Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

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 Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

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 Book Reviews, Detective Fiction Book Reviews|

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: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

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 Book Reviews|

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 Book Reviews|

Review: Behind Enemy Lines by Ray Keating

The journalistic side of Ray Keating’s writing comes to the fore in Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left Wing New York. Boasting a traditional conservative voice that is measured, self-aware, confident, and persuasive, Keating’s arguments are original and thought-provoking, while many of the ideas explored in this book are surprisingly nuanced.

As a journalist, fiction writer, and general observer of life, Keating has written more than 8,000 columns and pieces over the past thirty years, remaining steadily in the lane of idyllic conservatism – family, God, and country matter above most else. Having read many of Keating’s Pastor Grant […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-30T05:54:30+02:00June 6th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Essay Book Reviews, Politics Book Reviews|

Review: The Race to the Blackened Nevers by Douglas Bain

A new pantheon of fantastic gods is unveiled by author Douglas Bain in The Woeful Wager, the first installment of the The Race to the Blackened Nevers series. Boasting more world-building than some authors attempt in a lifetime, this thrilling new realm is bursting with potential, supported by a passionate writer who demonstrates his deep appreciation and mastery of language.

In a world of mischievous, vengeful and deeply competitive gods, their followers are conniving in their own ways, though most are committed to staying on the good side of the divine. However, when a new race to the edge […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:25:19+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard

Armed to the teeth with subtle world-building and a powerful narrative voice, The World Without Flags by author Ben Lyle Bedard is a formidable standalone sequel to his first novel about this dystopian world. Kestrel, an indomitable young survivor, pulls readers on an epic journey across the American wasteland, and in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy, brutal beauty is everywhere in the prose.

The Homestead has been Kestrel’s roost for as long as she can remember, and the writing provides an intimate introduction to a safe haven amongst a world gone mad with a brain-infecting pandemic called Worm. Depicting a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:24:51+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Post-Apocalyptic Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|