Five Star Roundup

Tags

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Five-Star, Free Books, Indie Author, Paranormal, Science-Fiction, Steampunk

In January I usually do an summary of my favorite books from the year before. This year I didn’t get around to it with my husband’s cancer diagnosis throwing life into a spin, but here it is now!

Scanning over the titles, it’s a pretty good mix of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and even some Paranormal and Steampunk. I didn’t run into any contemporary Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic that hit my five-star rating (though I do covet that fifth star for the truly special books) but 2017 is only half over so we’ll see what shakes out in the last six months.

Without further ado (yes, people still use that word) here are my favorite books from 2016 (Click the titles to read the full reviews):

~ SCIENCE-FICTION ~

The Singularity Series

(From Book One, “The Legacy Human”)

What would you give to live forever? 

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender–a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid–after all, they’re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is.

Anela says: Amazing, amazing series and I’m dying for the next installment! The story examines the nature of existence and the definition of self (and so much else, but for that click on the review link above). The tech and the science woven through was like dark chocolate for my Sci-Fi soul. Book one is only 99 cents!! Available on Amazon

The Syzygy Series

Ash was never supposed to visit Earth. After a genetic engineering catastrophe wiped out civilization, the survivors—inhabitants of a lunar mining colony—planned to rebuild on Mars. That was before a group of rebels seceded to the dark side of the moon, taking critical materials with them. Now conscripted teenagers scavenge the ruined third planet for species to use in terraforming. At fifteen, Ash is the best diver in a generation. But when tragedy strikes, he vows to end his colony’s dependence on its old homeworld at any cost.

Skye has never set foot on Earth. It’s not even visible from the moon’s far side, although the exiles’ mystic leader promises they will return home someday. Skye has discovered something that could realize this long-awaited dream, but she’s an outcast among outcasts, and no one will listen to her plan. To save her people, she might have to betray them.

Worlds collide when Ash and Skye meet, blurring the boundaries between enemies and allies, deception and truth. Their choices could preserve a future for humanity…or finally drive it to extinction.

Anela says: The review link to book one is above and the reviews of the books that follow show up beneath it. Overall this has been one of my favorite Sci-Fi series, totally unique with a climate fiction and post-apocalyptic bent. I love the characters and the unexpected twists are jaw dropping. Installment one is also only 99 cents. Go get it! Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

 

~ FANTASY ~

Sorcerous Moons Series

(From Book One: Lonen’s War)

An Unquiet Heart

Alone in her tower, Princess Oria has spent too long studying her people’s barbarian enemies, the Destrye—and neglected the search for calm that will control her magic and release her to society. Her restlessness makes meditation hopeless and her fragility renders human companionship unbearable. Oria is near giving up. Then the Destrye attack, and her people’s lives depend on her handling of their prince…

A Fight Without Hope

When the cornered Destrye decided to strike back, Lonen never thought he’d live through the battle, let alone demand justice as a conqueror. And yet he must keep up his guard against the sorceress who speaks for the city. Oria’s people are devious, her claims of ignorance absurd. The frank honesty her eyes promise could be just one more layer of deception.

A Savage Bargain

Fighting for time and trust, Oria and Lonen have one final sacrifice to choose… before an even greater threat consumes them all.

Anela says: An intricate system of magic that examines the expectations of gender–and challenges them while weaving a really beautiful love story. More books to come on this series and I can’t wait to see where the story leads. Book one is currently $2.99 on Amazon. Worth it!

The Sunbolt Chronicles

(From Book One: Sunbolt)

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

Anela says: I believe this one is fully in the Noblebright categorization of the Fantasy genre (Click here for a definition of Noblebright. I like to call it: Fantasy that won’t make you want to kill yourself afterward *cough*Martin*cough*). Another fascinating system of magic I haven’t seen before that takes place in a non-Western Fantasy world with a heroine I absolutely adore. The sequel Memories of Ash also got five stars from me, as did a separate short-story, The Bone Knife (FREE everywhere!). At this point you can probably tell I love anything Intisar Khanani writes. Trust me, she’s amazing. Book one is available on Amazon for $2.99.

