Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures by Elika Ansari


Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures by Elika Ansari
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (232 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When the underwater animals of Seacity pond learn that their home is in danger, they decide to investigate further by doing something no one has ever done before – go up to land to seek the answers they need. An unlikely team of two royal turtles, a genius goldfish and a timorous frog are then assembled to embark on a series of adventures. Whether they are racing the fastest tortoise on earth, falling in love with travelling mice theatre, or bringing peace to warring ant colonies, each unique experience is taking the group of friends closer to the heart of what is really going on. But will they make it back in time to save Seacity before the Winter’s Slumber?

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This book was filled with plot twists. I was impressed with how imaginative they were, especially as Babak the Frog and his friends went further into their journey to discover why their home is in danger and what they should do to try to keep it safe. It was fun to be surprised by all of the wonderful and sometimes frightening things they learned along the way.

There were pacing issues in the beginning. While I liked getting to know all of the pond inhabitants so well, this didn’t leave as much room as I would have liked to see for plot development. I had trouble remaining interested in what would happen next because of that. The pacing did eventually pick up, but I do wish the beginning had been easier to get into.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this tale was how much empathy the characters had for each other. Life wasn’t always easy in the pond or the land that surrounded it, but so many of the creatures who lived there were committed to helping each other when they had troubles. I’m always interested in reading about characters who are that compassionate and kind. Luckily, there were plenty of them to be found here!

I’d recommend Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures to anyone who cares about animals.

A Fist or a Heart by Kristin Eiriksdottir


A Fist or a Heart by Kristin Eiriksdottir
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (188 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Elín Jónsdóttir lives an isolated existence in Reykjavík, Iceland, making props and prosthetics for theatrical productions and Nordic crime flicks. In her early seventies, she has recently become fascinated with another loner, Ellen Álfsdóttir, a sensitive young playwright and illegitimate daughter of a famous writer. The girl has aroused maternal feelings in Elín, but she has also stirred discomfiting memories long packed away. Because their paths have crossed before. One doesn’t remember. The other is about to forget.

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This story brings things down to a nitty-gritty level, with a stream-of-consciousness quality about it. It allows a reader to experience the unfolding of an entertaining story up close, providing a more acute feeling than one might have in a more distant recalling of events.

It is also fun to see into the life of a woman with an unusual career. Readers go along on her journey, watching the protagonist do her creative work and reflect upon her life and interactions with other unique characters. She is an older lady who creates props for the theater and is slowly losing her cognitive abilities. Watching as her world grows increasingly confusing is sad. One must really pay attention to follow what’s going on, but it’s worth it.

The other protagonist is a young woman in her late teens who writes a play and has it performed at the local theater. She has a rough life. We get to experience her pain through her eyes and through the perspective of the prop-developer.

Sometimes their lives link, and it’s not always pleasant. This is an intelligent story not really meant as escapist reading, but rather to give readers an experience. The writing style is unique and quite apt for its purposes. It’s enjoyable to read about an exotic locale as well.

If you’re in the mood for a different type of story with interesting characters, why not give this one a try?

Killian’s Hope by Elyzabeth M. Valey


Killian’s Hope by Elyzabeth M. Valey
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (99 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Hope is a precious thing.

Hope is all Alpha Protector Killian has. Hope for more time with his mate. Hope for a better future in which they can be together freely. When they’re both assigned to the same undercover mission in Spain, Killian seizes the opportunity as a chance to spend more time with Prudence.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t share his point of view, but hope is the last thing he’ll lose.

It’s not greed if it’s for the greater good.

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The only problem is resisting Killian.

With years of pent up love and frustration tugging at them, will they be able to avoid succumbing to their forbidden mating? And what will happen when the evil which they were sent to destroy threatens to tear them apart forever?

Prudence and Killian are mates, but they each have a vital role to play in the ongoing magical war. Killian, a Guardian, protects the world and tries to keep the balance. Prudence is a magical-wielder and determined to prove herself worthy of being trained as a High Priestess. They each know how important the fight the Sins plaguing the earth is. But Prudence has never been to earth and Killian knows only too well of how dangerous it can be. Can they each find what they’re looking for?

I found this to be a really well-written and encompassing paranormal/magical style of story. The world-building was intense and very thorough. Readers who love delving into alternate and magic-infused styles of reality should find this story really delivers on that front. I was pleased the author spent a fair bit of time in the beginning explaining and showing the reader the set-up of their world. While personally I found it mostly easy to pick up there’s a lot of background and description that’s needed to set the scene and I was pleased the author managed to keep my interest throughout this first third or so of the book.

