I had misgivings about reviewing this novel because of the roughness of the manuscript. However, the Reedsy organization has presented it to me as being worthy of a review, and so I will give it one. This is a sweet, feel-good story of the softest of YA Science Fiction, typified by a complete absence of […]
“Immortal Gifts” by Katherine Villyard
One way to ensure a lively novel is to pick two conflicting cultures and force them together. If you want to make it especially enthralling, have them manifest inside the same person. It turns out that vampirism and Judaism are a complete mismatch. It seems that the Jewish religion has all sorts of taboos about […]
“Immortal Gifts” by Katherine Villyard
One way to ensure a lively novel is to pick two conflicting cultures and force them together. If you want to make it especially enthralling, have them manifest inside the same person. It turns out that vampirism and Judaism are a complete mismatch. It seems that the Jewish religion has all sorts of taboos about […]
“Your Complete Guide to Dog Training” by Dan Ross
This How-To book is not a standalone. It is part of a training platform that is larger in scope, including personal lessons, a YouTube channel, a video library (at a cost) and Instagram and Facebook pages. The first few chapters cover the broader picture: the philosophical part. A valuable bit of advice from the start […]
“The Prophesied” by M. C. diFranco
This is a YA Fantasy novel that will probably appeal to a rather narrow readership. There is not enough external action for many readers, and the bulk of the conflict is interpersonal or internal. For the first part of the book, the plotline holds its own, with good physical conflict, balanced by the usual […]
“Ether Realms: Saving Korvath” by Latrell Veal
I recently had an online conversation with some fellow professional editors, worrying about how to help a writer who had two separate points of view in his book, both of them first person. In other words, the story was all in “I” pronoun, but in alternating chapters the “I” switched to the other person. One […]
“Imperiled” by Alexander Hans Schmitt with Vonnie Gene Schmitt
I wanted to like this book, because this author displays obvious talent. However, I was distracted by a lack of cohesion in general. The intended readership would probably not be affected by this situation, so you can take this review with a grain of salt. This is a highly technical Space Opera of the type […]
“The Cracked Slipper” by Stephanie Alexander
“Fractured Fairy Tales” is a genre all its own, and a tough market to succeed in. The technique this author uses successfully is to start with the fairy tale, but segue into another Fantasy style that will add to the thematic clout of the original. So, the opening introduction of characters, setting, and adapted plotline […]
“Tracer” by David Graham
This is a standard Sci-Fi epic action adventure, concerned with galactic politics and the sweep of history. It also explores serious themes of the responsibilities of leadership. From the first paragraph, there is warning of problems to come. The awkward structure “…amazed at just how good of a pilot she really was…” is immediately followed […]
“Beneath Far Skies” by F. C. Filips
This is a fun Young Adult Fantasy Quest novel which needs polishing to clean up a rough writing style. First, the positives. This tale has great characters. They are individualistic, quirky and empathetic. Not necessarily the sort of people you’d want to take on a long quest, but an entertaining bunch to hang with for […]