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 […]
“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 […]
“The Cautionary Tales: Reimagined Nursery Rhymes for a Post-Trump World” by Linus Bryn
Nursery rhymes are famous for their hidden political commentary, so making parodies of them would seem to be a fine source for ironic humour. Enter the Post-Trump World. This looks like a kid’s book of rhymes, and the best part of it is the polished, professional and creative artwork. The best use of parody is […]
“A Lullaby in the Desert” by Mojgan Azar
For those of us used to the story of Middle Eastern refugees when they arrive in Europe and the problems they experience and cause, this story is fascinating because it shows the opposite end of the story: where they started. This novel is at its best in its description of the life of a displaced […]
“The Smuggler’s Daughter” by Claire Matturro
There are two kinds of detective novels. The first is a detective novel that gives us a bit of the soap opera of the detective’s life to add flavour to the story. The second is a soap opera that uses the detective story for the same purpose. This book is a strange combination of the […]