Tag Archives: Book Reviews

A Review of South of Okeechobee

Book cover for South of Okeechobee by Daniel Powell. The cover looks like a piece of cloth that has greatly yellowed and frayed with age. On the left hand side, there is a black streak that looks like mold or maybe a small burn mark. That is the sum total of the imagery on the cover. Title: South of Okeechobee

Author: Daniel Powell

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 6, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary, Historical

Length: 16 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Somewhere in the River of Grass lives a sad and solitary creature. Once a man, this cursed monster now haunts the margins of human imagination, forever searching for his murdered love…

A rip-roaring slice of Florida Folklore, “South of Okeechobee” is an origin story of one of the American South’s great mythological creatures: the Florida Skunk Ape. Blending prohibition, cryptozoology, southern magic, and a little bit of moonshinin’, “South of Okeechobee” is pure, high-octane Florida gothic…

This short story (4500 words) originally appeared in the collection The Silver Coast and Other Stories.

Review:

Content Warning: Prohibition, bootlegging, mild violence, and murder.

Not every feud is a harmless one.

I wasn’t aware of the legend of the Florida Skunk Ape before reading this story, but no prior knowledge is necessary in order to enjoy it. The characters share everything important early on, and the last few details can be picked up by the final scene or by looking this creature up online if you must know everything about it in advance. There’s something to be said for folklore that makes so few assumptions about the audience already knows, and I was glad I could walk into this without needing to do any homework in advance.

Sixteen pages was the perfect length for this story. There was exactly enough plot and character development to keep all of them interesting, and I was left feeling satisfied with where everything had ended up by the time I read the final scene. It can be hard to write a story that fits the parameters so perfectly, so I must tip my cap to Mr. Powell for pulling it off. There’s not a single thing I would have changed about what he wrote. He did everything perfectly here in my opinion and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what he comes up with next.

There were a few gems here for those of us who have lived in small towns and know how important social standing can be there. When you see the same people every day, little things can snowball into big conflicts easily if anyone involved chooses to make a big deal out of someone breaking a social norm for that community in even the tiniest way. None of those moments were strictly necessary in order to understand the main storyline, but they sure added some nice depth to the plot and gave readers who understand this experience something to chuckle about.

South of Okeechobee was a wild ride.

 

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A Review of All the Nothing We’ve Done

Book cover for All the Nothing We've Done: A Short Story” Christina McMullen. Image on cover shows fog spreading through a rocky terrain. Title: All the Nothing We’ve Done

Author: Christina McMullen

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 8, 2017

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Humour, Contemporary

Length: 24 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Chevelle Falsetto has died, struck down by the Number 48 bus. The very bus she should have been riding to work. Now, instead of explaining to her boss why she’s late, Chevelle finds herself explaining to Saint Peter why she’s early.

Review:

Content Warning: Bus accident, alcohol use

Everyone deserves a second chance, right?

Chevelle was a witty, opinionated, and confident protagonist. I kept shaking my head as I read all of her rebuttals to what Saint Peter was saying. She certainly had thought her arguments through well, and I was curious to see if the heavenly realm would actually listen to what she had to say.  There is definitely something to be said for characters who know their worth and who aren’t shy about pushing back against unfair judgements even if those judgements come from a saint himself.

I would have liked to see more time spent developing the ending. There were some important rules established in earlier scenes that were not taken into account in the final scene. As much as I enjoyed the rest of it, seeing the characters ignore the prior plot development dampened my enthusiasm for this tale.  If only there had been a better explanation for why this happened!

With that being said, I enjoyed having a protagonist who worked in the service industry. This is just uncommon enough that it makes me perk up every time I find another book that talks about what it’s like to work a low-paid, stressful, and low-status job without any hope of finding a better position. The hopelessness of her work life endeared me to Chevelle even more than I already was. More than anything, I wanted her to finally get her happily ever after.

While there are references to Christian religious beliefs here, this cheeky tale isn’t something I’d slot into the inspirational genre by any means. It’s meant for readers of any (or no) belief system without advocating for any particular perspective , so don’t let the references to saints and heaven dissuade you from checking it out if you don’t generally read about such things.

All the Nothing We’ve Done made me smile.

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A Review of The Teller of Stories

Book cover for The Teller of Stories by A.E. Albert. Image on cover shows a full moon shining brightly against a starless night sky. The sky is filled with a thick layer of clouds that hide the stars and even dim the light of the moon itself. Title: The Teller of Stories

Author: A.E. Albert

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: August 12, 2020

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Length: 13 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

The old woman has only one purpose in her little village- to tell stories. It is an important task and necessary to ease the overburdened people of The Chain. She tells many tales. Some are history and others only myth. But one night, she tells a story. An ancient story. A story about impossible times and events. Is it only a tale from the demented imagination of an old woman or the startling history of a people’s doomed past?

