The 5 Moons of Tiiana by PT Harry - Reminiscent of Lewis with a well-crafted world, but ultimately loses me in the middle: 3/5.

   Today, I am reviewing the Science-Fiction novel The 5 Moons of Tiiana by PT Harry. Our protagonist, Rez Cantor, is a military captain whose people have been conquered by an alien force. He is charged with getting the royal princess off-planet and somewhere safe, but, of course, things don't go according to plan. He ends up stranded and alone, searching for his charge. By the time he finds her, not only is she different than when they separated, but so is he.

I give this book a 3/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 3.5/5. PT has created a set of interesting characters from a diverse group of cultures and species. Rez and Leanna, the princess, make sense in their actions and motivations, and most of the smaller side-characters contribute to the narrative in interesting ways. Unfortunately, there are developments in the book that change the characters against their will, and these make it harder for me to identify with them. When established characters' capabilities suddenly change, it's hard to keep up; when that change happens very quickly without giving me enough time to accept it, it leaves me in the dust.

Plot/Storyline: 2.5/5. I feel like this is a weak point for this book, but not because the story is bad. Far from it; it reminds me a lot of C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet, a book which I enjoyed. The problem with Tiiana's plot is that it goes too far and does too much in too little time, I think. We end up on several different planets; we deal with enslavement that lasts years and journeys which take months, yet I get very little sense of how much time is actually passing in context. It makes the whole thing seem disjointed and strange.

Flow: 3.5/5. The book moves along, but there are times when it slogs. I definitely felt the story could have ended two or three times before I ended up putting it down--and that was halfway through. I skated through parts of the story that were very enjoyable, and others I had to push and push to make sense of what was going on.

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I didn't notice any significant spelling problems and very few grammatical ones. There are a few places where the closing quotations are missing. Overall, high quality work.

Overall: 3/5. Please understand that I don't think this book is bad. Far from it; it has a lot of interesting lore, well-thought-out cultures and characters, and it's obvious the author has a passion for this kind of writing. It just doesn't check my boxes. There is a mismatch of how fast certain things happen and how slow other ones do, and the reinvention of the characters strains my verisimilitude. I highly recommend that you give it a try if you like Lewis's Space Trilogy and similar work.

Find The 5 Moons of Tiiana 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!

The Girl from Teacup Village: An Excellent Opener to a Fantasy Epic!

  Today, I am reviewing the Fantasy novel The Girl from Teacup Village by Michael Kanuckel. Our protagonist, Tessa Gardener, is a kilner (pottery maker) from the aforementioned village who has suffered family tragedies: her brother is dead, killed by a raging giant, and her father's mind is slipping farther and farther out of reach. When Seed Koga, the godlike figure responsible for administering seeds for planting to the lands, declares that some of her fellow villagers are to recolonize a nearby, shattered township, she can't hold herself back; off now on her first adventure, she soon comes to find out that not everything is the way she was made to believe.

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

Characters: 5/5. Magnificently done. Michael excellently delivers people that have real motivations, feelings, fears, and loves. I felt as if I was travelling alongside the group, sharing stories. Several times I felt surges of strong emotion, and it was purely due to the strength of these characters. A real strength of this novel.

Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. Michael has written a tight, forward-moving plot that has strong verisimilitude and ties together well. I believed in the story and enjoyed reading it. There is one small inconsistency regarding the giants' behavior that I noticed, but that could also be explained away. Overall, fantastic.

Flow: 5/5. Michael has an obvious command of pacing in his work. The story flowed along very well and I was never bored or waiting for the next point, but it also didn't seem as if anything moved unrealistically fast. The fantasy "campsite scenes" which are so prevalent in the genre felt good and well-executed, giving needed background without dragging things out.

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. The book has a simple formatting issue. The copy I have has margins that go too far into the page. I don't know why. Once one gets past that, everything else is excellently put together.

Overall: 4.75/5. My wife recommended this book to me after purchasing it from Michael. She hasn't yet read it, but I am thrilled that I can heartily return the recommendation with accolades and honors. The life of an indie author can be difficult, so I hope Michael keeps heart and pushes onward. He is a fine storyteller and the world is richer for his work.

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!

The Drift by Casie Aufenthie - A Sci-Fi Human Drama that Pulls No Punches!

 Today, I am reviewing the Science Fiction novel The Drift by Casie Aufenthie. The story is a marvelous one, featuring a world split amongst three genetic derivations of humanity - the Illuminatos, who can manipulate reality with their minds; the Corporii, who can control their own forms with microscopic precision, and the Unevolved...who are just like us. Controlled by powerful Illuminatos, some in the world of The Drift have begun a rebellion against their masters...but what hope do they really have?

