New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

The Unkillables by J. Boyett

Blending genres is a popular approach in modern literature, as these fusions have endless potential for new revelation, so clearly shown in The Unkillables, a surprising dark horse of a novel that pits cavemen against zombies, with a few time travelers thrown in for good measure.

Gash-Eye and Chert stand at the center of this strange story – she a clever Neanderthal prisoner, and he a stubborn Cromagnon ruler, bound by a child and their determination to survive in a rapidly changing world of zombies and death. Romance takes a distant backseat to the action of the tale, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:36:44+02:00November 16th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Transcending Vision: Christian Theology in an Age of Empiricism by Don McIntosh

Christian writer Don McIntosh effectively demonstrates how Christianity is relevant for all people and for all times, despite the modern, scientific and humanist tendency to downplay its eternal truths in Transcending Vision: Christian Theology in an Age of Empiricism.

The author speaks of the opposition of empiricism (that proof must come from experience) and foundationalism (that proof can be, and often is, accepted on faith). Faith, or fideism, is a virtue precisely because it offers no evidence. Jesus did not ask for intellectual understanding. The God of Christianity wants us to vest our hopes in Him, acknowledging that our […]

SPR2018-11-07T10:15:25+02:00November 6th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Religion Book Reviews|

Undead: A Max Ahlgren Novel (Crucible Book 2) by Ryan A. Aslesen

Undead, the new novel by Ryan A. Aslesen, and the second in the Crucible series, is a refreshing take on zombie fiction in a crowded genre.

Max Alghren narrowly escaped in Alaska when he first crossed paths with the alien life form that could threaten all of humanity. When he is presented with a way to uncover the truth about his painful past, he once again puts his life on the line and leaps into the alien fray, this time in North Korea, with even higher stakes and more unbelievable monsters.

With graphic and gruesome descriptions, terrifying creatures, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-21T11:30:48+02:00November 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Inevitable Dreaming by Dave Dröge

In Inevitable Dreaming, the new novel from Dave Dröge, readers are pulled into a heartfelt story of loss and redemption.

When Waldemar van Splunteren’s life collapses in dramatic and tragic fashion, he finds himself with few friends and no idea how to move forward. As a forensic psychologist, Waldemar understands how complex and dangerous the human mind can be, but when a friend of his late wife suggests a cutting-edge form of digital therapy, he agrees, desperate for closure and peace. Quite the opposite happens, however, and he gradually begins to uncover the truth behind his painful past, launching […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-11-02T11:40:22+02:00November 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

A Child is a Piece of Paper by Lance Crossley

Raw… gritty…no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper, Lance Crossley’s stark novel.

The year is 1960. Six-year-old Wanisin Blackwill and his older sister, Mitena, are forced to leave their Indian reserve outside of Fort Hope to attend a Catholic-run live-in school for Native American children. Once at the school, Wanisin and Mitena become Wally and Mabel, their former lives beaten out of them due to the relentless ministrations of their headmaster, Father Paxton. Childhood innocence is quickly replaced by humiliation, constant fear, and something much worse until the only recourse […]

Marta Cheng2018-11-02T10:09:18+02:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

A Bullied Reunion by Chris Ponici

In A Bullied Reunion by Chris Ponici, readers are brought into the tragic narrative of Cristiano Leuca, a young boy who was mercilessly teased throughout the entirety of his high school years. Ponici tells the story of Cristiano in graphic, awkward detail, making it impossible not to sympathize as the character stumbles through cliques, lost love, embarrassment, abuse and self-doubt.

For people whose high school memories are distant and fading, this book is a striking reminder of the cruelty that some children still experience at the hands of their peers, and the mental fortitude required to simply survive the school […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T05:54:17+02:00October 19th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|

Summer Girl by Linda Watkins

Summer Girl by Linda Watkins is a poignant coming of age novel that asks whether it’s possible to forget one’s first love.

It’s the summer of sixty-five and sixteen-year-old islander Jake Chambers meets the ferry bringing the newest crop of summer people to Cutter Island. Fifteen-year-old Andrea (Andi) Martin is unlike the other summer girls and immediately captures Jake’s attention. Over the Fourth of July lobster bake, they become fast friends and soon their friendship blossoms into first love. It seems like they’re destined to be together – until one fateful night, a lapse in better judgment leads to tragic […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T04:35:51+02:00October 16th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Searching for My Heart: Essays About Love by Dawn Downey

Searching for My Heart: Essays About Love by Dawn Downey is filled with beautiful and personal stories of the different types of love one can encounter in the world, as well as the fight with one’s self to find that place we can call “home.” Following the author on her journey from adolescence to adulthood feels in a way like reading her diary, an intensely personal and honest examination of one person’s journey through life.