The Deer King by Ben Spencer

September 7, 2018 By 2 Comments


The Deer King by Ben Spencer
Publisher: Knock-Knee Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (77 pages)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One girl. A reincarnated war god. The chance to stop the carnage before it begins.

Emmaline Rain’s father is the Stoneman. His responsibility: travel into Massaporan lands and end the life of the reincarnated Massaporan deity—the Deer King—the instant he is born. But when he fails in this task, the delicate equilibrium between Emmaline’s people and the Massaporans is disturbed. It seems likely that the violence of the past will be renewed.

She reports purchase cialis online that the intention and purpose of the school is to groom these young girls to one day be future leaders. According to health experts, Kamagra oral jelly canadian sildenafil like flusing, blocked nose, headache, and dryness in eyes. Also, it should decide for consuming prescribed dosage which might be a good idea for a cialis canada generic man to have thick, long, firm and healthy erection for pleasing intercourse. It can happen after taking antibiotics, discount buy viagra some medications, eating many sugars, or drinking soda, using alcohol, etc. Emmaline’s father is soon murdered by a priest of the Bronze Titan for his shortcomings. Newly orphaned, Emmaline absconds with the Saving Stone in the hopes of finding the Deer King and completing her father’s work. But when she comes face-to-face with the Deer King, she realizes that relations between her people and the Massaporans are more complicated than she has been led to believe.

The Deer King is the first in a planned series of fantasy novellas set in Dreyland, a colonial world where the indigenous people rely on the strength of a reincarnated god to help them offset the technological superiority of the settlers.

Some people know what their destiny is from the beginning of their life, but Emmaline isn’t one of those folks. Only time will tell what she’s supposed to do.

The world building in this story was incredibly well done. Even before I had any idea of what sorts of secrets the main character’s neighbors were keeping from her, I felt the fear, reluctance, and uncertainty of that community through every interaction they had with the Rain family. Little details like these made the city of Mossbane feel like a real place.

There was only one small thing I would have liked to see done slightly differently with the plot, and it had to do with the physical descriptions of the characters. It would have been nice to have a few more details about what everyone looked like due to the large number of characters who were introduced to the audience in such a short amount of time. I could tell everyone apart pretty well based on their personalities and where they lived, but having just a couple of extra clues about what they looked like would have made that process effortless and earned this book the full five-star rating I so wanted to give to it.

Emmaline was an intelligent young woman who could quickly make smart decisions in a crisis. These are both things I value highly in a protagonist, so I was thrilled to find both of them so strongly represented in her. She was exactly the sort of resourceful person I’d want to be around if someone with violent tendencies started sneaking around my backyard. While I hoped she’d always remain safe, I sure did enjoy watching her figure out how to survive under such dangerous circumstances.

I can’t recommend The Deer King highly enough to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre. It was a wonderful introduction to Dreyland.

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

Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller

September 5, 2018 By 2 Comments


Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (41 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

On a trip to the farmers’ market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents’ gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes…. What’s a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?

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Sophie’s friendship with her pet squash was adorable. I’d never thought of a squash as a companion before, but I was delighted by the many different types of games and activities she thought to expose Bernice to. Some of them were pretty creative, and all of them looked like fun. The more time they spent together, the more I hoped that they’d somehow figure out how to always be together.

It would have been nice to have a little more time spent developing the ending of this tale. The solution Sophie’s family came up with what to do with Bernice was a lovely one, and I sure would have liked to see more scenes focused on how they decided to make that choice. Most of it happened behind the scenes, and it wasn’t explained that clearly to the readers at first. This was a minor criticism of something I really enjoyed in general, though.

I appreciated the empathy Sophie’s parents had for her once they realized that she intended to keep her pet squash forever. While they didn’t necessarily understand her obsession with this object, they were very kind when they gently explained to her that Bernice was beginning to decompose. They were excellent parents to their child. I couldn’t have asked for better ones for a girl as sensitive and kind as she was.

Sophie’s Squash was a heartwarming story about friendship, loss, and love that I’d recommend to readers of all ages.

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

Beneath a Beating Heart by Lauri Robinson

September 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Beneath a Beating Heart by Lauri Robinson
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Inc
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (349 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Engrossed in her passion for cataloging antiques in an old home, Liz Baxter encounters the ghost of the original owner. However, Rance Livingston doesn’t believe he’s a ghost. He claims it’s 1901, and she’s his long-lost wife. The harder she tries to convince him she’s not, the more she starts to wish she was.

Rance can’t explain how the woman wearing strange clothes got into his house, or why she insists it’s 2018, but he’s convinced his and Beth’s love was so strong, her spirit would have found a way home to him. He doesn’t care about what happens in the future. He just wants Liz to realize she’s his Beth. His wife.

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Liz and Rance are soul mates. Trouble is Rance lived one hundred years ago so how do they make this work?

A lovely blend of past and present with not only the problem of how to make their love work (if at all possible) but how to save Rance’s homestead from his heirs who want to sell it for commercial use to make a lot of money.

This is a ghost story with a difference, Rance’s wife died in exactly the same spot that Liz’s parents died when she was a child. He’c convinced his wife is alive and that Liz is her. Liz believes she could be a reincarnation but this doesn’t help solve the love dilemma.

Liz can only see Rance in his dead wife’s mirror while he can only see her inside the house. The mirror is also needed so they can hear one another. Liz must solve the problem of keeping Rance’s ranch intact, but her own misty past interferes with her research.

At first I didn’t think I’d like this book but the more I read, the more I got to like it. For one thing, who is the ghost? Rance who lives a perfectly normal life at his ranch, grieving for his wife. Or Liz whose job is to value the antiques at the ranch and who sees Race as a ghost.

Can they solve this dilemma or will they have to go their own separate ways? Good book, an enjoyable read.

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

A Flame in the Night by Holland C. Kirbo

August 30, 2018 By Leave a Comment


A Flame in the Night by Holland C. Kirbo
The Legends of Aewyr #1
Publisher: Illadian Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (383 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

She alone has the power to stop Maal, the dark god of Hael, from destroying her world. Can she trust her powers and guard her heart, or will she lose herself to the flames?

In the land of Aewyr, the immortals stand as mankind’s last hope against Maal and his supernatural army of darkness, but the immortals have their limits. The kingdom of Ceredwyn watches and waits, praying for a savior. When eighteen-year-old Lakyn Trahearne annihilates a zuhl by immolating him, she’s not the only one stunned. Such power has never been granted by the gods, even to immortals. She’s young, and by all accounts, she’s human, and her powers are beyond comprehension. Ceredwyn may have found its champion.

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Nothing and no one have stopped Maal’s steady advance. But Lakyn’s powers have awakened, and love and loss are potent fuels within her. When Maal’s forces threaten the Ceredwyn royal family, Lakyn and Reuel must set aside their friction to protect the ones they love . . . If Lakyn can control the untamed powers within her and stand against the darkness that threatens them all.

Lakyn’s nightmares are about to become very real.

Lakyn’s has a good life. Even though she’s been touched by sorrow, she finds security in her loving, close knit family. When her nephew is born, Lakyn and her family are thrilled. Unfortunately, the moment Lakyn touches him, she has a terrible vision, and the nightmares that have plagued her for as long as she can remember, become more intense. Are they simply nightmares, or warnings?

When Lakyn’s family is attacked, her former life is ripped to pieces. The stories her mother used to tell her about immortals turn out to be true. Unfortunately, Maal and his army are very real as well. Lakyn barely has time to recover from tragedy before she begins training to control the power building within her. There are times when Lakyn just wants to run away and hide yet she keeps going. I admire her strength and determination. I like that Lakyn isn’t magically great at everything when her power manifests. Her training is gritty and realistic. I am curious as to why Lakyn never showed any sign of being different before her family was attacked. Did it take tragedy to unlock her power or was it simply the right time?

Lakyn and Reuel are a strange pair. I must admit I’m still not entirely comfortable with their love/hate relationship. Lakyn definitely set the tone from the first moment they met. She was harsh when Reuel was just trying to help. I completely understand she has been through a lot and her emotions are all over the place. However, she frequently speaks before thinking and hurts those around her. Often, Lakyn immediately regrets her outbursts and apologizes. However, she doesn’t seem able to apologize to Reuel. At least not very often. Reuel also becomes agitated and abrasive the more time he spends with Lakyn. One moment they love each other and the next they can barely stand to be in the same room. I found this confusing. When Reuel reveals a bit about his past, I began to understand his volatile mood swings, but Lakyn and Reuel still have a lot to sort out.

I’m intrigued by the gods, immortals, and forces they battle. Ms. Kirbo provided some of their history, but there is so much more I’d like to learn. I’m especially curious about Reuel. There is clearly something strange going on with his family. I hope my questions will be answered in the sequel!