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

Characters: 5/5. Holy crap. These people are real people. Tristian, Samara, Kip, Wyatt, everyone...I could hear them, I could see them, and they pulled me into their story so strongly that I couldn't break free. I read the first 50% pretty quickly, but then had to stop for the holidays. When I came back, the next half came rushing fast and furious, and it was because of these characters. I wanted things to work out. I was pulling for them, hard.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Absolutely outstanding. Aufenthie does a remarkable job in showing, not telling, and her use of flashbacks in among the best I've seen in this kind of work. She knows exactly when and how to use them. Further, alongside such redeemable characters I believed in the story, believed every action and reaction even as I was pulling my hair out or holding back tears.

Flow: 5/5. As I said above, the story pulled me along at breakneck speed because of how attached I was to the people involved. Aufenthie knows how to keep the story going but takes the right pauses to let things breathe when necessary.

That ending, though...

Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I didn't note any spelling or structure errors, but did see a few missing commas. Nothing problematic, but not perfect.

Overall: 4.75/5. Like many of the indie reads I end up picking up, I am so thrilled that I decided to read The Drift and am looking forward to the sequel. This book is clearly the product of a skilled and talented author who has put her heart and soul into the work - much like Tristian and Samara, the idea and the skill combine to make something greater than the parts. Thank you, Casie, for writing this and the upcoming sequel, which is due out soon!

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!

The Wayfinder's Apprentice by K. Dezendorf - A fantasy journey into another world with rich characters, descriptions, and story - 4.5/5!

Today, I am reviewing the Portal Fantasy novel The Wayfinder's Apprentice by K. Dezendorf. This book features Rose, a young woman who lives in an abusive household but once found her way into a magical realm known as the Umbra. With that secret held tight in her heart, she waits for the chance to return, cultivating a friendship (and romance) with some denizens of that realm who have found their way here to our world. A chance encounter upends her destiny...but is she ready for it?

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

Characters: 5/5. This is the biggest strength of this novel and one I greatly appreciated. Every character, from Rose to Macklass to Edward to Kyan, feels real and alive on the page. Dezendorf crafts her characters well, and they are people, with flaws and fallacious beliefs and agendas that make sense. Each interaction feels personal and genuine, and I loved watching Rose grow throughout the book.

Also: #teamedward, but Bal has piqued my interest :) 

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. The plot in this story is a setup for the full series, but serves more than that purpose. We establish quickly that Rose is special, with her poltergeist friend and relationship to some Earthbound elves, and we move to a bigger and grander realm-wide war very quickly. I found myself able to predict some plot points - which signifies only a good use of the Chekov's Gun principle - but I was engaged by the story the entire time and enjoyed it immensely.

Flow: 5/5. I feel like Dezendorf paced her story very well. It certainly has a classic three-act structure, and the amount of time spent with each character, on each scene, always feels just right. I applaud her mastery of this skill as it makes writing much more entertaining when the flow works well.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. I noted three minor errors. Nothing of consequence. Sentence construction was skilled and readable.

Overall: 4.5/5. Dezendorf has crafted a unique, entertaining, and deep fantasy world with compelling characters that I want to see succeed. The ones you hate and the ones you love are both nuanced, and it's so much fun to watch them play off of one another. I eagerly await the next entry in the series and I suggest that you pick it up yourself!

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!

One in the Same: Journey from Mortal to Sorcerer by Douglas Breeden: A Great Idea Hampered by Its Execution

Today, I am reviewing the Urban Fantasy novel One in the Same: Journey from Mortal to Sorcerer by Douglas Breeden. This book features a pair of autistic protagonists as the younger discovers he was born to be a Sorcerer Prince, also known as those who are One In the Same, a direct servant of God.

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

Characters: 1.5/5. At the beginning, the very beginning, I was interested in the main character Michael because he is autistic - specifically, he has Asperger's Syndrome - which is also true of my oldest son. For a short time, the internal monologues and perceptions of the character were interesting to me from that lens.

Then it all went downhill.

There are no female characters of consequence, except perhaps Satan. Every single female with the exception of mother figures are referenced immediately by their level of attractiveness. Waaaaay too many jokes are made about the protagonist's status as a virgin, and waaaaaay too many offers to relieve him of that same status. The mentor was not interesting - I could scarcely tell the difference between him and the younger, teenage protagonist. I simply was not invested in any of them, even by the end of the book. 

Plot/Storyline: 3/5. At its core, the story is not bad. I don't have anything against the Chosen One trope, or against religious-based fiction (my own uses religious mythologies heavily). The plot itself is serviceable if not unique. 

Flow: 0/5. Oh my dear. This is where the book falls apart. Far too much time spent on the mentor figure's childhood traumas as the result of him being autistic in an age where that wasn't understood. I know this is true, I know it was awful (and still is!), but I don't want to spend that many pages on it. Too much time diving into historical references that I didn't care about. Not enough time spent on exciting scenes, like the revelation of Michael's status as a sorcerer, or his conquering of his fears. One paragraph, done. The flow made no sense and kept me from deriving virtually any enjoyment from the book.

Spelling/Grammar: 3/5. There were some punctuation errors, mostly quotations, that I noted scattered throughout the book. It wasn't awful, wasn't too distracting, but I did notice.

