Her Scales Shine Like Music by Rajnar Vajra

January 31, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Her Scales Shine Like Music by Rajnar Vajra
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (37 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Her Scales Shine Like Music” by Rajnar Vajra is a moving science fiction novelette about an encounter and budding relationship between two aliens, one human, who are the only living creatures occupying a planet in deep space. The human is assigned to guard a valuable find, while his colleagues leave, to file a report with the company that hired them.

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Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that slowly revealed Poet’s backstory and explained why and how this character had ended up alone on a planet that was only habitable for humans in the short term. While I think it’s best to leave all of those revelations up to other readers to discover for themselves, I sure did enjoy the process of gradually piecing all of this information together as I tried to figure out what might happen to this character in the future.

The ending felt abrupt and confusing to me. There were so many unanswered questions about Poet, the main character, the nature of their work, and his relationship with the alien they met while exploring a new planet. I didn’t require answers for all of them, but I would have understood the final scene much better if at least some of them had been better explained to the audience.

It was interesting to me to see how much Poet was able to figure out about their new alien friend despite the fact that they couldn’t speak to each other. In fact, I wasn’t ever even sure if their buddy understood spoken language as a concept at all! This made their attempts at communication even more special than they might have otherwise been. There were so many obstacles in their path as they tried to get to know each other, and yet neither of them wanted to give up until they’d found some way to get across to each other.

I’d recommend Her Scales Shine Like Music to anyone who loves science fiction set on other planets.

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

The Art of Space Travel by Nina Allan

January 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Art of Space Travel by Nina Allan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (44 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“The Art of Space Travel” by Nina Allan is a science fiction novelette. In 2047, a first manned mission to Mars ended in tragedy. Thirty years later, a second expedition is preparing to launch. As housekeeper of the hotel where two of the astronauts will give their final press statements, Emily finds the mission intruding upon her thoughts more and more. Emily’s mother, Moolie, has a message to give her, but Moolie’s memories are fading. As the astronauts’ visit draws closer, the unearthing of a more personal history is about to alter Emily’s world forever.

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The world building was incredibly well done. I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a science fiction story that was set in a hotel of all places, but I was impressed with how real it felt beginning with the very first scene. From the mundane moments that happen when a housekeeper is cleaning hotel rooms to the excitement a whole country can feel when they’re about to send astronauts to colonize Mars, every single scene felt like it happened in real life.

There were so many characters in this story that I had trouble keeping track of all of them. While the protagonist was described in detail, the same couldn’t be said for many of the hotel’s visitors and other staff members. Since some of the supporting characters also happened to have similar names, I often mixed them up in my mind while I was reading. As much as I loved the premise, it was distracting to spend so much time trying to remember who was who.

I was a huge fan of Emily’s character development. She was a complex and intriguing woman who only grew more interesting as I got to know her better. There were a few conflicts going on in her life that she struggled to resolve while she was working at the hotel. I liked the fact that she persisted even when the things she wished she could change didn’t have any obvious or easy solutions. Seeing her change as a result of these experiences only increased my already-high opinion of her. It was nice to see such solid personal growth from her!

The Art of Space Travel should be read by anyone who has ever wondered what it might be like to live in a futuristic world where living on Mars was possible.

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

Apidae by Lisa Borne Graves

January 29, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Apidae by Lisa Borne Graves
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (152 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What happens if bees go extinct?
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In the not so distant future, scientifically modified Emlyn and Ace find themselves thrown into the role of saviors on a perilous mission where their tenuous relationship could save or destroy mankind. As the war between rebels and the corrupt government reaches a fever pitch, Ace is bent on self-sacrifice and revenge, while Emlyn must choose between her heart and the future of mankind.

If humans want to survive, they’ll need to find a way to save the bees.

The premise of this book grabbed my attention immediately. I appreciated the fact that the author spent so much time coming up with logical ways in which human society would change, and even start to disintegrate, once the bees began dying off and food supplies ran dangerously low. She went into the perfect amount of detail about how crucial pollinators like these are for the ecosystem and how devastating it would be to lose or nearly lose them.

While I wanted the two characters who developed feelings for each other to end up together, their potential relationship felt out of place in this story. There were so many other things going on in it, many of which were time-sensitive and incredibly dangerous, that I was confused by the inclusion of the romantic subplot. It didn’t seem like something that either of the participants should have had much energy to think about when their lives were in danger and humanity itself could be going extinct. It would have been really helpful for there to have been more scenes establishing why these characters decided to pursue their feelings so quickly and how they found the time to do so in the middle of what was basically a war.

