I was graciously given an advanced reader copy of this book by Harper Collins and I can safely say that it became one of my favorite books of the year! This one was called Crier’s War by Nina Varela.
Synopsis:After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.
Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.
Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly before she met Ayla.
Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.
I loved this book so much. From the minute I picked it up, I struggled to put it down. The worldbuilding was done flawlessly with not a lot of info-dumping but more or less little bits and pieces were given to you as you learn more about the main characters and their pasts.
It was told from two different perspectives and I really enjoyed going back and forth between the two characters. It is really refreshing to see one person’s opinion and then see the other person’s opinion and how it differs. What each is thinking and wondering how it will all play out when they are on 2 different sides. The tension between these two characters is intense and it builds up as the novel progresses. One of the many reasons why I could not put the book down.
I found this book to be a perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy. It was really cool how they used magic and robots blended together. I will be anticipating the second and final book to this duology when it comes out!
Disclaimer: I was sent an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book in physical format by Harper Collins to read and give my honest review.
I did my first ever reading vlog! It was a lot of fun to make and it was kind of like a review as I read the book. It was also my first ever Brandon Sanderson book!
One of my authors that I follow regularly, Lucia Mann, has put out another book called Endless Incarceration Sorrows. It will be releasing in January 2020 so keep an eye out for it!
As part of the Reindeer Readathon, I read Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson for the Comet prompt (a book you think will have an impact on you) and this was my first ever Brandon Sanderson book. There was a lot of hype for this author and now I know why.
Synopsis:Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.
Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.
I really enjoyed Brandon Sanderson’s writing style and this book had such a cool concept. The way he used people with abilities as villains (Epics) that take over cities and control them as their domains while having all the citizens live in fear of them but also need them at the same time to protect them from other threats was a really cool plotline.
The main character was very likable and the progression of his development was fun to unfold as you read on. The Reckoners, in general, were all likable and had unique talents of their own. I especially liked that there was some Canadian representation too.
There were multiple times when this book took a curveball and hit me with something I was not expecting which was great. I felt like I was putting together a puzzle and when I finished, the puzzle was complete. The ending was awesome and I can’t wait to pick up the next one.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants an action-packed sci-fi read with people rising up against powerful villains.
Disclaimer: I read this book because I wanted to and was not compensated for this review in any way.
December is here and the year is almost over. Check out all the books I got as a last haul of 2019!
One of my authors that I follow regularly, Lucia Mann (, has put out another book called Endless Incarceration Sorrows. It will be releasing in January 2020 so keep an eye out for it!
I finally got around to reading Iron Gold by Pierce Brown. It has been on my bookshelf for a couple years now so it is a good thing I picked it up and stopped neglecting it.
Synopsis:They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life.
A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.
An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.
And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.
Pierce Brown? You might say he is my favorite author. And by that, I mean, yes he is definitely my favorite author. So naturally, I absolutely loved diving back into this world that he created in his Red Rising series. It was such a joy to get to experience the characters I loved all over again at a later time in their lives. Imagine reading all of Harry Potter and then getting more of that. That is exactly the feeling I had when I got into this book.
I especially enjoyed getting to know more about Lysander’s character and traits since you only know him as a young boy in the other series. I found that a lot of side characters in the first series become more prevalent in this one which was awesome. It did not disappoint with the number of action scenes and battles it had.
I love how Pierce writes his books with so many twists and turns that you never really know what the outcome ifs going to be and that is the way it should be. Predictable books are just not as much fun to read. It even opened with the line, “To my Howlers” which was just amazing.
If you want a sci-fi book that is action-packed and has lots of loyalty and deception, then this is the space opera you have been waiting for!
Disclaimer: I purchased this book with my own money in physical format to read and review because I wanted to.
December is here and the year is almost over. Check out all the books I got as a last haul of 2019!
One of my authors that I follow regularly, Lucia Mann (, has put out another book called Endless Incarceration Sorrows. It will be releasing in January 2020 so keep an eye out for it!
