Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Deleted Dreams by Ren Ellis

Author Ren Ellis releases a bold and visionary novella with Deleted Dreams, a YA speculative fiction novella that delicately pulls from multiple genres and demonstrates exceptional storytelling skill. With remarkable world-building and creativity, as well as a deep focus on character depth and vulnerability, this book is electric and memorable.

Derra is an exceptional young woman torn between two worlds – The Ring of Ruins and the Ring of Radiance. She may be an Incident-stained young woman, but she is well on her way to redemption and the future she has dreamed of: becoming a Fixer to mend the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-31T06:21:21+02:00August 8th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Speculative Fiction, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: The Chronicles of the Virago Book II: The Apprentus by Michael Bialys

Makenna Grace Gold comes into her own as a legendary heroine in Chronicles of the Virago: The Apprentus by author Michael Bialys. With a tongue-in-cheek vein of humor running throughout, this is a powerful and endearing story of an extraordinary young woman with the fate of the world hanging in her hands.

Following his embarrassing defeat against Makenna’s awakened abilities, Malvado Seaton may be licking his wounds, but he is far from surrendering. Ms. Creante, a violent Demonesse and Seaton’s trusted killer, is desperate to regain Seaton’s trust, and is determined to exact her revenge on the young protagonist.

The […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-28T06:22:58+02:00August 8th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Gray Wolf (Legends of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb

Author J.W. Webb introduces his sprawling fantasy universe with Gray Wolf, the first book in the expansive Legends of Ansu trilogy. Set before and unrelated to the events of the Crystal King trilogy, this sweeping story is a foundation stone for other pieces of this author’s swelling saga.

After losing his entire family to raiders and the fickle Sea God, Corin al Fol becomes an orphan overnight and is saved by a mysterious sorceress who hints at a path for revenge, and then disappears. Years pass and Corin finds ways to survive, falling in love with an innkeeper’s daughter and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-26T02:51:34+02:00August 7th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, J.W. Webb|

Review: Tryst by Aaron Eldritch

Youthful ghost stories become all too real in Tryst, the dark and well-penned new novel by Aaron Eldritch.

While the premise of a haunted house and dark spirits that follow intrepid explorers home is hardly new, there is something sinister and refreshing about this story of lost innocence and fragile fraternity. Heavy with symbolism and marked by an authentic narrative voice reflecting the protagonists’ youth, this is a spooky coming of age tale that is authentically scary.

Greg, Zeb, Aaron, and Derik are normal young boys, getting into trouble, scaring each other with stories, and navigating the difficult waters […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-18T02:12:12+02:00July 31st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror, Paranormal|

Review: The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life by Dr. Allen Lycka and Harriet Tinka

Two survivors collaborate to tell their harrowing recollections and share their rise to successful aftermaths in the emotive, engaging, you-can-too guidebook, The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life: Two Survivors Reveal the 13 Golden Pearls They’ve Discovered.

Dr. Allen Lycka was walking into the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland when he was noticed that his foot was, in his wife’s panicked assessment, “flapping.” After extensive testing, he learned he had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and only six months to live. At age 52 with a reputation as a world-class cosmetic dermatologist and a happy family life, Dr. Lycka became angry, […]

SPR2020-08-31T07:40:56+02:00July 31st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dr. Allen Lycka, Harriet Tinka, Self-Help|

Review: The Art of Love (& Loathing) by Stephen Daniel Ruiz

Author Stephen Daniel Ruiz dives deep into the mind of a struggling writer desperate for the puzzle pieces of life to fit in The Art of Love (& Loathing). A thoughtful, emotional, and at times hilarious novel, this book is a magnifying glass on modern life with all its unfair pitfalls and daily existential crises, reminding readers of what unifies, rather than divides.

Arthur Kimble is a man whose heart is in the right place, but his mind doesn’t always follow, nor does his luck or behavior. Struggling to keep a floundering literary journal afloat, while also attempting some […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-01T06:54:36+02:00July 28th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction|

Review: Lost Scrolls of Archimedes by Tom Roberts

A young dreamer is thrown into a life-altering adventure to protect ancient knowledge in Lost Scrolls of Archimedes, the first in the new Lost Artifacts series from author Tom Roberts. Boasting a brilliant blend of historical reference and fictional mystery, this is a feast for the senses for readers who love a free-wheeling escape into the past.

The all-powerful Oracles demand that Hippolytus secure the fabled scrolls of Archimedes, but the scholar’s desire to decode them himself draws enemies in from all sides. The old man entrusts the treasure to his young assistant, Marcus Bassus, who holds his own […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-17T08:31:48+02:00July 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fantasy, Tom Roberts, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Boardroom M by Gretchen Kirkpatrick

A slow-burning thriller peppered with bursts of violence and brilliant turns of phrase, Boardroom M is the whip-smart opening salvo of author Gretchen Kirkpatrick’s Agents and Assets series.

Misha is a CIA operative whose foundations are shaken after an attempt on her life, sending her spiraling into the heart of a conspiracy to bring down the CIA that criss-crosses the world. Relying on a handful of temporary allies and other tradecraft experts, as well as the tangled histories that accompany them, she must juggle multiple mysteries to keep herself alive, and save the ones she loves. Rich with plot twists […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-13T09:21:34+02:00July 22nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Spy Thriller, Thriller|