Blade's Edge by Virginia McClain; a Fantasy worth sinking your katana into!

Today, I am reviewing the Fantasy story Blade’s Edge by Virginia McClain. This is a story set in a pseudo-Japanese setting and utilizing many of the terms from Japan’s medieval history, but adds several different intriguing elements, like elemental magic, a council dedicated to the repression of a particular subgroup, and dragons and kami.

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

Characters: 5/5. Absolute perfection. Virginia’s two main characters, Mishi and Taka, were deep and real. I felt their pain and their triumphs, and my understanding of them grew as they did. The book spans eight years (called “cycles”), and I felt they grew believably throughout that time. I especially liked Mishi’s development from scared orphan to kick-ass Kisoshi warrior.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. The story is as epic as they come. A sprawling conspiracy kept in line by a few oligarchs? Assassins? Intrigue and betrayal? All present in spades. Virginia wove her story deeply and well, and I felt the last few pages blaze by like they almost weren’t there. Fantastically done.

Flow: 4.5/5. The sentence flow was excellent and Virginia’s use of language keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. I felt we spent an appropriate amount of time on each of the characters (as the action cross-cuts between the two of them) and that things didn’t happen too fast or too slow.

My only issues with the flow: There were a few instances that I felt important or interesting action was glossed over to get us to the next development. This happened only a few times, but I did note it. Second, the time passage was done very well in terms of character development, but the chapter headings, being in Japanese (or pseudo-Japanese, I’m not sure) that were supposed to tell us how much time had gone by only confused me, so I had to ignore them.

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I think I counted four grammatical/typographical errors in this novel. For as many pages as it is (286, paperback version), that’s a pretty good rate (less than one error per fifty pages). I’m happy with that. Good job, Virginia!

                                                                                         
Overall: 4.75/5. What a ride! The story starts slow, builds up quickly, and finishes with a bang. I’m hoping for a sequel to this. Thank you for the read! You can purchase Blade's Edge at the link below.

The Irony of Time - Slow, Dull, Uninspiring

Today I’m reviewing the PNR novel Irony of Time by M.L. Crum. It involves a young woman, traumatized throughout her life by a tragedy she believes she caused, and the immortal, supernatural creature who inadvertently gives her a chance to go back and fix it.

I did not finish this book. I made it as far as Chapter Eleven before my drive faltered. I feel like the story had potential…but I just couldn’t go any further.

I give this book a 2/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 2.5/5. Meh. I felt no real attachment to any of the characters. There wasn’t any defining conflict or development that really made either of them stand out. The protagonist had a clear-cut desire, but I didn’t feel any growth from her, and the male love interest was boring and single-minded. His investigations did nothing for me, his desire to find her and get her back seemed without real energy or impetus.

Plot/Storyline: 3/5. This could have been very good. The idea of someone accidentally slipping back in time and deciding to make their old choices anew, to avert catastrophe, is a classic but not-yet-overdone storyline. What kept it from being interesting was the lack of conflict. I think that the author was trying to build up suspense…but it was just a long time without anything really HAPPENING.

Flow: 2/5. Slow. Dragging. Plodding. I forced myself to get as far as I did because the use of language and imagery was fairly good, but the pacing…ugh. I just wasn’t hooked, wasn’t intrigued...was bored, frankly.

Grammar/Spelling: 3/5. Noticeable, but forgiveable, grammatical and spelling errors.

Overall: 2.0/5. This was not the book for me. It had a slow build and the characters were nebulous and poorly defined. I hope the author keeps at it; there was nothing unforgiveable or horrendous about this book. It was just…meh.

You can find a copy of it here: < 

Famine by Monica Enderle Pierce: 4.75/5

Today, I am reviewing the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy story Famine by Monica Enderle Pierce. The first in the Apocalyptics series, this is a story in the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been released from their imprisonment in the Outer Darkness, and so God has sent three soldiers to retrieve them – the Catcher, who will consign their souls back into the Darkness; the Guardian, who is to guard the Catcher; and the Beacon, who guides the Catcher in the journey. Bartholomew is the nascent Guardian who must fight off Famine and find the next vessel for the Catcher.

He’s been looking for fifteen centuries.

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

Characters: 5/5. Everything about these people was perfectly spun. No extraneous characters existed, and I found myself thrilling to the development of each. The book takes place over the span of about a decade, and each individual grows and changes throughout the story.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Absolutely outstanding! I was immediately grabbed by the story, and it held my attention till the end. It was unpredictable and compelling, with a large amount of suspense and thrill mixed in to the character development. I enjoyed the hell out of this book.

Flow: 5/5. Wonderful and clean. Onward and forward, with the perfect blend of description and dialogue and action. I was never bored, always wondering what was coming next. Well done, Monica!.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. A solid, well-edited work. A few typos were noticed (homophones being the largest offender) but in no way detracted from the story.

Overall: 4.75/5. Why did I put this off for so long? I’ve had this book on my reading list since May, yet other things seemed to take precedence every time I thought about it. I finished it in a few hours of reading, and I’m chomping at the bit for the next in the Apocalyptics series!


You can pick up your own copy at Amazon at the link below. Happy reading!

The Veiled by Jennifer Osborn - an amazing story marred by poor proofreading

Today I’m reviewing the first book in the Shilund Saga, The Veiled – Expanded Edition by Jennifer Osborn. It’s an urban fantasy with a strong romantic subplot involving a species of wolf-humanoids called the Shilund. Although interaction with humanity is forbidden, one of them bucks the rules she was born into and takes in a man who is seriously injured.

I give this book a 3.0/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 4/5. I enjoyed the characters in this story very much. The late reveal of one of them was a complete surprise yet made total sense, and the interaction between the two main protagonists was realistic and fun. I didn’t understand the main villain much; he seemed a little cliché and stereotyped, but otherwise Osborn did a great job making interesting people.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. This was a real strength of this novel. I really enjoyed the plot twists and the development of the world of the Shilund. Coupled with the strong characters, this made the book a very enjoyable read. I don’t want to give the story away, but I especially liked the romantic subplot (what can I say, I’m a sucker for romantic subplots) and the development of the Shilund tribal structure.

Flow: 4/5. Another high point. I was very pleased by the pacing and the speed the story pulled me through the book. Pages turned at a rapid pace with nary a boring moment. Well done!

Grammar/Spelling: 2/5. Ah. This was unfortunate. This is an example of a novel that is badly in need of another proofreader. There are misspelled words, misused words, missing commas and punctuation errors in many places. Often, I’ll say here “but it didn’t detract from the story,” but it did.

Overall: 3.0/5. Osborn has created a wonderful story and I look forward to the sequel. Please, bring this book in for another edit and make it into the high-level offering that your readers and your writing talents deserve!

The Twisted Spiral - Did Not Finish, 2/5 Stars

Today, I am reviewing the Urban Fantasy-Time Travel novel The Twisted Spiral by Arlene Cabus Poerio. In this story, the protagonist is revealed to have special powers, the ability to ‘ken,’ or know things she should not otherwise know, and ends up time-travelling back to Ancient Egypt.

I was unable to finish this book, giving up after Chapter Three. I give it a 2/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 1.5/5. After reading three chapters, I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters, especially the protagonist. I didn’t care what was going on, or about her emotional distress or burning need to get to Egypt…it was all disjointed and felt unpalatable.

Plot/Storyline: 2/5. I don’t know what the final plot was, given that I couldn’t get through the book, but what I did read didn’t seem like much of anything. As I discuss in Flow, below, the constant flashbacks in the early portion of the novel did a lot to take the “steam” out of the read. I shouldn’t be three chapters in, not care about anyone, and not have any idea what’s going on or why it’s important..

Flow: 1/5. Ack! The whole first chapter is constant back-and-forth flashbacks used for exposition. Flashbacks are tricky things in the best of times, and when used this way they were like tire spikes to my verisimilitude and immersion. No, please. No.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. I didn’t notice any typographical errors, but the dialogue was often disjointed and felt contrived in some places. Nothing that I would flag if my attention had not already been aroused, but present nonetheless.

Overall: 2/5. I think that Ms. Poerio has some potential as a writer, and that this book could benefit from another round or two of content edits, looking to improve the flow. As it is, it starts too slowly and takes too long to get anywhere for my liking. 

Left Behind Book One: The Forbidden Voyage by R. Anne Polcastro: 3.75/5 Stars

Today, I am reviewing the Dystopian/SciFi Left Behind by R. Anne Polcastro. This is a story in which Those Who Have Come Before have destroyed the planet through their own willful negligence and abuse of natural resources, leading to a terrible disaster that sent huge amounts of radiation into the environment, decimating civilization and sending many people underground while the more fortunate ones escaped to another world.

I give this book a 3.75/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 4/5. The characters in this book were solid and believable. I particularly enjoyed watching Endirion’s development as he went from timid, indoctrinated youth to utilizing his unique talents in helping the “mission” progress. The main two characters were especially interesting, but even the supporting cast was well put-together. I look forward to finding out some of the deeper motivations behind the actions some of the characters take.

Plot/Storyline: 3.5/5. The plotline here is a tad derivative, by which I mean that I can think of similar storylines off the top of my head. Still, Polcastro’s take on the story is fairly unique, and brought forward by the strength of the characters. The book reads like a combination of The Island and Stephen King’s Gunslinger novels…which is not a bad thing.

Flow: 4/5. Well written. I enjoyed the language and the pace of the story. As a MG/YA novel, it isn’t as action-packed or as compelling as some of the more adult stories I’ve read recently, but that is no fault of the work. I can imagine middle-school children both enjoying the book and being at least as interested in it as I was. The crises which befall our two heroes do a good job of maintaining reader interest as well.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. There were a few typographical errors, mostly limited to ending quotation marks that were missing. These in no way distracted or detracted from the work.

Overall: 3.75/5. An enjoyable, solid read on all levels. I wasn’t ever bored or distracted from my read. Polcastro did an excellent job of maintaining my interest. Thank you for the read, and I wish you the best of luck as you move forward!