Marta Cheng | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Humongous (& Cool) Words for Kids by SB Hilarion

Part dictionary, part encyclopedia and utterly charming, Humongous (& Cool) Words for Kids, written and illustrated by SB Hilarion, is fun and educational for both kids and adults.

Hilarion’s unique text invites philomaths (those who seek knowledge and love learning) to pore over, analyze, spell, and pronounce over eight hundred strange and obscure words. However, this isn’t a standard reference book that includes a word and definition, or a dry encyclopedic description. Instead, Hilarion gives her reference book a narrative and two central characters who drive this educational journey along.

The second book in the Raising Young Scholars series, the […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-21T07:51:25+02:00July 10th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Education|

Review: Nevermore Squirrels by Terrance M. Craft

Dark humor with a decidedly animalistic twist makes for a provocative read in Nevermore Squirrels by Terrance M. Craft.

Aval and Evel are vampire squirrels who also happen to be married, with their marriage now dull and insufferable. They’ve degenerated into ordinary commoners, having forsaken their interest in bloodsucking for blood sipping.

Then there’s little Vincety, a small rag doll that can never grow, such that he can ever fulfill his wish to become an ultimate monster of gore. Evel, suffering from maternal qualms and unable to bear children of her own, decides to steal herself a little boy – […]

Marta Cheng2019-08-16T06:58:39+02:00July 3rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror, Vampires|

Review: Candle on the Water by M.A. Myers

Love manifests itself in many different ways in Candle on the Water, a haunting and evocative LGBT romance by M.A. Myers, written for new adult readers.

High school senior, Stephanie Turner, has a bright future ahead of her. Having scored a swimming scholarship to Purdue, Stephanie has her sights set on becoming a doctor in the navy, but after meeting Sara Austin, Stephanie’s life quickly becomes an emotional roller coaster. Stephanie experiences a profound connection to Sara, and believes that Sara feels the same way, yet she doesn’t understand why Sara treats her so badly. As both go their […]

Marta Cheng2019-08-12T12:23:29+02:00June 27th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: LGBTQI, New Adult, Romance|

Review: Consequence of Murder by Michael J. Young M.D.

Is there such a thing as the perfect medical murder? Consequence of Murder, a gripping medical thriller by Michael J. Young M.D., explores the chilling possibility.

Dr. Jay Yamp, Head of the Department of Urology at University Hospital Medical Center in Chicago and his friend and research partner, Professor Max Conit, have created a hydrogel that promises exciting new advancements in kidney stone removal surgery. Dr. Yamp, along with his chief resident, Dr. Sandra Holleb, give the hydrogel its first run during a routine kidney stone surgery and everything goes off without a hitch. The hydrogel shows huge promise […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-21T06:27:05+02:00June 12th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Medical|

Review: Paladin (Firebrand Book 2) by Sarah MacTavish

Secrets are at the heart of Paladin, Sarah MacTavish’s inspirational work of historical fiction for young adults, and the second book in the Firebrand series.

It’s the spring of eighteen sixty-one. The country’s torn in half by those in the South who don’t want slavery to end and those in the north who find the concept despicable – so when Lincoln calls men to arms, four friends from Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania rise to the call.

Jack, Westleigh and Allison have their own reasons for joining, but collectively they’ve made a pact to protect the fourth member of their group. […]

Marta Cheng2019-06-07T11:12:44+02:00May 16th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Sarah MacTavish, Young Adult|

Nobbin, Bobbin & Cobb by Tracy Sabin

Nobbin, Bobbin & Cobb is a charming children’s picture book about the wonders of the special moonberry tree, masterfully illustrated by the author Tracy Sabin.

Little Cobb, along with his parents, Nobbin and Bobbin, live inside a wonderful, big moonberry tree. In the fall, they pick all the moonberries off the tree, from which they make jars of moonberry jam as well as moonberry bread, giving them plenty of food to eat. They’re all very happy – until the tree is struck by lightning and they must look for a new home…

Sabin gives young readers a folksy tale that […]

Marta Cheng2019-05-09T09:32:58+02:00May 9th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Children's Books|

A Burning in the Darkness by AP McGrath

A twisted confession leads to horrifying consequences in AP McGrath’s gripping religious thriller, A Burning in the Darkness.

Thirty-three-year-old airport priest, Father Michael Kieh, has packed for his return to Liberia, the homeland he’d left behind at seventeen, when he receives a text message indicating that there’s a confessor waiting. After Michael assumes his position in the confessional, the man on the other side cryptically announces, “she won’t be waiting for you.” After demanding to know where “she” is, Michael races to a tunnel near one of the terminals and finds a woman, a ticket to Liberia clutched in […]

Marta Cheng2019-04-16T06:56:15+02:00April 14th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller|

Review: The Cufflink by Susan Bolch

Deceit, sacrifice and honor are at the heart of The Cufflink, a riveting multi-generational family saga by Susan Bolch.

Frederick “Fred” Maier Green is the third child born to a Latvian immigrant and his wife in Philadelphia in nineteen twelve. Life for young Fred is a series of resentments aimed at his much older siblings, both musical phenoms, as his parents lavish most of their attention and hopes on them.

However, things take an unexpectedly tragic turn when Fred’s brother dies from tuberculosis, perpetuating his sister’s downward spiral into an abusive marriage. Suddenly, Fred becomes the symbol of hope […]

Marta Cheng2019-05-23T10:01:59+02:00April 9th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction|