a magical kingdom, husband and wife search for a way home. However, enlisting the aid of the king and queen has given them their biggest shock yet: Royal Babysitters. Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: Okay, a strange thing happened to me while I was reading this book. I thought it was supposed to be... heavier. Darker. And it wasn't, and it threw me. In retrospect and in rereading the description, I have no conceivable idea why I thought it would be. My only excuse is that I just finished reading an anthology of dark, gritty fantasy and was still stuck in the wrong world.
Anyway, about halfway through, I was unable to tell if I liked this story or not but then it started reminding me of a Xanth novel. I smacked myself upside the head and realized this was a... lighter fantasy than I had expected it to be. (I've been a Xanth lover since I was eleven, so this is a good comparison.)
Once I got that through my head, this book got a lot more fun. The fact that Steve and Sarah read more like teenagers to me than their purported ages wasn't a problem any more. The casualness of the writing became quirky, like characters that actually say "omigod!" in dialog, or "cool!" being in the exposition. I'm usually a dictator about Point of View and not a fan of Omiscent unless it's Austen or Dickens, but it kind of worked for me here.
My only two... complaints about this book were that I would have liked a slightly heavier (more realistic) treatment of serious matters, like when Steve fends off some bad guys and drives them to their deaths. That didn't seem to affect him at all. Even though they were bad guys, and he didn't technically kill them, the way it rolled off him to no effect did bother me. Similar "deeper events" were treated as lightly and I did struggle with that.
Secondly, my inner consistency meter didn't understand sending Steve and Sarah off for the key instead of staying with Mikal. Being who they were, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. I would have liked to have had more of a reason for them to make the journey themselves before they left, rather than seeing it later on when they got there. (If there was a reason and I missed it, then my bad but I don't recall one.) There were other little similar things, but in the breezy spirit of the story, I got over it easy.
Otherwise... the fire stuff was cool, I liked Rhenyon (I think I spelled that right), and the key 'surprise' at the end was funny. It was a fun, breezy kind of fantastical read. I give 4 Fireballs and will, once I catch up with the rest of my reading list, get to Bakkian II and future Bakkian tales!
Author: Jeffrey Poole
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Griffins, Dragons, and BNPs (Bugs of Nightmarish Proportions). Who knew? It seemed harmless enough. See a mysterious door and step through to see what happens, right? Now stranded in a magical kingdom, husband and wife search for a way home. However, enlisting the aid of the king and queen has given them their biggest shock yet: Royal Babysitters. Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed."
Source: I purchased this on my own.
Review: Okay, a strange thing happened to me while I was reading this book. I thought it was supposed to be... heavier. Darker. And it wasn't, and it threw me. In retrospect and in rereading the description, I have no conceivable idea why I thought it would be. My only excuse is that I just finished reading an anthology of dark, gritty fantasy and was still stuck in the wrong world.
Anyway, about halfway through, I was unable to tell if I liked this story or not but then it started reminding me of a Xanth novel. I smacked myself upside the head and realized this was a... lighter fantasy than I had expected it to be. (I've been a Xanth lover since I was eleven, so this is a good comparison.)
Once I got that through my head, this book got a lot more fun. The fact that Steve and Sarah read more like teenagers to me than their purported ages wasn't a problem any more. The casualness of the writing became quirky, like characters that actually say "omigod!" in dialog, or "cool!" being in the exposition. I'm usually a dictator about Point of View and not a fan of Omiscent unless it's Austen or Dickens, but it kind of worked for me here.
My only two... complaints about this book were that I would have liked a slightly heavier (more realistic) treatment of serious matters, like when Steve fends off some bad guys and drives them to their deaths. That didn't seem to affect him at all. Even though they were bad guys, and he didn't technically kill them, the way it rolled off him to no effect did bother me. Similar "deeper events" were treated as lightly and I did struggle with that.
Secondly, my inner consistency meter didn't understand sending Steve and Sarah off for the key instead of staying with Mikal. Being who they were, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. I would have liked to have had more of a reason for them to make the journey themselves before they left, rather than seeing it later on when they got there. (If there was a reason and I missed it, then my bad but I don't recall one.) There were other little similar things, but in the breezy spirit of the story, I got over it easy.
