Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
THE BIRD THAT SANG IN COLOR by Grace Mattioli
The Bird that Sang in Color is the story of a woman who creates the life she always wanted and then leaves it behind when she discovers the secret to living free. Donna, in her early teens, decides that having a fulfilling life is contingent upon having a family, a nice house, and a dignified career. She decides this for her and her older brother, Vincent, an artistic type who she doesn’t perceive as someone capable of getting these things on his own. As she goes about acquiring these things through the course of her lifetime, he remains single, childless, working low-paid jobs, and subsisting in cramped apartments or boarding homes. She harbors guilt for her supposed failure to improve his life until she finds a book of sketches he’d made of his life which allows her to discover his internal joy and prompts her own journey of living authentically.
Read MoreBetty P. Notzon
My love of words started with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Watching his speeches on TV as a little girl, I was bowled over by the big words he used. Words, I suspect, like deficit, congressional inquiry, and fiscal responsibility, words still being heard in D.C . . . . I wanted to be able to use big words too, though not necessarily those. Sure, sure, my mother reading to me as a child deserves some credit. But, really, it all started with Ike.
Read MoreOut of the London Mist by Lyssa Medana (Book Review #911)
Out of the London mist is a steampunk tale about John Farnley, an aether pilot who travels back to his family home when he hears that his brother, Lord Nicholas Farnley, is murdered. He attempts to take over the family business and financial matters as Nicholas’ wife, Clara, grieves her loss. By inheriting the title, John once rejected, he now has his hands full.
KINGS, CONQUERORS, PSYCHOPATHS From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation by Joseph N. Abraham MD (Book Review #910)
Kings, conquerors, psychopaths is a non-fiction, historical book providing us a realistic look at how leaders and rulers brutally controlled us and how many of the same characteristics are displayed in the tyrants and cooperations we have today. The book introduces us to a prospective approach on how money is now the controlling oppressor.
Read MoreDrawing the line: No Ladies in Room A3 by CLARE SCOPES (Book Review #909)
Drawing the line is a historical fiction about Maggie Goodwin. The story is set in 1938, and no ladies are working as animators at Harley Studios, Los Angeles. Maggie wants to prove everyone wrong.
Read MoreAgainst My Better Judgment by B.T. Polcari (Book Review #907)
Against my better judgment is a mystery, young adult fiction story about Sara Donavan, a freshman at the University of Alabama. She also works part-time at a museum gift shop. After purchasing a funerary mask, she receives a mysterious phone call, and that’s when she realizes her find is a unique stolen artifact. A once thought cheap souvenir is now a hot commodity, and to add more fun to the mix, a dashing teacher assistant joins the university.
Read MoreGunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar (Book Review #906)
Gunmetal Gods is a dark fantasy story about Kevah, who is summoned by The Shah. Kevah agrees to train a militia enlisting his daughter to save the royal capital Kostany from the rival enemy. When Micah attacks Kostany, the sorcerer Aschere is stronger than Kevahs defense, and hence the battles end up with too much loss. Kevah then accompanies Sadie, Shah’s daughter, to take revenge and also take back the city.
Read MoreDragon’s Mist by Randy Cruts (Book Review #905)
Dragon’s Mist is a young adult graphic novel story about Charlie, an orphan, and lives with his aunt. He likes to visit the ocean, and one day he meets a blue dragon name Shannon. The two become friends. The adventure and time spent with each other are beautiful. Things don’t last as they usually do when the Russian mob threatens Charlie’s aunt. The journey then continues with Charlie and his dragon.
Read MoreCover your tracks by Daco S. Auffenorde (Book review #904)
Cover your tracks is a Psychological thriller about Margo Fletcher. She is eight months pregnant and traveling from Chicago to Spokane by train. The train brakes, and a massive avalanche plummets down the mountain. Margo listens to a former Army Ranger named Nick and moves to the end of the train as he suggests that’s the safest place to be. They both watch the rest of the training hurdle down the mountain with the rest of the passengers. Now left alone in such a traumatic situation, they have to survive the harsh conditions and the reality that they may not make it.
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