I’m thrilled to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow by Kevin A. Kuhn! Read on for more details, and a chance to win a paperback copy of the book plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card!
Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow
Expected Publication Date: October 25, 2019
Genre: Speculative Fiction/ Sci-Fi
Ten speculative fiction stories inspired by the original Twilight Zone series, including cautionary tales, horror, science fiction, and more.
In the spirit of that iconic, timeless show, these mysterious and gripping narratives explore parallel worlds, faraway planets, dystopian societies, and unsettling reality.
• A toddler shifts through parallel worlds, changing into different versions of herself. What would a mother do for her daughter?
• A chef finds an alternate food source on a remote world. When the new chef arrives, will he be forced to reveal a horrific secret?
• A twelve-year-old Earth girl is randomly chosen to rule the galaxy. Why are galactic administrators so desperate to stop her?
• Humanity is on trial, annihilation at stake. Can an underdog alien lawyer save us?
• Time seems to stand still as a young boy bikes with his troubled friend. Is the friend causing this phenomenon—and what if he doesn’t stop it?
Explore space and time—and confront humanity’s deepest fears—with Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow.
She says nothing, content to burrow into my chest. I look at the top of her head: thick blond hair, a line of pink scalp at her part. She’s wicked smart for her age, and I’m still trying to get used to that. The doctors have used words like gifted, genius, and prodigy. She plays piano pieces that most couldn’t master at any age. She can multiply three-digit numbers in her head instantly. She reads voraciously and beat me in chess the first time we played. People say she is a gift. I smile, but only I know what she is. She’s my child, but she isn’t—she’s a version, a duplicate.
Kevin A. Kuhn is a proud member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. His first novel, Do You Realize?, won five independent literary awards and spent time as a number one Amazon best seller in four countries. He is also a retired technology executive who currently teaches at a major business school. Kevin lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with his wife, Melinda, and their five kids—three human children and two schnoodles.
December is here and now it is time for the moment we have all been waiting for….THE REINDEER READATHON! Coming at you with my TBR for this intense month of reading!
One of my authors that I follow regularly, Lucia Mann (, has put out another book called Endless Incarceration Sorrows. It will be releasing in January 2020 so keep an eye out for it!
Flarence knows that Genies are supposed to help their masters by granting wishes, but he’s never been comfortable taking orders. To him, pummeling bad guys with magically enhanced weaponry feels like a much better way to use his powers. Darren is a gangster who wants to leave his reckless life behind so he can focus on providing for his family. Unfortunately, there are people in the neighborhood who won’t let him move on. Soleil is a humble man who tries to lead a passive lifestyle. In times of peace or times of war, he can be found cleaning his cafe or singing along with rock-’n’-roll tunes while tending to his houseplants. Darren, Soleil, and Flarence will have to work together and step outside their comfort zones when a rogue Genie and a hot-headed police officer threaten the lives of their loved ones. Flarence will be challenged to work with a criminal, Soleil will be forced to leave his sanctuary and act to help his friends, and Darren will face the possibility that being a gentle and caring family man may not be an option for him.
Hugh Fritz is a fan of monsters, mad scientists, sorcerers, and anything that involves being with incredible powers beating each other senseless. After years of writing research papers, he decided it was time to give reality a rest and let his imagination run wild. This is his first book, and it has been an illuminating experience making the transition from reader to author.
He was born in Chicago where he spent most of his life until moving to the Southwest in 2015. He finds inspiration bouncing ideas off other novelists in a critique group, but hours of television and finding the right songs to put him in the writing mood play an important role as well. He has no plans to end the Genies’ adventures here, so be on the lookout for more magical mischief in the next book of the Mystic Rampage series.
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us as we celebrate the launch of the blog tour for author Hugh Fritz’s book Made to be Broken. Read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book.
Learn more about Hugh Fritz and his new book Made to be Broken as he shares a few thoughts in an interesting interview with Nicole Pyles at World of My Imagination.