Otherwise... the fire stuff was cool, I liked Rhenyon (I think I spelled that right), and the key 'surprise' at the end was funny. It was a fun, breezy kind of fantastical read. I give 4 Fireballs and will, once I catch up with the rest of my reading list, get to Bakkian II and future Bakkian tales!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Review: "Willow Pond" by Carol Tibaldi
Title: Willow Pond
Author: Carol Tibaldi
Available: Amazon
Summary: "The Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression, but Virginia Kingsley, New York's toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine. Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she's queen of that castle.
Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura's philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction.
Only one reporter, Erich Muller, seems to care enough about the child's welfare and the parents' feelings to report the case responsibly. Over the course of the investigation, Erich Muller and Laura fall in love, but their relationship is doomed to failure since he suspects her beloved aunt Virginia is behind the kidnapping. Laura, jaded when it comes to men, sides with Virginia.
But Virginia has figured out the truth, and she can't tell anyone for fear of losing her niece's affections and having the police ransack her life. So she pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another during her search.
Little Todd's absence shapes everyone's lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others."
Source: I received a free copy in return for an honest review.
Review: This review is going to be very challenging for me to write, because my opinions on the book are different in terms of different aspects.
Tibaldi is a good writer. The book is well done and pulls you through very well. I thought she captured the time period very well without going too far overboard on details. I'm a person who likes my settings described with only as much as necessary. I had a real The Great Gatsby feeling when I read it, which says a lot since I barely remember that book from when I read it in High School. So, in terms of this, the book is very good.
When I read the summary, I had expected a more taut, suspenseful time line to the narrative, which isn't what it has. It covered a longer span of time than I thought it would. That's not a criticism, as that's probably more realistic. It just surprised me, and the leaps of time could get a little distracting but not enough to pull you out of the story.
It did make it a little hard, though, because so many dramatic events happen that are really only glanced over, like Jenny, particularly towards the latter part of the novel. It seems like not enough treatment of those was given, and Virginia's efforts get almost dropped, it feels like, and I would have liked to have seen more of her in that latter section.
Here's where it did fall flat for me. Two points, mainly. One is reader preference, so others are likely to have very different but equally valid opinions. The other is more content related.
Content and structure: I found some of the character motivations to be kind of thin. They weren't made clear enough for me to understand why certain characters did certain things. Like Virginia. I liked her, but it wasn't made clear enough (in my opinion) why she didn't tell Laura about what she was doing. I see the reason in the summary, but that's not drawn clearly in the book. It felt like a plot device, which I understand it was, but I like things to make more sense.
Equally so, Erich's reasons for suspecting Virginia so early on. I understand that Virginia was part of the seedy bootlegging scene, but he never defined a motive: what would Virginia have to gain by being involved in the kidnapping? I could better understand his expecting she had somehow triggered it, like payback, but not his thinking she was directly involved. His animosity and certainty is so strong that she is involved, I would have liked to have seen more reason for it: at least some hint of what he thought her motive would be.
Okay, this next one is my opinion, which I realize this whole review is my opinion but this part isn't necessarily a fault in the book or the writing, but just reader perspective.
I didn't like Laura. As a mother of a small son, just a few months older than Todd when he was taken, I should have been able to hit more chords with Laura's character but I couldn't. She seemed to move on too quickly. While there were thoughts and emotions about Todd laced in, it wasn't enough for me. I didn't mind the falling in love so early with Erich, but it would have made more sense to me if there had been less going out, less "dating" and more "he was there for me" moments, like keeping vigils by the phone with her.
I realize that her reactions and actions may have been psychologically driven, coping mechanisms, a case could be made for it, but it's not how I would have reacted and so that made it hard for me to sympathize. Plus, her motivations for keeping certain big news to herself from Virginia and Erich felt thin to me. (Again, the motivation thing.) And her swaying certainty about her feelings for Erich frustrated me to no end. Her guilt over things, like falling in love while Todd is missing and about Jenny later on (you'll see when you read) also felt like token resistance, which given her history, should have been more pronounced.
