The Shadow Child by A. Williams

November 14, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Shadow Child by A. Williams
The Darkglass Chronicles, Book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

OBEDIENCE IS SURVIVAL.

BUT SHADOWS REMEMBER.

THE SHADOW CHILD is a bleak, psychological novella about a boy stripped of identity and individuality by an institution that reduces him to drills, pain, and obedience.

Told in haunting fragments, it captures the suffocating atmosphere of erasure and the fragile ember of resilience that still survives within him.

Trust is a dangerous weapon.

The horror and thriller elements of the plot were woven into each other in satisfactory ways. This was one of those cases where fear of what might happen next was often scarier than what actually occurred, and it fit the emotionless characters well while also helping to explain why they weren’t behaving like normal children, or even normal human beings in general, would under the same circumstances. Yes, there were a few brief descriptions of violence along the way, but I appreciated the fact that the lion’s share of the frights here happened in the characters’ minds instead of in their bodies.

Given that this was the beginning of a new series, I wouldn’t expect every question I had as I was reading it to be answered. Still, I did struggle with how little information was revealed about what, exactly, The House was and why they were trying to remove the identities and personalities of children through abuse, neglect, and strict, militaristic training regiments. More details would have been helpful for sure.

With that being said, I did enjoy the process of finding out that my original theory about what might be going on turned out to be possibly true. There were a few hints early on about what the program runners were hoping to accomplish that did pay off even if the majority of my questions were not answered. Knowing that I figured out that piece of the puzzle was rewarding and made me wonder what the unnamed protagonist might do in the future as a young adult.

The Shadow Child made me shudder.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu

November 12, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Most humans cower in the face of Death. Not Nella May Carter. She sees him. She doesn’t hide. Instead, she bargains.

Born enslaved in eighteenth-century Georgia, Nella still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. She asks that Death, doubtful and curious, allow her to live long enough to prove it. He’s giving Nella all the time in the world.

Challenged, Nella embarks on an epic journey across the globe and centuries. Each new incarnation records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore―the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets―Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind.

As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning?

Love is eternal.

Some of my favourite passages in this book were the ones that debated the true nature of humanity and whether our collective good deeds make up for the horrific things we’ve done to one another throughout the generations. While I tended to agree more with Nella, both protagonists made intelligent points with their arguments, and it was quite interesting to see them go back and forth with evidence for their positions. This is something I’m saying as a reader who generally shies away from philosophical works. Ms. Nwosu did a wonderful job of blending philosophy into an exciting story in ways that made those scenes feel natural and encouraged me to think critically about every argument that was made and refuted.

I would have preferred to see stronger world building in this novel. Some of the settings were easy to visualize, especially the first one in 1774 as well as Nella’s experiences during World War II, but other ones like France didn’t include enough descriptions for me to easily imagine what the main character’s life was like there. Had this been included, a five-star rating would have been a strong possibility from me!

The complex relationship between Nella and Death made it difficult for me to stop reading. It was delightful to see how her reactions to him evolved over the centuries as she grew accustomed to her immortality and began to question some of the rules that Death had put into place about what she could and couldn’t do during her quest. Without sharing too many spoilers, these developments made the last hundred pages or so incredibly rewarding for me as a reader.

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter was beautiful.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Crucifix by Naomi Cashman

November 11, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Crucifix by Naomi Cashman
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

There are always two sides to everyone … Some people are just good at keeping their sinful side hidden.

Something dark and sinister lurks in the musty hallways and abandoned rooms of the Convent of Mercy. The now defunct orphanage, with its history of odd occurrences and murderous deeds, draws tourists with a taste for the macabre. But what if the stories that have been whispered about by the locals are true?

In 1865, orphaned Katherine is sent to live at the convent where fear rules. Nobody will speak of the odd occurrences – an organ playing in the dead of night; fresh graves dug beneath her window; and the Reverend Mother’s bizarre obsession with an ornate crucifix. Worse still, girls who are summoned to her office are never seen again. And when Katherine attracts the attention of the malevolent Sister Nora, her survival seems unlikely.

Katherine’s quest to uncover the truth exposes her to unspeakable evil. Will she resist the darkness that festers in her soul or will she succumb to the unholy power of the crucifix?

Evil wears many faces.

I loved the character development in this novel, especially when it came to how my opinion changed about the various characters as I learned more about them. It’s not easy to write an antagonist whose motives are understandable and whose personality is well-rounded enough for a reader to find something likeable about them, so kudos to Ms. Cashman for making this look so effortless.