Overall: 2/5. Breeden made an honest effort with this book but the execution is deeply flawed. I simply was not interested in most of what he wrote down as I went through the novel, and that feeling only got stronger as I continued. I hope that he will revisit the work, maybe read On Writing (as I recommend all fiction authors do!) and keep trying!

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!

The Fires of Treason - Historical Fiction with Plots, Betrayals, and Amazing Characters!

Today, I am reviewing the Historical Fiction novel The Fires of Treason by Michele Quirke. The first in a planned series of novels, The Fires of Treason follows Prince Gregory and Princess Elizabeth as they struggle to survive against enemies much more powerful than they who have both the motivation and the means to see them dead.

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

Characters: 4.5/5. You may have noticed that I complimented the characters in my title for this review. That's no mistake; everyone, from the noble Gregory (whose shining armor may seem to be tarnishing a little) to the too-selfish Clara, has a character and a personality that I'm going to remember later. They're easy to sympathize with, easy to identify with; those you like you like a lot, and the scum are some of the worst villains to grace a page. 

Why then, the lost half-point? Because Gregory seems a little TOO stubborn. I know he's noble, I know he's wounded, and life is falling down around his ears...but he's the one I put myself into (a thing I do when I read, or write, or play games, or...) and his failure to "rise" to the occasion disappointed me at the end. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book, as yet unpublished, but he needs to get his act together. Elizabeth, the other main character, was excellent in every respect, and I appreciated her sassiness and her attempts to grow past where she began. I suspect she has hard lessons coming forward.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Now, I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction. Had I known this was historical fiction, I may not have read it, but I bought this book when the author was talking about it on Twitter as a show of support. It took some time to get to reading it. It doesn't read like most historical fiction I've seen; instead, it's more like a classic fantasy novel, but without magic. It has that "vibe" to it, and that made me able to enjoy it more. I didn't count any plotholes, and the story is solid and compelling. I enjoyed it immensely, read it through in about 3-4 hours all told, and am eager to see where it goes from here!

Flow: 4/5. Overall, Quirke's pacing is excellent and she keeps the story moving forward as well as I would expect or hope. I didn't feel bored or like things were moving too quickly for me to keep up with. That being said, some of Gregory and Elizabeth's arguments, toward the middle-end (maybe around the 70-80% mark?) started to feel a little repetitive, like they'd had these same problems before and neither one of them had learned the first time. It wasn't glaring, just something I felt at this point in the book.

Spelling/Grammar: 5/5. That rarest of ratings, meaning I did not notice any typographical or grammatical errors at all. Well done!

Quirke was kind enough to endure me live-Tweeting my responses to this story as I read through it. I enjoyed The Fires of Treason very much, and I think it will serve as the foundation to an excellent series...if Gregory can get over himself, step up, and do what needs to be done!

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!

The Turquoise Spider - Female Steampunk Holmes with Great Character Development! 4/5

Today, I am reviewing the Steampunk story The Turquoise Spider by Mikala Ash. The first in a series of short works (this one is about 100 Kindle pages), The Turquoise Spider stars recently-widowed Elizabeth Hunter-Payne through a classic English Steampunk setting as she solves mysteries and confronts opposition. There is sexual content in this book, which is explicitly called out at the beginning of the work, though to be clear it is NOT an erotic story. It has a plot, a throughline, and the intimacy and sexual content is there to enrich the writing, not be the focus of it. I had a good time in Ash's world, though there was something about it that lowered my enjoyment and I can't, for the life of me, put my finger on it.

Maybe reviewing will help.

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

Characters: 5/5. This is definitely the biggest strength of the work. Ash introduces us to a few important characters and gives them life within a short amount of time. Elizabeth feels real, but my favorite was easily the assistant/bodyguard of Archie. I loved that guy. The antagonists have realistic (for a steampunk book) motivations and no one acts in an unexplainable way.

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. A classic Holmesian mystery. Much like Conan Doyle's Holmes stories, the reader is left a little bit in the dark by the revelations that the main character comes up with later, but still left in appreciation of their superior perceptive talents. The storyline was clean and concise, made sense, and didn't have any gaping holes or contradictions.

Flow: 4.5/5. This is a short book so it goes from point to point quickly, without a lot of time to linger. This is fine; I respect the pacing the author has set and enjoy it. As mentioned before, there is still enough time to get to know our main characters and identify with them, and the plot beats move well. I didn't feel bored or like I needed to put it down. I read the whole thing in the space of about an hour.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. There were a few typographical errors, but nothing of consequence. The book was polished and the English used pleasant and expertly crafted. Nothing took me out of the story, which is what I want.

As I said above, I don't know what it was, but while I enjoyed what I read and the characters, I didn't come away from the story wanting to read the next one. That being the case, if you enjoy this type of work (and don't mind a little spicy sexual content!) then I recommend you pick it up. You can find the link below. I make no money off of these links.

Thanks as always, and keep reading!