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Lead stories from SPR’s ever-growing independent book portal

Review: The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright

The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright

A classic fellowship fantasy with original twists and a dystopian mystique, The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright is an ambitious novel that tackles broad ideas of power, loyalty, and freedom. A young woman living a double life – plotting long-term revenge on a society that demands absolute subservience – seeks to expose the truth, even if it costs her everything, in this powerful piece of cautionary fiction.

Sy shines at the heart of this story, brazen and bold in her deception as an acolyte of the all-powerful Rem, deeply committed to a dark purpose instilled in her after witnessing the […]

2022-08-18T14:25:13+02:00August 18th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman

Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman

Heartfelt and uniquely heroic, Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman is an electrifying opening chapter to a new superhero series. An average kid lands an impossible spot at the most exclusive high school in the world, and must overcome his own self-doubt, recognize his powers, and seize his birthright.

Fueled by the same YA fervor as Harry Potter, this superhuman high school series deals with the supernatural and superhuman, but also explores the deeply relatable issues of growing up feeling different. Regularly challenging the boundary between reality and fantasy, from the prologue onwards, this is […]

2022-08-16T18:04:22+02:00August 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: A Disturbing Nature by Brian Lebeau

A Disturbing Nature by Brian Lebeau

A deep, character-driven mystery, A Disturbing Nature by Brian LeBeau is a patient maze of a novel, leading readers on a grim journey through suspicion, murder, and obsession.

Mo is a quiet and mysterious young man with a mind that never caught up to his impressive size, and a lifetime of taunts and tragedies that never leave him. Even as he starts a new chapter at Bryant College as a groundskeeper, where for the first time “independence is not equated with exile,” the jagged pieces of his past are impossible to leave behind. Unfortunately, new surroundings don’t mean an end […]

2022-08-05T05:38:04+02:00August 4th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: Dreamslayers by J.W. Webb

Dreamslayers by J.W. Webb

J.W. Webb weaves a masterful standalone fantasy with Dreamslayers, the newest installment in the expansive Legends of Ansu series. Spinning the worlds of two master warriors into a deadly orbit, this story immerses readers in an unstable world of magic, ever-changing allegiances, power struggles, and the mystical pull of destiny.

When Tulomon Caze suddenly reappears in his daughter’s life, desperate and damaged, the pair must go into hiding from a host of sinister enemies. The powerful Yanturi has eradicated their family and seized their land and possessions. This deadly coup is only the beginning, as there are other powers […]

2022-08-01T05:24:46+02:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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Review: Mundanity by Jonathan Carreau

Mundanity by Jonathan Carreau

Author Jonathan Carreau sends readers on an over-the-top journey into madness in his novel, Mundanity, an alien satire of human life as we know it.

When green-skinned Vince Patelo moves to the city of Mundanity for a new job, he isn’t expecting so much drama in such a dully named town, but such is the price of survival. While he blindly toils as an anonymous tool for an evil corporation, protesters rail against quadlithium mining, in an effort to save the environment, and a grifter politician in town is tapping into the power of social media to stir up […]

2022-07-06T08:55:26+02:00July 6th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: Blood for the Fisher King by Endy Wright

Blood for the Fisher King by Endy Wright

Author Endy Wright unleashes his imagination and narrative sensitivity in Blood for the Fisher King, a continuing tale of his fascinating work of science fiction, The Omicron Six.

Following the harrowing revelations at Deep Woods Academy from the preceding book, Cooper and Coupe attempt to return to a normal life, but the truth, scope, and origins of their powers are hard to ignore. Coupe has begun to flex his impressive intellectual muscles for the first time, while Cooper continues to explore his shocking physical gifts, but their newfound skills aren’t going unnoticed, particularly by the black SUV following […]

2022-06-28T03:56:56+02:00June 27th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: Person to Person by Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe with Greta Myers

Person to Person by Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe

Authors Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe with Greta Myers delve into a possible better path forward for our world in Person to Person: Change Your Life and Fix the World. 

Examining the present day through a sparkling lens of technological knowledge, sociological insight, and philosophical foundations, these authors ask cutting-edge existential questions that are relevant for everyone. Partially inspired by a rare opportunity to breathe new life into an old space in southern France, this book blends a quartet of fictional characters with the speculative yet sober dreams of the authors.

Driven by the idea of creating a “heterotopia,” they […]

2022-06-13T06:36:14+02:00June 12th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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Review: Stained Echoes by Jon Ring, Illustrated by Vinessa Sanford

Stained Echoes by Jon Ring

Crafting myriad worlds in a tightly penned collection of stories, Stained Echoes: Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre by Jon Ring is an enchanting work of old-fashioned horror for readers who love to be spooked. Presenting a wide and weird variety of disturbing yarns, from ancient battlefield hauntings to the demons held deepest in our hearts, this book exhibits a mastery of the style.

A unique and impressive homage to the macabre pacing of Poe, the collection hums with sinister tension, often delaying its twisted payoffs until the very end of the story. The opening piece especially, “The Secret […]

2022-06-09T03:51:58+02:00June 3rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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