I’m glad I read A Flame in the Night. The world Ms. Kirbo has created and the characters that inhabit it are thought provoking. I relish the opportunity to return to Aewyr to learn more!

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

No Flight Without the Shatter by Brooke Bolander

August 30, 2018 By Leave a Comment


No Flight Without the Shatter by Brooke Bolander
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After the world’s end, the last young human learns a final lesson from Earth’s remaining animals.

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There was so much creativity woven into the storyline. More than once I was pleasantly surprised with clever twists to what I thought had been going on with the characters up until the moment the narrator decided to share an offhand comment that completely shifted my understanding of certain moments. I truly enjoyed the process of learning what was really happening to Linnea and her companions as I moved closer and closer to the truth about their destinies.

It would have been nice to have a few more details about the crisis that caused the main character to be orphaned early in life. The narrator spent so much time talking about her life after that point that I sure would have liked to have at least a basic understanding of what happened to make it possible for a child to be left completely on her own at such a young age. While I understood that she wouldn’t remember all or even most of the details, finding out at least a little bit about it in some way other than through her hazy memories would have lead me to give this book a higher rating than I already did.

The ending sent a chill down my spine. It fit the tone of this story perfectly, especially when it came to what I expected to happen to Linnea once she’d been living on her own for a while and began running out of critical supplies. I also appreciated the fact that this section finally reveal a few key pieces of the plot that had only been vaguely hinted at earlier on. Having that information made me feel satisfied by how everything was wrapped up in the end.

No Flight Without the Shatter kept me on my toes from the first scene to the last one. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction that’s set in the not-too-distant future.

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

I Am a Cat by Galia Bernstein

August 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment


I Am a Cat by Galia Bernstein
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A simple housecat named Simon encounters some bigger cats: Lion, Puma, Panther, Tiger, and Cheetah. Each of the big cats has something to say about Simon not being “cat” enough. According to them, he just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t have Lion’s mane or Cheetah’s spots. He doesn’t sleep in trees like Panther or climb mountains like Puma. He’s small and fuzzy, not big and strong. But ultimately, Simon shows the big cats that he’s just like them . . . only smaller.

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There’s more than one way to be a cat.

Simon was such a brave little kitty. My favorite scene was the first one where he confidently announced who and what he was to the large cats who were nearby. He was so firm in his identity that it made me smile. I couldn’t wait to see how Lion, Puma, Panther, Tiger, and Cheetah reacted to his claim that they were similar sorts of creatures.

It would have been nice to spend more time teasing out the differences between all of these animals. While Simon definitely was a cat, I expected his new friends to be more cautious about his claims to be just like them than they were. Having a little more conflict in this tale would have gone a long way to giving it a perfect score in my opinion even though I enjoyed it quite a bit in general.

With that being said, I loved the ending. It fit the message of this book perfectly, and it was also exactly the sort of thing I like to see being written for preschoolers. While I did end up selecting the 3+ age range for it, I’d feel comfortable reading this to children even younger than that if they were interested in the storyline and wanted to sit still for a few minutes. Ms. Bernstein did a good job creating something that could appeal to very young children as well as people many years older than them.

I’d recommend I Am a Cat to feline lovers of all ages.

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

The Rain by E.C. Fisher

August 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Rain by E.C. Fisher
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short story (78 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A storm is raging. That’s merely one of Detective Daniel Nash’s troubles, Charlie Hamilton, the resident drunk and proprietor of Camp High Tide has mysteriously perished. After combing through old files, he learns that thirty years ago a young boy went missing. His body never discovered. He requests an interview with the five campers who were interrogated during that time.
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The bodies of the suspects start piling up. Each death is similar and equally horrifying. Detective Nash must locate the suspects before the culprit has a chance to finish them off.

The first section of this book is set in 1988 but then it jumps forward 30 years into 2018. I found this to be an interesting and intensely written story. Childhood shenanigans result in a tragic, accidental death and – like the best of campfire stories – mayhem ensues afterwards, stretching forward decades after the incident. Slightly paranormal with a hint of mystery and possibly for some readers very mild horror this was a great story I really enjoyed.

This was an interesting story and despite the very sad beginning I found myself really entranced by it. I thought it was a little odd that it started at an end-point, then went back a week in time and explained exactly how the circumstances surrounding the start came to happen, and then after that jumped forward into the present day. While there is certainly logic to the progress in the plot, knowing what occurred in the main accident gave the story lingering bittersweet feeling that hovered over the whole tale. I admit, I still was eager to know exactly how everything came about, and was pleased that we did jump forward in time and follow along with how all the main characters ended up after those childhood events.