 

~ PARANORMAL ~

The Scribe: Irin Chronicles Book One

Ava Matheson came to Istanbul looking for answers, but others came looking for her. A reckless warrior guards her steps, but will Malachi’s own past blind him to the truth of who Ava might be? While ancient forces gather around them, both Ava and Malachi search for answers.

Whispering voices. Deadly touch. Their passion should be impossible… or it could be the only thing that will keep them alive.

Anela says: A beautiful take on the Nephilim/angels mythos. The setting in Turkey was awesome and the scope of the ancient conflict and history of the nephilim (known as Irin in the book) pulls you in. This one really stole my heart. Currently it’s FREE on Amazon, so seriously, get a copy if you want to be swept away by a story.

 

~ STEAMPUNK ~

The Flash Gold Chronicles

(From Book One: Flash Gold)

Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered “dogless sled” in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father’s alchemical masterpiece.

With her modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn’t normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won’t assist her–they’re too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.

When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she’s sure he has ulterior motives, but he’s the only one interested in helping her. The question is…why?

Anela says: Great action and adventure, quirky characters and a smart-mouthed heroine, what else can you ask for? I had so much fun reading this series. Book one is FREE on Amazon right now so grab a copy and give it a try.

Shattered Past (Dragon Blood)

An elite forces officer with a dreadful reputation.
A bookish paleontologist with a love for mysteries.
An ancient stronghold full of secrets that will take both of them to unearth.

Professor Lilah Zirkander (yes, she’s related to the famous pilot, and no, she can’t get him to autograph your undergarments) is looking forward to a summer in the paleontology lab, researching and cataloging new fossils. But that summer takes an unexpected turn when the king sends her into the Ice Blades to a secret mine where ancient dragon bones have been discovered. Rumor has it that they’re cursed and dangerous, but Lilah is more concerned about dealing with the outpost commander, a fierce officer with the temperament of a crabby badger.

As punishment for irking the king, Colonel Vann Therrik is overseeing the hardened criminals working in the remote Magroth Crystal Mines. He would like a chance to redeem himself—and escape the loathsome duty station—but nothing is going his way. Cursed fossils have delayed production, miners are trying to escape, and now a scientist has shown up, making demands on his time. Worse, she’s the cousin of his nemesis General Zirkander. As if one Zirkander in his world wasn’t bad enough.

Investigating the fossils leads Lilah and Vann into the depths of Magroth Mountain where centuries-old secrets lurk, and a long-forgotten threat stalks the passages. To have any chance at survival, they’ll have to work together and perhaps learn that neither is what the other expected.

Anela says: Is anyone surprised that Buroker won both five-star reviews for this genre? Granted, this book has some Fantasy elements as well but since there are airships too it feels like it falls into this category. Great characters, hilarious banter, and a cool mystery to unravel. Buroker’s imagination is always fun to spend some time in. Currently it’s $3.99 on Amazon. This one works as a standalone but if you’d like an intro into this world the first book–Balanced on the Blade’s Edge–is FREE on Amazon.

So, there you have it! All these awesome books are either free or under five bucks. The Indie world is good to its bookworms. Happy reading!

Fallen Empire Series

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Free Books, Science-Fiction

Title & Author: Fallen Empire series books 2-8: Honor’s Flight, Starseers, Relic of Sorrows, Cleon Moon, Arkadian Skies, Perilous Hunt, End Game, Lindsay Buroker

Genre & Publication Date: Science-Fiction, May – November 2016

Book Description: (From Book Two: Honor’s Flight) “After spending four years fighting for the Alliance, fighter pilot Alisa Marchenko only wants one thing: to reunite with her young daughter. But this involves a journey to her former home world, which has become the last imperial stronghold. Since the imperials have a lot of reasons to loathe members of the Alliance right now, just getting down to the planet will be a challenge, and it doesn’t help that her passengers are stirring up trouble of their own…

Even if Alisa is able to land, she may find that more questions await her than answers, and that her late husband kept a startling secret from her, one that could change her life forever.”

First Line: (From Honor’s Flight) Alisa Marchenko, Captain of the Star Nomad, the only Nebula Rambler 880 in the galaxy that hadn’t been scrapped decades earlier, fiddled with the flight stick as the planet Perun grew larger on the view screen.

