The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur

October 22, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Welcome to the crossroads, where hospitality reigns supreme for the guests who are anything but human.

Marjorie has spent the last two years managing the Crossroads Hotel and Diner, a roadside stop in rural Missouri with a guest list that’s anything but ordinary. The locals are one thing, but it’s the visitors from other dimensions that keep her on her toes. Now, as she trains her new assistant, Josh, he’s quickly learning that dealing with shapeshifters and ageless little girls is just part of the job. But when an unexpected earthquake shakes more than the ground beneath them, Marjorie and Josh discover something far stranger is at play, and it’s no mere anomaly. At a hotel where the bizarre is business as usual, handling the changes might just be the toughest check-in yet.

The customer is always right in supernatural matters.

One of my favorite aspects of this tale involved the backstories of the human characters. It takes a special sort of person to work at The Crossroads Hotel, especially on days when paranormal activity is much higher than usual. Some visitors can do and say alarming things, for example, and not everyone who stays at this hotel is necessarily who or what they appear to be. It made sense, then, that so many of the human employees had good reasons for wanting to work at such an unpredictable place instead of a nice, quiet hotel in another city.

The ending was what convinced me to select a full five-star rating for this piece. Looking back, there were a few clues I hadn’t fully understood at the time that could nudge a reader in this direction, but they could have also been interpreted in wildly different ways, too. I adored the surprise waiting for me in the last few scenes and thought it was executed beautifully. It fit the storyline and character development nicely, and it was also just plain fun to read.

The world building was strong and intriguing. Ms. Avizur created a comfortable but unusual setting where humans coexisted with all sorts of other sentient creatures. The rhythms of hotel life were sometimes interrupted by otherworldly conflicts, but I was honestly just as interested in the ordinary aspects of keeping guests from such a wide variety of backgrounds happy. Customer service remains the same everywhere even if one’s customers happen to be furry or immortal.

The Crossroads Hotel made me yearn for more. The sequel can’t appear quickly enough for my tastes!

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

Doctor Chronos by Othello Gooden Jr.

October 21, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Doctor Chronos by Othello Gooden Jr.
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Time is not in our side but is for one… Or is it?

Dr. Sigma Mellis is a young quantum physicist that lives on a Space Station in orbit of the Moon, commonly known as the Lunar Space Station. She believed she had a breakthrough on discovering something revolutionary. Everyone around her believed she could achieve this dream… Making Time Travel a reality-Everyone except her father. Furthermore, his constant negative attitude about her life choices continues to sap her energy.

Sigma is determined to make her old man believe that this dream of hers is attainable. The best revenge is one that proves all haters wrong-but how far is one willing to go in order to reach that goal?

The past doesn’t have to be set in stone.

There aren’t many science fiction stories these days that are written as a series of journal entries from what I’ve found. It’s always a treat to find one that uses this format as it makes me feel like I’m discovering new plot twists right alongside the main character. A single day can be quiet and calm, but it can also be filled with revelations about what is really happening with secondary characters that the protagonist might not know much about yet. May other speculative fiction authors take note of this and bring this sort of storytelling back into vogue.

It would have been helpful to have more details in this tale. I struggled to imagine what was happening in certain scenes because of how little information I had about what the people and setting looked like in them. As much as I would have liked to give this one a higher rating, I needed more from it in order to feel comfortable doing so.

I enjoyed reading about the extrapolations Mr. Gooden made about what could happen if time travel were real. They reached much further into the character’s present lives and backstories than I thought they would, and they made reading later scenes exciting as Sigma realized over and over again that her life had once again changed in ways she never would have predicted it might.

Doctor Chronos was filled with adventure.

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

The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters by edited by Anthony Francis and Liza Olmsted

October 17, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters by edited by Anthony Francis and Liza Olmsted
Publisher: Thinking Ink Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Would neurodiversity be an advantage in an encounter with aliens? Let’s find out!

Heartbroken starships.

Human-sized hamster balls.

Superpowers unleashed by anxiety.

A planet covered in mathematical fidgets.

And we finally learn why aliens abduct cows.