So, with all of this, where do we end up? I wish I had a middle of the middle rating. I'm giving this book a 3.5 Fireballs, 'cause I can't give it a 3.75. I can't quite say I "really" liked it, because Laura drove me nuts and I wanted stronger motivations and more consistent treatment of dramatic events, but I can't say it's a 3, because I did enjoy it and I would tell other people to read it for an interesting flapper era and almost... "slice of life"/examination of a kidnapping's effects story. So, 3.5 Fireballs it is.
Author: Carol Tibaldi
Available: Amazon
Summary: "The Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression, but Virginia Kingsley, New York's toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine. Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she's queen of that castle.
Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura's philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction.
Only one reporter, Erich Muller, seems to care enough about the child's welfare and the parents' feelings to report the case responsibly. Over the course of the investigation, Erich Muller and Laura fall in love, but their relationship is doomed to failure since he suspects her beloved aunt Virginia is behind the kidnapping. Laura, jaded when it comes to men, sides with Virginia.
But Virginia has figured out the truth, and she can't tell anyone for fear of losing her niece's affections and having the police ransack her life. So she pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another during her search.
Little Todd's absence shapes everyone's lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others."
Source: I received a free copy in return for an honest review.
Review: This review is going to be very challenging for me to write, because my opinions on the book are different in terms of different aspects.
Tibaldi is a good writer. The book is well done and pulls you through very well. I thought she captured the time period very well without going too far overboard on details. I'm a person who likes my settings described with only as much as necessary. I had a real The Great Gatsby feeling when I read it, which says a lot since I barely remember that book from when I read it in High School. So, in terms of this, the book is very good.
When I read the summary, I had expected a more taut, suspenseful time line to the narrative, which isn't what it has. It covered a longer span of time than I thought it would. That's not a criticism, as that's probably more realistic. It just surprised me, and the leaps of time could get a little distracting but not enough to pull you out of the story.
It did make it a little hard, though, because so many dramatic events happen that are really only glanced over, like Jenny, particularly towards the latter part of the novel. It seems like not enough treatment of those was given, and Virginia's efforts get almost dropped, it feels like, and I would have liked to have seen more of her in that latter section.
Here's where it did fall flat for me. Two points, mainly. One is reader preference, so others are likely to have very different but equally valid opinions. The other is more content related.
Content and structure: I found some of the character motivations to be kind of thin. They weren't made clear enough for me to understand why certain characters did certain things. Like Virginia. I liked her, but it wasn't made clear enough (in my opinion) why she didn't tell Laura about what she was doing. I see the reason in the summary, but that's not drawn clearly in the book. It felt like a plot device, which I understand it was, but I like things to make more sense.
Equally so, Erich's reasons for suspecting Virginia so early on. I understand that Virginia was part of the seedy bootlegging scene, but he never defined a motive: what would Virginia have to gain by being involved in the kidnapping? I could better understand his expecting she had somehow triggered it, like payback, but not his thinking she was directly involved. His animosity and certainty is so strong that she is involved, I would have liked to have seen more reason for it: at least some hint of what he thought her motive would be.
Okay, this next one is my opinion, which I realize this whole review is my opinion but this part isn't necessarily a fault in the book or the writing, but just reader perspective.
I didn't like Laura. As a mother of a small son, just a few months older than Todd when he was taken, I should have been able to hit more chords with Laura's character but I couldn't. She seemed to move on too quickly. While there were thoughts and emotions about Todd laced in, it wasn't enough for me. I didn't mind the falling in love so early with Erich, but it would have made more sense to me if there had been less going out, less "dating" and more "he was there for me" moments, like keeping vigils by the phone with her.
I realize that her reactions and actions may have been psychologically driven, coping mechanisms, a case could be made for it, but it's not how I would have reacted and so that made it hard for me to sympathize. Plus, her motivations for keeping certain big news to herself from Virginia and Erich felt thin to me. (Again, the motivation thing.) And her swaying certainty about her feelings for Erich frustrated me to no end. Her guilt over things, like falling in love while Todd is missing and about Jenny later on (you'll see when you read) also felt like token resistance, which given her history, should have been more pronounced.