My Take: These books were provided to me by the author for review.

A while back I reviewed the first book of this series, Star Nomad, which became part of an 8 book series with a spin-off novella on the side and another spin-off series called “Sky Full of Stars”. First, let us pause for a moment and recognize the word count powerhouse that is Lindsay Buroker. Between May and November of 2016 she published eight FULL novels. *blinks* Now that is just impressive. I assume she has to replace her keyboard often because of scorch marks. Wow.

Now, if you’ve read my review of the first book, you’ll know I was kind of lukewarm about it. I love Buroker’s writing style, her humor, her quirky characters, and in this case, her “universe building” but book one just didn’t grab my Sci-Fi heart as much as I’d hoped. Still, I thought I’d give it more time to do so and I continued the series. My attention definitely held throughout each book and I was interested to know how things would end but…I have to admit that I remained rather meh feeling about the main thrust of the story. Okay, okay, this sounds really contradictory–to feel ‘so-so’ about a series while at the same time reading the whole thing. I agree, it is. How to put this into words…Let’s try this: As I tapped the final page on the last book I didn’t lean back in post-book languor thinking, “That.Was.Awesome.” It didn’t hang around in my thoughts. I didn’t flip through previous books to reread favorite passages just to experience it again. I didn’t bemoan the fact that it was over.

Lukewarm.

The author says this is like her tremendously popular “The Emperor’s Edge” series but set in space (by the way, if you haven’t, GO READ THAT SERIES. Book One is FREE). I could see hints at the ways she tried to replicate that feeling but it felt like a lesser version of it. The main character, Alisa, is trying to reunite with her daughter after waking up in a medical ward to find out the war was over and her home, systems away from where her craft went down, had been destroyed. Her daughter survived. Her husband didn’t. One would think she’d let nothing come between her and getting to her daughter. Yet, it felt like this was just the setup for the adventures rather than the incredible emotional upheaval it would actually be. She was continually distracted from her mission to find her daughter by other things going on. Sort of, “Well, okay, I’ll take care of this issue with these people and then be back on my way.” She didn’t have the soul searing neeeeed that a mother ought to have to get to her child. I think this is where it went awry for me. How could she let her focus slide to anything else? Impossible. It affected my enjoyment of things because I constantly thought, “How is xyz more important to you right now???”

The Magical: This is a complex universe and the series visits plenty of different systems and planets. The history is really well thought out and the characters all have unique voices.

The Mundane: I really, really admire the author for her dedication to the craft and her utterly amazing ability to get an entire series out within seven months. However, I also think there was some plot stretching going on and I’m not entirely convinced it actually needed to be eight books.

Summary of Thoughts: Now, there are hoards of people who disagree with my opinion on this so please check out the Amazon link below to see reviews for more input–Honestly, people loved this so much I’m a little afraid they’ll be picketing my house if they read this review. It’s possible I’m the odd duck (and not for the first time in my life). So I’m giving this series a three star rating with the added note that Sci-Fi fans should give it a try for themselves. In fact, book one is only $0.99 (also on Kindle Unlimited) so why not, right?

Interestingly, I began the spin off series “A Sky Full of Stars” and am really liking that one. A coming-of-age in space? Yes, please! But that’s for another review;)

Many thanks to author Lindsay Buroker for providing copies of the books to review!

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

The Nightfall Chronicles

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Dystopian, Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book

Title & Author: The Nightfall Chronicles (Court of Nightfall – Book One, House of Ravens – Book Two, Night of Nyx – Book 2.5), Karpov Kinrade

Genre & Publication Date: Court of Nightfall – December 14, 2014, House of Ravens – March 31, 2015, Night of Nyx – October 1, 2015, YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Dystopian

Book Description: From Book One: “You think you know what is right and what is wrong? Then tell me if this man should die. He is my enemy. He is to be my end.

He is the one I love.

I have spent my life in shades of grey. I have died and returned to a world of color. I have fought an Angel and lived. I have kissed the Prince of Ravens. I have faced the Lord of Night and made him kneel. I was accepted into the Four Orders, and I created the fifth. I freed the Shadow of Rome. I sat upon the Twilight Throne.

