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

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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

FREE Book for a Limited Time!

Tags

Dystopian, Free Books, Indie Author, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book

Need a Sci-Fi fix or just a quick escape from the realities of Christmas shopping? Right now Subversive (Insurrection Book One) is FREE on Amazon!

Go grab your copy!

In a not so distant future, an unprepared humanity barely managed to repel the Locusts when they invaded Earth. But the long war left its mark on mankind and the Establishment was founded to ensure it would never come so close to destruction from an alien force again. Now, decades later, the world is run by this single governing entity. Loyalty is rewarded. Disloyalty is met with corrective action.

As an inquisitor for the past twenty years, Gemson used torture and interrogation to root out subversives. He’d worked hard to earn his cold, hard reputation. Now he finds himself on the subject’s side of the interrogation table. Loyalty? Some bonds transcend the laws of State.

Subversive is FREE through Sunday only so don’t miss out!

For more info on the series check out its dedicated page here

Happy weekend!

Inquisitor (Insurrection Book 3) is out!

Tags

Book Series, Dystopian, Indie Writer, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book

Inquisitor, the third installment of Insurrection, is available on Amazon, hurray! This one was definitely challenging as it comes from the point of view of an antagonist. I have a greater appreciation for writers who integrate POVs of pure villains into their stories. Not an easy task! (FYI: There’s a truly chilling one in Koontz’s Watchers)

At any rate, it’s already gotten a couple of awesome reviews. Something unexpected: there’s a touch of fangirling going on with the Albatross, a main character who is the enigmatic leader of the insurgency. One of my reviewers called him “book boyfriend materal”. As a newly published Indie, hearing that a character I created is so evocative to a reader had me walking around with a big grin on my face:) Yeah, my work is rather unknown, and yeah, I’m not making huge profits from this writing gig right now, but it’s enough to know that those who’ve read my stuff are loving it. A small but happy fanbase is a win in my book.

In a not so distant future, an unprepared humanity barely managed to repel the Locusts when they invaded Earth. But the long war left its mark on mankind and the Establishment was founded to ensure it would never come so close to destruction from an alien force again. Now, decades later, the world is run by this single governing entity. Loyalty is rewarded. Disloyalty is met with corrective action.

Before the war, they called Harlow the Butcher. The Establishment calls him Inquisitor and he’s been handed his most intriguing subject: the Albatross, leader of the insurgency. But strange orders frustrate Harlow’s work. When an unexpected visitor arrives with an interesting proposition, Harlow might have the solution he needs. If not, well, his knives don’t care where the screams come from.

Buy your copy today for $0.99 on Amazon

Want to know more about the series? Check out the dedicated page here

The Serial Series: Is it a writer gimmick?

Tags

Book Marketing, Craft, Dystopian, Indie Writer, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Speculative Fiction

While working to market my Sci-Fi/Dystopia series Insurrection, I’ve been reaching out to book bloggers asking for a review of the first installment, Subversive. For those who don’t know, this is a short-story series that will run for five installments, like episodes in a mini-series. Each book is told from a different character perspective. Each is a complete story and interconnected with the others.

Recently, a blogger who had agreed to review Subversive returned saying he would be unable to post a review because he does not feel serial series books are fair to readers. (Full disclosure: He does state that in his review policy but I, er, missed it. *blushes*)

Curious about this view of serial series, I wanted to ask what others thought. Below is the e-mail reply he sent to me and I’m posting it here with his permission:

“Subversive is a glittering example of why I don’t (review serial series books) and I admit I should have examined this book more closely before I agreed to review it. Although it is well written, and I could see that the story line had the potential to eventually develop into something worth reading, as a lifelong reader who has been disappointed repeatedly by authors who use this approach to publishing, I cannot encourage it. Likewise, giving you a low review when the work could be made into a five-star effort is not fair to you.

For a reader, this book is a passage to nowhere except the next book. There is no end. There is only a beginning. For a reader, it’s a bit like having a sentence with a subject and no predicate. An incomplete thought to be solved by putting another nickel in the slot machine. I feel that approach to publishing is unfair to readers.”

My opinion? Although I respect this blogger’s perspective on the subject, I tend to disagree with the philosophy, not just because I’m writing a serial, but because personally, I love them. In the book serials I’ve read I find each book to be its own complete tale, even if there are cliffhangers at the end. If I love the premise and the characters, it’s great to come back to them again and again, like visiting old friends. Some examples? The Anita Blake books, The Emperor’s Edge, A Song of Ice and Fire. There are many more. To me, it’s like watching an episode in a TV series. I’m not upset that I’ll have to tune in next week to see another installment. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a movie that tells the story in one go. Other times, I like when a story is drawn out. The same is true for literature in my, uh, book. (unintentional pun)

What do you think of the serial series format? Does it feel like the author is nickle and diming you into buying another book rather than tying off the journey completely? Or do you enjoy new adventures with the same characters and universes, no matter how many installments there are?

Rave Review for Insurrection!

