This is a YA Fantasy, following the plotline of the teenager who discovers she is not like all the other humans. In this case, it’s not all nicey-nicey like usual, because Brynn and her family are goblins. This is Book Two in the series, so the newness has worn off, and she is left to […]
“Love in Another Time” by Lexa Dudley
This is a two-part Romance, encompassing the parallel love stories of a grandmother and her granddaughter. The first part is the better section of the story, with good character development and entertaining setting descriptions. Part 2, in which the scene jumps two generations, seems a bit rushed. Instead of the slow, enjoyable filling in of […]
Sunlight on Venus” by John C. Sable
This is a well-thought-out Dystopian Fantasy that should scare the pants of everyone living on the planet right now. It predicts one possible ending for our present abuse of the environment and brings it home through two ordinary people trying to control their day-to-day lives as humanity comes to an end. It is the first […]
“Idriel’s Children” by Hayley Reese Chow
This novel is what I would call Epic Fantasy on a reduced scale. It has the same vast conflicts between races and realms and the same depth of metaphysics as the regulars of its genre, but the characters are restricted to a confined group, and the battles are smaller in proportion. Conflict exists at many […]
“Blood of the Ràej” by Hayley Rae Johnson
This is a Young Adult fantasy tale about a world where magic is held to a restricted level because of a history of repression by the Ràej, a dynasty of magical rulers. The main character, Terhese, is a secret descendent of the last king, with all sorts of forbidden magical talent she doesn’t even know […]
“Naida” by Scott Overton
Many novels start out with two main characters and two separate plotlines and run them parallel to each other until they merge to create a more complex whole. “Naida” is one of the more extreme examples of this technique, and it doesn’t quite work. The main story is about Michael, an ordinary guy who finds […]
“Ned Wakes Up” Short Stories by John Wells
This is a book that gives gentle pleasure, like sitting on a porch on a warm spring evening, listening to a favourite uncle ramble on. The tone of each tale is much the same: intimate, placid and entertaining. These stories are distinguished by incredible attention to detail. The settings are described lovingly, and the minutest […]
“Zombies for Everyone” by Kimberly Wylie
This book is advertised as a “YA Paranormal Cozy Mystery,” and it pretty well checks all the boxes. Like most Cozy Mysteries, it’s light on the blood, gore, and violence. As a Cozy Paranormal about vampires, it’s likewise light on the horror nastiness. The conflict is balanced nicely between the supernatural danger, the solving of […]
“Transcription” by Tyler Michael
This is a good attempt at an interesting Sci-Fi idea, but the writing flies in the face of too many tried-and-true writing conventions, and so the novel never really leads us into the world the author has created so meticulously. The first error is one I must admit I have committed in my own writing. […]
“Gods, Nukes and a whole lot of Nonsense” by Shirani Rajapakse
When you read these stories, you know they were written by a poet. I was immediately captivated by the settings, described in minute detail: shape, colour, sound and smell. Next I was drawn in by the characters. The intricate details of their lives and their families, friends and fellow workers. Finally, though, it is this […]