Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Shipwrecked: Dragon Island by Carey Fessler

A remote, tropical island, “rads” who have mutation magic, and huge, man-eating Varanus dragons…these make a terrifying trifecta in Carey Fessler’s action-packed middle-grade adventure, Shipwrecked: Dragon Island.

Kidnapped by a mutant submarine crew, twelve-year-old Aussie cousins, Emma and Scott, along with sixteen-year-old Harrison, escape their captors by swimming to a remote – and what appears to be – deserted tropical island. Emma becomes separated from the two boys as they search for drinking water but soon finds herself stumbling over Brock, one of the mutant crewman from the submarine from whom they had escaped.

Reluctantly joining forces, the two […]

Marta Cheng2018-08-28T11:22:45+02:00August 1st, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Action and Adventure, Middle Grade Fiction|

Review: Happiness and Success by Raphaël Savoy

Author Raphaël Savoy has created a pragmatic philosophical guide for leading one’s life more fully through acceptance in Happiness and Success: 12 Key Steps and a Few Little Changes to Transform Your Life.

Savoy has aimed his book at people who are ostensibly comfortable based on their location and station in life, but who continue to feel dissatisfied – in other words, to be happy with success, not just to achieve it. He begins by stating that human beings are uniquely designed to seek happiness – as humans have evolved, they have designed complex cultures dedicated to principles of […]

SPR2018-08-24T10:37:32+02:00July 31st, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction, Self-Help|

Review: Legacy of Dolyn: Volume 1 by Amelia Guillem

Told in the format of blog posts, Legacy of Dolyn: Volume 1 is an entertaining modern fantasy, replete with pop culture references and nods to anime.

Glendolyn Villem works as a secretary in a police station, with everyday problems that are easily relatable, like searching desperately for guy on an app called “Mingle.” Then, to her great dismay, she is ordained with magical powers and joined by a cat confusingly called Gwen, who, whether Glen likes or not, will be her mentor.

Glen must deal with the burden of being a sorceress and the complexities of her powers in a […]

SPR2018-08-23T07:36:04+02:00July 30th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: To the Sacred Valley with Koko by Ayyappan R. Nair

Writing a book that can hold a young person’s attention, while also guiding them on a healthy path is not always easy, but Ayyappan R. Nair manages to do so in the marvelous book, To the Sacred Valley with Koko. Cleverly blending science fictional elements with a relatable story and powerful underlying messages, this book is ideal for middle school readers, but holds wisdom for any age group.

A number of stories gradually interweave through the larger narrative, from the advanced robot-designing James’ family to Ankit, the primary character of the story, who lives in a state of constant […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T11:04:22+02:00July 29th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction|

Review: The Candle Room by Daniel K. Gentile

One of the noblest of professions isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in The Candle Room, a gripping legal thriller by debut author, Daniel K. Gentile.

It doesn’t take long for rookie lawyer, Zachary E. Morgan, Esquire to realize that the gross over-billing practices of his Los Angeles insurance defense firm isn’t something he wants to be a part of – especially after four years of busting his butt in night school to obtain his law degree. So he quits, thinking that going into practice for himself is the better way to go. Convincing his wife, Sasha, isn’t […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T11:14:32+02:00July 25th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Daniel K. Gentile, Legal Thriller, Thriller|

Review: Aura (The Senses Novels Book 1) by K M Aul

Shifting your perspective as a reader is one of the fundamental reasons to pick up a book, and great authors can immerse readers in worlds they couldn’t have imagined before the first page. In Aura, the first installation of the Senses Novels by K M Aul, the author does not hesitate to throw readers off the deep end of all they assume about the world – and about how it’s going to end.

The gifted young characters that sit at the center of the novel, particularly Jacob, must navigate their own inherent struggles in the larger world, while also […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T04:32:54+02:00July 25th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Christian Fiction, Fantasy, Religious Fiction, Young Adult|

Review: True North by Roger Rooney

While Vietnam has been a part of popular culture for more than five decades, there has always been a shadow hanging over that conflict, and many of the books, movies, commentaries, and documentaries haven’t always focused on the personal element of this savage period in Vietnamese and global history. In True North, author Roger Rooney tackles the Vietnam War with a fearless blend of history, romance, philosophy and, most importantly, brutal truth.

The unique approach to this conflict comes in the form of its two main characters, star-crossed accidental lovers on opposite sides of the battlefield. Rooney chose unusual […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:17:50+02:00July 24th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction, Military, Roger Rooney|

Review: Only Everything by Keith Martin-Smith

Broken dreams shroud middle-aged Logan, once a promising novelist, as he stiffly settles himself into a nine-to-five corporate life. Logan marches forward with a beautiful and brightly positive fiancé. He writes marketing copy. He pays his bills. He lives in a well-appointed home. But Logan feels weighted by a past that might be an anchor or a lifeline.

Only Everything by Keith Martin-Smith is a profoundly affecting work of fiction that explores deep truths. With the narrative opening between the present and twenty-something Logan’s life in New York City as he writes his first novel, we get bright future and […]