The plot twists were equally well written. Where I thought the storyline was going to go in the first scene didn’t necessarily match what happened, and it was fun to be surprised a few times as Katherine learned more about her new home and tried to avoid the horrors lurking there. The foreshadowing nudged me in the right direction without being too obvious about what was coming, although once I looked back at the signs, I found a few that I should have paid closer attention to. It’s amusing when this happens, and I will definitely keep an eye out for future works from this author.

Knowing that the setting was inspired by a real convent only made this an even more immersive and frightening read for me. Horror is scariest when there’s a sliver of truth embedded in it in my opinion, and I eagerly read more about the original Convent of Mercy in Ireland between reading more chapters about the fictional one. This wasn’t necessary in order to understand the plot, but it’s definitely something I recommend to anyone else who also happens to enjoy learning about history.

The Crucifix made me wish for a sequel about the terrifying Convent of Mercy.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Wolf Cub by Alison Bellringer

November 7, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Wolf Cub by Alison Bellringer
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Lewis just loves living with his mother in a small cottage that backs directly onto a vast forest. The shy four-year-old’s favourite spot to relax is in a clearing by a watering hole, where all the woodland creatures come to get their daily measure of drink and forage nearby for food. He always enjoys chatting to the smaller animals (especially the squirrels and rabbits), making new friends nearly every day. And that’s exactly where the boy was when it happened – the hair on the back of Lewis’ neck suddenly stood on end, and the young boy shivered slightly. He was being watched…

Kindness is never wasted.

I adored the friendships between Lewis and the many different types of wild animals he encountered when he wandered into the woods. He was a gentle and kind kid who went out of his way to make sure that every creature he met felt safe and happy around him. While I don’t want to give away too many plot twists about how he managed to do this and what the consequences of those decisions later turned out to be, I thought those scenes were a joy to read and fit the tone of this piece nicely.

There were some plot holes in this story involving certain villager’s reactions to the wolf cub that I would have liked to see resolved. For example, the assumptions they made about what sort of creature he was didn’t quite make sense to me given how rural the setting was and how many different types of animals the average person in that area would interact with over the average year. As much as I wanted to give this tale a higher rating, these questions and ones similar to them kept me from doing so.

It was interesting to see how much freedom children had in this village. Lewis was only four years old when the first chapter began, and yet he was allowed to wander around anywhere he wished to visit while his mother worked. This isn’t something that typically happens in contemporary stories about kids, so I was intrigued by how differently people his age were treated here. It left plenty of space for all of his adventures to occur!

The Wolf Cub made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

I’d Rather Kiss You Goodnight by Christine Columbus

November 5, 2025 By 2 Comments


I’d Rather Kiss You Goodnight by Christine Columbus
Surf, Sand, and Romance #5
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sally has sworn off relationships. At forty-seven, she finds herself stuck in a rut and feels as if she s going nowhere. Until her mother needs help to fix up her house, now Sally spends her weekends driving three hours to plaster and paint walls. Ty is also lending a hand with the repairs, and their attraction simmers just beneath the surface. As the house takes on a new life, so does Sally s heart. By day, they work on the house, but in the evenings, they escape to a local campground, overlooking river sunsets and diving into a summer romance. What does Sally do when summer fades to fall, and Ty prepares to leave?

Summer is the perfect time for some romance.

Sally’s character development was handled well. Sometimes her passivity irritated me a little bit, but I also came to understand why she was so reluctant to make any major changes to her life given her recent relationship trauma. Honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in her shoes, and I soon found many other parts of her personality I deeply loved such as her creativity and her compassion for others. There is definitely something to be said for creating such a relatable and well-rounded protagonist.

I struggled with the pacing in the beginning and middle of this novel. There wasn’t much conflict to begin with, and every new development in these sections felt slower than I would have preferred to see. While things did eventually pick up in the last fifty pages or so, it was noticeable enough for me to take note of it for my review given how I sometimes had trouble remaining invested in what was happening in the non-romantic subplots.

With that being said, this was a good example of how to slowly build romantic tension between two characters. I appreciated the amount of time the author spent exploring how Sally and Ty felt about each other and why they were so attracted to one another. That’s exactly what I like to find in the romance genre, and it made for a solid read.

