Tag Archives: 4-stars

Review: Jodi McIsaac – Through the Door

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Through the Door
Jodi McIsaac
Cedar, Eden and Maeve have lived a relatively uncomplicated existence up to this point, with the exception of Eden’s father running off and Cedar being left heartbroken… and then of course, Eden’s new abilities.

McIsaac has nicely captured the interplay of modern invention with old world magic. This is one of the best examples of urban fantasy I have read in a while. It’s a genre I should get into far more.

I would have loved to hear more from Eden’s perspective and also from Maeve. As befitting the first in a series there are a lot of things here that can be built upon in subsequent novels. There’s a lot to be said for foreshadowing and slow revelations though.
It’s very difficult for me to review this novel without spoilers. The things you think you know are true, or at least presume all is as it seems, it isn’t really. That being said, I’d like to know how the Druid gave up what she was for such a long period of time.
The action was enthralling, and you didn’t know what was going to happen next. Nothing was as straight forward as it seemed. And oh, the twist! The suspense! Arg! It seemed like every time they almost caught up, they were gone!
I’d hesitate here, and put it in teenage fiction and adult fiction. Teenage for sure, but sometimes it is difficult to say what would tickle an adult’s fancy. There is no erotic content, and the only things are heartbreak and suspense! Which every good reader is going to enjoy anyway.
I’m quite upset that it took me so long to get around to reading this novel. It was really enjoyable, and I’m really looking forward to the next in the series. I received this novel free from the Goodreads: Frist Reads program and the author went above and beyond to make sure I got a copy. This did not influence my review in any way, but I would recommend getting a copy of this book anyway – because it was a good read!

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Review: Michele T Villery, Tigris Eden and Riley Ross – Romantic Tales 2: Bedtime Stories

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Michele T Villery, Tigris Eden and Riley Ross

Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories

Welcome to Reading Addictions Blog Tour’s stop for ‘Romantic Tales 2: Bedtime Stories’.

Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories has a little of everything. From your everyday Contemporary Romance (The Getaway) To your Hot and Heavy Rockers turned Werewolves (Crave) and your Sci-Fi/Paranormal with Erotic overtones…. (The Genesis Project) Each Episode will entice its readers, draw them in. A quick Bedtime story before they dream, keeping them pleasantly satisfied while peaking their interests for next month’s installment. All for 99 cents. During the interim there will be previews of next month’s Episode…

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The official blurbs:

By Ty Langston: CRAVE

As a reporter for the Wakefield Post, Harper Erkstine has seen everything. From murders to robberies, all of her recent stories have ended with tragic consequences so great, that she began to question if she made the right career choice for herself.

While all of her friends were dating, or going to clubs, she was winning journalism awards for covering the latest drive-by shooting or a home invasion that cost someone she knew, their lives.

She loved her job, it was rewarding to be a crime solver and get to the truth of the matter. As much as she loved her job, but the hours of a Metro beat reporter began to descend her into burn out mode.

She craved balance. A break, a welcome distraction every now and then. She forgot what it was like to have fun, to take a breath, smell the roses.

Was it wrong to want a great career and to have some kind of a personal life? She couldn’t remember the last time she had a date or danced with someone from the opposite sex.
In the middle of working on a missing person’s story that has rocked her town to the core, Harper decides as a favor to her friend and colleague to do a feature on local an up and coming rock band, called ‘Crave.’

It was a break from her routine, but Harper soon discovers that this band may have ties to the missing person, not only does she question why, but she also finds there is more to this band than just their music.

By Tigris Eden: The Genesis Project

Old earth has been deemed unsuitable for life, New Earth is home. With the Uni-War over, races have joined together in order to sustain their way of life. All life was deemed worth saving, but only one race failed to submit. Humans.

Now extinct, humans are a thing of the past, or at least their way of life. The people of New Earth won’t acknowledge their hand in the human’s eradication, but they have benefited from it. Dr. Vaggo Blackmore has found the answer, he’s restored his races way of life- sustenance through farming. The one thing that will give them back their long lives….. Blood: human blood.

Biologically engineered in a lab, Genesis Blackmore has always been different. Her father has told her it’s due to her enhancements, the Federated Council sees her as a genetic mutation; and her fellow peers see her as the shiny new toy. Gen has had better days.

Everyone on New Earth has milky white skin, platinum blonde hair, and electric blue eyes. It’s the norm. Genesis’ glossy, black hair, ice blue eyes ringed by gold, would have almost made her socially acceptable- if it wasn’t for her honey, almond skin and blue, gold veins. In a sea of milky white she alone is the dark anomaly.

All Pars get their life’s nourishment through blood plasma. All Pars find their match through the tasting. Gen can do neither, forbidden by her father to do so. She can neither taste, nor be tasted. Something that’s never bothered her until now.

By Riley Ross: The Getaway

The Getaway isn’t your typical romance woman meets man of her dreams, loses him and then they get their happily ever after. It’s a romance story with hints of drama and plenty of comedy. Mike and Juliet have been dating for about four months. Juliet is madly in love with him but has never shared her feelings.

