Monday, December 30, 2024

The Undoing
by A.M. Davila

Shortly before Christmas, the power suddenly goes out, almost all cars stop working, and unlike what might be normal for a power outage, even fully charged electronic devices stop working.  Clearly something more is going on, and as people come to realize that things will not be returning to normal, an expected chaos soon follows.


I read a review copy of this book. I found it to be a very interesting juxtaposition of different characters and their reactions as each begins to realize what is happening. There may not be any explanation or reason given for the extreme power outage taking place, but for this book, I don’t miss the fact that it is not explained. I don’t feel it truly needs one at this point because the story is more about the characters and how they react and deal with the emergency than it is about what caused it. At least so far that appears to be the case. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop and each of their unique personalities shine through in this story. Each has their own personal demons to deal with, but watching them come together and cope with this unknown disaster was heartwarming.


This is the first book in a young adult post-apocalyptic / dystopian series, and it is one that I have enjoyed reading. I will be watching for the next book in this series to be released and am looking forward to seeing what happens next. I think that anyone who enjoys reading young adult stories dealing with what may be a society-ending disaster will enjoy this book, especially if they enjoy character-driven tales that show a great deal of heart and resilience. I know that I enjoyed reading it.



Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Monday, December 23, 2024

Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters
by Christa Avampato

Emerson is a young girl who is being forced to grow up far too fast. With her mother having died while away on a mission, Emerson has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since it happened. But there is more to the story than even she knows, for like her mother, Emerson is special in ways she has yet to learn about, and that not many would ever believe they could be.


I received a review copy of this entertaining young adult novel. The main character is a girl just beginning to discover herself, her past, and what her future holds for her. It is a daunting prospect for anyone, let alone for someone who has battled panic attacks for several years. I enjoyed this story. It was a fun tale of a girl discovering possibilities that she never dreamed were possible… if she is strong enough to face them.


I think this would be a book for anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy novels that are also combined with some mythology and recently discovered paranormal abilities that the main character must learn how to control. Overall, I found it to be a fun and uplifting story, though like all tales, it does have its sad moments as well.



Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Monday, December 16, 2024

Claws of Death
by Angelina J Steffort

Myron and the other Fae had managed to escape the human king who seeks to secure his right to the crown by marrying Ayna, the last living member of the rightful ruling family. But she is already married to the Crow King, and has no desire or intention to leave her true love and mate. But with her sister also imprisoned by the king of Tavras and whose safety is being used as a threat to Keep Ayna compliant (as well the drug that keeps their faerie powers dormant), there is little that she can do but to pretend to be a willing bride-to-be while striving to search for a way to escape.


I read a review copy of this book and like the first two in this series thoroughly enjoyed it. There are both heartbreaking as well as heartwarming moments in this book, and a great many of both. Not only do Ayna and her sister need to be rescued, but they will also need to find a way to stop the use of a magic suppressing drug that the King of Tavras intends to use to control all of the Fae kingdoms as well as his own. Talk about an impossible-seeming task! 


This was a fun book that evokes a wide range of emotions in the reader. It certainly kept me reading to find out what happens next throughout the story. If you’ve been reading this series, you won’t want to.miss this one. Though without giving anything away, I feel that  I must warn you… the ending will leave you desperately waiting for the next book in the series. I know I certainly will be.



Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Monday, December 9, 2024

Dark Variations
by AJ Parnell

Vander is now an adult who is about to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. Alexander adopted him after the end of Making Monsters (book one in this series) and raised him to be an intelligent and refined young man. Alexander has helped Vander learn more about his psychic abilities, and while he doesn’t know the full extent of Vander’s gifts, He has acted as a sort of dark mentor to Vander. Currently, Vander’s gifts are showing that when the Corpse Flower blooms the day before his graduation, the museum will open to find Vander’s dead body displayed as the latest work of art of “The Sculptor.” Somehow, in the nearly two weeks before that day, Vander must use his gifts to find a way to change the fate that Alexander has in store for him. It’s not wrong to do whatever you need to in order to ensure your own survival, no matter who else gets hurt, is it?


I read a review copy of this book which is a dark horror/thriller novel. But it is one where I almost find myself wishing for Vander to succeed. His life in Africa before being adopted and raised by a serial killer was a very miserable time. He was abused and his own father tried to sell him for sexual use to the local sheriff. A life like that is one that would cause anyone to have difficulty trusting others. And with a psychic gift that allows him to see the outcome once a decision has been made, he feels that he has few viable options for saving his own life, And those all lead him down their own dark pathways.


The story is very well written and kept me reading and wanting to know how it would end, and whether or not Vander would survive or be murdered. And as I said, while much of it is a dark tale that is not a happy one, I kept hoping that Vander would find a different way out of his predicament, one that doesn’t involve him becoming as evil as the man who raised him. As I can’t tell you what happens without spoiling the story for you, you’ll just have to read this one for yourself if you want to know what happens.


I enjoyed this story, and I believe that anyone who likes horror/thriller novels with a bit of a twist to them, as well as anyone who has read the first book in this series will enjoy this book. I would recommend giving this book a try if you like dark tales where a serial killer can be both a savior to someone, and at the same time still be a hidden evil.



Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Monday, December 2, 2024

Apple Dumpling Murder
by Trixie Silvertale

Cyndi Claus is enjoying her life in the human world baking sweet treats for the town. Her bakery, with the building owned by her first friend in town, Ronnie, is quite popular, and when he announces that he plans on changing his will to leave the building to her, that’s when things get interesting. The next morning, he is found, by Cyndi, dead. And her fingerprints are on the murder weapon. But who was the actual murderer, and why?


This was the second book in the Christmas Catastrophe series. I read a review copy and truly enjoyed it. Ms. Silvertale, as always, has written a fun and entertaining cozy mystery. In this book, she has interwoven several holiday legends, traditions, and stories of the season and also provided us with some tasty sounding holiday dessert recipes. While I have not yet tried making any of them, they do sound delicious.


If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, stories involving Christmas, Santa Claus and other seasonal traditions and legends, as well as any of the other books written by Ms. Silvertale, then you are very likely to enjoy this book. And if you enjoy baking, you will want to try making some of the recipes included in this book.

Mountain Bride’s Surprise <br>by Florence Linnington

Harriett was born a slave. Her mother was a black slave and her father a white plantation owner. After the civil war, when all the slaves ha...