Review:

Content Warning: Nuclear war

Truth comes in many different forms.

This is one of those short stories that I have to review carefully in order to avoid sharing spoilers, but I loved the way Ms. Albert played around with the idea that even the wildest legends might not be as far fetched as you’d think. The old woman had grown so old, frail, and physically infirm that her only real role in her village was to pass on the folklore she’d been taught as a child. It’s up to you as a reader to determine what really happened, and I relished that opportunity.

My favourite scenes were the ones that described scientific advances we are well acquainted with today in such flowery terms that it took a moment to sort out how those details had changed over many generations of storytelling. While the main character lived in a culture that highly valued their oral traditions and were meticulous about making sure every story was passed down correctly, there are still certain things that don’t always translate smoothly between what a tiny agrarian society has access to versus what an large industrial one can create.

I also appreciated the way the author wrote for a teenaged audience while steering clear of many of the overused tropes of young adult science fiction. Similar tales have been told before, of course, but it still felt fresh and interesting to me. In short, don’t let that label scare you off if you generally prefer adult fiction. This transcended the boxes it was written to fit into, and it was an excellent introduction to Ms. Albert’s work for me. I will definitely be keeping at eye out for what she comes up with next.

Let’s see how I can share this one final compliment without giving away massive spoilers. Just when I thought all of my most important questions had been answered, the final page delivered one last plot twist that made me grin. It was something I’d briefly wondered about earlier, but I hadn’t actually thought the narrator was going to go through with it. Isn’t it amazing when that happens?

The Teller of Stories was delightful.

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A Review of Jathniel, the Immortal

Book cover for “Jathniel, the Immortal” by Eugene Roy. Image on cover shows an analog clock that has been stretched into a spiral so that you keep seeing the numbers 3, 6, 9, and 12 repeating themselves as the clock swirls down into an indeterminate point in the centre of the picture. Title: Jathniel, The Immortal

Author: Eugene Roy

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: April 29, 2023

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ+, Contemporary

Length: 42 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Angel Of Death’ Jathniel’s assignment at an elementary school shooting challenges his faith, and breaks his heart. But, like all Transitional Guides, he is supposed to be emotionally sterile. As a means of reset, Jathniel is thrust into unknown territory – life as a mortal canine, where he is granted the experience of love in its purest form, trusting and unconditional.

Review:

Content Warning: Car accident, mass shootings, death of a child, death of a pet, HIV.

Love comes in many different forms.

Jathniel’s reaction to each of his new assignments made me smile. I can’t go into a lot of detail about those moments without giving away spoilers, but I was delighted by how adaptive he was to new situation. The one where he was transformed into dog and had to adjust to a world where he understood the humans perfectly well but they weren’t able to return the favour well at all was especially fun. It truly felt like the author had tapped into dog psychology in those scenes, and I chuckled along as Jathniel adjusted to being someone’s pet instead of the powerful spirit being he had normally been.

My only piece of constructive criticism for this short story has to do with the ending. I found myself getting a little confused about one character’s transformation into someone else, and I would have benefited from a longer explanation about what was going on there. As much as I loved the rest of it, this scene did hold me back from going for a full five-star rating there.

The world building was fabulous. Did I want to dive deeper into it? Of course, but I was also satisfied with how much the author shared about what Jathniel did as an Angel of Death and why he was able to move so seamlessly from one death to the next. If Mr. Roy ever decides to write a sequel, I hope I’ll be the first person in line to read and review it. This was something I was thrilled to have stumbled up, and I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to it yet.

Jathniel, The Immortal made me yearn for more.

 

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A Review of The First Kiss

Book cover for The First Kiss by Greg Krojac. Image on cover shows a closeup photograph of a black woman who is staring seriously at the audience with the tiniest smile on her lips. Her skin in glowing near a small light in an otherwise dark room. Title: The First Kiss

Author: Greg Krojac

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: September 16, 2020

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

Length: 28 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A night that begins with Daniel and Melody sharing a romantic meal at a swanky restaurant culminates in a disturbing discovery.

Review:

Content Warning: Grief and brief references to Covid-19, blood, and gore.

Rules are meant to be followed, right?

The character development was perfect for something of this length. Obviously, there’s not as much space to explore anyone’s personalities in twenty-eight pages as there would be in a full-length novel, but I thought the author did a good job of sharing enough about Daniel and Melody’s tragic pasts to explain why they would be willing to take such a big risk together. Grief can make someone do all sorts of things that they probably wouldn’t think to do otherwise.

As much as I wanted to give this story a higher rating, there were too many things about it that I found far-fetched even for the horror and science fiction genres. For example, the way people consumed food in this futuristic world was wildly different from how the vast majority of us do so right now. It was so out of the ordinary that it pulled me out of the storyline as I came up with several alternatives that would have been more rational for them.  This pattern was repeated a few more times as more about the main characters’ lives was revealed. I know this is vague, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers while still sharing my reasons for choosing a three star rating. If only the plot holes had been given more time to resolve themselves.

With that being said, I was intrigued by the world building. Melody and Daniel live in a place and time that was heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though many years have since passed, their culture remembers those terrible days vividly and have not forgotten any of the horror of it. There were only brief mentions of Covid-19 in this tale which I thought was a good choice. Alluding to it was more than enough given the fact that it’s still such an intimate and terrible part of many people’s lives today.

The First Kiss was creative.

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A Review of Love’s Refrain – A Victorian Ghost Story

Book cover for Love’s Refrain - a Victorian Ghost Story by Stephen Glick. Image on cover shows an 1800s-style black and white photo taken of a young woman wearing a flouncy white dress and sitting on an old-fashioned couch. Her hair is arranged in a fancy, curly bun on top of her head, and her arms are gently placed beside each other on her lap. There is a man in a black suit standing facing the wall to the right of her. His head is turned so that he’s looking at her. Title: Love’s Refrain – a Victorian Ghost Story

Author: Steven Glick

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 18, 2018

Genres: LGBTQ, Paranormal, Historical

Length: 100 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A ghost from the past. A chance meeting in the present. A terrifying séance. Charlotte Stanton’s perfect married life is turned upside down when a secret love she buried long ago hauntingly returns. Still the question remains: are the supernatural events intruding upon Charlotte’s life happening only in her mind? Is she heading down a path toward madness? Set in Boston’s Gilded Age and accompanied by period drawings and silhouettes, LOVE’S REFRAIN explores one woman’s search for love, and the power of the past to emancipate the present.

Review:

It’s never too late to make things right.

Charlotte stirred up so many different emotions in me. Sometimes I felt endless empathy for her, while in other scenes I shook my head in frustration at how naive and sheltered she was. Surely the average adult would have figured out some of the stuff that she found so confusing much faster than she did! With that being said, I appreciated how nuanced her personality was, and I’d much rather read about a realistically flawed character than someone who always made the right decision. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her. If the author ever writes a sequel, I’d sure like to follow along on more of her journey.

I would have loved to see more details included in this story. For example, we never learned how Charlotte met her husband or what killed the ghost who was haunting Charlotte. That cause of death could have been a good way to get to know the deceased and explain why she was so attached to the protagonist. I also had some questions about the ending as far as the practicalities of life Charlotte would need to face after the final scene was wrapped up. While I can’t go into detail about that without giving away spoilers, it was yet another moment in this tale when having more details would have made the storyline richer in my opinion.

Spiritualism is one of those topics that I don’t think is discussed enough in fiction, especially in paranormal stories set in the late 1800s. I was pleased to see how much attention it received here. Whether you already know a lot about this movement or nothing at all, don’t worry. The most important details will be spelled out clearly, and everything else will be a happy bonus for those of us who do have preexisting knowledge of it. Some of the most interesting scenes were the ones that explored the various responses to the spiritualist movement from different portions of society. Many different points of view were represented, and I thought the author did a good job of showing why so many people were drawn to it and what they hoped to get out of speaking to their dead loved ones.

Love’s Refrain – a Victorian Ghost Story made me smile.

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Romantic Horror: A Review of Samfah

Book cover for Samfah by JR Martin. Image on cover shows a two-story stone wall of a decaying building that has dozens of stone pillars holding up the second floor. It looks vaguely Greek, has been flooded with water, and there is seaweed growing on the building and columns. Lots of sunlight is streaming into the scene from the sky above. Title: Samfah

Author: JR Martin

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: March 16, 2023

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Historical, and dash of Psychological Horror

Length: 10 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Looking for an enchanting, action-packed adventure that will leave you breathless? Look no further than “Samfah” – the must-read fantasy short story of the year! Follow the journey of a young girl who mysteriously vanishes into the depths of the sea, leaving her loved ones devastated and searching for answers. As her family struggles to come to terms with her disappearance, she discovers the incredible secrets hidden beneath the waves – a mystical, underwater world full of magic and wonder.