The man asks for my surrender. He asks for peace. He is too late. The girl he knew is gone, and death is in her place. I am Nightfall, and this is my story. You think you know it?

Think again.”

First Line: (From Book One) Some say my story began when my parents were murdered. It did not.

My Take: It’s clear why this series is such a bestseller. Lots of action, a likable protagonist, awesome worldbuilding, interesting side characters, twisty plot, and of course, the supernatural. Looks like Amazon doesn’t have it categorized as Young Adult but it definitely reads like one, particularly with an eighteen year-old MC and a story told in first-person, present tense. (On a side note, is there a rule somewhere that says all YA needs to be first-person, present tense? Honestly I’m dying for a nice third-person, past tense. Lately when I open a book and see an “I” in the first paragraph it feels like I’m on my tenth consecutive day of eating chicken. Sweet Jesus, I would kill for a nice smoked salmon smothered in third-person pronouns.)

As per the usual for a series reviews, most of this will be related to book one with non-spoiler comments about the series as a whole.

Following a short intro preface, the story starts off with Scarlett Night (nice name btw) as a child. Normally this irks me as I’m impatient to get to the “grown-up” version since I know that’s where the story really gets going, but the early chapters of this childhood were really engaging and important to the plot. This is because the MC has such a compelling voice, but partly too because we get some great worldbuilding revealed and an incident that impacts much of what happens later in her life. Plus, it’s nice when a character has a best friend from childhood (Jax) and you actually get to see some of their time together as kids. That really grounded me in their relationship for later chapters.

In this world, there had been a war between mankind and the nephilim (For those who don’t know, nephilim refers to the offspring of the sons of God who mingled with the daughters of man – half angel folk, in other words). The nephilim were defeated but humans known as Zeniths began to appear. These are people who have powers and are considered the scum of society if they test “positive” for that DNA. This here adds our dystopian element and paves the way for some terrible acts committed by the government against this group.

So, adult Scarlett has been color blind all her life. This is disability that I just haven’t seen in fiction before so I really liked seeing the representation and how the authors worked in description without color. Definitely well done on that point. As you read in the first line, Scarlett finds out there’s a lot more going on that her parents never told you about but she only begins to find out about it when they’re murdered in front of her. She nearly dies herself and then wakes up…”changed”. Turns out the nephilim aren’t as eradicated as we thought.

Now, I feel it my responsibility to point out the following as far as the nephilim because they aren’t what you’d expect. It’s a small spoiler though so continue at your own risk.

Start Spoiler

As the story went along and I learned more about the nephilim of this world there came a point when I had to stop, close my eyes, and say quietly, “These are not nephilim. They are winged vampires.” Which, I gotta say, I felt a touch misled. Call them winged vampires if you must but not nephilim. Once I reordered my brain I was able to let it go and continue on though. The winged vampires are not like regular vampires so they are distinct, for which I was thankful, but I wonder if some felt misled on that score.

End Spoiler

Aside from a couple of minor things, this series definitely grabs your attention and holds on to it. Good, strong, courageous protag facing immense challenges as she tries to juggle two very different versions of herself and her life. Awesome side characters you can’t help but love and be intrigued by. In a word: Riveting.

The Magical: Really enjoyed Scarlet’s personality. She had that nice mix of strength without annoying snark, empathy without being wishy-washy, and self-sacrifice without being a door mat. She’s a girl I really enjoyed reading about, despite the first-person present-tense;)

The Mundane: Over the course of the series we meet three different guys who fall in love with Scarlett and who she has feelings for as well (sometimes not right away but the seed of attraction is hinted at.) Love triangles bug me a bit in any genre but when the men start lining up it just gets to me. Now I will say that when Scarlett is with someone her thoughts are not straying towards the others. She’s loyal and because of this, it wasn’t a problem.