A diverse, hopeful anthology of neurodiversity-themed science fiction short stories, poetry and art by and for neurodivergent people.

Featuring stories, poems and art from Tobias S. Buckell, M. D. Cooper, Ada Hoffmann, Jody Lynn Nye, Cat Rambo, and over forty other contributors, The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters was edited by Anthony Francis, author of the award-winning urban fantasy novel Frost Moon, and Liza Olmsted, editor of the writing inspiration book Your Writing Matters.

The Neurodiversiverse includes themes of autism, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, synesthesia, several kinds of anxiety, avoidant attachment disorder, dissociative disorder, and more.

Aliens are full of surprises.

Bridget was the first human to meet a new alien species who was confused by the concept of giving names to individuals but who needed the help of humanity in order to survive in “Impact.” I was intrigued by the many physiological and cultural differences between Bridget and the eboir (which was the name of this species). This could have easily been expanded into something full length, and yet there were enough details to paint a vivid picture in my mind of what was going on as they became acquainted with each other.

This was a solid collection that I enjoyed reading, but there were a few pieces in it that I wished had been given more time to develop. “Cadre,” which described how Zak adapted to his first job after finishing grad school, was one of them. He was an intelligent character who struggled with certain social conventions. No sooner did he begin to settle in at his new job than this tale ended, and I only wish I could have seen more examples of why it was the perfect position for him. This is a minor criticism of a book I otherwise deeply enjoyed.

As someone who also struggles with making a good first impression in job interviews, I empathized with Ben in “The Interview.” He wanted the ambassador position so badly and yet none of his answers were as polished or convincing as he hoped they would be. His raw honesty made him instantly likeable to me, and I hoped his interviewer could see past the awkward phrasing of some of his responses to the kind, gentle, and refreshingly honest person that was sitting in front of them.

The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters was creative.

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

SCHROEDER by Neal Cassidy

October 16, 2024 By Leave a Comment


SCHROEDER by Neal Cassidy
Publisher: M & S Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When an ordinary young man wakes up in his quiet neighborhood on a day seemingly like all the others, the city he’s lived in all his life has no idea what’s about to befall it once he sets out on a day-long bike ride carrying a purposefully packed backpack and a definitive plan.

Who is Schroeder, and what motivates his brutal killing spree? As he cycles from one victim’s home to the next, keeping pace with the rhythm of a city that burgeons to life under an increasingly dazzling sun exposing both its beauty and vivacity and its dark, dirty, underbelly, Schroeder lays bare his dreams, disappointments, delights, and dismays, establishing himself as a compelling contemporary antihero. The day rolls ominously towards its climax through hectic city streets, lush suburban gardens, stately mansions, and decrepit housing projects, punctuated by Schroeder’s reflections on a society in shambles and a deeply damaged, if not broken, humanity—but not without revealing life’s boundless wonder and infinite possibilities for joy and redemption through moments that are within—and yet tragically beyond—Schroeder’s grasp. A tell-all denouement brings Schroeder out of the shadows of his actions, the pathos of his questions about the kind of world we live in lingering long after.

A quiet neighborhood isn’t always a safe one.

Imagine a serial killer who worries about litterbugs, homelessness, and the loss of civility in modern civilization. I shook my head in amazement the first time this narrator went off on a tangent about all of the little things a person can do to show kindness to others while he was biking to his victim. The cognitive dissonance of a killer being offended by people who don’t recycle or respect their elders made me curious to learn more about him.

The slow and uneven pacing of this novella made it difficult for me to remain interested in it. When scenes with faster pacing did occasionally appear, they felt out of place to me even though I wanted more action in the storyline in general because of how jarring it was for me as a reader to switch between the two writing styles. It would have been more comfortable to read something that stuck to a steady pace.

This was definitely on the gorier side of the horror spectrum. The narrator had creative ways of describing how he killed his victims and what he thought as he surprised each one of them. He was so emotionally detached from those moments that I wondered if or when the realization of what he was actually doing would ever penetrate his racing thoughts.