Emlyn felt like a real person to me, flaws and all. There were times when she said or did things that annoyed me, but then there would be other scenes where her quick thinking and bravery made me cheer. I loved the many nuances of her personality, especially the fact that a few of her weaknesses were things that actually affected the course of the plot. She was perfectly imperfect, and that’s exactly what I want to see in a main character.

Apidae was one of the most creative dystopias I’ve read recently, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys that genre.

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

The Fading by Linda Taimre

January 29, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Fading by Linda Taimre
Publisher: Kaustik Press (Self-Published)
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (203 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Something is awake.

Harriet’s wife, Katherine, is dying from an insidious virus that threatens humanity – and this is not just any disease. This virus makes people literally disappear, swallowed by a rapidly evolving enemy. Desperate to find a way to save her love, Harriet must move fast to discover a cure. She’ll strive to find a way to defeat the virus before it takes Katherine, no matter the cost.

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Something is awake. And it wants to feed.

This brand new disease is many things, but benign isn’t one of them.

The scientific explanation for how The Fading worked fascinated me. Since the narrator took plenty of time to go into detail about how this virus affected sick people and what scientists were learning about it as it spread, I felt like I understood it incredibly well. The more I learned about it, the scarier it became to me in a good way. I could picture what every stage of the disease felt like, and that was exactly what this story needed in order to thrive in this reader’s imagination.

I would have preferred to see a little more time spent on the character development. As interesting as all of the characters were, most of them didn’t change very much as a result of the things that happened to them during the course of the storyline. There was so much going on with The Fading and humanity’s rush to figure out how to fight it that I found that surprising. This was the only thing keeping this book from earning a perfect five-star rating as I loved everything else about it.

There were so many clever plot twists in this tale. Some of them had to do with what the virus was capable of, while others involved the characters’ reactions to this disease as it continued to spread to every corner of the Earth. While I can’t go into any further details about them, they delighted me over and over again. When I begin telling my friends they should read this, the joy I felt while discovering these twists will be the first thing I mention!

If you love dystopian fiction, I’d definitely recommend giving The Fading a try.

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

Wicked Truth by Raisa Greywood

January 28, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Wicked Truth by Raisa Greywood
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (250 pgs)
Other: Multiple Partners, Anal Play, Spanking, M/F
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Magic doesn’t exist. I used to believe, but it was the wistful imagining of a child.

When the Duke of Denforth makes me his duchess, he shows me wonders beyond any fantasy. Instead of one husband, I’m blessed with three – the duke, and my guardians, Moses and Liam. Our scandalous passion cannot be denied as magic heats between us.

When I’m taken from my husbands, I must learn to embrace the power inside me. It terrifies me, but too much is at stake to give in to my fear.
***
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Lily Archer’s magic is familiar and alien all at once. She’s much more than she seems, and we can’t wait to explore her secrets. She offers power beyond imagining, yet it’s nothing compared to the joy she brings to our lives.

She even manages to charm a dragon.

But there are those who would use our wife for their own ends and steal her from us.

I am Myrddin, and we will topple a kingdom to get her back.

Lily is being forced into a marriage to a man she doesn’t like, by a mother who doesn’t believe her daughter is telling the truth. In a world where the shackles can hold you dearly, Lily holds her head high and does the best she can. She is no weeping willow, instead she has a spine of steel. This is a good thing, as she will need all the strength she has… and more.

This is a brilliant story that makes me wish I had read book one first – not because I think I have missed out on anything, but simply because I enjoyed this one so much. The characters are all fully-developed, and I loved how they were there for each other throughout. The world was easy to visualise, and yet magical at the same time. The pacing of this story was smooth, speeding up where necessary and still giving you time to process what you had read.

The ending of this book takes you to modern times, which was a pleasant surprise. I loved the ending and how it opens the next book. Still, I don’t know if I’ve quite finished with Lily, ‘Michael’, Moses, and Liam. This book is definitely one to keep, re-read, and enjoy all over again. Definitely recommended by me.

