Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Brainwalker by Robyn Mundell & Stephan Lacast

★★★★

“Getting inside someone’s head” tends to be a figurative idea, or turn of phrase, but in Brainwalker, the boundlessly creative new novel from Robyn Mundell and Stephan Lacast, the concept is taken quite literally. This fast-paced novel takes readers deep into the actual human brain – and beyond.

Bernard is a typical YA literature protagonist – an unusual teen with some personality quirks who is suddenly thrown into an extraordinary situation. For Bernard, that situation arises when his curiosity gets the best of him in his father’s lab, who happens to be a particle physicist. After fiddling like […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-08-08T04:25:50+02:00August 6th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction, Young Adult|

Review: Embellished: A Vadarc Novel (Chronicles of Orian Book 1) by Karen Glista

When eighteen-year-old Travis Kurth lures his sister Bekka in to his online game, nobody expects the game to get so real.

As both Travis and Bekka and the rest of their online party are sucked into the fantastical world of Orian, mystery after mystery reveal themselves. Where, exactly, are they? How did they get there? Why is Bekka’s debilitating illness suddenly in complete remission?

With confusion in their minds, their hopes of a quick rescue are dashed as war clashes in their midst, claiming their party and tearing its members apart. A royal entourage sweeps in, only to lose Bekka […]

James Grimsby2020-02-21T07:14:42+02:00August 5th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Paranormal Romance|

Review: Cleveland Wins a Championship by Jeff Attinella, Illustrated by Steve Madden

Jeff Attinella’s children’s book, Cleveland Wins a Championship: The Story of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, gives its readers a great sports story with drawings that jump off the page, thanks to the considerable talents of illustrator Steve Madden.

Attinella tells the story not only of the Cavaliers, but down-on-their-luck Cleveland sports fans, who never seem to catch a break. In spirited rhyming prose, it tells the story of hometown hero LeBron James, from his early years with the Cavs, his heartbreaking departure, and his triumphant return. As he’s the most popular player in basketball, this is a book that […]

Marta Cheng2019-02-11T08:34:55+02:00August 5th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Books, Sports|

Review: The Breaking (The End Time Saga Book 2) by Daniel Greene

★★★★½

In a world of mindless zombies, eccentric hillbillies, deadly skill sets, and endless loyalty to the people you’ve survived beside, Daniel Greene has carved out an exciting apocalyptic series that stands head and shoulders above other offerings in the zombie genre.

In The Breaking, the sequel to End Time, readers are dropped back into the world of Steele, Mauser, and Gwen, as well as a United States that has fallen under the weight of a zombie onslaught. Multiple narrative perspectives provide readers with a three-dimensional picture of this harsh new world, which constantly borders on insanity. Death […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:37:34+02:00August 4th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Daniel Greene, Horror, The End Time Saga, Zombie Fiction|

Review: Bebette by Joseph Barone

★★★★

Joseph Barone’s existential novel, Bebette, tells the story of Lily, a 12-year-old girl with a rare form of blood cancer, as she grapples with her own mortality. After her family’s move from the allegorically named town of Reverie to the equally metaphorical town of Salvation, Lily develops a relationship with an imaginary friend named Bebette.

Bebette is a 5-year old child who looks like Alice in Wonderland but who speaks with the knowledge, insight, and wisdom of a much older person. The conversations held between Bebette and Lily are not those you would expect to encounter between two […]

Felicity Box2017-09-15T12:45:16+02:00August 3rd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Literary Fiction|

Review: The Moreva of Astoreth by Roxanne Bland

★★★★

Being the granddaughter of a goddess has certain advantages. Those privileges inflate the priestess Tehi’s ego beyond the bounds of propriety. When she fails in her duties thanks to her open disdain for the hakoi, the common laborers, her grandmother sentences her to serve a year in a far northern outpost. She will be the only moreva, and all of her daily interactions will be with hakoi. But that’s hardly the most challenging aspect of her assignment. The town is a border between the land of Tehi’s gods and untamed hakoi who refuse to be governed.

In her new […]

Mindy Hood2017-08-09T01:54:11+02:00August 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: The Underground by Roxanne Bland

★★★★

The Underground by Roxanne Bland is an original urban fantasy that pits supernatural creatures – or zots – against the larger, more paranoid, human population. In the uneasy peace that blankets Seattle, a werewolf alpha, a mage, and a master vampire fight each other and the outside world as they try to balance responsibilities and power structures. Add an alien assassin in hiding, a fifth dimensional demon, and a rebellion to the mix, and the city’s about to blow. The novel is a fast-paced adventure from beginning to end with engaging characters and a strong dose of drama.

The […]

Mindy Hood2017-08-09T01:52:57+02:00August 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Urban Fantasy, Vampires|

Review: Brightley & Glow by Sophie Carmen, Illustrated by Christina Sanchez

Brightley & Glow is a delightful “sibling” picture book written by Sophie Carmen, with illustrations provided by Christina Sanchez. Appropriate for children aged two to six, it’s an ideal bedtime story.

Brightley and his younger brother, Glow, are two stars living in the night sky. They’re as close as two siblings can be, often playing hide and seek together and listening to their Grandfather Moon tell his stories. One day, Grandfather Moon announces that Brightley, who is a shooting star, will soon be leaving them to travel the universe, granting wishes to young children everywhere. Glow immediately wants to go […]

Marta Cheng2019-02-11T08:37:15+02:00July 31st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Books|