John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Review: Ganesha’s Temple (The Temple Wars #1) by Rohit Gaur

★★★★½ Ganesha's Temple by Rohit Gaur

Ganesha’s Temple by Rohit Gaur is a masterful and meaningful adventure.

Escapism is one of the basic reasons why people read, so books that transport readers to completely new worlds, or rarely seen corners of this one, are particularly compelling. Ganesha’s Temple by Rohit Gaur is the first installment of a brilliant new series that perfectly blends mysticism and adventure.

Tarun is a young boy in Kashmir, the son of the country’s chief minister, who is thrown into the wilds of nature following a horrific attack on a local festival celebrating Ganesha. The vivid depiction of the attack sends […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-24T19:45:06+02:00July 13th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: City on a Hill (Vol 1: The City) by Ted Neill

City on a Hill by Ted Neill is an epic tale of belief, chaos and conflict.

While many post-apocalyptic, dystopian novels center on the ravages of atomic fallout, the wasteland lifestyle of survivors, unholy abominations or alien overlords, there are few books in the genre that have placed religion as the focal point. City on a Hill is the bold and provocative tale of Lysander and Fortinbras, the Twin Cities, the last two havens in a world destroyed by violence and religious conflict. Following the Cataclysm, the new leaders of the world, the Head Ministry, have outlawed religion in all […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T06:59:54+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Leadership Wisdom by Bob Vanourek

★★★★★

Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose, and Curious Verse by Bob Vanourek is an enlightening collection of sage and timely advice.

Books about leadership and self-improvement seem to be a dime a dozen, which makes it difficult to know who to heed and where the best advice actually comes from. Sidestepping that common failing, Bob Vanourek’s new book, Leadership Wisdom, instead relies on great minds and wise figures from human history to support his unique perspective.

While it can be easy to dismiss the occasionally condescending lessons from modern leaders and success stories, it is far harder to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T09:29:58+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Leadership Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: New Age Lamians (The Lamian Trilogy Book 1) by Didi Oviatt

★★★★ New Age Lamians by Didi Oviatt

New Age Lamians (The Lamian Trilogy Book 1) by Didi Oviatt is a unique and addictive YA adventure.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a new angle on the post-apocalyptic genre, as the recent popularity of this topic has led to hundreds of new books trying to capture the horrors of a dystopian future. The YA genre has been less inundated with these types of stories, however, and Didi Oviatt’s new novel, New Age Lamians, stands out as a truly creative and engaging story. The premise of the novel is bleak – a planet that has been […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T11:09:47+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Martyr’s Blade (The Chronicles of the Martyr Book 1) by Joel Manners

★★★★★

Magic, mayhem and memorable characters abound in The Martyr’s Blade (The Chronicles of the Martyr Book 1) by Joel Manners.

The sword and sorcery genre has had a major resurgence in recent years, thanks to a particular hit HBO show and a fresh generation of eager readers, but Joel Manners is clearly not a novice to the realms of fantasy. For a debut novel, The Martyr’s Blade welcomes readers into an incredibly dense and meticulously crafted world that becomes more enrapturing with every chapter.

At the outset, Manners works hard to establish reader rapport with a range of intense […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T09:14:58+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay

When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay is a twisted mystery of hometown and heartbreak.

Reeling from missing out on the job of a lifetime, Iris Lee takes an unexpected step in her career – going back home. With a father who can’t remember her birthday and a mother struggling to remember her own name, Iris had been well on her way to leaving the past behind her, but she is unexpectedly pulled back into the swirling, nostalgic mess of Mt. Pleasant, Virginia. With the sharp mind of a corporate shark and the tireless drive of a street-wise sleuth, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-01T07:47:25+02:00July 1st, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin

★★★★½ A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin

A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin is a heartfelt, humorous and insightful adventure.

Important life lessons come in many forms, and the boundless creativity of A Tale of Witchwood Park follows in that tradition – a memorable, amusing and profound piece of fantasy fiction for young readers. Based in the proud history of the magical genre, an unlikely band of heroes are assembled for a harrowing adventure to save the world from evil forces.

These young adventurers, however, have all the qualities of normal children, so they must not only overcome the False Queen and her minions, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-08-01T04:36:46+02:00June 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Wyrd, TX by David Shawn

★★★★½

Wyrd, TX by David Shawn is a terrifying, stylish thriller.

Balancing humor, wit and terror is an ability that few authors ever master, but David Shawn releases a macabre tour de force in Wyrd, TX, a city that time seems to have forgotten, but demons have not. Shawn marvelously sets the tone for readers within the first few chapters – a supernatural first scene to cleanse the palette for fantasy, followed by patient, thorough introductions of the major characters populating this bizarre world.

Chief Butler is the perfect antihero for this type of setting; a good man with […]