Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: The Reaper (The Children of Wisdom Book 2) by Stephanie Erickson

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The Reaper (The Children of Wisdom Book 2) by Stephanie Erickson

A Fiction Novel that will be published (03/06/2016)

Summary:

“We only fail if we give up.” (Kindle Location 2005).

Penn is back, but it is Michaela the Reaper who tells the story in this second installment of the Children of Fate. The “surprises” that have shown up on the Reaper’s lists for weeks now, keep on coming. Who is cutting lives short? Michaela found these surprise souls in a limbo prison in hell and not in heaven where they belong. She can’t fix this by herself, so she gets Penn and the other Fates to help her get to the bottom of the mystery. Is it too late to save these souls? Will there be more lives cut short? Who is to blame? Why isn’t G-d doing something about it?

Keywords:

Fate, Life, Death, Order, Chaos, God, Humans, Immortals, Banishment, Punishment, Love, Love Sick, Friendship, Heaven, Earth, Hell, Tough Choices, Tapestry of Life, Demons, Escape

My Review:

The Reaper continues where The Fate left off, but through the eyes of Michaela and not of Penn. The cliffhanger and less than satisfying ending in The Fate is replicated in book two. Loose threads were not tied up, but they are beginning to unravel to their tips. We get more of the story behind the main love story found in book one.

The end of the Reaper is like that of a serial episode and not like that of a full novel. The cliffhanger is more abrupt. The final scene is more abrupt. The pacing of this overall series is not predictable. I would have liked to see the Children of Wisdom not as multiple books, but as serials or one book.

I like how Stephanie Erickson shows us heaven, hell, and the places in between. The worldbuilding is just enough to show us everything the characters see and know and feel. I also love her ‘rules’ for the Fates and the various types of people who live and work in this afterlife (beforelife?). Demons are not to be trusted. Reapers are compassionate. Fates can work wonders with their hands.

Overall it was a fun book and I look forward to reading the third book in this series.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author and this is an honest review.

This novel will be published 03/05/2016 and will be available on Amazon.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Stephanie Erickson’s Website

Book Review: Bound to Ashes (The Altered Sequence Book 1)

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The Fate (The Children of Wisdom Book 1) by Stephanie Erickson

A Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (07/21/2015)

Summary:

“I mean ‘apocalypse’, of course, but I hate using that term. It seems too impassable, too big. A ‘collapse’ you can recover from.” (Page 36).

Alessandra is only human, but she knows that to survive in this collapsed world, she will have to find a way into the Ecodome her father created. The only problem: it’s automated security system. System security is not the only issue that stands in the way of Aless and her friends’ survival. The only way in is to make friends with the genetically altered super soldiers who were never meant to be alive and could kill a human with their thumbs. What does Aless have to offer them to get them to help her and how does she really know so much about these Altereds in the first place?

Keywords:

Super soldiers, Collapse, Dystopian, Apocalypse, Disease, New Life, Ecodome, Advanced Technology, Warfare, Genetically Altered, Fighting, Death, Destruction, Survival, Loyalty, Trust, Family, Friendships

My Review:

Bound to Ashes is told from multiple points of view. The many characters that trade off telling the story really give the story more breadth since each POV is from first person, from the point of view of the character. The story is rich from each perspective.

As dystopian literature goes, Bound to Ashes is well told and a unique twist on the common dystopian stories and subplots. If you enjoyed the Maze Runner books, especially the Scorch Trials, by James Dashner, you will love this book. Bound to Ashes is everything I wish Maze Runner was. Bound to Ashes has the action and adventure and fighting to survive. It has the harsh world and the need for friendships. It has the fight to get out and the fight to find a better life. It also has a balance of genders that Maze Runner never did. Bound to Ashes also has a more realistic explanation for the collapse and a less stereotypical world the characters live in.

The only letdown in this book was Heydrich. He became a stereotype, but this didn’t detract from the book and only became a disappointment to me toward the end of the book. The rest of the characters were well written and had different personalities and back stories.

As genetically altereds go, this book had a great variety. They were unique in their abilities and Cromwell gave them faults as well as limitations to their powers. I loved seeing the interactions between the super soldiers and the humans.

I look forward to book two in the series, even though the author expertly ended book one. Everything that needed to be tied up and concluded was finished, even though there is much more to tell of this collapsed world.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 07/21/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Maranda Cromwell’s website

Book Review: The Fate (The Children of Wisdom Book 1) by Stephanie Erickson

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The Fate (The Children of Wisdom Book 1) by Stephanie Erickson

A Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (11/22/2015)

Summary:

Penn is the first male Fate, the spinner of lives, a creator of life according to instructions from G-. Penn is the best spinner, one of three fates who create life and decide how long a life will be and how death will come. Penn has been spinning for decades until he creates the shiniest thread of them all, Kismet, and his entire world and everything he knows comes to a halt. He cannot create like he used to when all his thoughts are distracted by Kismet. She is everything. When Penn makes a mistake, he is banished to earth forever. Is this a true punishment when he can finally meet the real Kismet, or is there something more at work that Penn doesn’t yet know?

