Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Stormheilm by Richard J. Blanco

Stormheilm by Richard J. Blanco

Royal intrigue, long-buried magic, and a time-traveling scheme to save the human kingdoms collide in Stormheilm, the new fantasy novel by author Richard J. Blanco.

After 13 years of peace between the ancient Concord and Fehr families, rumors of war in the East prompt the king to send his son on a quest of honor, but the king’s long-buried past threatens to explode a fragile balance. Tainted by lies and deception, Prince Nathaniel sides against his father and falls in league with a dangerous clan of witches who promise to help him secure the throne – provided he kills […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-13T10:09:51+02:00May 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Mortal God (The Infinity Chronicles – Volume 1) by E.F. Skarda

Interstellar warfare and sinister plots abound in The Mortal God by author E.F. Skarda, the first volume of The Infinity Chronicles. Following the exploits of a super-soldier with incredible abilities and devastating secrets, the saga rockets into high gear with this first installment, for an explosive and surprising sci-fi thriller.

Millennia in the future, Earth has frozen to an icy ball following a catastrophic solar system event, forcing humanity to the brink of extinction, but also driving them to explore the galaxy and spread. After more than 6,000 years of wandering the stars, they were saved by the Lord Gentry, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-09-14T15:18:33+02:00May 4th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Space Opera Book Reviews|

Review: Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead by M.S. Valdez

Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead by M.S. Valdez

Author M.S. Valdez delivers a staggering read with Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead, the first book in a longer series that promises to be a dark delight. Set nearly eight centuries in the past, during the sinister and sacred times of the Holy Roman Empire, this is an epic tale of nobility and magic, salvation, justice, the end of the world, and everything in between.

Seated firmly at the center of this sweeping novel, with reins and warhammer in hand, is Lady Camila Chastaine, a paladin in service to the Empire, who takes her God-given task very seriously. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T04:29:37+02:00April 28th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Historical Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Thomas Gomel Learns About Bullying by Shirley McLain

Thomas Gomel Learns About Bullying by Shirley McLain

Author Shirley McLain unpacks the complicated issue of bullying and the psychological impacts it can have in Thomas Gomel Learns About Bullying.

Written for a younger audience, ages 10 and up, this book tells the story of a young boy who has been suffering the torments of an older bully for years, and it goes on to explore how these seemingly simple schoolyard actions can have far-reaching effects, impacting mental health in the young, as well as long-term behavioral patterns in adults.

Thomas Gomel is like many other students, trying to fly under the radar during his awkward years, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-02-28T08:01:51+02:00April 25th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: The Freedom Building by Martin Kendall

The Freedom Building by Martin Kendall

Author Martin Kendall delves into a tangled and untrustworthy mind in the unsettling psychological thriller The Freedom Building. A plot that keeps you guessing overlays a much deeper exploration of memory, repression, and identity in this mind-bending read.

John Gowan is an ambitious British architect with big dreams, but little chance of winning the contract for the new building to replace one attacked by terrorists. After visiting the future site and doing a bit of dreaming, he gets in a car accident, only to wake up the next day to find that more than three years have passed.

More […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-11T09:34:05+02:00April 19th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychological Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Colors by J.M. Ferreira

Colors by J.M. Ferreira

Colors, J.M. Ferreira’s stunning literary debut, paints a startling picture of race and sexual discrimination in a not-so-distant future Hawaii.

The year is 2026. Thirty-six-year-old Pualani “Pua” Kahahawai is an educated native Hawaiian living in the shadow of her older brother, Kalani, the “jailbird sovereignty messiah of the Kahahawai clan,” now doing 30 years in state prison. Having lived the first half of her life in a tent on the beach, Pua now lives in an old plantation-style house with her parents, her aunty and her aunty’s son and wife, and their son. Her father is confined to a […]

Marta Cheng2020-04-17T04:57:16+02:00April 16th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews, Speculative Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Truth Within: A Humanist’s Memoir by Leonard M. Cachola

The Truth Within: A Humanist’s Memoir by Leonard M. Cachola

Author and artist Leonard M. Cachola has composed an emotive exploration of life’s vicissitudes in his engrossing memoir, The Truth Within.

Son of a hotheaded, alcoholic, and often abusive father and a calm and mostly forgiving mother, Cachola found solace in the fantasy worlds of arcade gaming and comic books. He created pictures at an early age, ran a cartoon strip for his college newspaper, and eventually launched a laudable career in graphic arts. As he sought balance in his life, he pursued diverse hobbies that included autocross racing, dancing, and photography.

His girlfriends ranged from the rather raunchy […]

SPR2020-06-03T04:26:27+02:00April 15th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Memloots: The Exposition by Francis O’ Joseph

Memloots: The Exposition by Francis O'Joseph

Author Francis O’ Joseph immerses readers in a sci-fi world that looks oddly similar to our own in Memloots: The Exposition. Tapping into philosophy, religion, agricultural practice, economic theor,y and sociology, while still maintaining an air of whimsical adventure, this is a YA novel brimming with creativity and potential.

Philo Heartfield is like so many other young people on the planet Petrichor: studying hard and aspiring to earn a spot at a prestigious university. He dreams of traveling to Maraville, the home world of the intelloyds, outer-space philanthropists who have transformed his home into a thriving, livable planet.

Ringed by […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-02T07:30:23+02:00April 14th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|