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book reviews |
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Author J. M. Robison introduces The War Queen: Altarn is the first woman to hold the position of State Head in Blindvar. When Lord Kaelin, State Head of Ruidenthall, propositions her to merger with their states, Altarn believes it’s his subtle way of taking her kingdom for his own, making himself king. On the cusp of war, she rides in disguise to her last ally, Luthsinia, to ask for help. During her journey, Altarn is ambushed but rescued by a man called Torren who offers her protection. Quickly they realize they share a mutual attraction. Upon their arrival to Luthsinia, Altarn receives news that an army has invaded Blindvar in her absence and blames Kaelin. Except it’s not Kaelin’s army, because she discovers Kaelin is in Luthsinia for the purpose of spying on her to take her land. And Torren is not who she thought he was. Taking advantage of the unraveling situation, Kaelin kidnaps Altarn so he can take her land without her in the way and brings her to Ruidenthall. There’s a war ship on the horizon, led by a fallen angel craving mortal worship. Kaelin realizes he needs Altarn’s help to fight this army if he’s to save his kingdom. She’s forced to agree, but how will she react when he’s wounded in battle? If she lets him die, can she fight the enemy on her own? Or if she saves his life, will he still try claiming her kingdom, or try claiming her heart?  Altarn is a strong-willed woman, she knows what she wants. I like her. I enjoyed reading The War Queen a great deal. This book has a nice balance of dialog, action, and head time. The author does a very good job of avoiding head hopping, something I appreciate a great deal. Having to stop and figure out who is saying what, really spoils the mood and flow. There was only a couple of moments like that in the entire book. I liked the length of the book also; it offered plenty of time to develop characters and scenes. The action sequences were quite memorable and well displayed. The alternate weapons and use of music to communicate on the battlefield was fascinating. The sub-plots provided a depth that you don’t always find. I award The War Queen 4.6 of 5 Stars! You are going to enjoy this book.  You can buy The War Queen at:
https://www.amazon.com/War-Queen-J-M-Robison-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Queen-J-M-Robison-ebook/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32321773-the-war-queen You can follow J. M. Robison at: https://twitter.com/JMRobison https://www.facebook.com/JMRobisonAuthor http://jmrobison.wixsite.com/jmrobison Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Author Layden Robinson introduces us to his short story The Chameleon: Epic tale of a mysterious man in search of peace, love and eternal answers. An acid trip frenzy that delivers color and intensity the whole way. Think a David Lynch movie meets Stephen King "Wastelands" with a hint of Chuck Palahniuk. Download this massive story. You will not be disappointed.  Chameleon was an interesting challenge for me. I had not read anything very similar to it before. At times it felt like a sequence of dreams. However, I did enjoy the book. The imagery was startling at times and quite lush at other times. There was plenty of action and the settings were easy to visualize. I loved the dialogues with Charles. This is not structured like most books, the antagonist changes frequently. It is not quite a quest, but the protagonist is searching for answers to questions many are afraid to ask. Chameleon gets 4.2 of 5 stars. It is beautifully written in places and intriguing at times.  You can buy Chameleon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Chameleon-Layden-Robinson-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chameleon-Layden-Robinson-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-chameleon You can follow Layden: https://twitter.com/LaydenRobinson https://www.facebook.com/Layden-Robinson-233060573379246/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8290724.Layden_Robinson https://www.amazon.com/Layden-Robinson/ Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Layden Robinson introduces us to The Boston Ranter: This autobiographical novella was inspired by my life growing up outside of Boston. Comedic, dramatic and quite revealing; this latest title will truly show why I am the raving lunatic I am today.  I don’t know quite what to make of author Layden Robinson. There is something different about him, there might be a lot different about him actually. He is not your average writer. But I do know he is funny! He made me laugh out loud many times! That is LOL for you youngsters. He also made me wince, cringe and sigh with relief. He made me feel a lot of things. That is one of the hallmarks of a good writer. I really enjoyed this book. His reminisces brought to mind some of my own adventures as a boy, I could really relate in many places. The Boston Ranter gets a score of 4.5.  You can buy The Boston Ranter:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Boston-Ranter https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boston-Ranter https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24468526-the-boston-ranter You can follow Layden: https://twitter.com/LaydenRobinson https://www.facebook.com/Layden-Robinson-233060573379246/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8290724.Layden_Robinson https://www.amazon.com/Layden-Robinson/ Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Michelle Path introduces us to Xalien Goes to the Beach: Xalien can't get enough of Earth and is back for another adventure! This time she is off to enjoy a day at the beach. Jessica, Adam and Sarah introduce Xalien to lots of new things including swimming, seaweed and sandwiches. As usual, Xalien gets up to a lot of mischief! Join her as she explores the beach, even managing to teach the children how to speak to aliens along the way. This exciting fifth instalment in the award-winning Xalien the Purple Alien series is sure to delight and amuse both children and adults alike.  