So, with all of this, where do we end up? I wish I had a middle of the middle rating. I'm giving this book a 3.5 Fireballs, 'cause I can't give it a 3.75. I can't quite say I "really" liked it, because Laura drove me nuts and I wanted stronger motivations and more consistent treatment of dramatic events, but I can't say it's a 3, because I did enjoy it and I would tell other people to read it for an interesting flapper era and almost... "slice of life"/examination of a kidnapping's effects story. So, 3.5 Fireballs it is.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Review: "The Guardians: Path to Vengeance" by W. H. Cann
Title: The Guardians: Path to Vengeance
Author: W. H. Cann
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Following the killing of his fiancée Grogaan spearheads a campaign against the Krelathans to fulfil his vow of vengeance. An unexpected encounter with a Senator’s daughter leads to romance, which impacts positively on his emotional condition. His unique piloting skills and dreams are attributed to his ancestry and gift of magic that ultimately lead to his outstanding performance as a pilot."
Review: Again, I really wish that I could just rave about every indie book I read. I want to support a community I've joined and the members there in, and to prove to the world that self-published does not equal terrible. Unfortunately, in offering reviews, I also have to offer honest opinions.
I can't actually speak to this whole story. It's rating, as seen below, reflects not a full opinion but the fact that I couldn't finish it.
The opening scene seemed like one big back story info dump and the first few pages on the whole had a lot of passive language. It was more telling than showing, so I never really got into the emotion and suspense that the author was trying to achieve. My inner editor was going crazy wanting to streamline and make it all more active and engaging, by my standards, and that made it hard for me to stick with it.
I'll grant that it might get better later. Maybe the whole story is better than the first pages gave it credit for, but I just couldn't get into it. This being just my opinion, someone else may have better luck. But since "DNF" falls automatically into a 1 Fireball category, that's what I have to give it.
Author: W. H. Cann
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Following the killing of his fiancée Grogaan spearheads a campaign against the Krelathans to fulfil his vow of vengeance. An unexpected encounter with a Senator’s daughter leads to romance, which impacts positively on his emotional condition. His unique piloting skills and dreams are attributed to his ancestry and gift of magic that ultimately lead to his outstanding performance as a pilot."
Review: Again, I really wish that I could just rave about every indie book I read. I want to support a community I've joined and the members there in, and to prove to the world that self-published does not equal terrible. Unfortunately, in offering reviews, I also have to offer honest opinions.
I can't actually speak to this whole story. It's rating, as seen below, reflects not a full opinion but the fact that I couldn't finish it.
The opening scene seemed like one big back story info dump and the first few pages on the whole had a lot of passive language. It was more telling than showing, so I never really got into the emotion and suspense that the author was trying to achieve. My inner editor was going crazy wanting to streamline and make it all more active and engaging, by my standards, and that made it hard for me to stick with it.
I'll grant that it might get better later. Maybe the whole story is better than the first pages gave it credit for, but I just couldn't get into it. This being just my opinion, someone else may have better luck. But since "DNF" falls automatically into a 1 Fireball category, that's what I have to give it.
Review: "Dead of Knight" by William R. Potter
Title: Dead of Knight
Author: William R. Potter
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "A serial killer dubbed the "Birthday Boy" is terrorizing the citizens of Hanson, B. C. The sadistic murderer only targets women on their birthdays, but why? Hanson Detective Jack Staal is determined to get him. But, Stall is carrying some heavy baggage of his own. Staal must use every ounce of his skill to determine the Birthday Boy's true identity and bring an end to his brutal killing spree."
Source: I purchased this ebook on my own.
Review: Judging by the ratings on GoodReads, I'm apparently the only person out there who didn't like this book that much. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, because I've had some dealings with the author via IAN and he's been very nice to me. So, I would have loved to have read this book and written a rave review, but I can't. I had a lot of issues with it.
