Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: Marie’s Nutcracker by Margaret Marie Klenzing

Marie's Nutcracker by Margaret Marie Klenzing

Marie’s Nutcracker by Margaret Marie Klenzing is a fun and refreshingly honest novel about the hardship that ambitious ballet dancers must face in their pursuit of perfection. Set in the snowy Northeast, this beautifully written novel will charm readers with its genuine and gentle prose and enchanting wintry landscape.

Marie is a teenager for whom dancing is her whole life, and she’s set to participate in the annual production of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” run by her town’s dance studio at Christmastime. As the title beautifully encapsulates, this production of “The Nutcracker” is more than a simple show to Marie, but it […]

2024-01-24T19:27:50+02:00November 15th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Audiobook Review: The Eyes of Penn by Richard Carlton London

The Eyes of Penn by Richard Carlton London

Surprising in its sensitivity, creativity, and heart, The Johnsons: The Eyes of Penn by Richard Carlton London is an entertaining and innovative literary experience about a resilient group of passionate musicians navigating the tricky landscape of success, happiness, and morality. Beyond the engaging plot, this audiobook is specifically tailored for those with listening and cognitive challenges, giving it an added level of appeal.

A local rock bank in Philadelphia, The Johnsons have four very unique members – Charts the bass player, JJ on guitar, Frankie on lead vocals, and Hoss the drummer. With a huge payoff on the table from […]

2024-01-15T16:39:24+02:00November 13th, 2023|Categories: Audiobook Reviews, Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Prompt Excursion by Lewis S. Kingston

Prompt Excursion by Lewis S. Kingston

A Weapons System Officer wakes up to fractured memories on a devastated and nearly lifeless experimental warship in Prompt Excursion by Lewis S. Kingston, a creative and original work of science fiction.

Johansson is a captivating and fearless protagonist from the very first page, showing a relentless drive to survive, despite nearly impossible odds. As she navigates the clutter and chaos of her slowly returning memories, she begins to piece things together – a mission gone wrong and an explosive attack, which has left her alone on a strange ship, lost in the vastness of space. Sending calls for aid […]

2024-01-12T13:09:49+02:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Magi Apprentice by Dan E. Hendrickson

Magi Apprentice by Dan E. Hendrickson

A narrative clash of mysticism, science, geopolitics, and biblical lore, Magi Apprentice by Dan E. Hendrickson is a unique piece of historical fiction, exploring the religious sects, governments, and individuals who likely played a part in the star-driven journey to the birthplace of Jesus.

Rassan is a young military officer and friend to Prince Phraates, heir to the Parthian Empire. When a rogue magi embarks on a secret pilgrimage to Jerusalem, through Parthian lands, Rassan is sent to meet him on the road, only to find that his caravan has been attacked by bandits. The magi’s final wish sends Rassan […]

Review: Naimera: Sapient Quest by Michael Ganzberger

Naimera: Sapient Quest by Michael D. Ganzberger

A gritty work of sci-fi that feels ripped from a near-future headline, Naimera: Sapient Quest by Michael Ganzberger is the thrilling second piece of his biosynthetic space saga. After proving their incredible capabilities in bringing down the world’s most dangerous man, the NAIMERA program is enlisted once more for a task that just might end up saving the species.

On Earth, reports of mirage-like flying saucers and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena with impossible abilities have become harder to hide or explain away, heating up an already dangerous arms race for the recovery of this presumed alien tech. Under the guise of […]

2024-01-08T11:02:12+02:00October 19th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Tip’s Magical Journey by Barbara Mishkin, Illustrated by Jason Shiver

Tip's Magical Journey by Barbara Mishkin

Tip’s Magical Journey: The Ride of Discovery and Inspiration by Barbara Mishkin is an inspiring children’s book that promotes empathy, kindness, and celebrates the beauty of diversity. Inspired by the author’s own experience, this modern tale is both moving and funny, telling an important lesson through a child’s travels around a city.

Tip is a young boy of 8 ½ years and he has a secret hobby – he loves riding the train and exploring the city. Thanks to Tip’s curiosity, open-mindedness, and candor, he sees the complex world around him as an exciting opportunity to meet new people, with […]

2024-01-04T16:40:23+02:00October 19th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: From Bonham to Buddha and Back Again by Clementine Moss

From Bonham to Buddha and Back Again by Clementine Moss

The rare kind of memoir that makes one forget it’s not a novel, From Bonham to Buddha and Back Again: The Slow Enlightenment of the Hard Rock Drummer by Clementine Moss is an exhilarating and enlightening read.

Slowly revealing the autobiographical puzzle of her own music-infused life, from wild leaps to NYC, meditative mountain retreats, and early romance over drum kits to cross-country tours, sleepless benders, and bittersweet final shows, this book is laced with reckless adventure. Taking readers backstage in every sense of the word, the prose lays everything on the table – beliefs, passions, secrets, dreams, and the […]

2023-12-22T19:20:07+02:00October 18th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |

Review: Dancer on the Ceiling by Mark Nutter

Dancer on the Ceiling by Mark Nutter

A gleefully bizarre collection of stories, Dancer on the Ceiling: More Darkly Humorous Tales by Mark Nutter is an unforgettable work of absurdist fiction that will have you scratching your head and laughing in equal measure. Abandoning the normal boundaries of narrative structure, character consistency, or reality itself, this is tongue-in-cheek writing at its best.

There are stories of divinely gifted carpet artists, a massage master who can coax life back into a severed limb, a casino fat cat who markets to children, and a size-obsessed billboard baron, just to name a few of the oddities scattered in Nutter’s strange […]

2023-12-18T14:58:17+02:00October 18th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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