Mike hasn’t said those three magical words so she doesn’t even know if they are on the same page when it comes to their relationship. Mike takes Juliet on a two week vacation, so she can escape her family drama and stresses from her job. He has romantic surprises planned and there are several unexpected surprises for them both. How well do Mike and Juliet really know each other especially when an explosive secret from his past is revealed? Will their relationship survive a visit from his family and his ex-girlfriend? Will the secret destroy them or make them stronger as a couple? His mother has made it clear to everyone that she wants Mike back with his vile ex-girlfriend?

Will his mother sabotage her son’s relationship with Juliet? Juliet does have an ally in Mike’s father. Will Juliet fight for her love? Or will she let him go without exposing his mother for her dastardly schemes? How far will his mom go to ensure she gets what she wants for her son?

My review:

This is not normally my style of novel – I don’t go for the thigh clencher romances or short stories. But I’d read the first set and reviewed them here, and they weren’t so bad, so I thought I’d better go for the second episode.
This time the first short story was The Getaway. Although I wasn’t really going for the awkward tension that had to be radiating through that household  I was feeling a bit more for Juliet (a cliched name if I ever saw one). We get a bit more of her back story, and it’s very interesting to hear about her family.

Some of the text and dialogue feels a bit stilted to me still, but the emotion is there. This novel is no longer family safe – there’s some sexy action going on! Less sexy action than I was expecting actually. It doesn’t end on a cliff-hanger, but I’ve certainly been suckered into liking this ‘novel’ now.

Something I liked about CRAVE were the music references thro
ughout it. Most of them went over my head, but I do occasionally take recommendations about music to test out from novels. I can see myself doing that with this one – a sort of soundtrack to reading.

There’s too much focus on descriptions for me – the coffee drinking and the clothing are two striking examples. But that’s made up for me by the likeableness of Harper, and the genuine friendship you can feel between her and Ellen.

Chapter 5 felt like a bit of a recap of Chapters 1-4, which I needed, but if you were reading right through in one sitting you might not be as impressed with it taking up valuable space within the episode. Werewolves! And that’s all I’ll give you to draw you in to reading this one =p

I feel like I’m missing something because I’m not for the USA, some subtle undertones of some kind about slavery and so forth. I’m not racist, I believe everyone is basically on equal footing and it’s their actions that make them worthy or likeable. This short story seems to be suggesting some deeper thought is required for informed readers.

The Genesis Project is told from a different perspective for a bit this time before swapping back to Gen. It’s good, as long as you’re fine with poetic descriptions of breasts and shapely behinds. I love Gen! I want more of Gen! And I would consider waiting until this novel is completed, and then I’d possibly buy all the bits of The Genesis Project. I wanted more!

I’d recommend this book for adults only. It does come with a tag of erotica, and in this case that means explicit descriptions of sex and so forth.

I received this book free as part of a tour, but this has no way influenced my review.

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You can find out more about this series/magazine on the Facebook and BLOG.
 

About the Authors (and where to find them)


Tigris Eden: 

Author of Shadow Unit Series, 1st Book Enslaved In Shadows… I love all things books! Music
and much more! I write PNR, Contemp, SCI-FI, Erotic, and HORROR….. Yes I love the gore!
 
Currently working on Burned In Shadows… Due out sometime in January 2013.
 
There isn’t much to say about me truly… I am not that interesting… But I promise to make you laugh at least once!
 

 

Ty Langston: 

As a child, multi-published author Ty Langston loved to read about dragons and knights so
much that one day, her grandmother told her to “just write about them.”
So she did.
From that day forward, she never left home without her pen, a notebook, and some kind of
music playing in the background. Her love of reading expanded from fantasy into science fiction,
and eventually into paranormal romance and erotica.
She enjoys different works from George Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King, and Jackie
Collins. But some of Ty’s favorite writers are from the world of TV and film: namely, Tudors
creator Michael Hirst, and the late John Hughes.
Ty has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism along with a degree in Business Administration.
She is single and enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Riley Ross:

To date I haven’t published anything yet but I love to write wrestling fan fiction, romance and light erotica. I will be married for fifteen years this month to my best friend and Prince Charming all rolled into one. I am mommy to two Syberian Huskies.

Not sure if you like my opinion? Good thing this is a tour!

Review: Melissa McPhail – Cephrael’s Hand

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Cephrael’s Hand
Melissa McPhail

Welcome to Innovative Online Book Tours’ stop for ‘Cephrael’s Hand’.

This is a fantasy epic of the adult variety – thick, meaty reading that is excellent for Summer reading – the world within the book is an extension of our summers. Lots of characters to appeal to all readers, and lots of plot points to keep you satisfied and to keep reading.

The official blurb:

“All things are composed of patterns…” And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:
In Alorin…three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him…
In the kingdom of Dannym…the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord…
In the Nadori desert…tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them.

My review:

I was upset that I was reading a ebook copy, as although I dutifully read the table at the beginning that detailed all of the characters and the various terms, I couldn’t keep them all straight in my head when I started reading. Had this been a hard copy, I could have easily flicked back and forth. Nevertheless, the novel was very enjoyable – although as an epic I struggled to keep them all straight in my head!

