Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Shock Wave by Florian Louisoder

When the world begins to crumble like deadly dominoes, rewriting the past will be the only way to save the future in Shock Wave by Florian Louisoder. In a race to stop the complete destruction of life on Earth, two heroes with secrets of their own are sucked into the heart of a legendary kingdom that is suddenly all too real.

Scott DeSantis and Linda, his ex-wife, have a decidedly unique relationship, but they must put their personal strife behind them when a nuclear detonation off the coast of Cuba plunges the world into chaos, followed by rifts in the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-04T02:52:27+02:00June 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Florian Louisoder, Science Fiction, Time Travel|

Review: Search: A Guide for College and Life by Barbara Roquemore EdD and Jeff Duffey MD

An innovative exploration of what is really needed to prepare for college is presented in Search: A Guide for College and Life by Barbara Roquemore EdD, an associate professor of Professional Learning and Innovation, and Jeff Duffey MD, a psychiatrist and author. Both specialize in work with students and offer useful insights for those entering college or moving through its stages.

Unlike many such guides, this book is geared toward looking both outward, at technical and practical considerations, and inward, at personal inclinations and ambitions. Issues covered include self-assessment and personal motivation, specific academic plans, lodging and sustenance, friendships with […]

SPR2020-08-03T06:26:21+02:00June 24th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Education|

Review: What Branches Grow by T.S. Beier

Author T.S. Beier paints a grim and brutal American landscape in What Branches Grow, depicting a dystopian world where books are sacred, humans are a commodity, and trust is perhaps the most elusive resource.

Three decades after a war devastated the natural world and reduced civilization to scrabbling ruins, a mysterious woman on an impossible quest manages to keep hope alive. When Delia arrives at the walls of Churchill, she makes it clear that she’s only passing through, and looking for a safe place to sleep until she can continue on her journey north. Gennero, the right-hand enforcer of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-08-09T09:13:04+02:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic|

Review: Ellie Everlasting by Isabel Scheck

Readers are returned to Neverland in Ellie Everlasting, an original new novel from author Isabel Scheck. Introducing a fresh heroine to this classic story, and bending the edges of J.M. Barrie’s original world, this is a well-penned and whimsical dive into a reimagined fairy tale.

When Ellie is brutally murdered in her mint-green dress by her girlfriend’s brother, she discovers that the “other side” is none other than Neverland, and she awakes to find herself face to face with Peter Pan himself, along with Tinkerbell twinkling in her ear.

While Ellie comes to terms with her own death – […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-23T02:34:22+02:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko

Detective Hiroshi returns for another tantalizing dive into the underbelly of Japanese culture and crime in Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko. From the seedy dungeons of pornography rings to the beating heart of Tokyo’s moneyed class, this detective thriller is raw and gripping, told by a confident, complex, and creative author.

The gruff sleuth at the center of these mysteries is pursuing a new case- a brutal murder tied to the insidious porn and human trafficking rings of Tokyo. It is clear from the start that this is a triggering topic for Hiroshi, something that brings out a primal rage, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-09T02:55:19+02:00June 21st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Michael Pronko|

Review: Zero Solar by Anthony Robinson

Author Anthony Robinson sets Earth and Mars on their final collision course in Zero Solar, the concluding chapter of his thrilling near-future series. Bringing all the characters together for a collision of cosmic proportions, this installment finally answers the questions that have been brewing for two books, but also presents some new mysteries and twists along the way.

Mark Bowen remains in the belly of the beast, playing both sides against the middle and trying to stop the most destructive war in human history. It is becoming harder to remain in Prince Dothan’s good graces, particularly when Bowen knows […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-03T07:23:05+02:00June 17th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Anthony Robinson, Science Fiction|

Review: Golden Dreg Boy Book 1: The Slums by D.K. Dailey

With the world on the delicate edge of disaster, a young boy must face the truth about his past, the sins of the present, and the possibility of a revolutionary future in Golden Dreg Boy: The Slums by D.K. Dailey. This first book sets the stage for a longer series in which the remains of civilization have sequestered in the cities that have been transformed into starkly divided kingdoms of the rich and the poor.

The protagonist, Kade, brings an original narrative voice as a “Golden” firmly set in his ways, accepting of the brutally unequal world order out of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-03T03:30:57+02:00June 17th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction|

Review: The Young by Nicholas John Powter

In The Young, author Nicholas John Powter transports readers to The Deluge, a fantasy land where dark forces from the past are rising once more, threatening the peaceful rest of a war hero who thought his fighting days were done. Written in a classic fantasy style, this quest-driven story touches on the power of family, personal resilience, and the painful path towards growth, all packed within a fast-paced narrative that will keep you guessing.

Sven and Fren, father and son, embark on a mission to find another family member and flee from the gathering forces of evil, but the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-01T09:12:58+02:00June 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|