Middle Schooler Carmen Otto raves about the first book in the Mystic Rampage Series – she encourages everyone to read Made to be Broken by Hugh Fritz! Find out more today at Bring on Lemons.
Nicole Pyles reviews Made to be Broken by Hugh Fritz – find out what you’re missing and learn about the first book in the Mystic Rampage series – if you love sci-fi you’ll love this book!
Anjanette Potter interviews Hugh Fritz as well as reviewing his book Made to be Broken – find out more about the first book of the Mystic Rampage series – now available!
Today’s Book Spotlight at Breakeven Books is Made to be Broken (first book in the Mystic Rampage Series) by Hugh Fritz – don’t miss this great opportunity to add this exciting new novel to your collection!
Sreevarsha reviews Made to be Broken by Hugh Fritz and delights readers at To Write or Not To Write with her thoughts about this fast-paced novel – it’s the first book in the Mystic Rampage Series – don’t miss this!
Don’t miss today’s publicity post at A Storybook World as readers at Dierdra’s blog are introduced to the first book in the Mystic Rampage Series – you’ll want to run out and get your own copy of Hugh Fritz’s Made to be Broken!
November 21st @ Lisa Haselton Reviews and Interviews
Lisa Haselton interviews Hugh Fritz about the first novel in the Mystic Rampage series, Made to be Broken. Readers will delight in learning more about this science fiction story with intriguing plot and multiple plot twists!
Don’t miss today’s author interview with Hugh Fritz as Cathy Stucker finds out more about his latest release Made to be Broken – the first book in the Mystic Rampage series.
Wisconsinite Tara Forst shares her thoughts after reading the first book in the Mystic Rampage Series – find out more in her book review of Born to be Broken by Hugh Fritz.
The tiny hamlet of Maravilla, New Mexico is not immune to modern-day problems. But the citizens of Maravilla have their own special problems, as well:
A developer wants to build a Christian-themed amusement park next to Maravilla’s historic church.
The county line runs right through the town, splitting it in two.
And the government is threatening to close their post office!
Into this muddle steps Jake Epstein, a young writer from the big city. Jake is seeking peace and quiet to finish his current project: a science fiction story in which adventuress Tai-Keiko must deliver the secret formula for Zeton-9—with the evil Krossarians in hot pursuit.
But then reality and science fiction converge—and Tai-Keiko finds herself in present-day Maravilla, face to face with a gobsmacked Jake.
Join Jake on this comic run along the dusty roads of Maravilla, and find out who won the fight between Father Ignatius and the heathen pig farmer. How a basketball game changed the fate of the town. And was that white flash in the sky a UFO?
R. Douglas Clark was born in Vermont, grew up in Colorado, attended college in Chicago, and received a Master’s degree in music from Brown University. Seeing no future for himself in academia, he spent a year in the Oregon woods, living in a primitive cabin, writing music reviews and cultural commentary for magazines and newspapers. Next stop, Eugene, Oregon where he spent 20 damp years as a bootstrap businessman, father and musician. On a vacation trip, he and his wife, Shelley, fell in love with sunny northern New Mexico and subsequently moved there. After four years running Boys and Girls Clubs in Chimayó and Abiquiú–and another four, running a U-pick raspberry farm–he retired to write fiction full time.
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us as we celebrate the launch the blog tour for author R. Douglas Clark’s book Welcome to Maravilla. Read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book.
Middle Schooler Carmen Otto reviews R. Douglas Clark’s Welcome to Maravilla and explains to her friends why this is a great book for even young readers.
Nicole Pyles reviews Welcome to Maravilla by R. Douglas Clark and delights readers at World of My Imagination with an opportunity to learn more about this fast-paced sci-fi novel!
Today’s guest author at Memoir Writer’s Journey is R. Douglas Clark with an article about _________. Join Kathleen Pooler’s audience as they learn more about Clark and his latest book Welcome to Maravilla.
Sreevarsha reviews Welcome to Maravilla by R. Douglas Clarks and delights readers at To Write or Not To Write with her thoughts about this excellent novel!