I gravitated towards liking various characters from the beginning. Trell hit a note with me, as did Franco, even though it seemed as if Franco wasn’t all that he has put himself up to be as. It’s so difficult to discuss the characters in detail because so much is important to the plot. I didn’t like Ean, and he seemed like a bit of an idiot. Yes, noone knws what is going on with the strands, but then again, he doesn’t have to torment the poor young truth reader so!
For character development, I would have to give five stars for Trell’s development, and not quite so many for the other characters. If you’re looking for the interest here, it’s Trell. If you’re more of a plot person, you’ll want to follow the other characters more.
The descriptions was subtle, and the world building impressive. Although it was quite confusing at first, and I didn’t really know what was going on as a larger picture, I knew that the constellation of stars was probably shared by the people in the same world, and so that provided a grounding point for me. Sounds confusing? You’ll understand it when you read the novel.
I loved the tongue in cheek humour that peaked through in parts, and also the irony that became apparent as I continued to read. There were so many cases of mistaken identity and also the things that appeared to be something else. It’s quite masterful really, and it really reflects the style and ability of the author that she can keep all of these straight. On this first reading (I’m saying I might have to do a second to really appreciate it more), I didn’t pick up any inconsistencies.
This is a very heavy reading novel, and it took me quite a few tries to finish reading it. I’m glad I persisted though. I’m not saying the novel was bad in any way, but if you were looking for something to read in a weekend, this probably isn’t it. I’d also put this firmly in the adult category  although it could also be suitable for older teens (provided they don’t mind the odd sexual innuendo and hints).

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About the Author

Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. A long-time student of philosophy, she is passionate about the Fantasy genre because of its inherent philosophical explorations.

Ms. McPhail lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats. Cephrael’s Hand is the multiple awar
d-winning first novel in her series A Pattern of Shadow and Light.

You can find her at:

Website http://melissamcphail.com
Blog http://melissamcphail.com/blog
Facebook http://facebook.com/cephraelshand
Twitter @melissagmcphail
Goodreads http://goodreads.com/melissagmcphail


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Not sure if you like my opinion? Good thing this is a tour! You can look at some other reviews, guest posts and promos at each of these tour stops:

Review: Shannon Hale – The Goose Girl

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The Goose Girl
Shannon Hale
Ani is the Crown Princess, but she has some unusual talents that mean she doesn’t fit in with what her mother wants. Sent with her lady-in-waiting to the kingdom of Bayern, she encounters problems she wouldn’t have imagined.

Ani is a really likeable character. It’s not really her fault that as a child she didn’t understand what her mother wanted of her or that she has been given special gifts. Ani gets to be far more resourceful as the novel progresses, and is less self-centered. I think her high idea for the populace would be difficult to bring about in any practical sense, but at least she tried.
This novel is based on a fairytale, so most readers will have an idea of how the story turns out. My memory was a little sketchy, and I had completely forgotten about the outcome for the poor horse. It was obvious the first time that Geric was something more than he appeared.
It often takes something special to retell a story well while still adding some twists. The ending is particularly good – even if you know things will win out in the end, you wonder how that can possibly happen.
I’d place The Goose Girl firmly in the realm of teenage fiction/fantasy. Nothing too confronting, only a chaste kiss here and there. The tortures devised for poor Ani and for Selia aren’t exactly nice, but they aren’t explicitly described as they were in the original fairytale.
I got this novel for my birthday, but it was still a bit of a guilty read. It was very easy to read though, and didn’t take up all that much time at all. Knowing the audience it was aimed at, I wasn’t too critical and could just enjoy the retelling. There are more books in this series, and I think I would like to own and read them some time soon. I’m impressed by Hale – this is probably a comforting reread for me.

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Review: R.J. Hore: The Dark Lady (Review and Giveaway)

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R.J. Hore

The Dark Lady

Welcome to Reading Addictions Blog Tour’s stop for ‘The Dark Lady’.

Nefasti’s father has just died, and her three uncles are manoeuvring for the throne. She’s only 10, but she won’t let this get in the way of finding out who killed her beloved parents or becoming a good ruler, who perhaps can restore the beauty of her country.

The official blurb:

A young girl, Nefasti, wakes to discover her father, the King of the ancient kingdom of Vadio, has been poisoned and her mother, the Queen, is near death, leaving her the sole heir to the crown. Princess Nefasti has three uncles who feel otherwise. Two uncles believe the solution to controlling the kingdom is to betroth her to one of their sons, the third thinks that by marrying her himself he will secure the crown. To compound Nefasti’s problems, Vadio is surrounded by three hostile kingdoms, the remnants of the days when Vadio ruled most of the known world. These kingdoms plot to take control, whether through an arranged marriage, or war, or by whatever manner they can.
Princess Nefasti has two main goals, to survive, and to discover who is responsible for the death of her parents. Surrounded on all sides by plots, in order to save her life, is she destined to the side of darkness, or is she simply a misunderstood child? She must find allies and use her wits while trying to hold on to the throne. If I had to look at what prompted the idea for this novel, it was first wondering how certain individuals in fiction or history obtain their reputation, and second, looking at the life of Queen Elizabeth the First as a young girl in a precarious position surrounded by scheming nobles.