Tags

Book Review, Book Series, Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Short Story

The first two books of Insurrection, my short story Sci-Fi/Dystopian series, got some sweet praise from a fellow Indie author! *happy dance* To read the reviews click the link below!

The third installment, Inquisitor, is coming out this month. If you’d like to be an early reviewer, sign up here

  

It’s been a long time since I stayed up too late reading, but last night found me feverishly turning pages well after moonrise…not of a novel, but a short story. Anela, the indie author…

Source: Recent Reads: Subversive, by A. Deen

Striking Notes

Tags

#amwriting, Dystopian, Inspiration, Science-Fiction, Writing Tips

It’s probably not news to anyone that music is inspirational. It stirs memory and emotion in a way nothing else can. As an author I find it immerses me into the scenes of a story line and energizes my creative thinking. Music is another one of those things that I’m in awe of, particularly since I haven’t any talent in it myself. Yeah, I can play a little “Heart and Soul” on the piano and I can sing on key (Don’t look for me to appear on “The Voice” or “American Idol”. I have a firm grip on the extent of my singing abilities), but that’s about it.

The odd thing about me though, and I don’t know if others share this, is that the music needs to have decent lyrics for me to really enjoy it (if it has vocals). Musical lyrics, like poetry, are the most abbreviated version of a story out there in my opinion. They have little space to communicate emotional impact so every word counts. You’ve heard a song with tons of filler or one that tells a story in a way you’ve heard a thousand times. It lessens the piece. It seems writing, in any form, is hard.

Hearing a song with music and lyrics that feel like a soundtrack to a story I’m writing is like getting hit by a lightning bolt. It doesn’t even have to be a new song. It can be one I’ve heard before that suddenly takes on a new meaning. I’ll easily surpass two thousand words in a day when this happens. I know, I know, a lot of authors out there write double or triple that (Lindsay Buroker is renowned for her writing speed), but I don’t usually go that fast. Three kids and a full time job will do that.

As I’ve been writing the installments of my short story series Insurrection I came across a few songs that zapped me in the inspiration department. Since it’s in the Sci-Fi/Dystopian genre, it has themes centered around rebellion and redemption.

Muse’s song “Uprising” is a track I’ve replayed quite a few times while writing. Their videos are pretty radical. Raging teddy bears, etc.:

Then there’s the new version of “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. I found a fan video that paired it to images from Mass Effect (love that game!) and it’s pretty awesome. Since part of my story line involves a past where humanity was almost destroyed by an alien force, it felt like watching a piece of my own story. Of course the details are completely different, but the music and the visual accompaniment of a world on the brink of annihilation is exactly what I’d envisioned.

How has music inspired you creatively? Are you like me in that the song has to have good lyrics in order to really capture your attention, even if there’s a good beat?

Operative (Insurrection: Book 2)

Tags

Book Series, Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Short Story

Now available for $0.99 on Amazon worldwide!

The first book, Subversive, is also available on Amazon. I published it in the blog’s free quarterly newsletter too. If you didn’t get a copy or would like one, let me know via the comments here or send me an email to FineFablesPress@gmail.com

Book Description:

A Sci-Fi/Dystopia Short Story Series

In a not so distant future, an unprepared humanity barely managed to repel the Locusts when they invaded Earth. But the long war left its mark on mankind and the Establishment was founded to ensure it would never come so close to destruction from an alien force again. Now, decades later, the world is run by this single governing entity. Loyalty is rewarded. Disloyalty is met with corrective action.

For Ellie, the job of an analyst was simple: Evaluate her target’s patterns, make a virtual connection, garner trust, and ascertain identity and location. Falling in love with the Albatross — the Establishment’s most notorious subversive and leader of the insurgency — complicates matters. Now she’ll have to decide which to betray: her duty or her heart.

Excerpt:

Ellie realized two things when she regained consciousness: First, her head felt like someone had bashed it against a steel hull, and second, the man asleep in the chair at the foot of her bed was the Albatross.

 

From the revisions booth & other news

Tags

#amwriting, Dystopian, Newsletter, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Writing Tips

Those of you who frequent the ramblings of my blog, or the newsletter, know that I’m almost finished with revisions of my first novel, “A Ransom of Flames”. Yes, I know, I’ve been saying that for a while now. It’s amazing how a teething baby can interfere with the writing schedule. But laments aside, the plan is still to publish this month. I went through all of my editor’s comments and now I’m doing a final read through to tighten up sentences and make everything as crisp as I can.

So, every writer has a few twitches when it comes to their prose. You know, that handful of words they tend to use over and over and over, unaware the mania is even happening.

A few of my own:

• People meeting each other’s gazes–A little goes a long way. I had to take out a bunch of these. Seriously, it’s like I had them in staring contests.
• WAY too much of the word “about”: Hands gripped “about” a weapon. Belts “about” the waist”. Cloaks “about” shoulders. Good GOD, already. Make it stop!
• Tendency to…trail off dialogue sentences. Again, some of this is okay but I was…stretching it. I’ve mentioned this about a book I reviewed some time ago. Apparently noticing it while reading doesn’t mean it’ll be noticed while writing. *face turns red* Thank goodness for…revisions.

