Young Adult | Self-Publishing Review

Review: A Smuggler’s Path by I.L. Cruz

A delightfully creative adventure, A Smuggler’s Path by I.L. Cruz stands alone in a very crowded fantasy genre, boasting a youthful, energetic spirit and a wonderful new world to explore for readers of fantasy.

The Enchanted Isles are the place where magic fled when the world of men became too dangerous for mages. When the fires of the Spanish Inquisition burned, it was time for the magic-wielders to find safer shores. However, after struggles and violence arose between the three founding sisters of the isles, the freedom of this magic disappeared. It once more became a sacred thing, something to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-03-11T10:18:33+02:00July 6th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, I.L. Cruz, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Luni327: The Journey Begins by Dan Eaton

Life on Earth is inevitably going to change in the coming decades, and in Dan Eaton’s Luni327: The Journey Begins, one of the more popular ideas of a lunar colony takes center stage in this suspense-filled YA novel.

Couched within the perspective of a 13-year-old boy, the story comes with a natural innocence to it, but Bryce also grows immensely over the course of the novel, and the adventures he experiences on his journey effortlessly drive this exciting tale. Additionally, the novel’s futuristic vision of the moon doesn’t stretch too far into the realm of science fiction, considering that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-06-18T05:42:30+02:00June 17th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction, Young Adult|

Escape the Future by T. Schneider

The powerful effects that dystopian realities can have on young people is a common element in post-apocalyptic fiction. In Escape the Future, the gritty new novel from Tom Schneider, this youthful perspective is highlighted, and in the horrors of a world where all the lights have gone out, three young protagonists must find a way to survive and protect those they love most.

In this raw depiction of the future, Schneider masterfully depicts Eva, Layla and Henry, three distinct and uniquely motivated young characters that infuse this story with authenticity. The family dynamic makes this story as powerful as […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-02-10T06:01:16+02:00June 13th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult|

Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare by Leah Moyes

In Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare, author Leah Moyes has presented a truly human story of heartache and familial devotion during the Cold War in East Berlin.

The story begins on August 12, 1961, the day the barbs were laid in preparation for the Berlin Wall. 15-year-old Ella must make the decision that many of that time had to make: leave your family and be free, or stay and suffer the tyranny of Khrushchev. The lives on the other side of the wall may have seemed so much greener, but the relationships that were built, the love that was longed for, […]

SPR2018-05-10T12:09:12+02:00May 10th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction, Young Adult|

The Prisoner of Zurenda: Warrior from Olympus by Kent A. LeFevre

The Prisoner of Zurenda: Warrior from Olympus is an epic work of mythic fantasy, weaving Greek mythology into an entertaining work of fiction. More fit for younger readers, it boasts characters with a moral compass – a quality that is famously devoid among the Greek Gods.

A trio of friends, Arjun, Lycos and Keira, adventure through ancient Greece, both real and fantastical, in an attempt quell the angry gods and ungrateful men. Assigned a mission by the Goddess Selene, its story fits snugly with those of ancient Greece – sea monsters attack, leaving men to float off on pieces of […]

SPR2019-01-22T06:00:42+02:00May 8th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Chasing the Red Queen by Karen Glista

Chippewa legends and vampirical lore make for interesting bedfellows in Chasing the Red Queen, an edgy YA paranormal romance by Karen Glista.

Sixteen-year-old Donja Bellanger is devastated to be leaving behind her childhood home and all those she holds dear to start a new life in another town, thanks to her mother’s marriage to widower, Carson Hampton. Worse yet, she’ll have to share a bedroom with Carson’s privileged daughter, Makayla, during renovations to the old manor into which they just moved.

Surprisingly, the two girls quickly become fast friends, bonding over their tragic loss of a parent, and on […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-21T07:14:31+02:00April 20th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult|

Over the Mountain by Katherine P. Stillerman

Over the Mountain is an engrossing work of YA historical fiction by Katherine P. Stillerman, set in the volatile early sixties.

It’s 1961 and sophomore, Harriet Oechsner, has just learned that her minister father had been forced to resign amid parishioner complaints over his liberal views. He’s accepted a new position in Mountain Brook, an affluent suburb of Birmingham, Alabama – where being white and wealthy insulate against the struggle for civil rights taking place on the other side of the mountain. Knowing her father’s outspoken views on racial equality, Harriet secretly wonders how long it’ll be before her family […]

Marta Cheng2018-04-06T12:16:24+02:00April 6th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction, Young Adult|

Paradise Girl by Phill Featherstone

What dark places can a mind go when it is left alone in a world that is falling apart? This is a core question of Paradise Girl, a soulful and innovative work of YA post-apocalyptic fiction by Phill Featherstone.

This work is an intensely personal book detailing the inner thoughts of Kerryl, a young girl who has survived the death of her entire family. As a virus ravages the human population, Kerryl chooses to detail her experiences in what she assumes will be her final days. Written in the form of extended journal entries, diatribes and stream-of-consciousness ranting, this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T05:36:42+02:00April 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult|