Witchy Eye by D.J. Butler - A historical fantasy with amazing characters, a deep world, and everything I love in Fantasy. 5/5

 

Today, I am reviewing the fantasy novel Witchy Eye by D.J. Butler. In this story, our protagonist, a teen girl named Sarah Calhoun, lives in a fictionalized version of the early American time period where the Appalachians are ruled by emperor Thomas Penn. She discovers that her heritage is not what she grew up believing it to be when two holy men accost her in town, looking to draw her into their sides of a conflict she didn't even know existed. 

I give this novel a 5/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. Sarah is a wonderfully crafted character, with real, emotional depth. Butler originally planned this novel as a YA story but was told to dive in and make it for adults. He did this, even with younger characters, and the story is certainly better for it. I felt for her as she went through her journey. Her wonder and pain were mine, and her triumphs tasted sweet in my mouth. And she isn't the only one! Butler developed each character with their own perspective and narrative, and did it expertly. It felt like a historical fantasy version of The Stand, except none of the characters made me want to skip over them to get to the ones I liked more.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Love this. I'm a huge fan of revealed heritage stories (check out both my Sam Buckland Chronicles and my Dragon Monarch Tetralogy to see what I mean) and this one is a masterwork. The plot beats felt authentic and well-thought out. Character motivations played out in a realistic way. The story grabbed hold of me and didn't let me go, which is exactly what I want in a novel. Thank you.

Flow: 5/5. A textbook example of good fantasy pacing. The setup went slow, laying the foundations, then things picked up and ran like the Mississippi itself. I tore through pages like a maniac, especially in the last half of the book - I went from just under halfway to finishing in a couple of hours. No speedbumps or unnecessary slowdowns here.

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I counted two typos. There was a misspelling around the middle of the book, I think, and an extra word that should have been deleted near the 75% mark. Nothing else that I saw.

Overall: 5/5. Witchy Eye is the first book I've read in years that gave me a "charge." I went to bed reluctantly after finishing it and had dreams involving it all night. I woke up and bought the next in the series, Witchy Winter, and am looking forward to reading that one as well. This book is an incredible example of exactly what fantasy writing should be and I'm so glad I found it.

Thanks as always, and keep reading!


Find Witchy Eye on Amazon.

Island Realm - A lovingly crafted portal fantasy with characters that didn't leave an impact - 3.25/5

 

Today, I am reviewing the portal fantasy novel Island Realm by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson. In this story, our protagonists, two youths named Gwen and Vic, are accidentally transported to the magical realm of Elantya. As they search for a way home, they find themselves dragged into a nascent, brewing war...a war they might be more involved in than they originally thought. 

I give this book a 3.25/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 2/5. This is the weakness of the novel, and since characters are the most important thing to me in a book, this is an issue. The world of Elantya is fascinating and interesting, but most of the characters land very flat. I found no reason to be invested in Gwen or Vic, and many of the other characters are one basic characteristic, with very little behind them. I just didn't find myself caring about their interactions.

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. The book's strong point, for sure. The ideas here are great; the world is intricate, the storyline intriguing. The characters are drawn into a multi-generational conflict that threatens more than just one world. The authors obviously worked on their storycraft to bring an interesting and believable fantasy world to life.

Flow: 4/5. Another example of good storycraft. The book moves smoothly through plot beats and doesn't linger overlong anywhere. It's the right pacing for a YA fantasy, quickly introducing us to the main players, laying out the stakes, and immersing the reader in the world.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. A few missed punctuation errors noted, but nothing that in any way detracted from the overall experience.

Overall: 3.25/5. Island Realm is the first in a series and I'm curious as to where it'll go...but I'm not sure I'll continue reading. The book had me checking page count as I went through, wondering how much was left. I never got swept up, never carried along by the story, and it's because of the characters. I didn't feel like they were ever real people; I only got the most cursory of motivations and attributes for each one. I wanted to immerse myself in the world of Elantya, but it never really happened. 

I appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks, and keep reading!


Find Island Realm on Amazon.

Notes from Star to Star by Brian Dolan - A journey worth spending a hundred years to have! 4.75/5

Today, I am reviewing the debut science-fiction novella Notes from Star to Star by Brian Dolan. In this story, our protagonist, last name Hamilton, finds herself awakening from a century-long induced stasis as her ship nears Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth, over 4.2 light years away…and the site of possible signals from an extraterrestrial civilization The only person aboard the ship, she has to discover why she’s there, how she came to be the only crew member onboard for such an important mission…and pierce through the coma-induced amnesia to remember who she is.I give this book a 4.75/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. We only interface with one main character, Hamilton, and her perspective colors everything. The true draw of the novella is that we’re experiencing everything as she does, putting the pieces together at the same time and making discoveries alongside her. Dolan does a fantastic job of crafting a realistic character in such an isolating scenario; she deals9with self-doubt, worry, and pushes through with practiced routines to keep herself engaged. We feel her triumphs and her frustrations, which culminate with a critical discovery at the end, and a lovely epilogue that brought a tear to my eye.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. Narratively, this novella felt smooth and easy to understand. The plot, streamlined as a novella should be, focused on two main issues: who is Hamilton, and what is sending the signals? Everything else was peripheral to that, atmospheric or tension-building, and this story doesn’t suffer from narrative bloat or overexplanation. The story hooked me in immediately and kept me paging through to discover what happened next. Another big plus.