Learn more about R. Douglas Clark and his new book Welcome to Maravilla as he shares a few thoughts in an interesting interview with Nicole Pyles at World of My Imagination.
Today’s Book Spotlight at Breakeven Books is Welcome to Maravilla by R. Douglas Clark – don’t miss this great opportunity to add this lovely new novel to your collection!
October 28th @ Lisa Haselton Reviews and Interviews
Lisa Haselton interviews R. Douglas Clark about his latest novel Welcome to Maravilla . Readers will delight in learning more about this science fiction story with it’s courageous characters!
How cool is this cover?! It’s perfect for a collection of spine-tingling stories inspired by none other than The Twighlight Zone!
Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow
Expected Publication Date: October 21, 2019
Genre: Speculative Fiction/ Sci-Fi
Ten speculative fiction stories inspired by the original Twilight Zone series, including cautionary tales, horror, science fiction, and more.
In the spirit of that iconic, timeless show, these mysterious and gripping narratives explore parallel worlds, faraway planets, dystopian societies, and unsettling reality.
• A toddler shifts through parallel worlds, changing into different versions of herself. What would a mother do for her daughter?
• A chef finds an alternate food source on a remote world. When the new chef arrives, will he be forced to reveal a horrific secret?
• A twelve-year-old Earth girl is randomly chosen to rule the galaxy. Why are galactic administrators so desperate to stop her?
• Humanity is on trial, annihilation at stake. Can an underdog alien lawyer save us?
• Time seems to stand still as a young boy bikes with his troubled friend. Is the friend causing this phenomenon—and what if he doesn’t stop it?
Explore space and time—and confront humanity’s deepest fears—with Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow.
She says nothing, content to burrow into my chest. I look at the top of her head: thick blond hair, a line of pink scalp at her part. She’s wicked smart for her age, and I’m still trying to get used to that. The doctors have used words like gifted, genius, and prodigy. She plays piano pieces that most couldn’t master at any age. She can multiply three-digit numbers in her head instantly. She reads voraciously and beat me in chess the first time we played. People say she is a gift. I smile, but only I know what she is. She’s my child, but she isn’t—she’s a version, a duplicate.
Kevin A. Kuhn is a proud member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. His first novel, Do You Realize?, won five independent literary awards and spent time as a number one Amazon best seller in four countries. He is also a retired technology executive who currently teaches at a major business school. Kevin lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with his wife, Melinda, and their five kids—three human children and two schnoodles.
As many of you know, I am currently running a book tour right now for the book The Last Seed by Moud Adel. Well, it is finally my day on the tour and time for me to tell you about this awesome new novella.
Synopsis:Orantine is the best spy in her faction, the one they go to for impossible missions. But her next target is like nothing she has faced before, a high ranking official in a faction whose members can see the future.
Orantine has never failed before, but this time, she isn’t sure success is possible.
Armed with her faction’s genetic mutation, and the latest technology the world has to offer. Orantine believes she has found the perfect plan.
Nothing comes without a price, however, and this mission will push her to the edge, and further.
How far will she go to ensure success? And how far is she willing to go to prove she is the greatest in her world?
Now, I know this was a novella so I expected it to go by fast to begin with but I blew through this book. I finished it in two sittings and that is only because I started it on a weekend that I was going to a wedding so I had to stop reading to well… go to a wedding.
I was captured immediately by the concept of a faction that could predict the future but only through different variations of their own decisions. And the faction that had the seeds implanted in their heads to control memories among other things was a really cool addition to this plot.
I enjoyed the exploration into the other factions of Mastoperia because in the other novella, War Remnants, you only get to hear about the other 2 factions. The factions in this book were more up my alley than the last one and had me wanting to learn all about them.
The relationships felt very real and I was invested in our main character. I remember that at one part, I didn’t know what to feel due to something that really threw me for a loop. I love it when books can get me feeling like this.