Overall I enjoyed the pacing of the story – Prudence and Killian knowing they were mates and having already met and had problems kept the romance aspect of this story from being too slow, in my mind. My personal tastes would have had more of the romance element incorporated into the story, and less of the world-building and magical/paranormal aspect, but I think many readers won’t feel the same and will adore the depth and intensity of the paranormal parts of the story.

I also thought the balance between the mission Killian and Prudence were sent to earth for got a little lost in the first half of the book. The author did a good job of incorporating three very strong themes – the new paranormal world, the relationship between Killian and Prudence and the mission to save earth – but I found the first half of the book weighed very heavily toward setting up the paranormal world and showing where Killian and Prudence were emotionally, and this left the mission lagging behind a little bit. The second half of the story had the pace picking right back up again and I really enjoyed the latter half of the story.

The sex and connection between Killian and Prudence really let the sparks fly and I enjoyed the second half of the story a lot. I also enjoyed how the mission clearly wove into something much larger and this gave me a lot of hope and interest in the upcoming stories that appear to be planned for the series.

I found this to be an interesting and action-packed story which was a good foundation to start a new series on. With strong world building and a few new-to-me concepts this is a good read and one I can recommend for readers who enjoy magical and paranormal styles of stories.

The Great Dragon Warrior by Swee San Ng


The Great Dragon Warrior by Swee San Ng
Publisher: Epigram Books
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Historical
Length: Short Story (33 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Basmi the dragon has always dreamt of becoming a great dragon warrior. Now it looks like his dream might come true, as a great dragon warrior is living in the cave right by him. Oh, the things he could learn from this great dragon warrior! But Basmi learns an unexpected lesson from this dragon warrior when he finally reveals himself.

Courage comes in many forms.
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Basmi was a fantastic role model. Not only was he brave and kind, he was selfless as well. One of the most interesting things about him had to do with how these strengths of his were tied into his greatest weakness. I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover that weakness for themselves in order to avoid sharing spoilers, but it was refreshing to meet a picture book character who was so well rounded. He genuinely felt real to me.

There was so much adventure poured into these thirty-three pages. The pacing couldn’t have been written better. It kept me guessing what might happen next all the way through to the final scene. I adored the fact that Basmi and his friends kept so busy as they tried to help the great dragon warrior in his recovery.

As if all of these other things weren’t enough, I was also thrilled by the plot twist that happened near the end. It was something I’d wondered about, but it was written in such a way that there was still plenty of room for an audience to come to other conclusions right up until the big reveal. All of the scenes connected to this twist were as well written as they were a pure joy to discover.

Yes, this was the sort of story that came with a message woven into it. I liked seeing how the narrator created references for the point they were trying to make. Ms. Ng did a wonderful job of pulling all of these hints together into a coherent storyline while still staying true to what the characters and setting were trying to do.

The Great Dragon Warrior was one of the best fables I’ve read in ages. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: An Indian Folk Tale by Charlotte Guillain


The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: An Indian Folk Tale (Folk Tales From Around the World) by Charlotte Guillain
Publisher: Raintree
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (24 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This book tells the story of the Foolish, Timid Rabbit, a traditional Indian folk tale. In it, the animals learn that you should always remember to think for yourself before you believe a rumor or follow a crowd.

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Rujul was such a relatable character to me because of how difficult it was for him to ignore the scary things his mind came up with. I had a great deal of empathy for him, especially once I realized that he didn’t necessarily know yet just how much he was over reacting. That can be an easy thing to do for both rabbits and people alike.

As much as I enjoyed the beginning and middle, the ending didn’t quite make sense to me. Rujul the rabbit was the character who kicked off the series of events that make this story happen. I was surprised to see how he reacted to meeting a more sensible character after he stirred up a panic in the forest. There were certain developments in his personality that had been hinted at but then never followed through on. It would have been nice to have some closure in that area.

The message of this book was short and to the point. That’s exactly what should happen with this age group, so I was glad that the narrator cut to the chase and made sure her readers knew that Rujul needed to be kindly reminded that his fears about what could happen weren’t predictions. He knew just as little or as much about what the future holds as anyone else in the world.

I’d recommend The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: An Indian Folk Tale to anyone who has ever assumed their most anxious thoughts are also the ones most likely to come true.

Little Sock by Kia Heise


Little Sock by Kia Heise
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Little Sock is tired of his routine. Day after day, it’s the same old thing. He gets worn, he gets dirty, and he gets washed. Nothing ever changes. The other socks in the drawer don’t seem to mind but Little Sock wants something different. He has heard of a place, Sock City, where everything is new and exciting, so one night he makes his escape from his drawer. Will Little Sock reach his destination? And what will he find there?

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This was one of the most creative children’s stories I’ve read so far this year. The thought of missing socks ending up in Sock City made me smile. I don’t want to give away too many details about later plot twists, but the author clearly spent a lot of time developing a reason why socks sometimes go missing when they’re washed or dried. Her reasoning for what happens to them was as it was logical according to the rules of this universe as it was imaginative.

What was missing in this tale was conflict. The characters were fascinating and the world-building made me wish for a sequel, but I didn’t feel the same way about the storyline itself. While I definitely wouldn’t expect to read anything too in-depth or potentially scary for this age group, it would have been helpful if Little Sock had dealt with more obstacles on his journey to Sock City and back home again.

The main character was such a brave little dude. His self-confidence was strong, and he always kept his head held high. I admired that about him and thought it made him a good role model for young readers. He was the sort of character who could teach more timid or frighten children a thing or two about going on an adventure and looking for the bright side of life.

Little Sock is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what might have happened to a favorite sock that disappeared on laundry day.

Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas by Amy McKinley


Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas by Amy McKinley
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Action/Adventure, Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: Full length (223 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Chamomile

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Fate will not be denied.

Nerissa thinks she’s safe from the gods and elders that rule her village. She’s wrong. It’s only a matter of time before she is chosen to pay the ultimate price—her life.

For decades, the gods have protected the small seaside village where she lives. That’s about to end. Fishermen return with empty nets, trees cease to bear fruit, and the winds whisper of an ancient curse. There’s still hope that the offering of an unmarried woman will return the god’s favor.
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As the maiden sacrifice nears Nerissa takes matters into her hands. All she needs is a husband to escape the terms of the offering. When she meets Zeer, a visiting fisherman, he sweeps her off her feet.

Are her prayers truly answered?

Everyone around her is keeping secrets, and there is no one left to rely on but herself. As the night ushers in a violent storm that echoes the god’s anger, she realizes the worst is yet to come. When the first rays of dawn arrive, a knock sounds at her door and she knows her entire world is about to turn upside down.

Love stories with strong female lead, mythology and siren lore, atmospheric settings, and all the feels? Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas doesn’t disappoint!

I picked this one up without having seen or heard any mention of it, but suddenly many of the people I follow in the book community started talking about it, and I could wait to start reading. They were right! I loved reading Nerissa’s story, which is well written, and impossible to put down!

Mrs. McKinley really knows how to hook a reader, and even from the first page, I found I wanted to know more, and couldn’t get enough! I flew through this one, and loved every minute, from the witty dialogue to the suspense and surprises, this book has a little of everything, and the romance added an interesting balance to all the chaos.

When I found this one, I was wanting a story that combined mythology, romance, and plenty of emotions to pull on my heart-strings, boy did Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas deliver! It also introduced my to a new author, and as mentioned, was a title I hadn’t heard of before, so it was extra exciting how much I enjoyed it!

This story is perfect for fans of paranormal/fantasy romances written for upper YA readers who enjoy siren/mermaid lore, and stories set on or near the sea! I loved reading this one, and highly recommend it to readers who are looking for their next read! You know a book is good when it has both characters you can’t help but love, and those you love to hate! With complex personalities, and some well placed snark, these characters take on a life of their own, and I’d love to see similar stories from Mrs. Amy McKinley in the future!

The Unhappy Stonecutter: A Japanse Folk Tale by Charlotte Guillain


The Unhappy Stonecutter: A Japanse Folk Tale by Charlotte Guillain
Folk Tales From Around the World

Publisher: Raintree
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Length: Short Story (24 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

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No one has a perfect life.

This story had a wonderful sense of humor. Haru found something to complain about no matter what the Mountain Spirit did to improve his life. The interesting thing is, all of his complaints were framed in a funny way. That was an excellent way to keep the plot light no matter what the main character disliked about what was currently happening to him. It also kept me guessing how he might respond to the newest changes in his fortunes.

While I understand this was heavily based on a traditional folk tale, I would have liked to see more attention paid to the development of the ending. Haru was such a restless person that I was surprised by how his adventures were wrapped up. It would have been helpful to have a little more of an explanation of how he ended up with the resolution that he did since he was so unhappy with the things that happened to him earlier on.