My review:

The Dark Lady initially drew me in due to the title. As I continued reading though, it took me a bit to realise that the Dark Lady must be Nefasti. Duh! Of course she is, who else would it be?

13484094The names of the characters are a little strange in my opinion. Nefasti reminds me of Egyptian culture, while some of the others seemed European or a play on words (like some of the ambassadors!) I appreciate the difficulty in making unique character names, and I think Hore has done a good job. I had trouble remembering which ambassador belonged to each prince, so it was definitely a good thing that Hore kept reminding me in the first half of the novel.

The beginning of each chapter is a little paragraph from the nurse’s perspective that relates intimately to Nefasti’s behaviour in the following text. Each of these is a reasonable explanation for events without the intervention of magic. I felt like the fantasy was explained, yet there was more than met the eye. As the novel progresses, these become more and more cryptic.

Medieval fantasy. I was mistakenly reading this as historical fantasy. Therefore I’m not surprised that I didn’t recognise any of the manoeuvring or the geography as history. It took me a bit to realise this again as well.

Nefasti is remarkably composed for a 10 year old. There were a couple of inconsistencies if you believed that it was her father’s death that made her into a miniature adult instead of her being that way before, but other than that she composes herself just as you would hope. I just couldn’t feel her as a character, despite it being told from her perspective. There was hardly any inner awareness, which is something I really go for.

This book was marketed as an epic fantasy, or at least I thought it was. Now, currently I’m also reading another epic fantasy for a review next month, and I thought that the definition of an epic fantasy was that they were around 800 pages or more. Two other examples I’ve read this year are Kushiel’s Dart and Eirelan. Imagine my surprise that when I opened this novel up on my Kobo, I found that it had only around 300 pages. I was relieved actually, as I felt like I otherwise would feel rushed to read the book and wouldn’t enjoy it as much.

I’m not sure this is a reread for me. I would probably give it three stars – I liked it enough to enjoy reading it, but the dialogue felt a little stilted in parts (perhaps as part of Nefasti’s character). Perhaps I have been spoiled lately. I think it’s a very respectable medieval fantasy novel for those who enjoy fantasy in general.

The novel’s ending left me a little underwhelmed. I didn’t really feel the buildup until the last 50 pages or so, and then it seemed like everything happened at once. Nefasti certainly got her feet under her quickly enough. It seems like maybe this should have a sequel, because the epilogue was also rather cryptic!

I’d recommend this book for teenagers and adults. Although there are some adult themes (read: skimmed over sex scenes), they are understated and actually add to the novel.

I received this book free as part of a tour, but this has no way influenced my review.

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Champagne Books or Burst Books4star

About the Author

A reader of genre fiction since a very early age, got down to serious attempts at writing over thirty years ago, although employment kept getting in the way. I did write a considerable amount of non-fiction during my business career, enough to be listed as a professional writer by the Canadian Authors Association.
 Hobbies include trying to keep on the good side of my wife, keeping track of my children and grandchildren, and wrestling the blasted cat off of the keyboard. In my diminishing spare time I sail on Lake Winnipeg and try not to get lost.
 My writing history includes: Winning first prize in a National Canadian Authors short story contest (a romantic ghost story) and having that published in an anthology, and having a modern vampire tale published in an anthology that seems to be doing quite well.
 A current member of three writing organizations, for several years I was in charge of the judging for a national Canadian history book contest, and chaired a writer’s workshop in Winnipeg that self-published an anthology, including three of my pieces: a sci fi piece, an attempt at an epic poem, and a true tale of how I almost drowned my brother and his wife in a storm the first year I owned a sailboat.
 I currently review science fiction and fantasy genre novels and anthologies for an on-line magazine aimed primarily at school libraries. I’m losing track, but I have done somewhere over 60 reviews so far.
 In 20I0 I co-authored a non fiction history: “The Rotary Club of Winnipeg-100 Years of Service”.
 Through BURST Books, writing as R.J.Hore, I have a medieval fantasy tale of murder and intrigue entitled “The Dark Lady” that came out in February 2012 and a fantasy detective story scheduled for December 2012 called “Housetrap”. Housetrap is designed as the first in a series of novellas; I have three others in the set already completed, but not scheduled, as of this date: “Dial M for Mudder,” “The House on Hollow Hill,” and “Hounds of Basalt Ville.” Already scheduled for publication, I have a novella “Knight’s Bridge” another medieval tale arriving in March 2013, and a full length novel, again a medieval fantasy, working title “Pawn, Queen, Checkmate,” coming out in April 2013.
 And of course, I also have a large stack of completed manuscripts in various stages ranging from a “What If” — the North Americans discovered Europe first, set in 1215AD – to a contemporary bickering married couple swept away to an alterative universe, or a futuristic tale of a lady archeologist set in outer space.