Not a mystery in the traditional sense – you know from the opening scene exactly how the death occurs – this nevertheless had the feel of a mystery in the sense of how all the people and pieces came together, how did the opening scene actually come into being. Surprisingly for me I also really enjoyed that a number of the main characters weren’t good, nice or moral kids. Normally I like my protagonists to be heroic and fundamentally good people, even when there’s the odd anti-hero there is usually the sense that given the right circumstances the character would pick the correct path or action. Not so here. The author in a very well-written manner expresses very clearly that most of the group of main character children are not good or even redeemable to my mind. They’re bullies, devious and mean-spirited, simple as that. And while at face value I would have expected to not enjoy or even want to read such a story, E.C Fisher proved me completely wrong. I was hooked on how this summer camp unraveled and was absolutely cheering on the underdog character, even knowing how the shenanigans ended.

Completely different from most other stories I read, I nevertheless really enjoyed this story. I found the characters ran the gamut from deplorable to the traditional underdog and even knowing exactly how things ended I still had enough questions and curiosity to keep eagerly turning the pages. A very different and interesting read – albeit slightly uncomfortable and bittersweet – readers looking for something outside the box and non-traditional should certainly give this a try. Recommended.

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

Two Hearts One Stone by Leslie Scott

August 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Two Hearts One Stone by Leslie Scott
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (128 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Horse trainer Stone Dempsey’s life is all about the ride—with horses and women. He uses his equine talents to impress the country club set and earn money for Smoky Mountain Reining Horses. When his drug-addicted sister deposits her sick baby on his doorstep, he’s suddenly saddled with real responsibility.

Dr. Emmersyn Cole’s goal of starting a practice in her favorite place on earth is finally coming to fruition and she is not going to be sidetracked. Everything is going great until Stone swaggers into her life, half-dressed with a smile that could melt her insides. She’s determined to keep her distance…until he rushes into her grandfather’s home, clutching a feverish baby, terrified and vulnerable, and her heart’s hard shell begins to crack.
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In only a few short weeks, Stone’s wayward heart suddenly relies on two women—one who needs him—and one that he might not be able to live without.

Stone can’t help but be attracted to pretty women, but he’s a little gun-shy when it comes to chasing after the delectable Dr. Emmy – his boss’s grand-daughter. Emmy knows full well that while Stone was an exceptional horse trainer, genuinely one of the best, but his personal reputation was that he’d chase pretty much anything pretty in a skirt. And while Stone might make her mouth dry and her knees weak, Emmy doesn’t want her heart broken. Can they each resist the temptation of the other?

I found this to be a fun and wonderfully warm-hearted cowboy style story. Despite his hound-dog ways, Stone was written in a light and cheerful manner and I found myself instantly warming to his character. Being fairly confident that he’d fall head over heels for Emmy just made his eventual blind-siding even more wonderful to read. I also really enjoyed Emmy’s character – I found her strong and relatable and while understandably cautious over Stone’s philandering reputation she didn’t get her knickers in a twist over it or hold his previous conquests over his head in a way I often find unbearable in a heroine. They each went into the eventual relationship with their eyes open and with open hearts and this was just lovely to read and experience with them both.

This has all the elements of a really good romance story to my mind: two strong and capable characters, a few small bumps along the road with easily-addressed misconceptions, a sick little baby and a small-town, cowboy style community with plenty of vibrant and interesting secondary characters. Emmy and Stone become intimate from around half-way in the story. Readers should be aware that there are some sizzling love-making scenes that might make more traditional “doors-closed” readers a little wary. But while the scenes are graphic I found them well-written, tasteful and not too over-the-top.

While I can understand some readers might find this story formulaic and “been there done that” I personally would urge most readers to give this book a chance. While sure, I could write out a dot-point of how the story progresses and it would sound tried-and-true – and possibly like a dozen similar stories – the joy I found from this really comes from the characters, their interactions and a warmth from the familiarity of it all. This is like eating your favourite comfort-food-dinner for the thousandth time, while it might at a glance seem similar to dozens of other meals, it still leaves you happy, warm and feeling deeply satisfied.

A solid read with enjoyable characters, a great plot and some steamy romance to keep you eagerly turning the pages I found this to be a great read. Recommended.

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