Summary of Thoughts: Books one and two are Scarlett’s story. Book 2.5 is more of a novella with another character and depicts his point of view during the events of book two. As this is one of those super intriguing side characters, I definitely enjoyed hearing his inner thoughts and views of what went on. Book three is actually from another character’s perspective which I haven’t read yet but plan to. All are available exclusively on Amazon (and Kindle Unlimited). I highly recommend these first installments. Imaginative and engaging, they’re full of action and intrigue. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to more about the authors and their work? Explore their website here

Hell Squad

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Indie Author, Romance, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book

Title & Author: Hell Squad series (Books #1 – #4, Marcus, Cruz, Gabe, Reed), Anna Hackett

Genre & Publication Date: Sci-Fi Romance, April 19, 2015

Book Description: *From Book One: Marcus* “In the aftermath of a deadly alien invasion, a band of survivors fights on…

In a world gone to hell, Elle Milton–once the darling of the Sydney social scene–has carved a role for herself as the communications officer for the toughest commando team fighting for humanity’s survival–Hell Squad. It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team.

When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability.

Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.”

First Line: Her team was under attack.

My Take: Oooookay, I read four books of this eleven book (soon to be 12 book) series. Usually when I review a series I read everything that’s out but *rubs eyes* I had to stop. I’ve read so much sex with this set that I’m starting to feel like that episode on Friends when Joey and Chandler somehow got free porn on the TV and never turned it off until they noticed it began to warp their minds. So, yeah, in my ongoing exploration of the Sci-Fi Romance genre I read four books in this highly popular series–which I didn’t realize were crammed full of erotic situations. I now understand that I should’ve figured this out by the book covers alone.

But I’m rambling and not reviewing so let’s get it on–I mean, get on it–I mean, get–you know what I mean.

Warning up front: I dig into the XXX rated stuff included in the series so if that bothers you, please skip this review.

The plot, outside of the intertwining, hit on the good Sci-Fi expectations for a post-apocalyptic alien invasion, followed by an alien occupation. A group of military and civilians are hunkered in a defensible mountain military base that the aliens haven’t found. They send out teams to rescue additional civilians, as well as gathering intelligence on where to strike back. They’re trying to figure what brought on the invasion and what exactly these aliens want from Earth, especially when they start noticing that the aliens are abducting human beings. Each book moves the story along and they discover more and more about what’s really going on.

That part of the books is really interesting. If only there was more plot and less bouncing on bed springs, I’d probably have read more of the books but I’m afraid the sex (which wasn’t all that great–we’ll get to that) occupies most of the page space. We’re talking three scenes or more in each book, scenes that take up more time than the actual story itself, especially since these books aren’t very long. To be fair, I will say that the author does really well playing up the longing and tension between the two meant-to-be characters prior to the heaving and panting. I like that their emotions are involved and they actually fall in love. Call me traditional, but I like it when the characters that get together actually have feelings for one another.

The characters are likeable enough as well but the men have a bit too much of the Alpha male for my taste. A little brooding goes a long way. The author offsets this a bit by having the women MC’s be intelligent and capable, but still they fall in love with the possessive, bullish male military archetype. Layers needed there.

The Sex

All right, I can’t review this series without actually commenting on the wham-bam that went on. As frequent and explicit as things got, those scenes were really…bland. Oh, there was plenty of heat and fervor, but I noticed a lack of description in the subtler things–the stuff that makes it lush and vibrant. Does that make sense? I mean the small intimacies like the scratch of an unshaven cheek or drawing lazy patterns on warm skin or tracing fingers over broad shoulders or even (possibly entering TMI territory) the feel of a man’s weight against you. In other words, the acts were there but vividness of the experience wasn’t. It was also repetitive as hell. Every encounter was essentially the same across the books to the point that I started to wonder if all these guys read the same playbook when it came to moves. For books that are pretty much centered on those scenes, it could’ve used more imagination. In particular there was one move that ALL of them did that read really awkward. I mean, how can he slip his hand there right when he’s slamming–Okay, breaking it off here because that’s definitely TMI territory.

The Magical: I liked the alien invasion plot and the missions they went on. Lots of action and adventure on that front.

The Mundane: Could definitely do with less coupling action but something tells me that people are buying these books for that purpose.