With that being said, I still liked Haru as an individual. Honestly, there have been times when I’ve wanted to walk in someone else’s shoes. I appreciated the fact that the narrator spent so much time exploring what this character disliked about his daily routine as a poor stonecutter and how he wished things would change. He was so open about his complaints that I couldn’t help but to hope he’d find a solution for them.

I’d recommend The Unhappy Stonecutter: A Japanse Folk Tale to anyone who has ever hoped for something they didn’t have.

Corky Tails: Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush: Sagebrush and the Butterfly Creek Flood by Joni Franks


Corky Tails: Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush: Sagebrush and the Butterfly Creek Flood by Joni Franks
Publisher: Xlibris
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (54 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Fat black thunderclouds billowed high in the Rocky Mountain sky, foreshadowing that a stormy weather day was already brewing on the cattle ranch where Sagebrush, the tailless puppy, and her parents, Maverick and Ginger, slept in their warm, cozy doggy beds. Follow Sagebrush and the young miss in this search-and-rescue adventure as they endeavor to save a lost hiker and the tiny people known as Shuns from the rising waters of Butterfly Creek. This charming tale teaches the life lesson of having faith in yourself and faith in others and is paired with the message that all lives matter equally. The fourth book in the multiple award-winning collection, Sagebrush and the Butterfly Creek Flood is a delightful tale, one that is not to be forgotten.

Everyone is valuable.
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The world building was well done. No sooner did I finish the first paragraph then I felt like I’d been magically transported to another time and place. I had exactly the right amount of detail about the setting and the characters’ cultures to help me imagine what everything was like. This isn’t an easy thing to accomplish in a short story, so I will be on the lookout for more stories from Ms. Franks in the future.

My only criticism has to do with the number of characters. I liked all of them, but there simply wasn’t quite enough room in a fifty-four page story to give everyone a chance to shine. It would have been nice to get to know two or three of the characters better instead of jumping around between multiple perspectives. With that being said, this is still something I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to kids and people who enjoy reading children’s fiction in general.

I was delighted by the compassion and kindness in this book. The main characters were all genuinely good individuals who didn’t expect any sort of praise or reward for the nice things they did for others. There was no sermonizing to be found on this topic. They simply helped others for the sheer joy of it. That’s the sort of character I always enjoy reading about.

This is part of a series, but it can easily be read as a standalone work.

Corky Tails Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush, Sagebrush and the Butterfly Creek Flood was heartwarming. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves animals or nature.

The Witch King by Nancy Holland


The Witch King by Nancy Holland
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Fantasy
Length: Full length (391 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Dryas

Can they stay alive long enough to save their kingdoms without falling in love?

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Ciel has been a slave all her life. She fully expects to be killed when she delivers the news of her missing mistress. Instead she is saved and tasked to impersonate Kry’s betrothed. In the dead of night she and Kyr sneak out of the warrior’s camp hoping to intercept the escaping couple by taking a dangerous route. With each leg of the journey, they are tested. They must learn to trust to survive… not easy when both of them harbor dangerous secrets.

Kur the son of Thalgor the Golden Helmet is at the celebration of the peace treaty between his father and the northern lord. Although, he is not exactly happy to marry the northern king’s daughter, Rynne, he knows his duty. The marriage is a way to seal the peace treaty. What he doesn’t expect is for Rynne’s servant and former slave Ciel to come to his tent the night before the wedding and tell him that Rynne has run away with one of her father’s lieutenants, Will, with whom she has been in love since childhood.

The plot is different from many others I have read and well-constructed. It flows from one part to the next. It reminds us how slavery can affect people who. even when freed, are still being subjugated as servants. Trust is another big part of the plot, as when Ciel’s trust is won it is strong as steel. Another subject is that compassion does not make you weak and that there are many other ways to end a battle or war.

The characters are wonderfully developed in a rich world. Ciel is a strong, competent, loving woman who starts to become the person she was supposed to be without having her personality crushed by cruelty. The trust she had in Kur in the beginning is broken because he did not protect her when a small group of brigands attacks. She pulls herself emotionally and physically from him, hoping that she will be free from her previous life with the sea witches.

I loved this book, as you can tell by the five stars. There is nothing I would change and I hope there is a sequel to it. Readers will be drawn into a world where magic is an everyday thing, with lords that are good and those that are power hungry. With the love and friendship, the world can change.