Flow: 4.5/5. As I mentioned, smooth and easy. Time gaps are dealt with masterfully and the pacing is excellent. Dolan introduced a useful story-telling device in the computer system of the ship, allowing Hamilton to have someone to interact with and bounce ideas off of to move the story forward. Well done.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. Toward the last half of the book, I noted a slight increase in typos and grammar errors. This distracted a little bit just as the tension rose and the story started running toward its conclusion, so I’d recommend a quick editing pass to find these nagging problems.

Overall: 4.75/5. Notes from Star to Star is a wonderful, introspective, hopeful piece of (overall) hard science fiction that makes excellent use of character study and interesting story-telling to craft a compelling narrative. I blew through this novella in about half an hour and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take a quick trip through the stars without being shot at, blown up, or exploded (much).

Thanks, and keep reading!


Find Notes from Star to Star on Amazon.

Lights Along the Interstate by Adam Fike - An appropriate title for such a trip! 4/5

    Today, I am reviewing the urban fantasy novella Lights Along the Interstate by Adam Fike. This book flashes between several different points of view as a bus driver collects passengers on his route...but the passengers are lost souls, or those who work with them. Each vignette gives insight into the characters and their connections.

I give this book a 4/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. This is certainly the strongest point of this novella. Fike ties together a myriad of characters from all walks of life, each in a different situation. None of these situations are simple or easy to navigate, with murder, incidental death, or simple betrayal rife among the rest. The characters are engaging and interesting, and the empathy developed for each one is real and powerful. Well done.

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. I very much enjoyed the storyline here, the idea of this "divine" bus driver traveling on his route to find lost souls. He certainly knows more than he lets on and does his best to nudge things in better ways, despite being a long-standing servant of a system that doesn't seem particularly merciful. The story is creative, intriguing, and worth a reader's time.

Flow: 3/5.  Fike has made a deliberate choice with his writing technique here, and it mostly worked for me. Not only do we jump through multiple characters' perspectives, the style is more jittery and less conventional than I'm used to. It makes the narrative a bit harder to follow at times, but I applaud the courage and the creativity behind the technique. It's certainly more literary and unconventional than most!

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I think I noticed one typographical error, maybe two. Insignificant issue.

Overall: 4/5. Lights Along the Interstate is an exercise is real-world philosophy wrapped up in novella form, giving readers peeks into the world around us and the prices we pay for decisions...and how, sometimes, others end up making those decisions for us because we didn't have the information at the time, like how a bystander can be shot at a diner just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It took a bit of effort to read, but Fike made it worth my time.

Find Lights Along the Interstate on Amazon.

If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html

Thanks as always, and keep reading!

Quantum Consequence: A Tale of Physics, Lust, and Greed...Oh my! An enjoyable romp through time and mystery with humor that (mostly) lands. 4/5!

   Today, I am reviewing the science-fiction novel Quantum Consequence, Book 5 of the Physics, Lust, and Greed series by Mike Murphey. An unconventional novel, Quantum Consequence sees us move through several different perspectives, timelines, and alternate realities as our protagonists attempt to pin down the forces behind a friend's death...and discover much more than they anticipated.

Note: This is book 5 of a series, and I have NOT read the first four. When Mr. Murphey sent this book for my review, I expressed concerns about that, and he told me that others found it understandable as a stand-alone. Reading it, I found this to be correct, as I wasn't really lost or finding myself in need of information that Murphey didn't provide. However, you should be aware of this fact.

I give this book a 4/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 4.5/5. Murphey is obviously comfortable with these characters, and even though I haven't read the books previous, I became so as well. Each has a distinct personality, humorous moments, and clear motivations. I enjoyed the interactions between the various factions, as well as the dynamic of "past-future" self that Murphey implements through his time-travel mechanics. There were a lot of them, though, probably because of the accumulated momentum of four prior novels, and a few got lost in the shuffle toward the middle-end. Still, a strong point of the book for sure.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5.The storyline for Quantum Consequence works because Murphey has well-established rules and characters, and that holds the verisimilitude together very effectively. The plot is engaging and fun to interact with, keeping the reader guessing with good twists that Murphey sets up well ahead of time. I had a lot of fun reading this book overall. My one issue is the humor; the humor isn't bad by any means, but it gets a little thick in certain places and became just a bit much for me. I also didn't like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so take that for what it's worth.