Review:

Content Warning: Kidnapping and a death from natural(ish?) causes. I will be discussing the kidnapping in this review.

If you like weird fiction, keep reading.

Anyone who reads my reviews regularly knows that I like stories that keep the reader on their toes and mix genres together in new and different ways. This is one of those tales. It resisted any attempt to classify it into a single genre, and it defied my expectations of what horror, fantasy, and romance should be every time I thought the plot was veering off a little more into one of those directions, In short, it was creative and it had something for readers who like any of those genres even if you might not generally be into all three of them. I encourage you all to take a risk on this. It’s (probably) not what you think it will be.

I wish the author had dove more deeply into the character development. For example, Samfah’s relationship with her future husband, Arkan, fascinated me, and yet little time was spent exploring what he was like as an individual or why he withheld certain facts from her when he lured her deep into the ocean and promised her a life of luxury if she stayed forever. Was he simply being romantic or was there some other motive for his decisions? I could come up with arguments for several different logical interpretations of his actions, some of which were much darker than others. If I’d had more material to work with, I would have happily bumped my star rating up to at least a four.

The eerie first scene did an excellent job of grabbing my attention. Samfah did not seem to be in full control of her mind and body when she slowly wandered into the ocean despite not knowing how to swim. I shuddered as she soon entered waters that were over her head and needed to figure out what to do next. What an intense way to introduce a character and setting to an audience! I commend the author for taking this risk and trusting readers to figure out certain things on our own before later confirming whether or not our guesses were correct.

Samfah kept me on my toes.

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A Review of Ambrose & Ed

Book cover for Ambrose & Ed by Eugene Roy. Image on cover shows two wrinkled white hands of elderly people. They are holding hands. One of them is wearing a dark brown jacket and the other one is wearing a light brown jacket. Title: Ambrose & Ed

Author: Eugene Roy

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 9, 2022

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary

Length: 16 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Edna can be a bit scatterbrained. Ambrose can sometimes be careless. But together they have a loving oath that transcends realm and time.

Review:

Content Warning: Death from natural causes.

Nothing can stand in the way of true love.

Ambrose and Ed were so gentle and sweet. I loved hearing about the many happy years they’d had together, and I hoped they would somehow realize how their quiet, wholesome choices had improved the lives of everyone who knew them. These are the sorts of characters I love to read about, and I could have followed them through an entire novel and still wanted more.

The only thing preventing me from giving this short story a full five-star rating was how confusing I found the characters. Ambrose and Ed’s many children and grandchildren were mentioned, but none of them actually showed up in the storyline. I struggled to keep track of all of their names and wished that this portion had either been slimmed down or expanded so that I could get to know their extended family as well as I did the two protagonists. Either option would have worked well in my opinion. It was simply confusing for me as a reader to be introduced to so many characters and then never go any further with that information.

The ending made me smile. While I don’t share spoilers in my reviews, this is one of those tales that isn’t meant to surprise anyone. You may very well be like me and know how it’s going to end as soon as you finished the first sentence, but there’s so much more to good storytelling than writing twists. Mr. Roy pulled me into this world so kindly that I didn’t want to leave it. That, to me, is every bit as valuable as being thrilled by an exciting battle scene or shocked by how the clues in a mystery fit together.

Ambrose & Ed was a heartwarming fusion of the romance and paranormal genres that I’d recommend to fans of either one even if you’re generally not into both of them.

 

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No Ordinary River: A Review of Badwater

Book cover for Badwater by Travis Liebert. Image on cover shows a green scary face emerging out of vines that otherwise look like normal plants. The face has bright white eyes and looks fearsome. Title: Badwater

Author: Travis Liebert

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: November 8, 2019

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 27 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Review

“I’ve been a search and rescue diver for twelve years. We see a lot of strange and disgusting things. But what I saw last week has me questioning both my job and reality.”

There’s a place in the river where not even search and rescue divers are supposed to go. It’s called Badwater.

But when Joseph Albright dives into this forbidden region, he discovers something beyond comprehension.

Intent on solving a mystery as old as the earth itself, he comes into contact with forces beyond fathom.

Get this riveting new horror story and learn of the terrors that pervade our world.

Content Warning: Drowning and body horror.

A strong current might drown you in this river, but even if that happens it will be the least of your worries.

Joseph was a sympathetic and memorable protagonist. I appreciated how cautious he was around water and how seriously he took his work as a search and rescue diver. These were important things to establish early on in order to explain his later behaviour. They also endeared me to him as a character because I knew how knowledgable he was about safely enjoying the water and how drowning can happen to even the strongest swimmer. If the author ever writes a sequel, I’d sure like to learn more about this world and the other people in it.

