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Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: Bless the Skies by Julie Elise Landry

★★★★½ Bless the Skies

Bless the Skies by Julie Elise Landry is a riveting and provocative work of dark fantasy, which follows the lives of three girls, Laeli, Sophia, and Elaina, who must navigate a bleak and desperate world. When Elaina is kidnapped and enslaved by the twisted High Lord Lawrence Anderton, Laeli and Sophia risk their lives to save her, through a dangerous and unforgiving landscape.

Although the journey narrative of the novel might suggest Lord of the Rings fare, Landry takes her characters to much darker depths than Tolkien, or even Game of Thrones. So much of fantasy fiction […]

2017-05-10T08:25:22+02:00May 4th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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Review: Ravenwood Risen by W.C. Maher

★★★★ Ravenwood Risen by W.C. Maher

Being wrenched from a life of pastoral normalcy and forced into a destiny fraught with sacrifice and struggle is a common foundation for many fantasy novels, but in Ravenwood Risen, author W. C. Maher takes a new angle on this classic theme. Although the rumors swirl and dangers appear to be creeping in at the edges of Aman, the small region of Colore seems relatively untouched. Ephraim and Jules Ravenwood unwittingly go about their daily lives, ignorant – but not unprepared – for what the world will soon demand of them.

In the same vein as the Shannara […]

2017-05-11T03:32:05+02:00May 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: The Ephialtes Shorts Collection by Gavin E. Parker

The Ephialtes Shorts Collection by Gavin E. Parker

Following on the heels of the first book in the epic space opera Ephialtes, author Gavin E. Parker brings readers a collection of shorts from his carefully crafted world, with the intention of bridging the first and second installments of the trilogy. The second installment of the epic is planned for a fall release in 2017.

The Ephialtes universe is a rich tapestry, with the first book in the series based around the end of World War IV in 2241, where the huge and powerful air warship Ephialtes is refitted for interplanetary space travel by the dominant ruling forces […]

2019-02-11T09:19:07+02:00May 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |
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Review: Crossing Xavier (The Storytellers Book 1) by Hugh Dudley

★★★½ Crossing Xavier (The Storytellers Book 1) by Hugh Dudley

Deep in the far-flung stretches of the universe, The Storytellers reside. Collectors of the tales of the many worlds, a presentation is made of the story about the human colony of Xavier, and one man who comes to expose his home’s disquieting secrets. With the discovery of the near-infinitely adaptable lifeforms known as xavirytes, the emergence of the secretive Conspirators, and a chance to return to Earth, the story of the human Devon’s rise from the UnderCity to intergalactic legend is about to be told.

Crossing Xavier is a science fiction romp that utilizes “Greek chorus” framing of The […]

2017-05-30T09:35:17+02:00May 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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Review: Stories of Yesteryear: Horse & Buggy Days by Harry H. Brown

Stories of Yesteryear

Stories of Yesteryear: Horse & Buggy Days by Harry H. Brown is a charming reprint of Harry Brown’s tales of Halifax, Massachusetts and New England at the turn of the century and earlier. Harkening back to days before cars, or even electricity, these vignettes are in turns amusing and moving, as it tells an important story about a bygone era. Much of what Brown writes about is lost to history, which makes this reprint by his family and important and worthy enterprise.

At only a page or so apiece, these stories are easy to read and ingest, and have a […]

2019-02-11T09:18:32+02:00May 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: Traveller – Inceptio by Rob Shackleford

★★★★ Traveller - Inceptio by Rob Shackleford

Author Rob Shackleford goes beyond the nitty-gritty physics and paradoxes implicit in time travel in his new book Traveller – Inceptio, an impressive new addition to the time-travel niche and an exciting start to a new series.

The story begins simply enough: a group of Australian graduate students researching security technology stumble onto the potential for a time-travel device and the world immediately takes notice. Governments begin clamoring for the technology, but a more methodical approach is required for such world-changing technology. A destination is chosen – Saxon England, about 1,000 years in the past – and […]

2019-01-22T05:49:44+02:00April 28th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: In Search of A Little Piece of Sunshine by Carlos Jimenez

★★★★★ In Search of A Little Piece of Sunshine by Carlos Jimenez

In Search of A Little Piece of Sunshine by Nicaraguan writer Carlos Jimenez is a beautiful and original middle grade novel for readers who enjoy fantasy and nature. Jimenez is a new talent ready to burst onto the US market with this, his first English language release.

As a band of brave children search for “a little piece of sunshine” to save the freezing cities in North America, namely NYC, they must travel into the forests and face many strange and mythical creatures in their environmental quest. An allegory set in the time of Obama, this book is really […]

2019-01-22T11:03:39+02:00April 27th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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Review: Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

★★★★ Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

Most fantasy or sci-fi novels center on a single “surreal” element, such as the presence of alien life, supernatural abilities, terrible dark forces or a bridge to the spiritual world. Ephaidria by Jim Grieco ambitiously tackles all of these concepts, and more, without stumbling over itself or trying to take on too much “strangeness.” From the very start, the novel is packed with mystery, rich descriptions and an unpredictable plot line that stretches the boundaries of readers’ imaginations.

The story starts off simply enough, with the gradual introduction of the four main characters, who are just beginning to discover […]

2017-04-27T11:14:29+02:00April 27th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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