Most of my problems come from the same source, which is that from a writer's perspective, this story really strikes me as one that was written without a pre-planned outline. That's fine, many books are, but it didn't feel like anyone went back and tried to make sure that everything was consistent. It felt like character details and information were written into the story when the idea came, because some things just come out of nowhere and then don't weave in smoothly until the end. Like Brenda. Like Travis.
I didn't find Staal a sympathetic character. Almost all of his actions, to me, seemed driven by purely selfish motives. This happens with all characters in all books in some way or another, but one of the things you love about a good cop story is that they are driven by the victims and the pursuit of truth. Staal only seemed to care about himself and only threw in the occasional hint of humanitarian motives, which made them see out of the blue and insincere. It didn't feel like it was an integral part of his character. I think that was clear in the scene where he thinks about his reasons for wanting to work the Birthday Boy case and not the case he's shifted to.
He's looked at and talked about like a great cop all through the beginning, but suddenly towards the end there's all this self-doubt about how he got to be a cop and if he's really good enough. That came totally out of left field to me and wasn't connected to earlier guilt issues. The whole team looks to him like he's a leader through the whole story until it's plot convenient for them to think he's nuts with little seeming explanation. It makes no sense. And his PTSD, again until the end, really only seems to come into play when an excuse is needed for bad or irrational behavior.
It didn't feel psychologically realistic and if you're going to give your character a major psychological issue, I want it to be realistic.
And his connection and the snippet of back story for it with the bar tender of the Thirsty Gull just put Staal in even more a dubious light for me. It was also just another section of back story just kind of pushed in there that never came back into play and didn't seem to serve that much purpose.
The story didn't feel like anyone had read it for flow, making sure it all ran smoothly and consistently, or to make sure the same things weren't repeated over and over again unnecessarily. Usually you can get along with only telling the reader important things once or twice. Not multiple times.
I really, really wanted to like this story. I liked the premise, both of the plot and of Staal himself, and Potter's writing is competent though in need of streamlining and polish, but the execution over all just entirely lost me and I found the ending, and reaching the end of the story, rather unsatisfactory. I did manage to finish it, which does say something at least, and maybe I'm just a freak when it comes to what I look for in books and everyone else has it right. But, for me, I can't in good conscious give this book more than 2 Fireballs.
Author: William R. Potter
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "A serial killer dubbed the "Birthday Boy" is terrorizing the citizens of Hanson, B. C. The sadistic murderer only targets women on their birthdays, but why? Hanson Detective Jack Staal is determined to get him. But, Stall is carrying some heavy baggage of his own. Staal must use every ounce of his skill to determine the Birthday Boy's true identity and bring an end to his brutal killing spree."
Source: I purchased this ebook on my own.
Review: Judging by the ratings on GoodReads, I'm apparently the only person out there who didn't like this book that much. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, because I've had some dealings with the author via IAN and he's been very nice to me. So, I would have loved to have read this book and written a rave review, but I can't. I had a lot of issues with it.
Most of my problems come from the same source, which is that from a writer's perspective, this story really strikes me as one that was written without a pre-planned outline. That's fine, many books are, but it didn't feel like anyone went back and tried to make sure that everything was consistent. It felt like character details and information were written into the story when the idea came, because some things just come out of nowhere and then don't weave in smoothly until the end. Like Brenda. Like Travis.
I didn't find Staal a sympathetic character. Almost all of his actions, to me, seemed driven by purely selfish motives. This happens with all characters in all books in some way or another, but one of the things you love about a good cop story is that they are driven by the victims and the pursuit of truth. Staal only seemed to care about himself and only threw in the occasional hint of humanitarian motives, which made them see out of the blue and insincere. It didn't feel like it was an integral part of his character. I think that was clear in the scene where he thinks about his reasons for wanting to work the Birthday Boy case and not the case he's shifted to.
He's looked at and talked about like a great cop all through the beginning, but suddenly towards the end there's all this self-doubt about how he got to be a cop and if he's really good enough. That came totally out of left field to me and wasn't connected to earlier guilt issues. The whole team looks to him like he's a leader through the whole story until it's plot convenient for them to think he's nuts with little seeming explanation. It makes no sense. And his PTSD, again until the end, really only seems to come into play when an excuse is needed for bad or irrational behavior.
