John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

With riveting sermons of prose, Dawn Downey captures deeply private yet broadly relatable snapshots of life as a black woman in Blindsided: Essays from the Only Black Woman in the Room. From the complicated perils of language and the bloody crossroads of religion and racism, to the nexus of art and the size of one’s assigned space in the world, this is a fearless collection that is painfully relevant for today’s readers. Spilling such intimate insights through brilliant, well-drawn prose is an undertaking where most authors fail; these essays, however, are provocative, subtle, and captivating – often within the […]

With savage satire and relentless rhyme, Steve Ravencroft unravels The Last Orangutan Part II: A Brief Summary of Trump’s Second Year in Office, a poetic retelling of Donald Tump’s second year in office. Written in verse, this clever narrative is thorough and acerbic, serving as a grimly whimsical reminder of America’s dubious recent past. Maintaining such a rigid rhyme scheme for 70+ pages is a monumental task, and while there are some lines that feel a little forced, Ravencroft has an eye for detail and a penchant for parody. For a lighthearted and potentially painful walk down memory lane, […]

In The Entrepreneurial Guide: The Key Principles of Building and Growing Your Business, Dr. Srikanth Gaddam instructs those in the business world how to overcome the most common obstacles and pitfalls to help reach their industry potential. From covering aligning visions within teams and building commitment to long-term goals, to a nuanced exploration of sales tactics and graceful exit strategies, this is a comprehensive, accessible, and engaging read. The text is well-narrated and peppered with anecdotal details, but there are also numerous grammatical errors, as well as awkward syntax that requires a second reading to fully understand the meaning. […]

Shining a light on “the forgotten women and children of the Civil War,” author Ken DeHaven delivers a stirring tale of fortitude and bravery in the face of injustice with Emily: Courage Amid Shadows of the Confederacy. This visceral story of righteous rebellion captures the imagination with immersive prose and a keen attention to detail. The dialogue is occasionally heavy-handed, particularly when used as a vehicle for exposition, and some of the language choices feel too modern or colloquial, but Emily is a powerful focal point as a protagonist. DeHaven explores dark, timeless themes of America that remain painfully […]

Author Ticana Zhu transports readers thousands of years back to ancient China in Dynasty of Summer. Summer and Winter are the ultimate royal sibling duo in this innovative work of historical fiction, where history and myth mingle in the life of a dauntless young princess with enemies on every side. The richly layered prose, deeply researched setting, and unpredictable adventures in the wild give this book all the makings of an exceptional historical epic. Though some of the prose is declarative and less emotionally engaging than more lyrical passages, Zhu has built a wondrously textured and high-stakes world, with […]

Mysterious stalkers, the rocky roads of marriage, and a strange case of writer’s block converge in A Cabin in the Woods by Marek Záhorec, an eerie and slow-burning novella. With two intertwined plotlines – an author and his created characters – this uniquely structured read is decidedly unsettling, particularly as the lines of reality begin to blur and readers realize that their narrator is anything but trustworthy. The declarative nature of the prose and dialogue sometimes inhibits the dramatic suspense, but as a whole, this is a quick and compelling slice of psychological terror.

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