You can find him at:

Website http://www.ronaldhore.com/
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/RonaldJHore

Not sure if you like my opinion? Good thing this is a tour! You can look at some other reviews at:

Review: D.L. Snow – Thief of Hearts: Wanted

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Thief of Hearts: Wanted
D.L. Snow
Despoiled before her wedding night, Zaina is on a quest for revenge. It all seems pretty simple really – trace her steps homeward and kill the horrible cad. Nothing is as it seems though, and nothing will make it easy for her to achieve her goals.
This novel was very short, and ended on a cliffhanger as far as I’m concerned. Apparently this is quite common of free Amazon books, as the authors are trying to sucker you in to buy the other books.
Even the first chapter is a cliffhanger! Definetly drew me into the story – I thought it was going to be a bit like some of the other genres I love, but turned out to be something entirely different. This book naturally appealed to me because I like novels that include a strong female protagonist. The crossdressing was awesome, and in tune with the rest of the world building. Reminds me a bit of Tallow in a way actually, particularly with the later sex scene.
The perspective changed between Hood and Little John were seamless. It was an easy read, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. After all the heavy reading and reviewing I have been doing for the tour companies I am part of, it was a relief to read something simple and unassuming, yet with enoughtplot points to keep me interested.
The dragons in this are evil. Well, we think they’re evil. But we don’t really know. Surely Cahill is a cad? But then, it looks like it might not be. A novel filled with healthy uncertainty and things not being as they appear. I think this concept is executed really well, and the language is lovely.
I should mention that this novel does have a bit of a queer theme, and it is portrayed in a positive light. For me, that’s a bonus, for others it might be detrimental (though it really shouldn’t be – homosexuality is not a crime).
It’s a bit of a mix of fairytale traditions really, especially when I consider the other books in the series (which I don’t own, but would consider buying if on special). Hood and his sheriff, and what they do, is definetly based on the tale of Robin Hood. It’s also mixed with Snow White, except it’s a whole town of dwarves, not just a couple. I liked it because it’s an adult rendition of all those other fairytale stories that have been going on at the moment in the YA area.
Although I was considering this book as suitable for adults and teenagers, it does contain some explicit sex scenes later in the novel that would make it only suitable for adults and mature teens.

Find it on:
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I ‘bought’ this book when it was free on Amazon, but this hasn’t influenced my views.
You can get Thief of Hearts: Wanted for FREE! from Amazon.

Review: Karen Brooks – Votive

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Votive
Karen Brooks
Tarlo has given up candle-making in favour of being a courtesan. She’s a courtesan with a difference though, and her candles still have a role to play. Masked, she is able to travel the high society of Serenissima without fear – but also without feeling. Why oh why had she ever gotten herself into this mess? Tarlo can trust even fewer people than before.
8555202Most of this novel feels like the focus is actually away from Tarlo as she shuts herself off from the world after her brutal induction into the practices of a courtesan. Dante, Katina, Santo, the ambassator and others get a chance to speak up, and I think it adds depth to the novel that perhaps was more understated in the first book.
This novel could almost stand-alone from Tallow, although of course I would recommend reading both of them and in order. There is plenty of background information fed to the reader in a convincing way.
One of the few things that irked me about this novel was the front cover (see left). Tarlo’s eyes are what distinguish her from ordinary people, and presumably that is her on the cover – but her eyes aren’t silver pools! Also from the description after she alters her eyes, I still felt like they were a little more noticeable than they appear to be in this novel.
Compared to Tallow, this novel is filled with ‘authentic’ language. I didn’t feel the need to consult the glossary at any point (although one is handily put in at the end of the novel) to decipher what the characters were saying, because the context almost always made it clear.
Having read a couple of shocking novels lately, and wondering why I didn’t enjoy them, I tried to be really constructive and critical in the way I read this book. I think a distinguishing feature is that the descriptions of thigns don’t seem forced – they are natural in the way that Tarlo and the other characters speek.
This novel is surprisingly depressing. I found myself very sad about what Tarlo found herself doing, and also the horrible things that happen to Dante and Katina. The injustices done to the housemaid also are quite horrifying. Don’t let that put you off though, because there is always someone watching who might be able to make a difference in lives when you least expect it.
I sped my way through this novel, despite knowing that I couldn’t read the last book until I went home for the weekend. The ending was really compelling, and I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it. It was utterly satisfying, and I even felt as if the ending was a good conclusion that wasn’t too much of a cliffhanger (so waiting until the weekend to read Illumination wasn’t complete torture!).
I’d recommend this novel for adults and teens. It’s a fantastic, relatively easy read that any fantasy lover will enjoy. I think it is also a good novel for history lovers, and could appeal to a really wide range of readers (perhaps even romance readers??).

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Review: Liam O’Shiel – Eirelan

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Eirelan
Liam O’Shiel

Eirelan is a land under constant attack. Wartime has forced thoughts of the family behind battle plans and wounds with no ending in sight. The characters battle for their survival with no real sense of the future being any brighter. This novel documents how the scales begin to tip, and life is even more on a dagger’s edge.