This book for children is another winner! The entire series is so cute and entertaining even for young children. Xalien struggles with learning the customs of Earth, fortunately she has 3 friends on earth who help her over the bumps. In the process there is much humor in the funny situations. Michelle writes with the idea of stimulating conversation between child and parent. There are many spots that provide an excellent starting point for a conversation. Charlotte Roberts the illustrator has done a wonderful job once again! Xalien Goes to the Beach gets 5 of 5 STARS! I have reviewed a number of Michelle’s books, see them at wordrefiner.com/previous-book-reviews  You can buy Michelle’s book:
https://www.amazon.com/Xalien-Purple-Alien-Goes-Beach https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xalien-Purple-Alien-Goes-Beach https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32687167-xalien-goes-to-the-beach You can follow Michelle: https://twitter.com/mimilovesu http://michellepath.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/michelle.path Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Tegon Maus introduces The Wishing stone: During that last summer, as if in punishment for being happy, Kate was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The last time we used the wishing stone was at the hospital the morning she died. On that day, all three of us made a silent wish, certain the others had wished the same. Kate died that afternoon and I never thought about it again. It was the last time I believed in magic, in love or in the existence of God. Then, after three miserable lonely years, the unthinkable, a second chance... Warwick.  Tegon has done it again! What a mind-blowing story! If you read the first book in this series Machines of the Little People, then you know Tegon Maus is a wonderful author. His writing is well crafted, there is a large amount of humor and the plot twists keep you guessing. What you don’t know is this book, while every bit as good as the first, takes a hard turn and goes in a decidedly different direction. I was shocked and delighted with the tangential course of this book. It all makes so much sense at the end. I am committed to no spoilers, but the cast of characters and the plot twists are so delicious. I laughed out loud more than once! The Wishing Stone gets a score of 4.9 of 5 stars!  You can buy The Eve Project book 2: The Wishing Stone at
https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Stone-Eve-Project-book-2-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wishing-Stone-Eve-Project-book-2-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22905785-the-wishing-stone You can follow Tegon Maus: https://twitter.com/TegonMaus http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Maus_Tegon/index.htm https://www.facebook.com/Tegon-Maus-150255051766767/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tegon-maus-93160662 You can read the review of the first book here: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/-the-eve-project-machines-of-the-little-people-book-1-by-tegon-maus Another 4.9 Star review! Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Ann Snizek introduces Tunuftol’s Fortress of Light: Krissa needs to find the portal and figure out how to use the magical key she found before the people who killed her parents find it, otherwise her parents’ sacrifice meant nothing and an entire world will be in danger. But nothing makes sense to her since arriving at “Grandma” Athey Boske’s farm. How can she save an entire world when she didn’t even remember it existed? Magical powers, sword fights, portals to another world, creatures that shouldn’t exist on Earth… How can any of this be real? Is Krissa really the Chosen One in some old prophecy?  I really enjoyed this book, the first in a series. The story of two kids in the Foster Care system wishing desperately for a permanent home, but finding they never seem to fit in and their case worker appears bent on finding the worst possible placements. Their story and lives are about to change dramatically. I love Ann’s writing, she handles so much writing craft excellently! Her work makes a story so easy and fun to read. She has a nice balance of dialog, action and introspection. Descriptions and scenes are well placed, plotting is smooth. The story moves along so well, the time flies if you are not careful. I award 4.9 stars of 5! You will love this story, in fact I have a hunch anything Ann has written is going to be a great read!  You can buy her book:
https://www.amazon.com/Tunuftols-Fortress-Light-Tunuftol-Book-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20461477-tunuftol-s-fortress-of-light https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/264487 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tunuftols-fortress-of-light-ann-snizek You can follow Ann: https://twitter.com/HASnizekM1 http://ann-snizek.com http://annsnizekauthor.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/AnnSnizek.author/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/TunuftolSeries/ http://www.shortbooksbysnowflower.com/ http://annsnizek.wixsite.com/coversbysnowflower http://www.snowflowerenterprises.com/ I have already reviewed another book by Ann Snizek: http://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/-to-eris-human-by-ann-snizek Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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