Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: Lucid Dreaming by Cassandra Page ★★★★★

Lucid Dreaming by Cassandra PageMelaina could be considered a fairly average woman, all things considered. She’s getting out in the world, she runs her own business as a “dream therapist,” and she gets by… just about. Of course, there is one very particular perk to her vocation: she’s half-Oneiroi; a dream spirit. Being able to control people’s dreams really gives her a leg up in the biz’. But there’s always a downside to these things, and for Melaina that downside comes in the form of a very interesting client, and the hell he brings to her doorstep. The nightmare has woken, and it’s very, […]

2016-01-13T10:25:45+02:00December 16th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |

Review: The Ladders of Death by Philippe Erhard ★★★★

The Ladders of Death by Philippe ErhardThe Ladders of Death, by Philippe Erhard, is a compelling story about the bravery of two individuals during World War II.

In 1941, Jenny is a law student from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She’s working at a garment factory to pay for her studies. One day at work, she witnesses one of her coworkers being humiliated simply because she’s Jewish. Jenny is disturbed by this scene and is worried about the rise of antisemitism in her own country. She decides that she needs to act and volunteers to fight the Nazis.

Paul is a medical student in Besançon, a German-occupied French […]

2016-01-13T10:32:42+02:00December 14th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Killing an Idea: Exhuming Say’s Law by Rand McGreal ★★★★

Killing an Idea: Exhuming Say’ Law (Lost Volume 2) by Rand McGrealIn a chance meeting, crossing between new town and old in the city of Portland, Oregon, economic writer Rand McGreal and French economist Jean Baptiste Say find themselves in commonality. Sitting to discuss their ideas, Say elaborates the ideas that made him notable, all the while answering the challenges and queries of the curious McGreal. Recording the encounter, McGreal has published his discussions in his new book: Killing an Idea: Exhuming Say’ Law, the second part of Rand McGreal’s Lost Economics series.

In a similar approach to the 90s breakout hit The Wealthy Barber, the book is something […]

2019-01-22T15:41:02+02:00December 7th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Fractured Idols by Kevin Austin ★★★★

Fractured Idols by Kevin AustinFractured Idols, by Kevin Austin, is a bold indictment against the media, banks, religion, the credit crunch in 2008, and the idea of celebrity.

Sebastian Cartwright, an interior designer, lives in London’s super-rich Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. His colleague Magda, a Hungarian émigré, introduces Sebastian to her new friend Madeleine Armitage, a corporate wife. Madeleine irritates Sebastian right from the start. Magda’s lover Phillip, Viscount Brampton, invites Sebastian, Madeleine, and her husband for a long weekend in Spain. As soon as the long weekend starts, sparks fly.

The majority of this novella only has two scenes. The […]

2015-12-30T09:31:04+02:00December 2nd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Death by Disputation by Anna Castle ★★★★★

Review: Death by Disputation by Anna Castle 5 starsDeath by Disputation: A Francis Bacon Mystery (Book 2), by Anna Castle, is a clever historical fiction whodunit.

Thomas Clarady is recruited to spy on a radical group of Puritans at Cambridge University in 1587. Francis Bacon is his spymaster. The mission doesn’t start off well. Tom’s chief informant is found hanging. The university assumes the man killed himself. Tom is convinced he was murdered. Now Tom must figure out who killed his informant and spy on the radical group, especially since he believes the two are linked. Can Tom figure out they mystery before it’s too late?

This is […]

2016-01-04T12:43:13+02:00December 2nd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Kai by Derek Vasconi ★★★★★

Kai by Derek VasconiThe disconcerting tale of Kai by Derek Vasconi follows the harbored Satsuki Takamoto, a girl living through a downward spiral of social exclusion, universal envy and ever-deepening depression; in comparison, Seul Bi Rissiello – a resident of Evanston, Illinois – is caring for the mentally ill as she strives for meaning in her life after the brutal loss of her parents in gruesome circumstance. Although unaware of each others existences, both girls live a seemingly poetic tandem of suffering as an unexpected thread ties their tortures together.

This book is quite an eloquent, yet biting read: the slow, creeping, eventually […]

2015-12-29T09:35:27+02:00December 1st, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Ten Mistakes Made by Most Pulpit Committees by Don K. Clements ★★★★★

Ten Mistakes Made by Most Pulpit Committees by Don K. ClementsAmong the most important decisions that any church body must make, choosing the correct pastor is of the utmost consequence.  Jeremiah 3:15 states:  “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.”  In a nutshell, this is the role of the pastor today.  The pastor is the leader of the church, the one who will direct the flock in the way it should go.  He provides encouragement and guidance and is entrusted with the most imperative of duties.  He must study The Word to discern God’s heart and instruct his congregation.  There […]

Review: Rotville by Bryce Bentley Summers ★★★★

Rotville by Bryce Bentley SummersIn the year 2030, humanity is devastated by a terrifying plague that forces survivors into a life of cloistered fear. A quarantine is built into a city, known as Colloseo, where Colloseo Super Max Prison houses some of the worst examples of the surviving human race. When a military genius comes up with a new super-soldier program using these violent outcasts, twenty-year-old Dylan is inducted into a series of experiments to enhance his body and replace his mind. The plan goes awry, forcing one doctor to gift the former Dylan a chance at free will in order to save the […]

2019-01-21T09:38:04+02:00November 19th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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