Title: Queen of the Unwanted Author: Jenna Glass Publisher: Del Rey Publication date: May 12, 2020 Genre: Fantasy Summary: Alys may be the acknowledged queen of Women’s Well—the fledgling colony where women hold equal status with men—but she cares little for politics in the wake of an appalling personal tragedy. It is grief that drives her now. But the world continues to turn. In a distant realm unused to female rulers, Ellin struggles to maintain control. Meanwhile, the king of the island nation of Khalpar recruits an abbess who he thinks holds the key to reversing the spell that Alys’s mother gave her life to create. And back in Women’s Well, Alys’s own half brother is…
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Book Review: Cynetic Wolf by Matt Ward
Title: Cynetic Wolf Author: Matt Ward Publisher: Myrmani Press Publication date: March 22, 2020 Genre: Science fiction, YA, Dystopian Summary: It starts simply enough: something with six claws killed someone. While out hunting for the six clawed thing, wolfish Raek discovers a startling secret about himself. Half animote (human-animal hybrid) and half cynetic (human-machine hybrid), he’s something of a freak, and the key to gaining power for the underground animote movement. I’m not a big fan of YA, but I was intrigued by the human-animal hybrid component. It sounded like a far cry from werewolf, which made me happy. I was drawn in by the dystopian setting and the fact that the description mentioned a mysterious…
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Book Review: The Omega Archives by Erik Melendez
Title: The Omega Archives Author: Erik Melendez Publisher: Self-published Publication date: December 1, 2019 Genre: YA, Science Fiction Summary: Born with scientifically engineered mutated genes into a training facility, Alex is anything but a normal teenager. When the facility is attacked and everyone either killed or taken, Alex is the sole survivor. Adopted by loving and patient parents who work hard to remediate him and assimilate him into normal society, Alex just tries to live a normal life. But he and his town are attacked and he ends up being recruited by a counter-terrorist group searching for the mastermind behind the attack on the training facility. And Alex will do anything he can to find answers…
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Book Review: Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Title: Mr. Nobody Author: Catherine Steadman Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Publication date: January 7, 2020 Genre: Mystery and Thriller Summary: With just a name written on his hand, The Man regains consciousness on a British beach with no memory of who he was or is. In London, neuropsychiatrist Emma Lewis is hoping that his case will make her career. But the patient brings her back to her childhood home, and a horrific past that led to her and her family relocating and changing their names. As she fights to hide her identity and he struggles to regain his, their presents collide. My thoughts on this book are completely scattered. I’m not sure what,…
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Book Review: The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman
Title: The Secret Chapter Author: Genevieve Cogman Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group – Ace Publication date: January 7, 2020 Genre: Fantasy Summary: Librarian Irene is summoned to the Library and tasked with negotiating with a Fae for a very specific book needed to stabilize a world Irene has fond memories of. Accompanied by the dragon prince Kai, in human form, the two travel to the Caribbean and find themselves part of an unlikely team comprised of Fae, dragons, and a Librarian charged with stealing a painting from a museum in Vienna on yet another world. Promised anything as a reward, the group sets off to a world where supernatural beings are actively hunted and a trio of…
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The Books I Reviewed in 2019
Do note that I said reviewed in the title and not read. I did read some of the books I reviewed in January back in December of 2018 and I am still reading books (of course I am), but those reviews won’t be posted until January and February of next year. I honestly can’t remember which books I started reading this past January, so I’m forced to simply talk about the books I reviewed over the past year. The Stats in Paragraph Form Because I Prefer Words to Numbers I wish I knew how many books I have actually read this year as I’m curious to see how close I…
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Book Review: The Cosmic Misfortunes of the Furious Ginger by S. J. Maddock
Title: The Cosmic Misfortunes of the Furious Ginger Author: S. J. Maddock Publisher: Self-published Publication date: August 29, 2019 Genre: Science Fiction Summary: Ginger-haired Kimchi McQuade is a lackluster longevity scientist seeking the key to immortality. Due to his research interest, he is quickly tapped by the mysterious Order of the Moon Rabbit to meet with Dr. Daitsuke Endo, another longevity scientist of great renown. However, he arrives to find Endo dead. The mysterious Zeus, who arranged for his visit in the first place, alerts him to danger and sends him careening on a journey that takes him from Japan to Korea to Russia to Mars, and straight into the hands of the enemy, the Skolkovo…
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Book Review: Freefall: A Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie
Title: Freefall: A Divine Comedy Author: Lily Iona MacKenzie Publisher: Pen-L Publishing Publication date: January 1, 2019 Genre: Women’s Fiction, Humor Summary: Nearly 60, installation artist Tillie Bloom reunites with her three friends: Sybil, Daddy, and Moll. They converge on Sybil’s vacation home in Whistler, British Columbia after spending years apart, letting time and distance get in the way of their friendship. Faced with turning 60, they reflect on their coming of age in the ’50s and ’60s, discover what each has been up to over the years, and come face to face with a bear and survive, more or less, to tell the tale. As their reunion closes, Tillie manages to convince them to travel…
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Novella Review: The Last Stand by Paris Hansch
Title: The Last Stand (Empire of the Dragon Gods Book 0) Author: Paris Hansch Publisher: Origin Publications Publication date: July 1, 2019 Genre: Fantasy Summary: It should be a joyous day as head priestess Celia is about to raise five new priestesses, including her own daughter. But she carries a dark secret. Recently, she traveled to meet with the empress, only for the empress to turn on her and her people, those who can use the spirit arts. Now she’s faced with remaining loyal despite her empress’s hatred or taking a final stand against the empress she has sworn loyalty to. This is an interesting start to a greater series. It is a novella that…
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Book Review: The Dragon’s Banker by Scott Warren
Title: The Dragon’s Banker Author: Scott Warren Publisher: Self-published Publication date: September 25, 2019 Genre: Fantasy Summary: After losing much of Lord Brackwaldt’s fortune, Sailor Kelstern, of Kelstern Merchant Banking, is stuck taking on risky ventures as the Royal Mint starts to roll out paper currency to replace the gold and silver, the currency of dragons. When Sailor is hired by a dragon to ensure he remains the wealthiest being with the new money at the end of two years’ time, he has no choice but to work his hardest, create a company practically from scratch, and make sure it flourishes. Unfortunately, someone is working hard against him. And the time is quickly ticking…