13173379The perspective changes in the first couple of chapters gave me unhappy feelings – I like to follow one character, or perhaps two, all the way through the novel otherwise I get confused about their names (I do this in real life too). O’Shiel managed it very well, and despite swapping between the characters, I felt like I was getting to know them well and I could keep track of which was which with ease.

I struggled to get a full picture of the novel’s contents. It wasn’t clear to me why Eirelan was being invaded in the first place. The first 200 or so pages built for me an image of a series of ever lasting battles, and an impending final push, but I didn’t see why that was happening. I couldn’t understand why they were fighting, or it was that I didn’t care? I didn’t get a bigger picture, a sense of climax, just a series of small battles which all were destroying the characters’ souls. The dreams that each of the characters had were neatly slipped into the text though. This all improved in the second half of the novel, and I couldn’t put it down.

The dialogue often seemed stilted and artificial, as did some of the scenery descriptions. There were also several instances where I noted far too much listing! At the same time though, the information about how a ship works, and the log entries and so forth were valuable and I enjoyed reading them.

I haven’t really decided how I feel about chapters starting with little quotes/notes/diary entries since I read the ‘Quantum Physics’ book which completely put my off quotes. The diary entries and things work well here though, because often it provides a concrete link between the two flanking chapters. That grounding helped with the perspective changes.

Conor is obsessed with his dream of the cottage and children. I can understand it, but I’m not sure why he feels compelled to bring it up with everyone he meets. Things in Marien’s past are hinted at slowly and subtly, and I really felt like I was guessing correctly – a bit of mystery was good all the way through.

I liked the undertones of Mairin and Conor’s relationship, and the swift decisions that must be made in wartime. It all seemed a little incestuous really because everyone seemed to have known each other for an age before they became partners. That wasn’t a negative for me at all because it made it easier for me to keep track of them.

A sign that I loved this book was that by the time I was nearing the last 200 pages or so I was dreading getting to the end because I loved the characters so much. Why did some of them have to die? Ah yes, the battle scenes were excellent, even though the perspective changed a fair bit there too, and I really wanted to skip ahead to find out what was going to happen next for that particular character.

There are deeper themes in this book too, the endless cycle of war and peace that even our current world seems unable to let go of. It seems to be human nature – but what this novel tries to point out is that we are all humans, and we all are essentially the same when it comes to having families and loving eachother.

I usually love Celtic/Gaelic literature, and I wasn’t disappointed by this novel despite a couple of nit-picky things I have mentioned (as always, I find it easier to comment on the bad rather than the good). It was one of the few Goodreads: First Reads books that I had marked as to-read before I even knew I had won it. I was super excited to receive it in the mail and set about reading it right there and then. It has caused me to neglect other things I should be doing – a sign that it’s a good one!

I’ve marked this book as both fantasy and historical fiction. I don’t think it’s strictly either – although it is  not obvious til the second half of the book, it is set in the future (if I missed it in the first half, it was because I was too engrossed in the characters). Fantasy to me involves magic and impossible things – something that this novel lacks. But then again, it’s not really historical fiction (as far as my limited knowledge tells me), because of the women being allowed to fight (it seems like all of the women are on ships or are Bows) and having political roles. Eirelan sounds almost exactly like Ireland! And at one point, there is a map shown to Marien which has England and other ‘real’ countries on it.

I’d likely recommend this book for adults and teens who like Celtic/Gaelic fiction and enjoy a good battle scene. For some reason it feels to me like a teenage book, but the descriptions of violence make me suggest it is for older teens. I guess there is not as much depth as I expect for a purely adult book, although it is certainly thick enough to be one at almost 800 pages.

4.5 stars from me (from Goodreads) and I can’t wait to read the second novel in this series. Earlier reviews have complained of typos in the kindle copy, the majority of those have been ironed out in my beautiful hard copy with creamy pages.

I received this book to review through the Goodreads: First Reads program, but I was not compensated in any other way to write a positive review. All opinions are my own and unbiased despite receiving a free book.

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The author, Liam O’Shiel, talking about Eirelan

Six months of writing a doctoral dissertation left me desperate to write something for fun. I’d written science fiction on and off for many years and so got started on a science fiction novel set in the future. Then something unusual happened: the story evolved to one set in the chronological future . . . but in the technological past. Not a “nuclear holocaust” tale, but rather a story much further into the future, at a time when nuclear weapons and nearly all the high technology of our own time has faded away. Global warming has given way to the Earth’s natural cooling cycle: an Ice Age approaches in Europe. In the British Isles and Brittany, Gaelic-speaking cultures have survived and even thrived for nearly 1,000 years and now are faced with destruction. Cold brings want, want breeds desperation, desperation spawns violence. The people at the center of “Eirelan” are struggling to survive, yes, but why? Not just to stay alive themselves. They seek to preserve for their children and grandchildren a world of music, poetry, art, craft, and spiritual values, in a word, their heritage passed down through the centuries. Conor and Mairin and Feth and Sean and all the rest, while very different as individuals, yearn for a time of peace and security for those who will come after them. “Eirelan” is their story and to be truthful, it feels as if they told their story to me and I wrote it down. I live part-time in their world, more threatening in some ways than ours, yet more rewarding in some ways too. If you enter their world, I hope you will find it welcoming and exciting. I am continuing to write this saga, whose ending I do not yet know.