Summary of Thoughts: The first book, Marcus, is FREE on Amazon if you’re curious about the series. I think book one was the best of the bunch because the author was busy with worldbuilding more than in the other books. Simple, straight-forward prose, these stories are good for a quick (and dirty) read. Although without much substance and easily forgettable, they’ll entertain you but don’t expect to be moved. They’re kind of like the literary equivalent of chewing bazooka gum–the flavor is gone pretty quick but it’s good enough if you’ve got nothing better.

I’m giving what I read of the series three stars on the whole for the decent Sci-Fi plot and because I know a lot of my dislike is personal preference. Those who enjoy reads centered on the erotic side will likely enjoy it.

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

 

Retrograde Motion (Syzygy Book 3)

Tags

Book Reviews, Cli-Fi, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Science-Fiction

Title & Author: Retrograde Motion (Syzygy Book 3), J. K. Ullrich

Genre & Publication Date: Science-Fiction/Cli-Fi novella, January 31, 2017

Book Description: ““Whatever’s going on here, it’s bigger than any one of us.”

Ash and Skye’s rogue mission to Earth uncovers a secret with profound implications for their rival lunar colonies. But threads of conspiracy reach all the way back to the moon, and a traitor in their midst is determined to keep the truth buried. With their air supplies running out, Ash and Skye’s only chance is an unprecedented alliance…with one another.”

First Line: Anela says, “Can’t put the first line in here because it would be a huge spoiler to the previous two books. Sorry!”

My Take: This book was provided to me by the author for review.

Treading carefully with this review since it’s the third book in the series and some seriously awesome and unexpected things happened at the end of book two that I don’t want to ruin for everyone. This third installment of Syzygy is packed with loads of intriguing twists and turns and some reveals that I didn’t see coming. A new group has come on scene with our two main characters, Skye and Ash, calling into question many of the truths both have believed their entire lives (Excellent job with the science involved in explaining them!). Now they have to figure who is behind the lies and why. At the same time they are forced to make drastic choices in order to bring vital information back to their people on the moon settlements all while trying to evade forces intent on making sure they never leave Earth alive. *pants* There was so much going on I was grateful I didn’t have to breathe through a filter mask like Ash and Skye while reading this or I’d have surely passed out.

Another great ending too, so not what I thought would happen. I had a total, “Whaaaat??” moment. Nice.

The Magical: The evolving relationship between Skye and Ash has me hooked. Enemies in the beginning, they are slowly starting to respect each other’s courage and sense of duty to their respective peoples, despite that those peoples are in conflict. I love the natural pace of this change.

The Mundane: If I had to point something out it would be that the first handful of pages felt a touch on the slow side. Didn’t matter in the long run though because I knew I’d suddenly be falling through the pages, which I did.

Summary of Thoughts: Currently this novella is $1.99 exclusively on Amazon. Be sure to check out my reviews of the first two installments if you’re new to this series: Transient Phenomena (Book One) and Opposition Effect (Book Two). Syzygy is such a unique story. I really haven’t read anything like it and I read all the time (Face-in-book syndrome, right here). Part Post-Apocalyptic, part Dystopian, all Science-Fiction, it’s a blunt confrontation with the mistakes of mankind and the slender hope for a future–if we can learn from the past.

If you’re on the hunt for good Sci-Fi, pick up book one today!

Many thanks to author J. K. Ullrich for providing a copy of the book to review!

Want to learn more about this author and her work? Explore her website here

Sorcerous Moons Series

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Fantasy Romance, Jeffe Kennedy, Self Published Book

 

Title & Author: Sorcerous Moons Series: Lonen’s War (#1), Oria’s Gambit (#2), The Tides of Bára (#3), Jeffe Kennedy

Genre & Publication Date: Fantasy Romance, Lonen’s War – July 16, 2016, Oria’s Gambit – August 18, 2016, The Tides of Bára – October 29, 2016

Book Description: (I’m including Book One: Lonen’s War only to avoid spoilers)

“Book One in the adult fantasy romance series, Sorcerous Moons. The novel, Lonen’s War, is a paranormal kindle book of magic and sorcery – and a war culminating in a marriage of convenience between enemy kingdoms.