I also struggled with the narrator’s stream-of-consciousness speaking style. He flipped between describing grisly murders he was committing and complaining about mundane matters that did not seem to be related to his killing spree at all. I started reading with the expectation that I would not like such a violent and unpredictable character, but I was hoping to understand his motivations for his actions better if nothing else. The answers that were given were interesting, but they never quite explained why this was the only option for him given how many other people in this world have had similar or even worse experiences without resorting to the same violent acts he did.

With that being said, the setting was a little uncommon for this genre. I was intrigued by the idea of uncovering the dark underbelly of suburban living. Yes, there was exaggeration, but there were also some truths about the difficulties that can arise in a homogenous neighborhood where no one has as much privacy as they need and differences are not always accepted. There’s no such thing as a perfect place to live, of course, but I do think there’s value in critically examining what doesn’t work in a community in order to hopefully improve those weak spots in the future.

SCHROEDER made me shudder.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Recesses of Darkness Anthology by R L Schumacher

October 15, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Recesses of Darkness Anthology by R L Schumacher
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Horror is an intense emotional response characterized by an overwhelming and painful feeling. It arises when one encounters something that is frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting. This profound emotion can lead to a visceral reaction, often causing a person to shudder with fear. It grips the mind and body, paralyzing them with a deep sense of dread and repulsion.

Horror comes in all shapes and sizes.

Two old, broke prospectors named Regan and Barlow decided to pan for gold in a new spot at the recommendation of a friend in “Teamwork.” There were some fun plot twists in this tale involving their search for treasure that made me wonder what might happen next but that I don’t want to spoil for others by going into detail about. I also appreciated the way the author played around with the audience’s expectations and made me wonder if he really was going to go in the direction I thought he might.

Some of the tales in this collection had abrupt endings that I wish had been given more time to develop. “Cellar Door” was one example of it. Ron’s troubled relationship with Cheryl was hinted at briefly before the story switched to describing why he decided to sign up as a medical test subject to make some extra money. It was never quite clear to me why he was so eager to do this or what was going on with him and Cheryl. This was a pattern that repeated itself in other instalments and was an impediment to a higher rating in my opinion.

Artie woke up from a mysterious surgery in “The Prototypical Soldier” and needed to piece together his past. As he recovered and began regaining both physical and mental strength, more clues about his mysterious past and the reasons why he had surgery began to emerge. I was pleasantly surprised by several of the plot twists and thought he was a well-written protagonist. This would have made a great full-length novel, although I was content with how things ended in the final scene.

The Recesses of Darkness Anthology put a shiver down my spine.

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

Crustaceans by William Meikle

October 14, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Crustaceans by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Killer Crabs Take Manhattan!

A welcome return to those tomes of pure enjoyment that we read with guilt in our early teens, in the tradition of James Herbert’s THE RATS and Guy N. Smith’s NIGHT OF THE CRABS.

It begins with a dead whale on a Boston shoreline–not in itself an unusual occurrence. But the things that claw their way out of the blubber are very unusual indeed.

Giant crabs descend on a small coastal town and, having feasted, make their way to Manhattan, hunted and harried by a SWAT team tasked with ridding the city of the menace…before the menace gets big enough to rid itself of the city.

When flesh eating crabs chew their way out of a dead, beached whale, it’s enough to draw some very serious attention. A number of unusual events revolving around a new found species of crabs soon has the Armed forces sitting up and taking notice, especially when some of their own are taken. It soon becomes clear the crabs are growing – and converging on Manhattan. A small team race to answer why – and how large will these things grow to?

I have been a huge fan of William Meikle’s for a number of years now and this story did not disappoint. A republishing of a previous novel of his I found this was everything about his writing that I love. Giant, monstrous beasties eating everyone in sight. A small and dedicated team hunting them down. Plenty of action, monsters and a rollicking good pace.

Readers who enjoy B grade horror movies and books along the same lines – ones that are here for a good time with plenty of fun – should find this a thoroughly enjoyable tale. I love this author’s S-Squad series and while this isn’t one of that series he admits it was where some of his earlier ideas for that did germinate. Sit back with a large cold drink, switch off your brain and be prepared for a fun, fast paced and excellently written tall tale. With just enough reality to make you think this is a wonderful monster story and one I will happily reread again soon.