Review: A.J. Conway – My Nova

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My Nova
A.J. Conway
Dean Craver has never liked technology. The invention of ‘the Youth’ only serves to prove him right. Dean has to follow a non-nonsensical poem to try and work out what’s going on, but really he has no idea (nor does anyone else on the planet). My Nova is a sci-fi novel.
14421741Read on for my review, scroll down for some words from the author!
I have to admit that the front cover with its neat like poem form thing put me off reading the book. I didn’t understand what it was. It was not until I had read about half the book before I realised the significance of the front cover – indeed it was still a little confusing. But that was the point!
I turned to the first page of the story and was instantly rather confused. My first thought was ‘uh oh, I don’t think I’m going to like this book, I hope it’s not going to be a drag to read’. I then proceeded to get somewhat irritated with the author for using ‘rather’ a million time!
After that slow start, the storyline picked up. I’d say the first 50 or so pages didn’t do anything for me, but then I really got into the story as the action started happening. Indeed, I found it difficult to put down.
The idea of ‘the Youth’ sounded like a totally good idea /sarcasm/. It reminded me a bit of I-Robot, and a little of George Orwell’s 1984 in the potential that these ‘Young’ had to spy on their ‘parents’. The various equipment used to keep the elderly alive reminded me of the movie The Island as well. This novel is not a summation of those things though, the elements Conway has used have been blended into a different whole.
I’m sort of glad that this is a stand-alone book. If it was a trilogy, I would feel more like Dean might survive against all the odds, and I would feel less tension about the situations he finds himself in. Instead, I was compelled to keep reading because I thought he was going to die and lose Nova! Arg! It was gripping to the very end, and in the last 100 or so pages I had trouble concentrating on other things.

I was very unhappy with the ending though. It suddenly felt like the author had stopped editing her work, and that she had forgotten that Nova could talk. Well, that’s the way it read anyway. It was all too neat and dandy, and if some of those circumstances were true, then where the hell were they while the USA was going under? Take my advice, just stop reading it after that final showdown and you’ll feel much more satisfied.

I enjoyed the novel after my initial reservations. Dean was really quite a likeable character, although I felt like a little more background would have been nice. Those darn Carnies! Who would have thought drugging and drinking could lead to such a colourful end?
I found it interesting that the novel was set mainly in New Orleans. Coincidence that they had horrible floods when the levies broke there a couple of years ago? Perhaps. Conway is an Australian author, but I decided to just take her word for it that that was the way the police system and such worked. I can understand why she didn’t set it in Australia – we have too much wide open space for this to actually occur. I did feel a little confused as to whether the rest of the world still existed, and whether the moon mission was acceptable to all of them.
There are a couple of editing niggles that I picked up while reading – they might not bother other people, but they almost always throw me out of reading. There were some incorrect tenses, a couple of ‘it’s’ where there should have been ‘its’ and some typos. I would imagine that these will be improve if a second edition was printed.  All in all, pretty typical of a privately published novel, although editing in professional houses has become far less strict in recent days, much to my dismay.
It’s not clear to me why some technologies are functioning and others aren’t. The things that have artificial intelligence, such as the Youth and the robot digesters are still working, yet none of the other technology is. Perhaps because they were plugged into one main power source, and the Youth are separate entities? This is explained a little more later in the book, but I still felt confused.
I would have liked to see more deadline times for Dean, such as some brief statistics for how long he could survive without dialysis, even with charcoal tablets. As it was, that part of the novel created a impending sense of urgncy – Dean, the one guy who seems to have any chance of stopping the invasion, is dying by slow, vomiting inches. This bit was no doubt informed by Conway’s medical background.
I think it’s a little far to call this ‘the thinking person’s literature’. Yes, it’s a good read, but I wouldn’t have said it was good enough to replace a classic piece of literature like 1984 for apocalyptic scenarios. It’s an enjoyable read to be sure, but probably not a reread for me.
I’d recommend this book for adults, and teenagers. There is a fair bit of foul language, which I think just serves to remind the reader that this novel is a possible outcome of the way our society is developing. There also a large amount of wanton violence against robots and humans alike, so if you don’t like that, perhaps don’t read this book.

I received a free copy in return for an honest review, and was not monetarily compensated in any way for my time. My opinion has not been altered in any way by the provision of this free copy, or any of the correspondence I exchanged with the author.

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Or from the author’s website4star

The writer, AJ Conway, talking about  My Nova

 ‘My Nova’ was the first novel I ever wrote, originally thought up when I was 13. Eight years later and it still contains those fundamental child-like aspects of sci-fi that we all love: the grey, lifeless future, the narrowing of human contact with one another, and the god complex Mankind develops in response to artificial intelligent design. Despite reviews that place ‘My Nova’ on the same shelf as ‘I, Robot’ or Speilburg’s ‘AI’, its original inspiration was actually from the classic, ‘The Time Machine’, and a brief scene where the Moon was blown apart.