My only reason for choosing a three star rating had to do with a plot hole that the narrator never closed. It involved what the powers of the character who controlled Badwater actually were and how far they could be stretched or pushed back against. In some scenes, this character seemed nearly all-powerful, while in others there appeared to be loopholes to the rules. I would have loved to see this clarified as it was the only thing that prevented me from choosing a much higher rating. Everything else about this tale was deliciously scary.

The folklore elements of the storyline were top-notch. They shared enough information for this reader to know what was happening but also left plenty of little details up to my imagination. I also enjoyed taking note of the slight differences in how various characters reacted to the legends about Badwater and why no one was ever supposed to go there. Not only did this make everything feel realistic, it encouraged me to keep reading so I could come up with my own theories about which versions made the most sense to me.

Badwater was a spooky summer read.

 

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A Review of Employment Interview With a Vampire

Book cover for Employment Interview With a Vampire by J Bennett. Image on cover shows a young white woman with dark blond hair that’s tied behind her head in a ponytail. She’s standing in front of a decrepit mansion on an overcast evening and about to walk into the home. She’s wearing an all black outfit. Title: Employment Interview With a Vampire

Author: J Bennett

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 8, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 65 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Deidre finds herself out of a job, out of luck, and out of time. The rent is past due, and the list of her employable skills is smaller than the balance of her checking account. Deidre has one shot at staying out of a fast food restaurant uniform. 
 
A mysterious gentleman with certain “peculiarities” is seeking a housekeeper. 
 
Deidre squeezes into her only nice pair of slacks, tames her wild orange hair, and starts off for the job interview that will either change her life… or end it!

Get ready for a very different kind of vampire story… While Deidre’s potential boss possesses a wicked set of fangs and a hankering for a certain ruby refreshment (preferably served fresh and hot), he’s also got a fashion sense that hasn’t been cool since the 1800s. Nathaniel adamantly prefers the telegraph over the telephone, votes for Eisenhower in every election, and isn’t so sure these horseless carriages will catch on.

Can Deidre survive her employment interview with a vampire and somehow convince her potential boss that corsets and petticoats aren’t the fashion of the day?

Oh, and what’s she going to do about that geriatric vampire hunter sneaking around the haunted mansion?

If you’re looking for a fun and funny supernatural story with a relatable (and often exasperated) heroine, then you’ve found it! Welcome to the first funny vampire novella in The Vampire’s Housekeeper Chronicles series!

No one does funny new adult vampire fiction like J Bennett.

Review:

Content Warning: A few mildly sexist comments. A little bit of body shaming involving the style and cut of clothing Deidre was wearing.

No one has been exasperated to death by a vampire yet, but there’s still time to change that.

Deidre was one of those characters that is hard to explain in a few short sentences. Most of the vampire stories I read are fairly violent, so I spend the first few scenes worried that her naivety and stubbornness was about to lead to her untimely and terrible death. Luckily for her, those traits turned out to be assets when dealing with this particular vampire. I appreciate the way the author flirted with the various interpretations of what a vampire is like as well as the reader’s expectations of what a heroine should do in this genre. Deidre sometimes joined in with the gentle fun that was being poked at certain tropes, and that made me like her even more. She understood the absurdity of her situation, and she leaned into it so hard that I can’t imagine how campy and delightful her future adventures might be.

While I understand that this is the introduction to a series, I would have liked to see more conflict included in this tale that didn’t involve Nathaniel making inappropriate comments about Deidre’s clothing and marital prospects. As much as it made sense for someone who was a few hundred years old to say those things, I found them a little repetitive as time wore on and wished the author had included other examples of how wildly out of touch he was with modern times. There were plenty of other things he found baffling about our era, and I would have gone with a full five-star rating if his rants had included a wider range of topics or if some other sort of conflict had been brought up to reveal the many differences between him and Deidre.

With that being said, Nathaniel was a refreshing take on what a vampire might realistically be like. Of course he would struggle to adapt to changing times, especially given how socially isolated vampires must remain in order to avoid the sun and people who want to kill them. Honestly, I could see Nathaniel being much more offensive than he turned out to be, so it was interesting to think about the perspective changes he had made over the years and who might have encouraged him to rethink his expectations of what various types of people ought to do. There is so much more room here to explore, and I’ll be curious to see how his relationship with Deidre evolves over time.

Employment Interview With a Vampire was a clever twist on vampire fiction.

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