Keywords:

Fate, Life, Death, Order, Chaos, God, Humans, Immortals, Banishment, Punishment, Love, Love Sick, Friendship, Taylor, Creation, Heaven, Earth, Tough Choices, Tapestry of Life

My Review:

The Fate was a fun story told from an interesting perspective, that of only male spinner and molder of life, a Fate. Even though this story is told from “Heaven” and there are glimpses of God, the Fate is not a religious story. The Fate is a love story.

Penn’s story is a simple story that is complicated by a love he cannot have, a love he shouldn’t have. Penn is a Fate and Kismet is a human. He is immortal and she is not. On top of this, Penn has spun the perfect soul mate for Kismet. Penn could never be and will never be Kismet’s other half, but as fate would have it, he gets to meet her. He chooses to spend his banishment as close to Kismet as he can.

There are twists in this story that I did not like. They created an unsatisfying ending. Even though this is book one of a series, it did not tie up loose threads like a book should. Much like Erickson’s book, The Dead Room, the ending falls short of expectations. The ending notwithstanding, I very much enjoyed this book and the way it was told.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 11/22/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Stephanie Erickson’s Website

Book Review: The Ties That Bleed by Jami Deise

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The Ties That Bleed by Jami Deise

An Urban Fantasy Novel published by Evernight Publishing (06/21/15)

Summary:

“You’re itching to get back in the field, aren’t you? Not a whole lot of excitement, playing the doctor’s wife, running the PTA?” (Kindle Locations 539-540).

Diana Rowan used to be a vampire assassin. She used to be the best of the best before she got married and had a daughter. Now Diana teaches new vampire assassins, staying safe behind a desk. But she isn’t safe from all the vampires. The vampire she killed ten years ago is back and Diana and her family are his next target.

Keywords:

Vampire Assassin, FBI, Family, Daughter, Death, Teacher, Retired, Marriage, Missions, In the Field, Revenge, Lies, Distractions, Enemies, Old Vampires, New Vampires

My Review:

Though the cover would make you think “paranormal” and the presence of vampires and vampire hunters would also point you in the direction of paranormal, I believe that The Ties that Bleed is an urban fantasy in contemporary terms or gothic horror, much like Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. This book was more like Interview with a Vampire than Twilight as far as vampire stories go. The Ties that Bleed had real characters with a real story and real stakes that were much more than teen angst related. There was also much less romance than your average tween vampire story. This book was somewhere in the middle of thriller/mystery/horror/fantasy/paranormal and if you like a realistic story that just so happens to have some vampires and some otherworldly concepts, you’ll love the Ties that Bleed.

I really liked the concept of a vampire assassin school to train the next generation of vampire hunters and that this would be considered a “desk” job, even though it still has its dangers.

The relationships between Diana and her male coworkers was as tense and sexist as any movie where there are female government workers and male government workers in the same department. Diana, however, is not lacking in the skills department.

This novel was published by Evernight Publishing June 21st, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jamie Deise’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Keeping Score by Jami Deise

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Keeping Score by Jami Deise

A Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services (01/13/14)

Summary:

“Select baseball’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business.” (p. 163).

For Sam’s mother, Shannon, it’s all about getting him the opportunities to excel. If that means Sam gets more pitching practice and coaching time and is better than many of the other baseball mom’s kids, then all the better. Summer is fast approaching and Sam wants to try out for travel baseball. Both Sam and his mother will discover that there’s more competition off the field than on it and that baseball has its own set of politics and unfairness. All Sam wants to do is play, but what does Shannon really want? What is she willing to do and to let go of for her son?

Keywords:

Sports Mom, Parenting, Sports, Baseball, Team Spirit, Helicopter Parents, Select Baseball, Travel Baseball, Summer, 9-year old, Mother, Divorced Mom, Coaches, Coaching, Try-outs, Baseball Politics, Gossip, Competitive

My Review:

Even though I don’t have kids and have never played baseball, I could relate to the mother in this book. She had her ups and downs. She was harried and busy. Sometimes she didn’t even have time to properly eat or sleep. The way she complains about anything that went wrong was hilarious and always in perspective of her son’s happiness. She was an endearing, yet flawed, character.

There were some great one line zingers in this book. Like, “Sometimes relationships you think are friendships turn out to be tools only to get you through the week.” (Page 222) and, “At least with sports, the competition was direct and the winners and losers obvious.” (Page 235).

