John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

The perennially empowering hero for a new generation returns for another adventure in Athens Ophelia The Partitioner: The Catalyst Lyrics by Zachary Aneiress. After years of searching, Athens has finally found his tribe, a truly eclectic team of heroes, but amassing those forces of good only seems to encourage ghosts from the past to start hunting for revenge. Watching the Guardians of the Cosmos crystallize into a more functional team, rather than Athens always battling solo, makes for a nice shift in the series, and adds valuable depth to the lineup of characters. However, there is a consistent lack of […]

A scattered gathering of memories, visions, and streams of enlightened consciousness, Welcome Home: What if I chose to live after death? by Gaspar Michel is an abstract exploration of life and death. This experimental memoir reads like a dream journal crossed with a philosophical thought experiment, adding a healthy dose of spiritual cross-examination and Christian revelation. The final thesis merges ideas of personal connection, heroic meaning, and truly believing that God will answer our prayers, for a conclusion that is both surreal and thought-provoking. That said, the reading experience is undeniably hurt by poor formatting, problematic editing, and a lack […]

A steamy tale of revenge and barely restrained desire, Her Unbreakable Protector by Alessa Kelly is a hero-filled thrill for romance readers of every kind. The practically perfect Sam may be slightly haunted by his military past, but he is a stunning Montana hunk, one who will do absolutely anything to protect the innocent, particularly when his abducted lover comes into the crosshairs. Steeped in luscious language and visceral scenes of both drama and pleasure, this book flexes between wild extremes of intensity and powerful themes of trust, passion, and self-control. The dialogue could do with more depth and authenticity, […]

A mysterious discovery from the past unites an unlikely pair of curious allies in Peter King and the Magic Stone by Frank C. Senia. To learn the truth about a deadly accident that ruined a town and countless lives, a young boy and a grizzled outcast must peer into the past in order to reshape their own futures. An allegorical exploration of regret, trauma, and redemption, this is a touching story of unexpected connection and compassion. The prose is straightforward, with matter-of-fact narration and blunt dialogue, which does make the story somewhat two-dimensional in its delivery, but the underlying emotions […]

Cutting boldly through the packed and redundant genre of self-help books, Not Your Mama’s Bible: A Street-Smart Self-Development Book by Pasha Tay is an uncut peek into streetwise philosophy. Without coddling or gentle affirmative touches so common to self-help, the author lays down the hard truths of social strata, dumb luck, coping mechanisms, failure, determination, and achievement for those readers who are open to a complete shift of mindset. Tay’s tone is relentlessly confident, the personal anecdotes touch on both the hilarious and the vulnerable, and the range of subject matter is impressively broad, while deeply relatable. Nailing the balance […]