Flow: 3.5/5. Above-average, but the above-mentioned humor and some of the convoluted time-travel mechanics made me need to back up and reread a few times, causing a little turbulence in my literary ride. The punches and punchlines came a little too fast and heavy about a hundred pages in, but it smoothed out later.

Spelling/Grammar: 3.5/5. There are a few more typos and misspellings than I'm used to in work of this quality. Some missing punctuation, s's left off words, that kind of thing. Not problematic, but noticed.

Overall: 4/5. Quantum Consequences is a fun, energetic, character-driven science-fiction story that hits almost all the right notes. I do think it would have been even better if I'd been more familiar with the world, but it certainly works as a stand-alone read. I would recommend Murphey's writing to anyone who's a fan of this kind of story and enjoys a little bit of irreverent, tongue-in-cheek humor...especially if you're good with social commentary and references to a certain character's...equipment.

Find Quantum Consequences on Amazon.

If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html

Thanks as always, and keep reading!

After Halastaesia - A deeply thrilling YA story with characters you'll care about long after the story is done: 4.75/5.

     Today, I am reviewing the YA portal-fantasy novel After Halastaesia by Janina Franck. Our protagonist, Ben, is a former chosen hero who fell into the magical land of Halastaesia after being hit by a truck in our world. After being sent back, he has to adjust to the fact that he's no longer a mystical Chosen One, reconcile his former love with the girl who is drawing his attention now, and come to terms with the idea that, perhaps, none of it ever happened. 

I give this book a 4.75/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. Franck really seats us in our main character's mind. We get a real sense of how Ben feels about his situation, dealing with his former life in Halastaesia and the mundanity of now. The supporting characters, especially Viv, are also treats, written effectively and well. I am also pleased by how Ben handled the "love triangle;" it's exactly what I hoped would happen.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. I'm a big fan of portal fantasies, but this one took the reverse tack; in the entire book, we never get to see Halastaesia, and Franck allows us to believe, several times, that it might not be real at all. There is an element of unreliable narrator that adds spice to the story and makes it unique. I was intrigued and hooked the whole way through.

Flow: 5/5. I have rarely read a book that flows as well as this one does. Franck has put together a story that has the pauses and the beats in all the right places, ramping up the tension just like a good movie would and letting it hang when needed. I read through the whole thing in an hour and a half, and that's fast even for me.

Spelling/Grammar: 5/5. This is a well-edited piece of work. I didn't notice any grammar or spelling concerns. The sentences worked well together. Pretty flawless.

Overall: 4.75/5. Unlike some other readers I know, I am still a fan of YA fiction. This kind of book is why. When it's well-written, the emotions and characters put on the page rival anything made for a specifically older audience. The themes and motifs of the book come through in riveting, emphatic fashion. I had a great time with After Halastaesia, and would definitely read more work by Franck.

Find After Halastasia on Books2Read. 

If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html

Thanks as always, and keep reading!

Talio's Codex: A thrilling, well-paced legal mystery set in a unique world with fascinating characters: 4.5/5

    Today, I am reviewing the fantasy novel Talio's Codex by J. Alexander Cohen. Our protagonist, Talio Rossa, is a former magistrate for the country of Merin, which is divided into four main cities. An incident occurred ten years ago that saw him abandon his profession and go into exile, but a request from his ex-wife brings him back...only to find himself immersed in a conspiracy that goes far deeper than he thought possible. 

CONTENT ADVISORY: This novel contains M/M sex scenes.

I give this book a 4.5/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. Cohen knows how to put the reader into the characters' world, that is clear. Talio is a very human, flawed character that grows as the novel progresses. The supporting characters fulfill their functions well, and, contrary to what another reviewer has posited, they are certainly NOT cardboard cutouts. Each has their own motivations, and, like any good mystery, the twists and revelations feel genuine to each.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. I love myself a good courtroom drama, and adding fantasy and magic to the mix just makes it better. Like any good detective story, the main character and associates have things to figure out; unlike many of them, this one has big social implications as well, as Talio takes up the cause of the oppressed Incarnates (a religious sect frowned upon by the rest of society). The world of Merin interacts with issues in the real world as well, including agender individuals and their rights. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Flow: 4.5/5. This book flows very well. I never found myself bored or confused. The text compels and demands the reader continue, and I found myself devouring pages as I got deeper in.

Spelling/Grammar: 5/5. I don't recall any significant editing errors. Everything seemed well-put together, the formatting was nice, and it was a pleasure to read.

Overall: 4.5/5.The world of Talio's Codex is a world populated by real people. Cohen has spent time and effort crafting this world and it shows. I had a great time during my read; I actually went back to the Amazon page to see if there was a sequel (there's not, yet). Well done, Mr. Cohen! Thank you for the opportunity. As an aside, I love the cover art. Who's your artist?

Find Talio's Codex on Amazon. 

If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html

Thanks as always, and keep reading!