Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Gospels of Peter Star by Thomas Drago

Author Thomas Drago constructs a brand new testament of religion and history with The Gospels of Peter Star, an endlessly imaginative retelling of the New Testament.

Fated to unify humanity with music and prepare them for modern-day salvation, Peter Star is the musical savior of the world, a Christlike figure without gender or race, heralded by the Horse Whisperer, and born of a virgin. Throughout this cleverly penned book, religious dogma and biblical stories swirl and blend with musical history – from tricky Major Tom’s circumnavigation of the globe in his tin can to Peter Star’s baptismal walking on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-20T12:25:29+02:00September 7th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Satire, Thomas Drago|

Review: Heartbreak Epiphanies and Justified Lust by John Kruxhammer

A swirling, language-bending journey through philosophy, psychology, and the bottom of a bottle, Heartbreak Epiphanies and Justified Lust by John Kruxhammer is a character-driven diatribe on love and purpose.

John Palmer is an angry young man with a bent towards nihilism, and a serious grudge against his father. He is also a sometimes student of philosophy under Leonard Wilson, a formerly disgraced academic starting his life over in California. John’s decidedly unprofessional therapist, Diana, is a “rain shower in a scorching desert,” but his obsession with her may drive him down a dark path, without any healing waiting at the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-19T09:19:34+02:00August 29th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction|

Review: Forget Me Not by Torri L. Fisher

Teaching caregivers how to effectively serve someone with Alzheimer’s, while also caring for themselves, Torri L. Fisher’s Forget Me Not: A Caregiver’s Guide to Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease: Tips for Caring for Your Parent While Maintaining Your Peace and Avoiding Burnout is indispensable reading for those going down the path of chronic illness with a loved one.

Beginning with the basics of dementia and Alzheimer’s, the opening chapters are general introductions to these afflictions, including the range of their symptoms, which may help caregivers recognize any advancements in the loved one’s condition. This leads naturally into the basics of caregiving, what […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-09T13:48:32+02:00August 25th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Health, Torri L. Fisher|

Review: A New York Haunting by C.L. Nightjar

A sprawling and deliciously disturbing historical thriller that begs to be savored, A New York Haunting by C.L. Nightjar unveils a guilty conscience made flesh, right on the page.

A promising young medical student named Anders becomes dangerously tangled in the thrilling intimacy of psychoanalysis through a new mentor, Dr. Schuller. Unexpectedly bound to a beautiful new patient of the doctor with a troubling pattern of behavior, Anders’ seemingly certain future is shaken by his undeniable attraction to her mysterious anguish.

Observation, interpretation, and obsession blur as her knot of mysteries deepen. Not only does she wish to become a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-16T18:12:14+02:00August 19th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: C.L. Nightjar, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction|

Review: The Relatives by Billy White

Centuries-long family drama, lost colonies, and the ultimate Oedipal complex with Earth combine to make The Relatives by Billy White an astonishingly addictive sci-fi novel.

Three mighty starships were set to leave Earth in the middle of the 22nd century, thanks to the advanced technology developed by Nugent Graham – a premise that quickly summons echoes of Elon Musk. Now, 250 years later, one of those ships is likely lost, the other may never have gotten off Earth, and the third ship, Revelation, sits squarely at the center of this novel.

That lone ship managed to reach Graham’s Planet to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-16T13:08:20+02:00August 19th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction|

Review: The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright

A classic fellowship fantasy with original twists and a dystopian mystique, The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright is an ambitious novel that tackles broad ideas of power, loyalty, and freedom. A young woman living a double life – plotting long-term revenge on a society that demands absolute subservience – seeks to expose the truth, even if it costs her everything, in this powerful piece of cautionary fiction.

Sy shines at the heart of this story, brazen and bold in her deception as an acolyte of the all-powerful Rem, deeply committed to a dark purpose instilled in her after witnessing the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-18T14:25:13+02:00August 18th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Dystopian Fiction, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman

Heartfelt and uniquely heroic, Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman is an electrifying opening chapter to a new superhero series. An average kid lands an impossible spot at the most exclusive high school in the world, and must overcome his own self-doubt, recognize his powers, and seize his birthright.

Fueled by the same YA fervor as Harry Potter, this superhuman high school series deals with the supernatural and superhuman, but also explores the deeply relatable issues of growing up feeling different. Regularly challenging the boundary between reality and fantasy, from the prologue onwards, this is […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-16T18:04:22+02:00August 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction, Superhero|

Review: The Reject Bench by James H. Morgan

James H. Morgan pulls back the curtain on his own high school experiences during the early 1960s in his The Reject Bench, a sensitive, authentic, and eye-opening look back. Celebrating the uncertainty of youth, and acknowledging the weight of adulthood, this is a nostalgic and vulnerable read.

Setting the internal tensions of normal teenagers against the external stress of the early 1960s, this six-year memoir is an impressive glimpse into the past, imbued with the honesty of autobiography. From playing catch with his friends and chauffeuring the family to church to SoCal free thinking and the assassination of JFK, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-15T11:31:44+02:00August 15th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir|