A Dragon’s Dyne by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book A Dragon’s Dyne by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Things have gone from weird to blatantly absurd in Rome and Julian’s quest to preserve the boundary between the Earth realm and The Void. With Darkbrand numbers growing at a terrifying rate, the escape of Beliarahm, the fiercest Nocturn yet, and the struggle to make ANY headway with the Elementals and all their tomfoolery, The Alliance has hit a veritable wall. Even with the promise of the light Talisman to oppose the forces of darkness, there’s just no telling how or where to find it. All the other Talismans are collected, but that doesn’t necessarily give our heroes any comfort, because to this point, these magical items seem to have served more as crosshairs than protection. Maybe they need something more than the Talismans. But what could that be?

This is the sixth title in the Talisman series, but works fine as a stand-alone read. However I have read all the books and love how they follow-on, but am always pleased with the bonus of a recap in the prologue, when it has been a while since reading the previous title.

This time the story begins with Rome, Julian and the rest of the team attempting to locate the light Talisman, but the Elementals seem unable to help until Arbalis is summoned, who shows them an image of a lake. Can they identify which lake it is?

Meanwhile a new Rider family member is revealed. And of course there are more battles with Nocturns. Some dragon romance plus Rome gets a bonus Dyne ability. What might that be? The arrival of allies and more surprises.

I love how they all gel so well as a team. Each character is well developed by the author.

And after the final showdown just when you think it is the end, a clue in the epilogue. Could that be a hook for another book?

A Dragon’s Dyne is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Another brilliant episode in this great fantasy series. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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Discovery of the Five Senses by K N Smith – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Discovery of the Five Senses by K N Smith to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.

Here is the book blurb.

Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

The prologue is set late at night in the mysterious forest where a despicable act takes place. But the readers are not the only witnesses!

Moving forward 20 years to the main story, we are introduced to five teenage friends and their families who live in the town Danville Heights. The boys are Kinsu, Chase, Jordan, Rhee and Alex.

A few miles away in neighbouring town Sandry Lake, hooligans now roam the streets led by evil Druth.

Humans are not the only characters in the tale, we also have peaceful Naculeans, tiny light beings who look like fireflies and rely on nectar.

But when the boys set foot in the forbidden preserve, they are unaware of either their encounter with the Naculeans or of the mysterious stranger who observes them.

They awake, back in Rhee’s home, not really aware of what happened, each with a heightened sense and a bonding connection.

I did find some of this tale rather confusing, but effectively it was a chain of events set in motion. The boys need to work together as a team, harnessing each of their individual super-powers for this book to progress to a positive conclusion. Plenty of twists and turns en-route in this fantasy action-packed adventure. I loved the characterisation of the boys, plus how their family members, friends and neighbours were all developed too. Although it does mean a lot of people and relationships for the reader to remember.

Discovery of the Five Senses is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. An interesting fantastical adventure. Suitable from age 13 upwards in my opinion.

However this is billed as book 1 in The Urban Boys series. But there doesn’t appear to be a book 2 yet, although this title was published in 2015.

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The Space Between by Shawn D Brink – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Space Between by Shawn D Brink to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

“I’m the hundred-year-old woman in the hundred-year-old store. With my hundred-year-old eyes I guard the hundred-year-old door.”

After five nights of the same vivid dream, Hunter sets out in search of the ancient woman who haunts his nights. When he and his wife Nora find the elderly Nancy Love, they find far more than they bargained for. She refuses to let them leave her antique shop until they open the door. What could it possibly hurt?

What is behind that door will send Hunter and Nora on a journey beyond imagination.

This is the first book in a trilogy.

Initially the story seems to be unrelated events. So in chaper 1, a lone driver Kenneth is killed in Nebraska by an alien who appears through a lightning bolt. Then in chapter 2 we meet Hunter, one of the main characters having a dream about the “hundred year old woman”, but his dream morphs into a dark evil alien nightmare. Hunter also has an OCD around the number 5 and apparently he has now had this dream 5 nights in a row. He decides to try and find the “hundred year old woman”.

But by chapter 3, I had settled into the tale as we get introduced to Hunter’s wife Nora who coincidentally has had a nightmare about the Century Old Antiques store for 5 nights.

And of course in chapter 4 we meet Nancy, aged 100, devout Christian owner of an antique shop, who by now as the reader could anticipate has also had a repetitive dream for 5 nights.

Can you guess what happens next? Yes both Nora and Hunter separately find Nancy in her shop, but what happens when they open the “hundred year old door”. Things take an even more far-fetched turn, as the story progresses into the fantasy realm in Outer Earth. It also gets more spiritual with lots of biblical references. But plenty of surprises too. Can any of them save the day?

The author had personally told me that this was Christian fiction. However the blurb doesn’t make this clear, and although a different genre to the previous title My Gypsy War Diary which I have also read by this author, once again I did feel rather uncomfortable to have the religious godly message thrust at me, particularly as this time it was through a large proportion of the tale.

I subsequently rechecked on Amazon and there is very little to indicate that this is specifically Christian fiction. I eventually spotted the book was categorised as Religious & Inspirational Fiction and if you are viewing the paperback version rather than kindle, it includes an image of the back cover with some clues to it being somewhat religious. I feel it would be more appropriate to forewarn the reader within the blurb, to give the opportunity before purchasing to consider whether they wish to read this genre.

That said, it is still an interesting read with a unique storyline.

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Journey to Justice: The Adventures of Spider and Ruby by Tanni Haas – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Journey to Justice: The Adventures of Spider and Ruby by Tanni Haas to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Journey to Justice, Book 1 of The Adventures of Spider and Ruby, is a fast-paced, suspenseful novel that takes place in a post-global-warming future in which the Earth has flooded. The surviving population lives on houseboats on the water or in large greenhouses deep in the water. They are all servants to a small group of people (The Chosen) who run the planet from a mysterious, man-made island. Spider, a HouseBoater, and Ruby, his friend, who’s an AquaGrower, are on a quest to free Spider’s 12-year-old twin brother Luke, who’s been arrested and imprisoned on the island for trying to organize an uprising against The Chosen. Along the way, Spider and Ruby face many dangerous obstacles including being held hostage by marauders, escaping from prison, and participating in high-speed chases.

This story is set in a dystopian future after climate change has caused the world to flood.

12 year old Spider and his family live on a houseboat, surviving on meagre catches of fish within a 3 mile patrolled zone, most of which they are forced to give away to the “Collectors” for “The Chosen” or face arrest by the “Patrollers”.

The powerful Chosen rule the world from a far-away man-made island and Spider’s twin Luke has been arrested for trying to start a revolt against them.

When fate intervenes, Spider discovers the “AquaGrowers” who live and grow fruit and vegetables in greenhouses at the bottom of the ocean, similarly oppressed by The Chosen. Likewise the AquaGrowers had not heard of the Houseboaters and are not happy about Spider appearing in their midst. Is he a spy? Disaster almost strikes.

But Spider is saved by Ruby. Her grandfather tells them both how the world used to be. Together the 3 of them hatch a great plan.

We also discover that there are yet more groups of people called Mauraders, Preparers and Servants.

This is a really good tale as it weaves together many themes of social inequality and environmental issues in an easily understandable adventure read for older children.

Journey to Justice: The Adventures of Spider and Ruby is available on Amazon in Kindle format, targeted at readers from about age 9-12. I highly recommend this great adventure read.

Also listed on Goodreads.

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About Tanni Haas

Tanni Haas, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York, Brooklyn College. He’s the author of three books and hundreds of academic and popular articles (including dozens of articles on parenting) and the editor of two books. His poems and short stories have appeared in many literary publications. His various writings have been translated into Chinese, Greek, Korean, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.

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Screamcatcher: Sa’be Most Monstrous by Christy J Breedlove – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Screamcatcher: Sa’be Most Monstrous by Christy J Breedlove to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.

Here is the book blurb.

Jory Pike and the Badlands Paranormal Society get a strange and frantic call from a woman who claims her property has been invaded by unknown trespassers who have terrorized her and her husband and killed their two dogs. She says her husband has gone hunting for the culprits and disappeared. The Sherriff’s office performed a routine investigation and mysteriously quit. The woman also called a first nations tribe tracker to help her, but after a short investigation, he claimed she had something more dangerous than a bear and wanted nothing to do with it.

This is the fourth title in the Screamcatcher series, but works perfectly as a stand-alone read. In fact, I haven’t been reading them in sequence. I’ve read them in the order 2, 1 and now 4. All the books feature teenage friends Jory, Choice, Lander and Darcy who are collectively known as the Badlands Paranormal Society.

This story begins with Jory receiving a desperate phone call from Tonya who wants the team to investigate mysterious intruders who have been creating havoc for 4 months and have now killed her dogs. Her husband Kyle tried to hunt for them 3 days ago and hasn’t returned. The police and a tracker have found nothing bar a few prints.

Jory’s 91 year old grandfather Albert has been listening to the call and has identified the intruders as Sa’be Most Monstrous, also known as Sasquatch or Bigfoot. He considers it a very dangerous situation and insists on coming on the mission.

2 solid days of driving 1,500 miles across the States from South Dakota to California, more details from Tonya on arrival and then woken in the middle of the night by rocks being thrown at the barn walls. Sa’be is obviously aware of their arrival.

Albert is insistent that they carry no visible weapons, but dress as tourists and wear cameras as they trek into the forest for clues.

How many Sa’be are there? Where is Kyle? What danger may they face? Will the trek be too arduous for Albert?

I think this is my favourite tale in the series so far, but it could be Sa’be who has biassed me. Certainly a popular choice for a story theme. I’ve now reviewed quite a few books prominently featuring Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

Screamcatcher: Sa’be Most Monstrous is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format. A great fantasy read, targeted at young adult readers. Highly recommended.

You may see my reviews of the first two books here.
Screamcatcher: Web World
Screamcatcher: Dream Chasers

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Desperate Tides Desperate Measures by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Desperate Tides Desperate Measures by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Looks like our heroes can finally put an end to the nightmare that was Scarabadon, The Juggernaut. And it seems everyone’s favorite Synergist Knight and Master Dragon have fixed their Talisman issue too. Having thwarted every attack The Tyrant King has thrown at them to this point, The Alliance believes that they can endure any challenge as long as they remain together. Now, having the upper hand seems like the perfect opportunity to seek out more allies and even more of the realm’s mystical Talismans. Could this be a “happily ever after” for our ensemble of motley heroes? Or is this peace just a fool’s hope and just as temporary as the changing tides?

Regular followers of my blog may recognise this cover from when I did the cover reveal for this book earlier this year. I had only read the first title in the series at that point, but I’ve been gradually working my way through these great tales. So now here I am with my review of the fifth book in the Talisman series.

Once again it works perfectly as a stand-alone read but I am definitely more invested in it as an ongoing series. I certainly wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order as they are scattered with spoilers to earlier titles, the prologue being one such, as it is a recap mainly of the events in volume 4.

So trying to navigate through what I can tell you without dropping any spoilers, Rome, Julian and all the team are back fighting more Darkbrand monsters and Nocturns, meeting more allies and maybe locating another Talisman. However I love how the author manages to throw a new dimension into each book. This time it is Elementals. I just going to leave that there as a hook for you, as I can’t possibly say what or who Elementals might be. And this time Julian’s Dad, Mr Rider has more of a role in the story.

I also love how the Minotaur monsters have been categorised into types. So this time our heroes encounter Hydrotaurs and Glaciataurs. Yes think water and ice for these two. And we have previously also met Florotaurs, Pyrotaurs and Terrataurs.

Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Another fabulous fantastical installment in this series and now that I’ve caught up, I’ll have to wait patiently along with everyone else for volume 6 to be released. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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The Battle for Verdana by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Battle for Verdana by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

What’s REALLY hiding in the forests of the Pacific Northwest? Could it be The Tyrant King’s army of Darkbrands? Could it be more of Mr. Jones’s liaisons? Or could it be the solution to the problem vexing our favorite heroes? Whatever mystery it is, you can guarantee the boys from Georgia are sure to find themselves deep in the thick of it.

This is the fourth book in the Talisman series but works perfectly as a stand-alone read. However I definitely think they are more enjoyable read sequentially, particularly as you would get spoilers, if you were then to subsequently go back and read earlier titles. Also I note that the blurb really seems aimed at existing fans, with its references to “our favourite heroes” or the boys without naming Rome and Julian. I feel the synopsis could do with some attention to better invite new readers to the series.

My review is a bit more sketchy than for previous titles as I wish to circumvent around those potential spoiler scenes. So after a short prologue, Rome, Julian and the latest recruits are on their way to return to Beacon, who also featured previously. But in chapter 2, before they even rendezvous, they already encounter a hideous Garm. Then using Beacon technology they start to plan their next trip to a remote area in the Pacific Northwest, which appears to be a hotspot of Darkbrand activity. They are hoping to find another Talisman there. But whilst planning they are interrupted by another Garm and a Minotaur followed by a curse bearing Nocturn.

But things don’t quite go to plan when they reach the remote forest in the Pacific Northwest. What happens next? Who do they encounter here in the Den of Verdana? So near and yet so far? Can they make a deal? Where and what next? Do they find any Talismans?

I’m still not sold on the covers. They really don’t say grab this book to me, which is a shame as it is a great read.

The Battle for Verdana is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Once again a good fantasy tale. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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Windy City Ruins by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Windy City Ruins by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

It’s just a simple trip to New York. What could possibly happen to our loveable heroes THIS time? Faster-than-sound reptiles? Exploding Minotaurs? Generational secrets coming back to haunt them? Expect the unexpected in this third installment of The Talisman Series, “Windy City Ruins”. The war for Earth is creeping steadily closer, and Rome’s team is in a mad dash to figure out the Talismans before it’s too late. Can they amass enough talent to help them defend the realm? Or will The Tyrant King’s heinous minions sweep them off course and leave Earth ready for the taking? Windy City Ruins is the third installment of the Talisman Series.

This is the third title in the Talisman series. It works fine as a stand-alone read but is better in my opinion to read all the books in order. Previously Julian and Rome have bonded as knight and fire dragon to defend Earth against the darkbrands, sealing portals from the void.

The story begins with a recap of who all the main characters are and the skills they possess from their Talismans, as the boys Julian and Rome fly from England to New York, accompanied by Mrs Case. The other three, Camela, Krysta and Mr Jones initially remain in Somerset, rejoining the team later in this book.

The plan is to make contact there with Beacon, a possible source of information on the darkbrands, whom Mr Jones has identified via email. But there is always the possibility that Beacon may not be an ally, so could they be heading into a trap?

And then Beacon’s email reply of where to meet is in code. Can they decipher it?

They are very suprised to discover that Beacon is not at all who they envisaged and faster than the speed of sound, they find themselves transported to a nerve centre in Chicago. But a Minotaur is hot on their heels!

More surprises abound, both good and bad. Who else might they encounter?

Mythology and knowledge of the elements play a part in this series and it is fascinating how this is wound into the story, in particular explaining how many Talismans there may be in total.

I’ve mentioned this before but the covers don’t do justice to the quality of the stories.

Windy City Ruins is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Another great fantasy instalment to this series. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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Riders of Fire and Ice by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Riders of Fire and Ice by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

They’re back! Julian and Rome are taking their show on the road. This time to lovely, old England in search of Camelot. While there, the Knight and Dragon will be trying to solve the mystery of the Talismans, the mystery of their shadowy stalker, and the mystery of sibling rivalry. Prepare to meet some new faces and, of course, some new Darkbrands as the two further their adventures across the pond.

This is the second title in the Talisman series. It works okay as a stand-alone read due to the initial recap, but it is better in my opinion if you have read the first title The Search For Synergy in advance, as then you will have better knowledge of Julian and Rome bonding as knight and fire dragon to defend Earth.

The story begins with boys Julian and Rome flying to England on a school trip to Bridgewater in Somerset. However their main reason for going is to try to find clues about Camelot, to see if they can find a link to the dark monsters who are trying to take over the world. Coincidentally Julian’s hated younger sister Camela is at the same boarding school where they will be staying.