I’d Rather Kiss You Goodnight was playful and filled with love.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill by Julie Stroebel Barichello

November 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill by Julie Stroebel Barichello
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Molehill starts with M. Mischief starts with Molehills. Dempsey Molehill and his siblings – practically-a-grownup Brom, responsible Tilly, pesky little brother Penn, and wild child Bandi – don’t mean to cause mischief. But somehow, they always find themselves smack dab in the middle of it. When Dempsey’s dad decides to run for mayor of Pickettstown, the five Molehill kids try to be on their best behavior. Unfortunately for Dempsey and his siblings, their “best behavior” includes luring bullies in muddy mayhem, casting Halloween curses, exploding appliances, and terrorizing classmates with Scrap the one-eared cat. Will their antics cost their dad the election? Or can the family band together to put the best Molehill foot forward? The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill is a humorous middle grade novel about life in rural Illinois, small-town politics, and growing up in a big, wild family.

There’s never a dull moment in a big family.

I liked the realistic approach to handling bullies and dealing with small town politics. Dempsey had been dealing with his bully for years, and he was just old enough to realize the sometimes more subtle ways adults can bully each other, too. Ms. Stroebel Barichello trusted her audience to make these connections and come up with our own conclusions about the downsides of living in a small town where some families are considered to be more important than other ones. That’s a complex topic that middle grade readers should have a chance to explore, and this is a great place to start.

There were a few times when I wished that Dempsey, his friends and his siblings had faced stricter consequences for their actions. While most of their hijinks were silly and harmless, there was an incident involving gunpowder being ignited that made me raise an eyebrow. This is something I’m saying as a reader who otherwise loved this tale, but that scene is a topic I’d want to have a frank discussion about with the elementary-school-aged kids in my life so that they’d know why the characters’ choices weren’t good ones.

There was a playful sense of humor in this book that made it just about impossible to put down. I couldn’t wait to see what sorts of mischief the Molehill children would get into next. From digging a pit in their backyard in the hopes of trapping any stray elephants that may be wandering around rural Illinois to kidnapping a pet rabbit, these kids were never short on wacky ideas to keep life interesting.

The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Movie Review: A Minecraft Movie

November 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


A Minecraft Movie
Writers: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen
Publisher: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars (6 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home they’ll have to master this world while embarking on a quest with an unexpected expert crafter.

Anything can happen in the overworld.

There were so many Easter eggs here for viewers who have played Minecraft. I’d strongly recommend doing a little research on the game first for viewers who haven’t played it yet due to how funny many of them were, although the plot does still make sense without understanding these references. It’s not always easy to strike a balance between drawing in new fans and entertaining the existing ones. This spoke to both audiences in my opinion, though, and it worked on enough levels to appeal to many different types of viewers.

I would have liked to see more time spent showing just how creative the Minecraft universe can be. This was what first encouraged me to play the game, so I was hoping the film version would explore more of the many unique things that can be done with a crafting table and a vivid imagination. If not for the numerous references to various quirks of the game, I would have struggled to remain interested in certain places due to how easy it was to predict what would happen next.

With that being said, this movie had a fantastic sense of humour that, while written mostly for kids, did have moments teens and adults can appreciate as well. There is definitely something to be said for writing something the entire family can enjoy together. I laughed out loud several times and thought this highlighted the playful aspects of this universe well.

A Minecraft Movie was lighthearted and entertaining.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , ,

Gifts Between Us by C.C. Adams

October 30, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Gifts Between Us by C.C. Adams
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Elderly Londoner Augustus has lived a long, miserable life. Having driven his few remaining loved ones away years ago, he now whiles away his time drinking rum and hoping for the end.

One night his death wish is nearly granted by a mugger, but a local youth called Michael intervenes. Much to the old man’s horror (and fascination) Michael promptly begins to devour the mugger’s body.

Slowly, Augustus and his mysterious saviour form an unlikely friendship, one built on sharing the gifts of trust, camaraderie, and acceptance.

And one last gift: a secret. It is the cause of Michael’s cannibalistic nature. And, perhaps, a reason for Augustus to go on living…

Second chances are nothing to sneeze at.

This was an excellent example of how to create deeply unlikeable but still compelling characters. Neither Michael nor Augustus were men I’d ever want to cross paths with, especially in a deserted alley after sunset, and yet I was fascinated by their terrifying secrets and how well they kept them hidden. Anyone who walked past them on the street would have no idea what lay behind their calm and unassuming personas which only made the later events in their lives even more frightening.

The horror in this novella was grisly and violent. It’s not something I’d recommend to the faint of heart, and yet every one of those scenes was critical in order to understand the final one. One must know exactly what these characters have been capable of in the past in order to be prepared for their futures. I thought the scenes that described how Michael had turned into the person Augustus knew were especially important given what they shared about his personality and character before the plot escalated.