Keeping Score was like Ready Player One and its constant over-the-head 80’s pop and game references but with technical baseball terms and lingo. Much of this went over my head and I focused in on the story and the relationships between the characters. The technical baseball terms and phrases did not detract from the story being told.

This book is for mothers everywhere, especially anyone who knows anything about baseball. Also for those who want to know precisely what it’s like to be a sports mom or anyone who wants to read a fast-paced fun book about mothers, baseball, and the highly competitive nature of parenting.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services January 13th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jamie Deise’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Big Business: And How I Learned To Love The Financial Crisis by Frank Nunez

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Big Business: And How I Learned To Love The Financial Crisis by Frank Nunez

A Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services (12/29/15)

Summary:

“You can’t question how the machinery works. If it works in your favor, why question it?” (Kindle Locations 1624-1625).

Philip Dunbar has not a care in the world. He’s about to graduate, but he doesn’t yet have a job. In the next couple of months he will realize how tough it is to get a job in this economy. After finally lucking out and getting a job, Philip will realize it’s not all sunshine and roses and even working hard sometimes gets you nowhere. So why work hard? Philip will continue to get lucky, even though he hasn’t been serious about his sales or his efforts at work. Even after climbing up the job ladder, Philip will come to realize that prospects from the top or not all that different from those at the bottom.

Keywords:

Business, Banking, Financials, Dating, Slacker, Lazy, Woman Chaser, Shallow, male POV, CEO, Job Chain, Getting a Job, Bad Jobs, Employment, Wall Street, Financial Collapse, Ponzi Scheme, New York City

My Review:

I loved the start of the chapter quotes. They were quick to orient the reader and bring in the outer world into this narrow viewed story of Philip Dunbar and how the financial crisis of 2008 affected him. As much as I disliked Philip Dunbar, I also couldn’t help but want to know how his story would end. Throughout the story, Philip grew and became a much more likeable fellow than he started. He even had some redeeming moments.

This story was told from Philip Dunbar’s point of view and it was like reading “dude” lit. The plot meandered but the story was fascinating.

The pacing was a bit choppy. The scenes were a bit choppy. Philip Dunbar’s perspective was rather choppy. There were a lot of missing visuals, a lot of the scenes read like in they were a screenplay. Many dialogue tags were withheld. Much of the action was summed up by the narrator instead of shown through the scene. There were fewer details than summations.

Some of the humor felt awkward, but the narrator’s voice was entertaining and approachable.

There were also enough instances of typos/grammar errors to bring my attention away from Philip to focus on the mechanics of the novel.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services December 29th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 3.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Frank Nunez’s website

Book Review: Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/07/14)

Summary:

“There was nothing quite like the rush of a good fight.” (Kindle Location 15776).
“…what you see isn’t always the truth.” (Kindle Locations 15859-15860).

After dropping Prince off in Rivenward to heal and potentially never to see again, Aro’s next move is to see about the Were King, get ready to help the Fey, and find a nice place to stay for the winter. What Aro realizes is that the Were King is more upset at them for forming a Pack and that staying holed up for the winter in another town will bring all sorts of other problems for her.

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Protection, Lies, Danger, Death, Grief, Training, Addiction, Killer

My Review:

As a series, there were small things I didn’t care for, like Aro’s instant love and devotion to Kei, how she kept dying and being brought back to life, and the constant travel in book two. I still thought this was an excellent series (thus far) and I loved the emotion the author brought to the stories and characters. There were so many excellent and well done things to like. For example, Aro herself was a wonderfully crafted character who grew and changed in every book. The story developed throughout and the plot was well conceived as a whole and within each book. The story, Aro’s story, was mesmerizing. I wanted and still want more from her and her story. The inter-character relationships and dialogue was also quite well done and realistic.

The pacing in this third book was just as well done as in book one. There was a good blend of action, tension, and fighting with buildup, learning, travel, and character interaction.

I absolutely loved Roan and was so pleased that the author added him in organically and tied him back to previous information. Roan was multifaceted, just like Aro and her pack members.

The fantasy in this book continues to be relevant, not over the top, and well integrated into the plot and story. I very much look forward to book four in the Broken Ones series by Jen Wylie.

This novel was published by Untold Press September 7th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (01/16/14)

Summary:

“Whatever would happen, would happen. She couldn’t change anything.” (Kindle Location 5765).
“I… Sometimes I can do things I shouldn’t be able to.” (Kindle Locations 5570-5571).

After deciding to take Prince back to his home and holing up in a small town over the winter, Aro, Bo, Cain, Prince, and Kei are back on the road. Stopping in a town to re-supply they are under siege again. Getting separated in the escape from the city, Aro finds a new friend to add to her family, but time is running out for Prince and Aro will stop at nothing to save him. She will go so far as to anger the King of the Were and upset the Elves. Aro’s one goal is to get Prince back to Rivenward and the healing safety of his own realm. Or will she be blinded by her own feelings for Prince?

