Tag Archives: fantasy

Review: Zombie Nation book 1: Zombie Juice, by Samantha Warren

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Publication Date: 5th October 2016

Available from Amazon: UK, US

Ebook received in return for an honest review. 

The Kin twins, Kinley and Kincaid have lived in White Willows all their lives, almost sixteen years. They can just about remember the time before the zombie apocalypse. They live with their grandmother and help her run the town diner around their schooling. Soon they’ll finish school and become adults with more responsibility.

Then a convoy comes to town, bringing with it a new and deadly drug. And and new future for the twins.
This is a short book, only 80 pages long, but it was very enjoyable and certainly more original than some of the zombie apocalypse books I’ve read in the last year or so. The Kin twins are likeable characters and well-written, plot is well thought out and easy to read, and I like where it’s going. This book is a prologue to the series and we must wait to see where the author takes her characters.
There were a few editing errors, in word choice or grammar, which I’m sure will be ironed out before publication, but other than that I liked this YA novel.

Review: Monstrous Little Voices

Monstrous Little Voices

New Tales From Shakespeare’s Fantasy World

by Jonathan Barnes, Emma Newman, Kate Heartfield, Foz Meadows, Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Published by: Abaddon

Publication Date: 8th March 2016

ISBN: 9781781083949

Price: Anywhere from £7.00 for paper back

Edition: Paper back

Continue reading “Review: Monstrous Little Voices”

Review: ‘Witches Protection Program’ by Michael Phillip Cash

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Chelshire Inc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles                                                                                                                                                                      Published: 14th May 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Paperback                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ISBN:9781511411349  
Blurb
 Witches Protection Program is filled with adventure & suspense Michael Phillip Cash creates a tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern day New York City.

Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning and best selling author of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. Michael currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

My Review

Firstly, the plot; it has a great deal of potential and could be extended from this novella in to a full novel or even a series. I was disappointed with certain aspects – such as the explanation for Bernadette’s great conspiracy, and the reason Wes lost his original position. They just weren’t ambitious enough. If that was all I wouldn’t be too bothered but the insistent and weakly developed romantic plot irritated me.

Secondly the writing: not bad, although tension would drop in all the wrong places.

Characters: All the men are heroes of one sort or another, and all the women are horrible (either physically or psychologically) or weak. Returning to Bernadette, all her actions are predicated on the assumption that the romantic rejection by her sister’s husband would make her hate all men and want to lock them up in internment camps. Or Scarlett, who’s jealousy of Morgan should somehow drive her mad with power lust. It all tickled at something, and then I realised what it was. Straw-feminist arguments advanced by misogynists include ‘feminists hate men’, ‘women hate each other’, and ‘women compete for male attention’; I’m sure the author isn’t a misogynist, but his book read like an MRA fantasy, complete with the handsome white man coming in to save the day and get the, equally white, younger, pretty girl.

I really hope that is the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ aspect of the book.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by this book, although the idea itself has a lot of potential.

2/5

Lincoln book haul

I went to Lincoln with my sister for her 30th birthday today; I only bought six books..

From my favourite independent book shop, Lindum Books (4 Bailgate, Lincoln, LN1 3AE):

Ian C Esslemont
Return of the Crimson Guard
Stonewielder

Mark Charan Newton
Nights of Villjamur
City of Ruin

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Dorothy Whipple
The Priory

And from the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology’s Jew’s Court Bookshop (Steep Hill, Lincoln):

Kevin Leahy
The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey

Both shops sell second hand and new books, and are housed in historic buildings which are interesting in themselves.

The books I bought have made me very cheery tonight for several reasons. The Esslemont books complete my Malazan collection.

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I really liked the Dorothy Whipple book I bought last time I visited Lindum, and I really love the binding Persephone books have. It’s such high quality. I was pleased to be able to find another book by the same author and the lady in Lindum Books was very knowledgeable. You don’t get that sort of service in a chain book shop.

I was pleased to support the SLHA with my purchase, especially since finding books specifically about Lindsey isn’t always easy.

I ache quite badly; Steep Hill is a (well-named) killer and I’ve become more unfit since I last went to Lincoln. I really need to work on that. Back to the regular long walks it is.

Review: Stormbringer by Alis Franklin

Stormbringer
Book 2 of the Wyrd

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Alis Franklin

Published by: Random House Publishing Group – Hydra
Edition: Ebook
ISBN: 9780553394627
Price: $2.99 (USD)
Publication Date: 21st July, 2015

Blurb
Ragnarok—aka the end of the world—was supposed to doom the gods as well. Instead, it was a cosmic rebooting. Now low-level IT tech and comic-book geek Sigmund Sussman finds himself an avatar of a Norse goddess. His boyfriend, the wealthy entrepreneur Lain Laufeyjarson, is channeling none other than Loki, the trickster god. His best friends, Em and Wayne, harbor the spirits of slain Valkyries. Cool, right?

The problem is, the gods who survived the apocalypse are still around—and they don’t exactly make a great welcoming committee. The children of Thor are hellbent on reclaiming their scattered birthright: the gloves, belt, and hammer of the Thunder God. Meanwhile, the dwarves are scheming, the giants are pissed, and the goddess of the dead is demanding sanctuary for herself and her entire realm.

Caught in the coils of the Wyrd, the ancient force that governs gods and mortals alike, Sigmund and his crew are suddenly facing a second Ragnarok that threatens to finish what the first one started. And all that stands in the way are four nerds bound by courage, love, divine powers, and an encyclopedic knowledge of gaming lore.

MY REVIEW

I giggled so much reading this book. I think I enjoyed it more than the first one, Liesmith, because now that we know the characters their stories have a chance to blossom.

I love the characters of Lain, Sig, Em and Wayne. Hel and her siblings are very sympathetically written, and the younger gods are such teenage brats! If their actions weren’t so awful then it’d be funny.
The book could do with an editor, there were minor spelling and grammar errors that look like a slip of the keyboard, but nothing to distract from the story.

Very enjoyable second book.

4/5

May Reviews, part one

Hey, I’ve had a not so great few weeks, and have got behind with my reviews (sorry!) but to make up for it, here’s four book reviews.

Continue reading “May Reviews, part one”

January 2015 Reviews

Hello, and welcome to the first review post of 2015. There’s a lot of variety in this month’s post, but I’ll let you get on with reading the actual reviews now.
Continue reading “January 2015 Reviews”

Review: ‘Rebellion: Chronicles of Charanthe #1‘ by Rachel Cotterill

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My Review

Eleanor is expecting a high level assignment straight from school, but when she receives a lowly post in a remote town her hopes are disappointed. Brought up in the Empire, where all children go to live in schools almost immediately after birth, families don’t exist and everyone has a place assigned to them based on their abilities, Eleanor has never known anything different. Her talents have been honed by the mysterious Leban, and when, disappointment arrives she seeks him out in the cave he calls home. Leban isn’t in but a book he left for Eleanor sparks a new idea.

Eleanor leaves school to become an Assassin.

Thus begins the adventure.

I quite enjoyed this novel; the character of Eleanor grew on me as she developed from a spoilt and cossetted school girl to an Assassin used to starvation and hard work. The world is well drawn and intriguing, with bits of the Empires history, politics and future mentioned which whet the appetite. The writing style was a little clunky at first but became more fluent as the novel progressed.

A YA fantasy I recommend and an author to watch.

4/5