Review: Cassandra Webb – Life

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Life. Family. Magic.
Cassandra Webb
Kemia is a caring, if somewhat unexperienced young woman. At 16, she seems like she still has a child’s imagination, but the ability to hear others’ thoughts sets her apart from most of her adopted family. Faced with the threat of starvation if she doesn’t hunt and go to the town, the other option might be dreaded marriage.

Read on for my review, scroll on down for some words from the author!

The first chapter packs a powerful message, and introduces me to the character in a great way. I felt immediately drawn into the storyline – I wanted to know if Kemia had family, or if she was hunting by herself, and why she had these urges to save small children at the threat of losing her own life. It also introduces the system of magic well – Armoured Dragons that can kill with a sound. I loved this idea of dragons, and I was drawn to the fact that it was the dragon’s song which was dangerous.

I was worried that this story would disappoint me, but I found myself pleasantly surprised. The world building the author has put in, and the time she has obviously spent on this project is great. Webb has young children, and it reads into the text nicely. I tend to pick up how accurate a relationship the author has with children (although I’ve been wrong before) because sometimes the things expected of children in novels is unrealistic.
The dialogue was a little stilted for me, but I imagine that the later chapters and later drafts will improve this novel. Also, the details of the knife jolted me out of the narrative. I appreciated that the author wanted to get its importance across, but it just seemed awkward after the human contact that had just been displayed. I wasn’t convinced by the introduction to the marriage storyline. For some reason the dialogue there just felt stilted, and I felt like more could have been done with it.
Webb is good at grabbing the reader’s attention back though, as evidenced by my Ah moment! I was just thinking to myself, how inappropriate for Kemia to consider a haircut, and then her ma picks it up too! I wondered almost immediately whether Kemia was also able to do this, and the author didn’t keep me waiting to guess.
I didn’t know why there was a chapter titled ‘Bonus material’. I think it could have fitted in nicely into the end of Chapter 1, or as Chapter 2. I don’t always read bonuses, and so if I hadn’t in this case I could have missed out on something that gave me more insight into Kemia’s relationships with the other characters.
I did not like the way each sentence had its own line, or almost. I appreciated that it broke up the somewhat stream-of-counciousness narrative style, which can be overwhelming in large clumps of text. Also the format of publishing online can often be disruptive, and laying things out with lots of ‘blank space’ is a good thing.

There was a little much ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’, but again I have hope that Webb will improve as the novel goes on. It is just so hard to get a good impression from a couple of chapters! I did fine myself at the end of Chapter 4 and thinking ‘Oh no, that’s it for another week!’

I got off on both a good foot and a bad foot for this novel. I was requested by the author to review her book, so that was exciting. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the excitement of someone actually asking me to read books for pleasure! The bad thing was that when I went to the Blurb of the book, I found it a little fragmented and I got confused about what the story was actually about. The good thing about this being an online book means that it is easy for the author to fix that! She has also recently updated the page.
I don’t know whether I will keep reading this novel past the first couple of chapters, as I’ve never been particularly good at remembering to check. I do use GoogleReader religiously now to keep up with all the other reviewing blogs (and some makeup/nail art blogs) so it might have a chance. Not necessarily though, as I like to read my novels in a big hit. I find it useful to keep a novel on my laptop in order to read it wherever I am though, and without having the foresight to open the page before travelling, it isn’t possible with this novel. It is certainly not a critique of Webb’s writing.
I’d recommend this book for older children and teens at this stage. Unless the later (unpublished) chapters contain huge amounts of sex and violence, I don’t think this will change. I don’t think there was anything particularly contentious – just a good, easy read.
I was asked by the author to review this book, but I have not received any monetary compensation, or had her opinion influence the review I have given in any way.

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This book is available freely online at Life. Family. Magic.4star

The writer, Cassandra Webb, talking about seeing ourselves in fiction.

If I could be any character from any book I would like to be Miles Tuck, from Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting. Simply because he has not only immortality but a desire to really exist, not just linger, in the world. This is exactly what I would do if I discovered I was immortal.
In ‘Life’ the characters unfortunately aren’t immortal, and there is such a range of personalities. Some days I wish I had Ysabel’s silk touch but mostly I feel rough around the edges like young Tadhgh. I asked a few friends and family members who they consider me to be similar to and was grateful no one suggested the soul crashing slave trader, Zakkai.
But that got me thinking. Maybe when we read a book and we see a little of ourselves here and there in the characters it is a good indication that we know ourselves, we are self aware. What if the most important thing when, diving head first into fictional worlds, isn’t our self awareness, but finding characters that lift us up higher. Chara
cters that slip into our dreams, that know just the right words to say in those wrong moments, that make us laugh and cry and love.
If this is the case, and I could swallow the Warlock Slaman’s magical concoction and slip into Kemla’s world just for a day, then I would most like to be carefree, fun loving, trickster, Adah. I’d love to spend a day hunting, bettering my skills and playing tricks on my siblings without a hint of worry about the dangers in life. And without having to think about any of the everyday worries that we all have in the real world.
Which character is your all time favourite and if you have begun reading ‘Life’ which character would you trade places with for a day?