Creativity is something I look for in every tale I review, and it revealed itself early here. The plot twists weren’t that common for this genre in my experience, but they worked beautifully with the established character development to create something I couldn’t possibly stop reading. I loved being surprised by where the storyline was headed next and will definitely keep an eye out for more of Mr. Adams’ work in the future.

Gifts Between Us was deliciously scary.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder in the Monashee Mountains by JP Behrens

October 29, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder in the Monashee Mountains by JP Behrens
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After barely escaping the haunted streets of Arkham and Miskatonic University, Travis Daniels is on the run with his ward, Leslie Owens. Seeking refuge in the remote woods of Monashee Mountain, their lives take another dark turn when they witness a brutal, savage murder. Now, they’re thrust into a web of deceit, danger, and old grudges as they are drawn into a conflict between warring factions in the small town of Tonasket.

Travis must navigate the escalating tension between the town’s residents, the Native American tribes, and the ancient, shadowy creatures that dwell in the wilderness. The clock is ticking as dangerous rivalries between Sasquatch and werewolves threaten to erupt, and the local logging operations are sabotaged by forces more sinister than anyone can imagine.

As Travis works to uncover the truth behind the murder, he must decide who he can trust before it’s too late. With danger closing in, only one thing is certain: the truth will come at a cost.

Power is never given away freely.

In my review of Missing of Miskatonic earlier this year I wished for a stronger storyline and am happy to report that this second instalment in the series was well rounded in this area. As someone who loves reading about Sasquatch, I immersed myself in all of the details about this famous and mysterious cryptid that the narrator provided. It’s difficult to dig into the details of what Bigfoot is like in this universe except to say that it fits in well with other mythologies about them while also providing new layers of information about what their culture, language, and beliefs were like.

It would have been helpful to have more character development, especially for the characters who were introduced for the first time here. This is such a plot-focused series that I wouldn’t expect pages of introspection or anything, but a few more sentences here and there would go a long way in helping me to get to know everyone better. Here’s hoping that future books that follow Travis’ adventures, if any are in the works, will dive more deeply into this.

The strong pacing kept my interest levels high as I read. I especially enjoyed the action scenes that included both physical and verbal conflicts as they were well written and kept the storyline moving forward at a steady pace. It was easy to imagine what was happening in these scenes due to how clearly they were written and how much effort was put into describing what all of the main characters were doing in those tense but generally brief moments. This isn’t always an easy thing to accomplish, so I must tip my cap to the author for not only pulling it off but also making it look effortless.

This series should be read in order for character and plot development reasons.

Murder in the Monashee Mountains kept me guessing until the end.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Silversong by Rhonda Parrish

October 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Silversong by Rhonda Parrish
Publisher: Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Growing up in The Warren — gnomish slums in a big, human, city — Garryn Silversong has one goal. He wants to become a powerful wizard and use that power to rescue himself, his mother and his best friend from the dream-destroying poverty they are forced to exist in.

Armed with only a harp, a stolen book about arcane theory, and single-minded determination, Garryn claws his way up from obscurity, becoming a household name.

But when unimaginable tragedy comes to The Warren, Garryn discovers there are things that fame and money can not buy. Will he find a way to protect those who are most important to him or he will spiral down into oblivion, taking them with him?

Friendship is forever.

Garryn and Lildira had a beautiful lifelong friendship that I deeply enjoyed reading about. They were an excellent example of how family ties can be built between people who aren’t related through typical means like blood, marriage, or adoption. I loved the friendly banter between them and seeing how they fussed over each other when one or both of them were going through hard times. Their genuine platonic love for one another made it hard for me to stop reading this story because of how emotionally invested I was in what would happen to them next.

The pacing did feel a little slow to me at times due to how much world building and character development was sandwiched between more action-oriented scenes. This was especially true in the beginning, and it did become less noticeable as I moved closer to the ending. While it was definitely worth it for me to keep going, it is something I wanted to mention for readers who tend to prefer faster pacing styles.

Being familiar with Dungeons and Dragons isn’t necessary in order to enjoy this book, but readers who have played that game may notice some fun references to it as well as to roleplaying games in general. I sure enjoyed picking them out and trying to guess what might happen to the characters next. It was especially interesting to find out what the various races of intelligent, human-like creatures thought of each other and how they got along – or sometimes didn’t get along – in the cramped quarters of their city.

Silversong made me yearn for more.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,
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