Publication will be a bit later in March than I thought, but better a small delay than rushing things out before they’re ready. Of course, a couple of weeks ago I took a short detour from revisions to start a Science-Fiction/Dystopia short story series titled “Insurrection”. The beginning installments will be published in the next few weeks. Constant rewrites started to drive me bananas. I had to break ground on something new.

Those of you who subscribe to the newsletter will get the first story of the series for free in the next edition. Not signed up? You can do so here

The cover of Book One:

For now, it’s back to the revisions. I’m starting to understand why authors say they are sick to death of their book by the time it goes to publication. This will be my sixth time through.

What about you fellow authors out there? Any writer ticks you notice frequently in your manuscripts? What tricks do you use to find them/get rid of them?

Ultraxenopia (Project W.A.R. Book 1)

Tags

Book Review, Dystopian, Self Published Book

Title & Author: Ultraxenopia: Project W.A.R., M.A. Phipps

Genre & Publication Date: Dystopian, January 15, 2016

Book Description: “Don’t stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible. Those are the rules I lived by—the rules I thought would keep me alive.

I was wrong.

Wynter Reeves is a law-abiding citizen of the State, a willing conformist whose daily life is haunted by terrorism and oppression. With the constant threat of death hanging over her like a shadow, she forces herself to live by a strict set of rules, all in the hope of ensuring she is never noticed. However, on her twenty-first birthday, as she prepares to take the placement exam that will determine her future within society, she begins to show symptoms of a rare and debilitating illness—ultimately attracting the attention of the State. Taken into the custody of the feared research facility known as the DSD, her worst nightmare becomes reality.

Ripped away from the life she knew, Wynter is forced to become the test subject of the mysterious Dr. Richter. Through him, she learns the true and terrifying nature of her condition: a disease called Ultraxenopia.”

First Line: “The train is now approaching Central Station.”

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

I really wanted to like this one. As I read the book, I could sense the author’s enthusiasm for the story and love of the characters, but I’m afraid it wasn’t enough to pull me in. There really is an interesting core to the plot, but it’s buried beneath a lot of craft issues. I don’t mean “rules for writing”, I mean writing technique, those things that make the difference between telling a story and storytelling.

Okay, so what does that fancy wordplay mean?

Three main things interfered with the “storytelling”:

Too much repetition

I had a lot of sympathy for Wynter’s situation and the trials she went through…That being said, the descriptions of how she felt repeated endlessly. Variation was desperately needed. The girl’s heart was pounding wildly so much of the time that I began to be concerned about her cardiac condition. Worse though, her fear and rapid pulse started to mean little as I went along because, well, that seemed to be her natural state. This, and she passed out far, FAR too many times. I understand why, but again, I couldn’t worry about it after the fourth time. Maybe I should’ve kept some smelling salts in my pocket for her?

Relationships

Friendships seemed hastily built and the romance suffered from a thick layer of melodrama. I DO love romances, but only when things are properly paced and I feel the bond between them. I didn’t feel it here. Sure, he’s cute, so there’s attraction, but love is another animal. Love needs humor. Trust. Understanding and mutual admiration. These things don’t necessarily need months to take place (Hell, I was in love with my husband within a couple of weeks) but they do need to happen.

Character Arc

For me, this was painfully absent. Wynter started out from a place of weakness and pretty much ended up there. Once more, I understand why, but at a certain point a girl needs to come up with her own plan independent of others. It can be argued that she did this at the end, but it didn’t feel like a decision based on strength, but powerlessness. Again.

Furthermore, what is this story really about? I had trouble answering this here. Authors must continually ask themselves this question, leaving aside all the action and adventure. I know writers who have those words taped up on their computer monitors so they don’t forget where to focus to lens as they write:

What, at its core, is this story about?

Forget the dystopian world. Forget the bad guys looking for Wynter. Forget the disease. Forget the romance/friendships. At its core, what is Wynter’s story about? Is it about finding her place in the world? Is it about learning to be more than what the State dictated her life to be? Is it learning to feel/finding her repressed humanity? There were glimpses of a lot of these, but nothing fully fleshed out, not in my reading experience at least.

The Magical: Wynter’s illness gives her certain abilities, but they come at a cost. This is a great contrast. A lot of books have people of powers/abilities who seemingly use them without consequence. Attaching a price to it, as done here, is way more interesting.

The Mundane: There was too much murmuring, mumbling, whispering, and breathing of dialogue. I started to wonder if the characters were having a seance.

Summary of Thoughts: This book is currently $2.99 on the Kindle, but I feel it needs additional revision work to really clean up a lot of the writing issues and to clarify the central theme of the story. A good content editor could help to do this. It takes so much effort and sacrifice to publish a book that I loathe giving low review scores, but, for the reasons above, I’m afraid this isn’t one I can recommend.

Many thanks to author M. A. Phipps for providing a copy of the book to review.

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

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