Also why does principal Mrs Case seem to be staring at them so much? Does she know something about their secret? Could she be an ally or an enemy?

The author has chosen to assume that Bridgewater is the location of mythical Camelot. I’ve heard of a few possible sites for Camelot previously, but first time I’ve come across the idea of it being Bridgewater. He also describes the town centre as covering 15 square miles, but it is only a small market town really!

So the boys go to meet Camela and her best friend Krysta in the school library and then start their research for clues. Rome is surprised to see how anti-dragon Camela is. She and Julian are like chalk and cheese. Camela talks in Olde English, with phrases like methinks and silly knave.

They get a shock when they try to phone their elderly mentor Mr Jones. He hangs up on them and transports himself there to hear about the clues. Will the boys get to try that trick?

And who is the shadowy figure stalking them? Not everyone is quite as they seem?

Once again lots of magic, talismans, monsters and portals. Throw in some sibling rivaltry plus a nutcase and plenty of mystery and danger. Can they prevail?

Riders of Fire and Ice is available on Amazon in paperback, hardback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. A great follow-up read to The Search for Synergy. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

However I did feel the author could have done more research on Somerset. He had made it sound very American.

And am I reading too much into how similar Camela’s name is to Camelot? Possibly since Julian’s middle name is Pellinore, another character from Arthurian legend.

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The Rescue of Vincent by Bob Doerr – book review

Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.. All opinions are my own.

Earlier this year I reviewed The Enchanted Coin by Bob Doerr and I have now received a free e-copy of The Rescue of Vincent, the second title in the series to review. To find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Fourteen year old Ricky Street discovers a magical coin in a small creek near his parent’s Florida home. The coin has his name inscribed on it along with directions that he toss it into the fountain by the Tree of Life. He does so and suddenly finds himself transported to a strange world where he encounters two other teen agers from two separate worlds who had also been transported there by magical coins that they had found. The three soon meet Vincent Wollitzer, whom they save from drowning in quicksand, and learn that if Vincent doesn’t reach civilization soon his world will be thrust into a terrible war. The exciting adventures the four experience in their efforts to get Vincent back to civilization include surviving attacks by dragons, sea monsters, and other strange creatures.

Adventure and tossing a magical coin into the fountain by the Tree of Life at Disney World is the link between this book and The Enchanted Coin, the first title in the series. But all the characters are different.

So the story starts with 14 year old Ricky finding a coin during a storm. Just like in the first book, the coin is engraved with a personalised message “Ricky Street, throw this coin into the fountain in front of the Tree of Life!”. He shows it to his Mom and together they plan a trip to Disney World. But when he tosses the coin into the fountain, everything goes dark.

He can’t see anything. Where is he? Where is his Mom? A girl speaks to him in the darkness. She is Lexus and she too has just thrown a coin into a lake. Then a scream and another boy, Bebo arrives, who also tossed a coin into a river. They have all been transported to this dark cave, but why?

When they reach daylight, they observe how different they all look. Lexus has blue skin and hair, whilst Bebo is hairless and very short. They are all from different worlds. Soon they also start coming across dangerous creatures and poisonous plants, but they use their varied abilities to work togther as a team.

When they hear a call for help, is that why they have all been brought here? They discover  another boy trapped in quicksand. This is Vincent who was in a plane crash, enroute to becoming leader of his world. Vincent looks different too, being very furry. If he doesn’t get there, a terrible war may ensue. Can they all pull together overcoming the challenges, to get Vincent there in time? And will the others be able to return to their own worlds?

I really loved how this story celebrates the diversity and teamwork of the 4 main characters. But I would have preferred a bit more variation between the covers of both this book and the previous title.

The Rescue of Vincent is another brilliant fantasy adventure read, which I highly recommend to teens and children aged 9+.

And for those of you like me, who hadn’t heard of it, here is some information regarding the Tree of Life at Disney World. Sounds an amazing sculpture with over 300 carvings of species including some extinct, plus a theatre at the base.

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