Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Tree that Grew Through Iron (The Panagea Tales Book 1) by McKenzie Austin

In The Tree That Grew Through Iron, the first book in The Panagea Tales, McKenzie Austin has created a remarkably inventive and magical novel that transports readers to a future where the world as we know it is no more.

After the natural world is destroyed by the greedy hunger of men for industrial achievement and production, a new system of survival must be established. In the landmass of Panagea, Time Fathers rule over each of their divisions, ensuring that time flows smoothly and industry proceeds uninterrupted. Nicholai Addihein – a Time Father and the story’s protagonist – discovers […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-08-15T10:46:37+02:00July 19th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy|

Review: The Last April by Belinda Kroll

Split-second decisions have life-changing consequences in The Last April, a gripping and thought-provoking work of YA historical fiction by Belinda Kroll.

It’s April, 1865 and in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, fifteen-year-old Gretchen Miller is in the garden of her family farm in rural Ohio when she’s startled by a Confederate soldier who falls in a dead faint literally steps from her feet. As Gretchen reaches his side, the feverish soldier mutters about his escape from Camp Chase, a training barrack/Confederate prison outside of Columbus. Realizing that the young soldier will die without her help, Gretchen reluctantly […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T10:54:07+02:00July 15th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction, Young Adult|

Review: Sex and God and Other Essays by William J. Cataldi

Sex and God and Other Essays is a curious collection of writing that sticks long after closing the book. Some of the subjects are so outrageous and so taboo, that at times it’s hard to believe they have been written. But thankfully, Cataldi has, given the instant impression of a brave author.

Considering the background of the writer, which he explains in the prologue in detail, the work is shaded with a whole other quality. A gay-Christian-Taoist-Leatherman who doesn’t agree with vegetarians? That’s about as niche a viewpoint you’ll ever get.

Never once does it feel thoughts are disingenuous, and […]

SPR2019-01-22T11:37:17+02:00July 14th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Essays, LGBTQI|

Review: Relaunch! Stagnation, Change and Renewal in Mid-Career and Beyond by Steven Simon, Ph.D.

An experienced career counselor shares wisdom about recognizing and surviving a professional life crisis in Relaunch! Stagnation, Change and Renewal in Mid-Career and Beyond.

As Simon lays out methodically, there are many ways that your career may grow stagnant. For example, you may feel underappreciated in general, or perhaps your job no longer seems meaningful. Conflict situations at work can lead to anger, frustration and depression. Perhaps you are doing work you don’t enjoy simply because finances dictate it, or you have lost your job and are experiencing the challenges of seeking new employment. All of these circumstances can […]

SPR2019-03-04T13:04:24+02:00July 11th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Business, Non-Fiction, Self-Help|

Review: The Foundry: Dianis, A World In Turmoil by Frank Dravis

There is a certain appeal to sci-fi that bridges both time and space, with the genre containing relatable characters, as well as fantastic elements of which humans can presently only dream. In The Foundry, author Frank Dravis has constructed a marvelous new sci-fi and fantasy adventure, perfectly in balance between reality and imagination, establishing a rich new universe in this genre-bending series.

Dianis is a small, out-of-the-way planet, easily overlooked on the galactic scale, but what it holds within – an incredibly rare and valuable mineral – puts it on the front line of an all-out war for domination […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-17T12:04:16+02:00July 9th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Frank Dravis, Science Fiction|

Review: The Perfectionist: Peter Kilham and the Birds by Larry Kilham

A paean to a father by an admiring son, The Perfectionist: Peter Kilham and the Birds is a remarkable chronicle of invention, exploration, and a lifelong search for perfection.

Author Larry Kilham’s childhood was idyllic, living on a homestead with his parents and siblings. His father Peter ran a thriving business, Tekton, designing and selling innovative metal furniture to wealthy clients. When his products began to be supplanted in the 1950s by mass-produced items like aluminum-tubing lawn chairs, Peter switched to the manufacture of metal-bending machines, on which he held significant patents.

Peter Kilham concentrated so minutely on the perfection […]

Barbara Scott2019-01-22T11:37:39+02:00July 8th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography, Larry Kilham, Non-Fiction|

Review: The New Holy Warriors by Alice Sandoval

An international thriller based around the events of September 11, 2001, The New Holy Warriors combines a rich mix of fact and fiction.

Just two days after the horrific happenings of 9-11, a California-based Mexican-American lawyer, Marc Bravo, gets word that his physician father and nurse mother have been missing for three days in Mexico, where they were working as volunteers for Doctors Without Borders.

Shaken by the attack on the US, Bravo is doubly unnerved when he hears this news and quickly enlists the assistance of his younger brother Richard, an archeology student, and an old friend, Paul Levy […]

Barbara Scott2018-07-10T05:27:15+02:00July 7th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Terrorist Thriller, Thriller|

Review: A Smuggler’s Path by I.L. Cruz

A delightfully creative adventure, A Smuggler’s Path by I.L. Cruz stands alone in a very crowded fantasy genre, boasting a youthful, energetic spirit and a wonderful new world to explore for readers of fantasy.

The Enchanted Isles are the place where magic fled when the world of men became too dangerous for mages. When the fires of the Spanish Inquisition burned, it was time for the magic-wielders to find safer shores. However, after struggles and violence arose between the three founding sisters of the isles, the freedom of this magic disappeared. It once more became a sacred thing, something to […]