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

Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was by Paul McAuley

January 24, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was by Paul McAuley
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (28 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was by Paul McAuley is a complex sf story about politics and xenophobia when human colonists on an Earth-like planet are faced with the possibility of reaching out to alien cultures, especially when a big organization that has previously done harm is in charge of the operation.

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The world building was phenomenal. There was so much attention paid to describing the history of this community and the corporation that founded it that I couldn’t stop reading. I can’t give too many specific examples of the things Mr. McAuley included in the descriptions without sharing some pretty huge spoilers, but the things he said about what that land looked like before humans started living on it were particularly interesting.

I only have one minor criticism, and it has to do with the character development. There simply wasn’t enough attention paid to showing the audience who the characters were as individuals and how they were evolving as I would have preferred to see. The characters were surrounded by so many incredible things that I was surprised by how little they were affected by them or changed as a result of them.

One of the other things I loved about this story was its accurate depictions of small-town politics. Not all of the characters in this community liked each other, and it showed in both small and big ways as they discussed the possibility of the Omega Point Foundation being allowed to install radio communications equipment just outside of town that would give them the possibility of communicating with alien species. Since this foundation had been involved with some pretty shady deals when humans first began living on this new planet, not all of the townsfolk were comfortable with them having another chance to potentially hurt innocent people. I was fascinated by both sides of the argument and looked forward to seeing which one might win.

If you love futuristic science fiction, I’d highly recommend checking out Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was.

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

Secret Lady by Beth Trissel

January 23, 2019 By 8 Comments


Secret Lady by Beth Trissel
Ladies in Time Book Three
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Full Length (235 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

At Lavender House, Evie McIntyre is haunted by the whispers from her bedroom closet. Before she can make sense of their murmurs, the house “warbles” between times and transports her to the Civil War. Past and present have blended, and Evie wishes she’d paid more attention to history. Especially since former Confederate officer, Jack Ramsey, could use a heads up.
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Torn between opposing forces, Jack struggles to defend the valley and people he loves. Meeting Evie turns his already tumultuous world upside down. Will solving the mystery of the whispers return her home, and will the handsome scout be by her side?

Against the background of Sheridan’s Burning of the Shenandoah Valley, Jack and Evie fight to save their friends and themselves – or is history carved in stone?

Lavender House has a message for Evie.

The whispers coming from Evie’s closet have tormented her all Summer, and Evie’s had enough. At the moment Evie finds the courage to confront the presence calling to her, the house whisks her back in time. Before Evie realizes what has happened, she comes face to face with Jack. Evie immediately feels a spark of attraction, but Evie and Jack have a much deeper connection then either of them could imagine.

Like many couples Ms. Trissel has created, Evie and Jack clearly belong together. I think instant love connections are difficult to pull off, but Evie and Jack’s love is anchored in the past and seems completely plausible. However, I would have liked to see them spend more time together. The past is a tumultuous time. There is much to be done in preparing the for Sheridan’s arrival, and Evie and Jack’s moments together are precious and few. I would have liked to see them spend a bit more time together in order to get a better sense of the kind of couple they will be.

Ms. Trissel brings the horrors of war to life in this tale. She shows how the Civil War affected soldiers and civilians alike. Families were torn apart, homes were burned, and lives were destroyed. Jack is caught in the middle of it all struggling to do what is right. He doesn’t believe in the Southern cause, but he cares about the South and can’t bring himself to fight against it. Consequently, he is in danger from both Union and Confederate soldiers. However, Jack is not one to sit by idle. He works as a guide for the Underground Railroad. It is a very difficult position to be in, and I admire his strength of character.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read Secret Lady. Ms. Trissel never disappoints! I highly recommend Secret Lady to anyone looking for a sweet historical romance.

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

Traumphysik by Monica Byrne

January 23, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Traumphysik by Monica Byrne
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (22 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A brilliant young physicist, alone on a Pacific atoll during World War II, begins to chronicle the laws of motion that govern her dreams.

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Lucy was a complex and intelligent main character. My opinion of her must have changed half a dozen times as I was reading this story. There were points when I disliked her because of how often she resorted to black and white thinking about life and the people she’d known in the past. In other sections, I admired her attention to detail and strict self-discipline. She felt like a real person to me, and that’s always something I enjoy finding in fiction.

The pacing in this tale was slow. I had trouble remaining interested in the plot because of how much time it took for Lucy to realize that something odd was happening in her dreams. As much as I enjoyed the twist in this one once it was revealed, I sure would have liked to find a clue or two about what going to happen much earlier in the storyline.