An Unquiet Heart

Alone in her tower, Princess Oria has spent too long studying her people’s barbarian enemies, the Destrye—and neglected the search for calm that will control her magic and release her to society. Her restlessness makes meditation hopeless and her fragility renders human companionship unbearable. Oria is near giving up. Then the Destrye attack, and her people’s lives depend on her handling of their prince…

A Fight Without Hope

When the cornered Destrye decided to strike back, Lonen never thought he’d live through the battle, let alone demand justice as a conqueror. And yet he must keep up his guard against the sorceress who speaks for the city. Oria’s people are devious, her claims of ignorance absurd. The frank honesty her eyes promise could be just one more layer of deception.

A Savage Bargain

Fighting for time and trust, Oria and Lonen have one final sacrifice to choose… before an even greater threat consumes them all.”

First Line: (from Book One: Lonen’s War) Oria squinted from the heat shimmer rising in the distance beyond the high walls of the city.

My Take: Books were provided to me from the author for review.

I’m a big fan of Jeffe Kennedy’s work, particularly her Twelve Kingdoms books (trad published) so I was super excited to see new books under her self-publishing imprint, Brightlynx Publishing. This series is as spectacular as the others and my fangirl adoration continues to grow in leaps and bounds.

Something that is very difficult to execute well when it comes to romance, in my reader opinion, is the chemistry between the central protagonists. We’ve all seen bad romance movies, right? You know, where you think, “Jeez, these two make a terrible match on screen. They don’t compliment each other at all.” (Read: The Avengers’ Black Widow and the Hulk…What the what happened there??) Well, it’s the same struggle on the page, and this author has spectacular talent at making two seemingly incompatible people come together in a way that leaves all doubt behind.

But this is a fantasy novel too, so let me expound on this unique world of magic, war, and intrigue. The conflict between the two peoples is as complex as it can get, and both sides are guilty of some truly ugly acts (though I’ll admit to my own bias towards the Destrye’s plight). Drought is at the core of it all–and isn’t that easy to believe in a very non-fictional sense. From a story standpoint, all this delicious turmoil makes for a really interesting setting, particularly when the book begins with a huge, bloody battle…Yes, I realize it’s a tad ghoulish to delight quite so much in that, but such is the zest that is me.

The magic system is quite something as well. Oria’s people are the sorcerers, whereas Lonen’s people are not magical at all (hence the view of them as mind-dead barbarians). Interestingly, there’s a gender divide as far as how magic is performed. The women absorb magic, as a river does the rainwater, whereas the men wield it, drawing their power from the women like a well. It’s a sort of balance between the two. Naturally, I found myself wondering why women couldn’t wield magic. Why were they just the tool and never the smith? Ah, but there’s a central question to this series. I don’t want to give anything away, but that topic leads in fascinating directions.

Now the romance, I love it! At turns a friendship, at turns a rivalry, both tender and difficult, it unfolds beautifully in the books. Lonen doesn’t understand magic, how it works, or the systems in place around it but he can translate concepts beyond his ability into a more earthly logic so he can help and understand Oria better. His tenacious efforts/struggles/frustrations with magic he knows nothing about are in their own way some of the sweetest displays of affection I’ve seen in a romance. Gents, forget flowers and chocolate. Making the honest attempt to understand what a woman is facing is the surest way to her heart. And okay, we’ll take the flowers and chocolate too.

The Magical: The ribbon and scarf scene in Oria’s Gambit (Book 2), holy hell that was sensational! No, I’m not going to elaborate. You’ll just have to read it for yourself. Trust me, it’s worth it…Um, just don’t read it while on lunch at work. I came back to my desk with flaming cheeks and people assumed I was getting sick. I did not correct them.

The Mundane: As with any romance that is a slow burn, my NEED for them to get together begins to drive me a tad crazy. I have this under the ‘mundane’ but at the same time I embrace the pain of waiting.

Summary of Thoughts: The first two novels are $2.99 on Amazon with the third coming out on October 29th. The series is going beyond three books and I’m enthusiastically looking forward to the next installments. Seriously, if you enjoy a good romance set in a fantasy world, if you have been searching for a story so good you’ll end up with a book hangover, get started on this series ASAP!

Many thanks to author Jeffe Kennedy for providing copies of the books for review!