It didn't feel psychologically realistic and if you're going to give your character a major psychological issue, I want it to be realistic.
And his connection and the snippet of back story for it with the bar tender of the Thirsty Gull just put Staal in even more a dubious light for me. It was also just another section of back story just kind of pushed in there that never came back into play and didn't seem to serve that much purpose.
The story didn't feel like anyone had read it for flow, making sure it all ran smoothly and consistently, or to make sure the same things weren't repeated over and over again unnecessarily. Usually you can get along with only telling the reader important things once or twice. Not multiple times.
I really, really wanted to like this story. I liked the premise, both of the plot and of Staal himself, and Potter's writing is competent though in need of streamlining and polish, but the execution over all just entirely lost me and I found the ending, and reaching the end of the story, rather unsatisfactory. I did manage to finish it, which does say something at least, and maybe I'm just a freak when it comes to what I look for in books and everyone else has it right. But, for me, I can't in good conscious give this book more than 2 Fireballs.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Review: "The Storm Within" by Hope Welsh
Title: The Storm Within
Author: Hope Welsh
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Kari Davis is on the run. Witness to a murder she's been framed for, she's got nowhere to go and no one to run to. When she is stranded in an Oklahoma blizzard, she discovers her guardian angel rescuer is more than she's bargained for. Is he her salvation or will Cade Williams be the source of her ultimate destruction? Danger is coming..."
Review: This book is kind of tough for me to determine a rating. I liked it, but I did have some problems with it.
It needed... more, for me. I realize the author has a note at the end that says she had originally planned a longer story but chose to go with a short story ultimately, and that's fine. I don't necessarily think it needed a lot more, but just more hints inserted earlier in the meeting of the characters to show later what she says they think/feel about the other.
For example, she writes that the Hero had wanted the Heroine perhaps since he first saw her, but when I read that first scene, I didn't get that from it. I would have liked more magnetism and just a few more hints, pieces of history and information here and there before they were suddenly coming together, and before he believes her story so entirely. Not that I don't think his belief was unreasonable, precisely, but just a little bit more for it.
Maybe more time on that part and a little less on how lost she is on the highway in the first sections might have worked, but that could just be me!
There was also a bit of head hopping that got a little tough.
Otherwise, though, I did like the basics of the story. The skeleton of it, you could say. Welsh is a decent writer and I liked the basics of the characters. I just wish there had been a little bit more of things earlier to make the later things make more sense, so I give this 3.5 Fireballs.
Author: Hope Welsh
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Kari Davis is on the run. Witness to a murder she's been framed for, she's got nowhere to go and no one to run to. When she is stranded in an Oklahoma blizzard, she discovers her guardian angel rescuer is more than she's bargained for. Is he her salvation or will Cade Williams be the source of her ultimate destruction? Danger is coming..."
Review: This book is kind of tough for me to determine a rating. I liked it, but I did have some problems with it.
It needed... more, for me. I realize the author has a note at the end that says she had originally planned a longer story but chose to go with a short story ultimately, and that's fine. I don't necessarily think it needed a lot more, but just more hints inserted earlier in the meeting of the characters to show later what she says they think/feel about the other.
For example, she writes that the Hero had wanted the Heroine perhaps since he first saw her, but when I read that first scene, I didn't get that from it. I would have liked more magnetism and just a few more hints, pieces of history and information here and there before they were suddenly coming together, and before he believes her story so entirely. Not that I don't think his belief was unreasonable, precisely, but just a little bit more for it.
Maybe more time on that part and a little less on how lost she is on the highway in the first sections might have worked, but that could just be me!
There was also a bit of head hopping that got a little tough.
Otherwise, though, I did like the basics of the story. The skeleton of it, you could say. Welsh is a decent writer and I liked the basics of the characters. I just wish there had been a little bit more of things earlier to make the later things make more sense, so I give this 3.5 Fireballs.
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