With some memorable and enjoyable characters, giant monster crabs that are determined to take over everything and some exceptional fire power, this is a fun and rambunctious story and a brilliant addition to my Meikle library. Recommended.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

One Of The Broken by John Carson

October 11, 2024 By Leave a Comment


One Of The Broken by John Carson
Publisher: Amazon Kindle
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

You can run…but you can never hide from the truth

A man is found murdered in his home, bludgeoned to death. In his hand is a piece from a jigsaw puzzle. Despite being widely liked, someone harboured a deadly grudge.

DCI James Craig, who recently relocated from London to Fife to work with Police Scotland, leads a dedicated team tasked with unraveling the mystery behind the murder and the significance of the puzzling clue left behind. Despite the victim’s seemingly spotless reputation, lingering shadows from his past hint at a possible motive.

As Craig delves into the victim’s history, he uncovers the existence of a sinister alter ego that may have precipitated his demise, and the unsettling realisation that the killer may have more targets in mind.
With time ticking away, Craig races against the clock to identify potential victims before the tranquillity of the area is shattered by further bloodshed.

After the traumatic events that changed DCI James Craig’s world a few months ago, Craig and his wife are finally beginning to settle into a new routine. Back in Fife, Scotland they are trying hard to find a sense of normal again. When Craig is called out onto his first proper investigation, he’s pleased to finally turn his mind onto easier matters – like murder.

I enjoyed this second book in a new series by this author. While the cast of characters isn’t enormous, there are quite a few in the team and periphery around the case. I didn’t struggle to keep everyone in order – but readers who aren’t used to the frequently large cast this author tends to write might find it an effort to keep all the characters clear in their head. I also was quite pleased there was a bit of explanation and a very brief summary of events that led Craig and his wife to where they are right now. The ending to the previous book was literally life shattering for them both and they are both still clearly processing and coming to terms with this outcome and so it would have been quite disjointed I feel without some explanation, so I thought this was handled very well.

That said, I do feel this book can be picked up by itself. I’m wondering if perhaps later books in this series might have a bit too much history and backstory to really leave the option open to read these out of order or just randomly select one and start there, but for this second book I definitely feel readers should be able to comfortably catch up without having to go back to the first.

I also thought it was quite refreshing how the “who” aspect to the villain in this book was shown to the reader fairly early on. This was very much more of a plot and story to solve why the murders occurred and how these events came to be – rather than a “whodunit” style of mystery. While absolutely not uncommon – I really did enjoy this and being able to glimpse snatches from the murder’s perspective and slowly try to piece the puzzle together was really interesting and kept me heavily invested in the story. While I could understand if early unveiling isn’t every reader’s cup of tea, I absolutely felt there was plenty of mystery around why these murders were occurring and how it all connected up together, so I felt it was a lovely and rather refreshing take on a police procedural style of mystery novel.

With the slightly grittier Scottish backdrop and a complex plot I enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the third to be published.

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

Eternal by Mychael Black

October 8, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Eternal by Mychael Black
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Sam McIntosh knows he doesn’t need to be in the closet with his friends, but his family is another matter entirely. He keeps his sex life under wraps and never lets on to anyone that he enjoys any gender. So far, that’s worked just fine — until his father hires a new guy to work on the family farm.

Cole England has far more secrets than the average man, the least of which is his vampiric nature. He’s on the run from hunters sent by his father, and they are closing in on him. The last thing he needs is to fall for the son of the humans who hired him on their farm.

Between Sam’s bigoted family and Cole’s hunters, it’ll be a miracle if they can manage to explore the blazing attraction neither of them can deny.

Sam is in the closet to his family due to their bigoted ways. He’s out and proud with his friends, but his family – no way. This has worked just fine until his family hire Cole to work on their farm. The attraction is instant and Sam struggles to hide his growing desire. Cole has a bunch of his own problems – a vampire on the run from the hunters sent by his father, the last thing he wants is to drag the handsome Sam into his eternity and issues. Can the two men explore their blazing attraction without everything falling down around them?

I enjoyed this quick steamy read. Sam and Cole are well written and very realistic characters. It was quite easy for me to become attached to them both and they are quite relatable. I was pleased with both of their introductions and found their chemistry and instant attraction believable. This set me up very well for my enjoyment of this book, and for them to both have a mutual conflict with Sam’s bigoted parents and the hunters sent by Cole’s father helped solidify their working together as a team – even without the sexual tension and attraction between them.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a paranormal story and I found this one to be quite refreshing. There is some world-building which I enjoyed since I don’t recall reading anything similar from this author before. I also thought the slower pace of Sam learning about Cole and his heritage was a good way to ease readers into the various complexities of the authors paranormal world. I was pleased there wasn’t a massive info-dump and it was Sam and Cole chatting and getting to know each other where most of the vampire side of things was explored. I enjoyed this.

Readers who like a strongly paranormal but still steamy erotic story should find this short novel a good blend of the two. I thought it was a well written and fairly refreshing story and would be happy to try more books like this by the author.

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

Broken Pencils by J.R. Rice

October 7, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Broken Pencils by J.R. Rice
Publisher: Tea With Coffee Media
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents’ troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend’s death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelve-hour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco’s nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point?

Birthdays aren’t always happy days.

Jonah’s character development was well done. He had a lot on his plate and good reasons for the sometimes dangerous choices he made on prom night. I appreciated the way the author took the time to explain why Jonah was struggling so much and where his life became so complicated after the death of his best friend among several other stressors. Reading those passages gave me a lot of sympathy for this character and made me hope he’d live happily ever after in the end.

There were times when I struggled to follow the plot due to how often Jonah talked about things that had happened to him days, months, or even years ago. He jumped from past to present and back again so often that it was a distraction for this reader even though I liked other aspects of the book like the characters. I would have happily chosen a higher rating if the storyline had been more linear.

The ending had some fantastic twists that I didn’t see coming but that helped to clear up some of my confusion about what happened earlier. I especially enjoyed the way it illuminated what assumptions Jonah had made about his life that were accurate verses which ones were influenced by his mental state that other people in his life saw in completely different ways. Yes, I know I’m being vague here, but I want other readers to have the chance to be surprised just like I was. What a treat it was to reach those last few pages and learn more about his family and how those closest to Jonah saw him instead of what he assumed they thought about him.

Broken Pencils was a thought provoking read.

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

The Island by Brian Conte

October 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Island by Brian Conte
Publisher: Page Publishing
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Island is a coming-of-age story about the real-life adventure that the author’s son, Zeb, had. The story is about Zeb washing ashore as a castaway on a desert island and all the ways he must learn to survive and get off it.

Survival is the goal.

Some of the best scenes were the ones that described how Zeb figured out how to meet his basic needs on the island. He needed the basics like food, water, and shelter, of course, but he also had emotional needs to fulfill in order to remain hopeful that he was going to figure out a way to go home again. I cheered him on every time he made a new discovery that took care of one or more of these needs.

I was never entirely sure who this was written for, so clarity would have been helpful there. Some portions sounded like they were for adults who enjoy magical realism or blending fiction with fact while other ones felt more appealing to middle grade readers who like lighthearted castaway stories or teens who prefer a grittier and more realistic description of what it takes to survive by oneself on an island. Of course there can be more than one target audience, but when something is written for such a large range of ages and reading styles it can make it tricky for me as a reviewer to know who to recommend such a tale to. Some of the whimsical sections would probably fly over the heads of the average preteen while other scenes might feel too playful for anyone who knows how hard it is to catch your own food or keep a fire going on a damp, tropical island. Then again, there is something to be said for rereading an old favorite years later only to discover a deeper layer of meaning to it. This is a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise engaging and well done.

It’s hard to talk about the magical realism and paranormal elements of the storyline without giving away spoilers, but it was such an important part of the plot that I must try. There’s something so emotionally satisfying about being allowed to make up one’s own mind about what was going on in the scenes that could be interpreted in multiple ways, including ones that are only possible in fiction. I have my own theories about how to interpret them, but there are equally valid explanations other readers might prefer about what the causes of these events were and if Zeb’s descriptions of them were what actually happened.

The Island kept me guessing until the final sentences.

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