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews of Lonen’s War (Book One) here

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

What Gives Self-Publishing a Bad Name

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Book Reviews, Indie Author, Self-Publishing

Everyone knows it’s tough to get noticed when you’re an author just starting out. This is true for traditional authors as well as indies. It takes time to build up your catalog of work, newsletter subscribers, ARC review list, learn how to properly launch a book and market it, etc. etc. etc. All this requires repeatedly telling yourself that this is a long game, not a sprint. Like anything worth doing, it’s going to take time and practice, something difficult to remember in a field where impatience, insecurity, and frustration abound.

Enter the bottom-feeding-puss-suckers that try to capitalize on these emotions and lure authors into cutting corners with the promise that it’ll jump start their dreams of a writing career. The other day I got an email, Subject: Your Book–My name was never mentioned so I was a BCC to probably dozens of others, if not more–in which “Jamie” (no last name) wanted to offer me so-called marketing packages that were little more than dressed-up methods of fraud.

Some of the options in the a-la-carte menu (this is directly from the e-mail):

• I and my team of reviewers can provide up to 40 reviews per author. Each review will highlight all the positive aspects of your book and enlighten your future readers regarding the real essence and worth of your book. The book review is written by an avid book reader and Native English speaker so you can be assured of quality. NOTE: You are NOT paying me for the review but for the amount of time I am investing in reading your book. The rating may range from 3-5 stars. I don’t post negative reviews.  I can also write an editorial review as well as create a video testimonial for you.

• I can promote your book on up to 40 high quality websites EXCLUSIVELY devoted to promoting free kindle books – on Kindle free days. I can also promote your book if it is on Kindle countdown promotion (please note that it is up to each site’s owner to decide whether to list your book or not. If your book listing is approved, it will be shown ONLY during the promotion period). In addition, I can also offer you up to 200 GUARANTEED free Kindle ebook downloads or book purchases (in other words, you can ask me to buy/download your ebook for as many times as you want, for a nominal fee). This in turn can boost your rankings even further!

• I can add 30 likes to your positive reviews on Goodreads. All likes come from unique accounts and multiple IPs.

• I can add your book to 70 popular listopia lists by voting for them.  All votes come from unique accounts and multiple IPs.

• My BESTSELLER SO FAR: I will rate your book on Goodreads, post as many honest reviews as you want, mark your book as ‘read’, become your fan and add your book to the listopia list of your choice. I and my team can offer up to 50 reviews on Goodreads

Yeah, so, whoever “Jamie” is, he might claim he’s not selling reviews, but come on, yes he is. And “honest” reviews? Please. Probably he trolled through my back-list, saw I don’t have tons of reviews, and is trying to tempt me into taking the easy road. But listen, I don’t want to “appear” successful, I actually want it to be real if it happens, and compromising in this way is NOT going to get me there. It’s possible that others may feel cutting corners is what they should do. Maybe they think, “Well, businesses all over the world participate in unethical behavior and make lots of money doing it, why should I miss out?” It’s a valid question, but just because others have lowered the bar, doesn’t mean we should join them there. There’s a quote from a West Wing episode in which the characters were discussing this very behavior:

“We foster, we obfuscate, we rationalize. “Everybody does it”, that’s what we say. So we come to occupy a moral safe house where everyone’s to blame, so no one’s guilty.”

THIS is what gives self-publishing a bad name–this collecting fake reviews and likes and follows in an effort to dupe readers into thinking a book is more popular than it is. And readers are getting wise to it, lending strength to some of those big publishing house arguments that say self-publishing is vanity publishing, and that indie books lack quality writing. How can we argue if authors participate in these practices? It’s better to have only a few true reviews than ones that were purchased.

Self-publishing is a tough beat on a good day, but not impossible. It takes hard work, determination, perseverance, and a lot of practice in the art of keeping your chin up. Maybe we’ll get the success we hope for. Maybe not. Maybe we’ll have a small group of loyal fans. Maybe we’ll have loads of them. There isn’t a lot of control over what happens when it comes to the arts. Here’s the important thing though: the type of author you decide to be is completely up to you. Don’t wade into the murky waters and lose your path among the bottom-feeders. You’re better than that. As authors, the Word is our temple. Let no one sully it with lies.