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Protection, Lies, Danger, Death, Grief, Training, Travel

My Review:

The opening of this second book in the series parallels that of book one, but the stakes are much higher. There are more characters in Aro’s family and though her brothers were family to her in book one, the reader understands how important all the characters are in the start of Broken Prince. There is more for Aro to lose, more to break her down.

The pacing of book two was not as enticing as the pacing in book one. Book two was more focused on Aro’s pack traveling toward the Elven realm and the confusion that Aro, Prince, and Kei’s emotions caused during that journey. The pacing became somewhat stagnant and not as varied as the first book though the story and the ticking time bomb with Prince held my attention. The question of Aro’s happiness and Prince making up his mind kept the reader focused and kept up the tension throughout this second book.

The overall plot grew within this book, building up the tension with the “prophecy” and Damon had more of a role (interfering Dragos!). The author played with prophecy, fate and free will as well as control versus helplessness. Aro was much more in control and much more helpless to things outside her control than ever before! Aro has grown as a character even more in this book, rising to ever increasing challenges. She was also fighting more against her own anger than despair at helplessness. But the recurrence of the environment and outside forces against Aro became rather repetitive.

This novel was published by Untold Press January 16th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/14/12)

Summary:

“Aro, you must understand things always have a price.” (Page 106).

Aro grew up with many brothers in a town where even she was trained to fight. She will have to grow up fast when their city is attacked and fighting won’t be enough. After getting taken by slavers, survival takes on an entirely different meaning. The only way out is to escape and the only way to escape is to make friends with the strangers chained in the ship with her.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Ship, Slavers, Protection, Lies, Danger, Sickness, Death, Grief

My Review:

After the immediate tension and action of the beginning of the book, the pacing settled into a natural rhythm. There was intrigue. There was heartbreak. There was a girl who wanted to prove herself but when push came to shove it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t keep those she loved from disaster.

I wanted to dislike this book. Aro was so capable (in her own head) but so helpless when it mattered in the first few pages. She was a damsel in distress. She became instantly devoted to her love triangle. She cried. A lot.

It was the story and the tension that pulled me along. Aro had so much room to grow in this book. And she does. She grows throughout this book, in good ways and sad ways. Tragedy has a way of doing that to people. Aro was brave. Aro was amazing. Aro was not the damsel in distress she seemed at first.

The love triangle was not what it seemed at first either. The only part that still has me baffled is how much Aro gravitated toward Kei and how fast this devotion took hold of her. I was glad that the romance/love triangle did not dominate this book. There was a good balance of romance, personal reflection and growth, action, and story/plot.

This is a great book for people who want to dip their toes into fantasy, who want a well told story, or who want a female heroine who they can relate to (even in a fantastical setting, and who want the essence of a love triangle without being overwhelmed with a teen romance.

This novel was published by Untold Press September 14th, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Emerge: the Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

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Emerge: the Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

A Paranormal Novel published by Midnight Hour Studio (03/31/2015)

 

Summary:

“Immortality doesn’t come cheap.” (Page 149).

Allie is different. Her family is different. She won’t know how unique she really is until she finds that even amongst the other immortals she is in a class all her own. After moving again and again as a child with her adopted family, they finally move back to their home town and Allie, who had never fit in before, immediately is welcomed by a group of teenagers who are not as normal as they let on.

 

Keywords:

Paranormal, Power, Immortals, Mortals, Connection, Loyalty, Friendship, Ignorance, Pain, Fighting, Violence, Torture, Coalition, Control, Love

 

My Review:

It wasn’t the paranormal part of this book that bothered me so much. It was the inability of the writing to let me know who was talking and the jumpiness of all the scenes. This book made me work to figure out who was talking and what was going on when what was really happening wasn’t complicated at all!

There was something missing from the sentences, from the characters, and from the story. The end felt rushed and forced to come to a climax while grinding to a halt to keep the storyline open to a sequel.

The addition of myth/backstory/memory was unnecessary and I skipped over it. Either the book is historical fiction or it’s not and this book was not, so no need for this type of in-depth addition.

I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters other than Allie, Aiden and towards the end, Liam. There were too many people to keep track of and I started to get a serious Twilight vibe with the way the family kept together and was set against a Coalition.

What was the point of Vince? He added absolutely nothing to the story and he had basically no personality and the reader knew nothing about him. He was basically soothing arm-candy for Allie and annoyingly bereft of usefulness. I wish Aiden was the main character and not Allie. She was annoying and flawed. She didn’t step up her game when it mattered the most, which would have been great for her backstory but not for her (lack of) moment of triumph during the climax.

This novel was published by Midnight Hour Studio 03/31/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 2.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Melissa A. Craven’s Website

Twitter