Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
The Thieving Witches by Marie-Lou RodrÃguez (Book Review #2439)
Halloween becomes more than a night of costumes and candy in this illustrated adventure, where strange thefts and mischievous magic turn the city of Mallow upside down. Chris finds himself facing a mystery involving three witches, and solving it will take more than simply being in the right place at the right time. He must find the courage to investigate what is happening and discover whether he can stop the trouble before the night gets out of hand.
Read MoreJak Barley, Private Inquisitor and the Case of the Errant Demigod and other misadventures by Dan Ehl (Book Review #2404)
Some investigations are complicated. Others involve a potentially kidnapped demigod, a stolen dragon egg, a celestial conflict, an irritated goddess, and creatures that are considerably more dangerous than the average interview subject. In Dan Ehl’s Jak Barley, Private Inquisitor and the Case of the Errant Demigod and Other Misadventures, chaos is very much part of the job description.
Read MoreInfluenced: Serenity Acres: Where Secrets Barely Stay Hidden by Crystal Quast (Book Review #2403)
Influenced: Serenity Acres: Where Secrets Barely Stay Hidden by Crystal Quast, with illustrations by Rick Johnston, delivers a tense exploration of family control, online fame, and the dangerous consequences of living life under constant scrutiny.
Read MoreMoney War by Clark Wren (Book Review #2402)
Clark Wren’s Money War takes the familiar anxieties surrounding wealth, technology, and political power and pushes them into an explosive near-future dystopia where trillionaires possess greater influence than governments. At just over 100 pages, the novel wastes little time establishing a world in which money is not merely a means of acquiring power—it is the foundation upon which society itself operates.
Read MoreWhen the Noise Fades: A Novel by Chris Yiangou (Book Review #2401)
There are moments in life when nothing dramatic seems to happen, yet everything changes. The familiar roles, routines, and relationships that once gave a person a sense of identity can quietly shift until one is left wondering what remains when those definitions disappear. When the Noise Fades by Chris Yiangou explores that unsettling but deeply human transition with Claire Bennett, a woman standing at the threshold of a very different life.
Read MoreMy Fair Daddy by B. Robert Conklin (Book Review #2400)
My Fair Daddy by B. Robert Conklin is an emotionally charged coming-of-age story that places a teenager at the intersection of body image, family upheaval, identity, and the complicated realities of love.
Read MoreI Wrote a Book About Taking Action, Then Nearly Talked Myself Out of Publishing It By Nicola Mullender
I spent nearly twenty years working in mental health and healthcare, and I’d always wanted to write a book. I’d never started one, but I’d always imagined it would be about this.
Over the years I’d become almost hyper-aware of how often people wait to feel ready before doing something they want to do.
Then I went on maternity leave with my son, and I felt compelled to finally do it.
The title popped into my head: The Perfect Time Does Not Exist: Get On With It Anyway. I thought, if that’s going to be the title of my book, I need to actually do it. Not when he’s older. Not when I’m back at work. Not when things are easier. Now.
Read MoreWhat the River Knows: Ten Lessons on Patience, Trust, and the Way Home by Aysha Khan (Book Review #2399)
Some books try to tell us how to fix our lives. Others invite us to slow down long enough to hear what our lives have been trying to tell us all along. What the River Knows by Aysha Khan belongs firmly in the second category, offering a quiet, reflective exploration of patience, trust, clarity, and the often-overlooked journey back to ourselves.
Read MoreLegendary: Help Unwanted by A.M. Mirabella (Book Review #2397)
Legendary: Help Unwanted by A.M. Mirabella is a charming cozy fantasy that combines adventure, humor, magic, and an unexpectedly relatable exploration of what happens when a capable person refuses to let anyone else carry the load.
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