Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Heavenly by Thomas Duffy

Heavenly by Thomas Duffy

A tale of faith, redemption, and resurrection, Heavenly by Thomas Duffy is an inspiring parable of our time, one of desire, connection, and sacrifice.

After the “Big Guy” gives him a do-over, John comes back to the land of the living in a new form, Peter, who moves through this second life, navigating many of the common pitfalls of childhood and adulthood. However, when his second chance becomes entangled with the people from his previous life, the existential questions become all the more complex and intriguing.

Tapping into storytelling tropes of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol,” this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-18T07:55:30+02:00October 4th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Voice of a Mummy by Kay Oliver

Voice of a Mummy by Kay A. Oliver

A millennia-spanning mystery with all the thrills of a classic treasure hunt, Voice of a Mummy by Kay Oliver is the jaw-dropping compendium of novellas in the Dr. Kaili Worthy Series.

On a historic mummy hunt for the legendary Cleopatra, Dr. Kaili Worthy has no idea that she’s stepping into the path of a mysterious curse that stretches back nearly 4,000 years. Though the remains they find end up being from Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene, the doctor is soon back to her sleuthing ways when she discovers that she can converse with the trapped spirit of Cleopatra Selene – and […]

Review: Opium and the Red Rose by Michael Rogers

Opium and the Red Rose by Michael Rogers

Revisiting the war-torn land that scarred his youth, a filmmaker cooperates in international espionage and finds love and atonement, in Opium and the Red Rose, a wide-ranging thriller by Michael Rogers.

It’s 1982. Danny Summers is working with a film crew recreating scenes of combat, when his life suddenly changes in the face of two unrelated incidents: an accidental death during the filming, and a stranger inviting him to meet with a senator on a matter of extreme confidentiality.

The accident takes Danny back to his Vietnam years when he served the military as a member of a cinematic […]

SPR2021-11-11T04:25:38+02:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Fever Dreams and the End of All Things by A.J. Massey

Fever Dreams and the End of All Things by A.J. Massey

A tireless and tremendously creative adventure, Fever Dreams and the End of All Things by A.J. Massey is a strong sequel in a deeply fascinating realm.

The trio of young heroes from the first book is summoned back to the magical land of Meridia after receiving a dire warning from The Creator – the “other side” of the Sovereign they defeated to stop The Fading. He cryptically warns them that three evil beings plague the lands they had all risked their lives to protect, and that they must return. Even though the adolescent trials of the real world are forefront […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-03T03:04:54+02:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Milieu by Jay Green

Milieu by Jay Green

Twenty-three socially weighted poems become one strong stance on what it means to be a young man in America today, and furthermore, what it means to be a Black man, in Jay Green’s emotive Milieu. This essential part of Green’s identity must be highlighted in the turbulent times in which we live, and his personal experience informs his work to a powerful degree.

In this sharply tuned collection, the poems are varied in form, mostly strong, and very rhythmic. The opening work, “Mortal Games,” channels Ralph Ellison’s work such as Invisible Man, as the rich tapestry of […]

Cate Baum2021-09-22T04:19:28+02:00September 21st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Sons of Brutality by Daniel Jeudy

Sons of Brutality by Daniel Jeudy

An intensely suspenseful thriller centering around the investigation of the brutal murder of two young women by a serial killer, Sons of Brutality by Daniel Jeudy is decidedly dark but gripping.

Plumbing the seamy depths, the novel goes underground to find snuff clubs, drug-addled Satanists, occult murder, and the mob. Los Angeles is being bathed in blood as multiple sprees of vicious murders threaten to overwhelm a police department on the brink. Detective Addison Mowbray and his partner Jed are the tenacious sleuths on the hunt for answers, but as they bounce between leads, red herrings, and horrific new crime […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-02T02:19:17+02:00September 16th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Detective Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Feelings Awakened by Vibha Maurya

Feelings Awakened by Vibha Maurya

A vulnerable confession of poetry coupled with striking illustrations, Feelings Awakened by Vibha Maurya lives up to its name, both in the heart of the reader and the mind of the poet.

In this reflective and relatable collection, there are more questions than answers, making this an exploratory journey that the poet takes right alongside the reader. There are occasional streams of confident conclusions, borne of the poet’s personal experience and overcoming of struggle, but there is also an innocent and cautious curiosity in many of these pieces. The poems from childhood, particularly “A Brown Girl” and “My Village,” stand […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-25T07:27:16+02:00September 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Dreck by Alex Grass

Dreck by Alex Grass

Author Alex Grass creates a haunting and gritty dystopian world in Dreck, a monstrously good read penned with a masterful voice. Driven by an unflinching protagonist who takes no guff and gives no quarter, this dark and raw-edged thriller will suck you in and keep you there.

Dreck, the mystical beast from a sinister nursery rhyme, ends up on Frank Attanasio’s cold mortuary slab, but this dauntless and sardonic hero quickly learns that death is anything but permanent. The antlered monster is still glowing, appears to be doling out gold coins, and has repeatedly broken into Frank’s mind with […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-22T03:58:21+02:00September 3rd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Horror Book Reviews|