The only thing I didn’t really like, and this is a tiny thing, was that the narration makes it so that you are already aware of what is happening some of the time. I wish it left a little bit to more to be discovered but I still really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to dive into the series!
It was a great intro sci-fi/fantasy book that has set everything up for a great series.
September has hit and I am out of readathon territory. It was intense and I was busy but I will say that I managed to read a lot of books! Anyways, I decided to do a buddy read this month with Markus and we chose Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.
Synopsis: Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.
It starts with a man in a mask kidnapping him at gunpoint, for reasons Jason can’t begin to fathom—what would anyone want with an ordinary physics professor?—and grows even more terrifying from there, as Jason’s abductor injects him with some unknown drug and watches while he loses consciousness.
When Jason awakes, he’s in a lab, strapped to a gurney—and a man he’s never seen before is cheerily telling him “welcome back!”
Jason soon learns that in this world he’s woken up to, his house is not his house. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born.
And someone is hunting him.
This book was amazing. I had no idea what I was really getting into when I picked this up but I had been told by many people that it was really good so I went for it and I was not disappointed!
The book had me on the edge of my seat right from chapter 1. I really needed a good pick me up sci-fi and this one was exactly that. I felt like I was right in it with Jason Dessen trying to figure out what was happening and what to do next.
It has become one of my top Sci-Fi reads. Probably my favorite of this year so far. There were a lot of concepts in this book that were explored and I was so glad that they went in the direction they did.
I heard that they are making this into a movie so I hope they can capture the amazing written work of this book and do it justice on the big screen!
There is so much I want to say about this book and talk about it with people but I can’t because of SPOILERS. So I would just say to read it and then we can gush about all the stuff that happens in this masterpiece. If you are a fan of mind-bending, plot-driven books that will keep you guessing then pick this one up!
I read a book by a YouTuber! Yes, my friend Savy Leiser wrote a book called Sculpt Yourself and it was the last book I read to complete my NEWTS during the magical readathon! Man oh man can this girl write!
Synopsis: LIPAMORPH is the drug that lets you sculpt yourself. It’s how so many female celebrities in the mid-2010s remained so thin while having such large butts. It loosens up the fat in your body, allowing you to choose your own proportions. And it’s just been legalized for sale in Chicago.
AMBER is a 24-year-old tech support worker by day, gay feminist blogger (and bad-sitcom aficionado) by night. She’s been vocal about her disapproval of Lipamorph from the beginning, seeing it as another tool to reinforce patriarchal beauty standards; but as Lipamorph becomes more common, Amber’s dissenting voice starts to matter less and less.
JUDIE is Amber’s younger sister, and seemingly her complete opposite; she loves pop music, pretty latte art, and dating men. After struggling with hating her body for most of her life, Judie has become borderline reliant on Lipamorph for self-confidence, much to Amber’s dismay.
KELLY is an artist currently working for the marketing firm on the floor above Amber’s office. She’s whip-smart, proudly bisexual, and strikingly beautiful…and she’s the woman Amber’s fallen in love with.
I liked this book quite a bit. Savy has this way of writing dialogue that just flows so well. She can carry a story on dialogue alone because all of her characters interacted in fun and exciting ways. They all had different ways of dealing with their personal issues and that is why it was nice that she split the story into different perspectives so you got to understand where everyone was coming from when they had their opinions.
The Lipamorph drug was cool. Who would have thought up a drug that lets you mold your body ft around your body to wherever you want it. I can definitely see this being a dangerous thing if it were real. All the characters had very different opinions on it and it was very enlightening to see some fight against it while others embraced it.
I love that there is so much LBGTQ+ rep in this book. It is seen in a positive light too because it shows some unhealthy relationships and talks about certain expectations that people in the community sometimes have to deal with that can get overlooked very easily.
I love the whole “Fight the system” vibe Amber brings to the table. She really fights for what she believes in and cares about people.
Plus, there are so many fun foods that the characters eat that I have never tried before but am curious to now (like BBQ nachos).
Overall, it was an entertaining book with what I believe was a positive message and you should give it a try!