I was totally surprised by the ending. It took me a little while to figure out how it fit into the rest of the storyline, but that turned out to be a good thing. There were hints about it scattered through the beginning and middle. They simply required readers to pay close attention and connect a few dots together that didn’t necessarily seem like they were related at first glance. I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how all of this worked after I had all of the pieces to the puzzle.

Traumphysik should be read by anyone who is interested in lucid dreaming.

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

Smoke & Mirrors by Eli Celata

January 21, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Smoke & Mirrors by Eli Celata
Publisher: Hidden Helm Press
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (246 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Death has come to Rochester. Saving the the lost children of Hamelin unleashes the most ruthless enemy Jon has ever faced. Blood saturates his nights, and demons stalk his every step. He might’ve gotten the children out of Shiloh’s void, but he put them in the cross-hairs of an old grudge.

When a trio of Daughters brings their kill list into the Grith, magic users turn against one another. Allies become enemies. Safety counterbalances freedom, and everyone wants a piece of Jon.

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Whether magic is used for good or evil depends on who is performing the spell.

Just like in earlier installments, I was blown away by the world building. Mr. Celata did an excellent job of creating a setting for his characters that feels every bit as real as our world. I could have sworn that I was seeing, hearing, and feeling the same things Jon was as he attempted to protect the children and keep his community from breaking out into war. There was so much attention to detail in these matters that I didn’t want to stop reading until I knew how it would all end for him.

At times I found it hard to keep track of the large cast of characters. It would have been quite helpful to either have a brief recap of who everyone was in the first chapter or to have a list of characters I could reference as I was reading. I’m saying this as someone who has really been enjoying this series so far. If not for my confusion about how everyone knew each other and who they were, I would have happily chosen a much higher rating for this tale. Everything else about it was fantastic.

One of the things I love about this universe is how complicated the rules of magic are in it. I still haven’t figured out all of them, but honestly I don’t think the audience is supposed to quite yet since many of the characters have had similar reactions to the complexity of them all. The author is playing the long game here, and I’m quite curious to see how it will all pan out in the end.

This is the third book in a series. I’d recommend finishing the first two installments, High Summons and Grimm Remains, before diving into this one.

Smoke & Mirrors should be read by anyone who loves wizards or the dark side of the urban fantasy genre.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Skull and Pestle: New Tales of Baba Yaga

January 18, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Skull and Pestle: New Tales of Baba Yaga by Kate Wolford (Editor)
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (193 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

She can be the enemy of your nightmares or the spirit guide to your dreams. Her hair is wild and gray. Her teeth are made of iron, and she travels using a giant mortar and pestle and lives in a shack on chicken feet surrounded by a fence of skulls and bones. She is Baba Yaga, a crone who ruthlessly uses the needy and greedy for her own devices. And in this anthology of new stories starring Baba Yaga, she lands in some spectacular scenarios.

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Not every witch is necessarily evil.

There was danger lurking everywhere for Vasilisa in “Vasilisa the Wise.” Not only did her stepmother not care if she lived or died, Baba Yaga actively tried to come up with tasks this character couldn’t accomplish so the old witch would have an excuse to eat her. I found Baba Yaga’s challenges and threats deliciously frightening. Since I knew almost nothing about this classic fairy tale villain, it was nice to start this anthology off with what I assume was a more traditional telling of who she was and how she liked to behave.

All of the stories in this collection were creative and worth the read. With that being said, I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to the character development in “Boy Meets Witch.” As intrigued as I was to see how Baba Yaga would respond to a young boy seeking her out for advice instead of all of the girls who had been written about in this anthology, I didn’t feel like I got to know Alex Rusnak, the protagonist, as well as I did the protagonists in the other stories. If he’d been equally well-developed, I would have given this collection a five-star rating!

“Baba Yaga: Her Story” was a wonderful take on Baba Yaga’s life before she became such a famous literary figure. When the audience met her in the first scene, she was an abandoned child who didn’t even have a name yet. I was as surprised by that as I was by all of the things that happened to her as she grew older and began to realize just how powerful her magic abilities were. While she definitely was a villain, I still grew to like her as I got to know her better and understood why she occasionally did such harmful things to ordinary people.

Skull and Pestle: New Tales of Baba Yaga should be read by anyone who loves fairy tales.

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