Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
L.M. Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942) was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. The book was an immediate success. The central character, Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following. WIKI.
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Reflections by Clifton Kenny (Book Review #222)
Reflections is a science fiction fantasy, supernatural story about a boy named Shane. He has the ability to explore the ancestral memories of a person’s lineage. With his new-found powers, he sets off on a journey of self-discovery and a unique coming of age.
The story begins with the lead character delivering papers. His abilities are described through mystical and heritable forces. The story is filled with historical and science fiction references. The backstory and character development are what sets this book aside from similar books in this genre. The author manages to beautifully engage the reader and has you bond with the character and the journey he takes.
The world is set in 1974 and Shane’s friends, page and Jimmer are his support mechanism right until the end. Shane’s reflections allow him and friends to know about the past and the future. He learns about the past and how he originally received this gift as well. The book ends with some closure but not enough to conclude everything together which possible may be due to the author wishing to introduce a sequel to the story.
I found the book to be written and described very well. With historical fiction aiming to intrigue the young adult minds, one may find themselves in a tricky situation however, the author excelled in producing a fun, entertaining and mind- twisting story.
I believe anyone interested in historical fiction, paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi would enjoy this book.
Written by Jeyran Main
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War of Rain by H.W. Vivian (Book Review #223)
This review was kindly requested by H.W. Vivian
War of Rain is a young adult fantasy novel written about a girl named Miri. Earth has moved closer to the sun causing geographical problems. The sky is no longer blue and the ground is dusty. Earth’s recourses have been reduced and barely anything can be grown to eat. Rain is a hot commodity. Miri and the people of her village pray to the God, Kalono in order to receive rain and then exchange it with other villagers for various resources. Miri’s people get attacked by the barbarians from the Stratos village and Miri accidentally kills one of them in defense.
This causes a great havoc between the two villagers. The leader of Stratos sends Miri on a mission to find an invention or else war is upon them. Scared but determined, Miri travels to find a solution to the problem. On her way, she meets a tribe called, Troposians and that is where Miri’s story blossoms. Her personality, choices she makes, emotions, growth, and encounters are what makes this compelling story unique.
Miri is only 15, however, due to the rough conditions and predicament she is left under, her character and personality have to behave more mature and her decisions face harsher consequences. I enjoyed this aspect of the book very much. I believe the author managed to describe the world setting in such a way that the reader would ponder on what they would do if they had fallen under such living conditions.
The book was easy to read and had a very nice flow to it. The pace was evenly spread out. The book is divided into three parts and each part evolves smoothly into the next one.
I believe the story is very suitable for younger adults and I recommended it to anyone that enjoys fantasy novels.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Be in your Moment by Bibiana Krall
Be in your Moment | Bibiana Krall
Be in the moment…
Everyone has heard this expression before, right? What does it really mean to you? This morning I realized that I need to take my own advice and send a little, fairy dust over to you as well.
This morning I was laying in my bed, reading morning emails, flipping through my Kindle to find a new book to enjoy and simultaneously watching a video about motivation on my iPad. This activity was all within the first five minutes after I opened my eyes.
Now stop! Hold it right there!
Dial back into your morning ritual. Was it anything like mine?
What the heck has happened to enjoy waking up? Stretch your legs and breathe. Be grateful in the dark or watch sunlight creep in through the curtains. If you are lucky enough to have someone you love right beside you, a good morning kiss or a shared coffee is one of the best ways to wake up and start the day.
When did we pass up this simplicity of one moment, for three, four or even five different things coming at us at once? It really boils down to savoring, experiencing, and tasting what is in front of us.
Certain types of obesity, depression, frustration and general discord, may eventually trace back to this simple concept. Of course, there are a million other reasons humans can be unhappy, lost in translation or quick to anger, but let’s stick to how you can stay on the bright side.
I challenge you to try this experiment for a week. Spend fifteen minutes when you wake up- any way you want to, doing only ONE thing that makes YOU happy.
Notice quietly how pure the focus is, remember this and hold on to how centered you feel. You are at the moment. You are engaging with one thing. Life, breath, affirmation and singular stimulus are amazing!
Your moment can be physical or mental exercise, a dramatic, movie style kiss (Yes, please!), eating a fresh peach or even hugging yourself. Give yourself this gift of fifteen moments of affirmation and see if it doesn’t make a remarkable difference in how you perceive yourself and other people you interact with throughout the day.
I used to think it was the big things that made the difference. As I get older, wiser, well… that is to be determined! Ha!
It’s is the slightest shift, that causes the biggest landslide.
Until next time, find your Peace, Love, Hustle and then Write.
Bibiana Krall is a returning student, who recently earned her MA in Creative writing and is actively pursuing her MFA in Fiction in the same program at Wilkes University CW. She is a multi-genre novelist, short-story writer, world traveler, devoted mother and wife who writes memorable characters meant to inspire readers to embrace their inner power.
WWW.BIBIANAKRALL.COM
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The Wealth Attraction Factor: Your Path To Infinite Abundance by Darren Burton (Book Review #224)
This review was kindly requested by Darren Burton.
The Wealth Attraction Factor is a non-fiction- short book written about ways to increase your income. The author demonstrates that by using the correct mindset one can achieve a very wealthy life. The book discusses how to monitor your thoughts and learn how to be logical and practical in order to learn how to effectively apply the law of attraction. It teaches you to attract wealth into your belief and it will come.
I particularly enjoyed the part where the author asks you to not focus on things you don’t have. It may sound really simple but we, as humans naturally wonder on the things we are limited on and use that as an excuse to not move up the ladder. I particularly learned this lesson a few years back when I was working at a place where they expected a high performance with limited recourses. I kept telling myself, how can I accomplish what they are seeking when I have no tools to do so. That is when I changed my mindset and I give credit to the book for reminding me of this lesson.
This isn’t a ‘How to get rich’ book but what it does is offer the most valuable lesson of all, and that is the power of the mind. The chapters are clear on what the discussion matter is going to be about. The literature is easy to understand. There is no complicated graph or a mountain to climb in order to achieve wealth. It is very realistic and true to the nature of things and if one really takes on board what the author is trying to say, then I believe they will be the true winners.
I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to better themselves in life.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Goddess by H.W. Vivian (Book Review #225)
This review was kindly requested by H.W. Vivian
The Goddess is a young adult novel written about Clara and her two brothers. She accidentally causes trouble which then leads to a war. The book is similar, in some aspects to War of Rain but this time the Stratos is allied with purists, which are like hippies, and the ice clan. Clara and her brothers have a secret and no one should find out. At the same time, a woman comes out of a computer in a matrix form. She has the power to commune and is called the Goddess. The woman predicts certain things for Clara that come true creating trouble in her mind.
The world setting takes place in a commune. It is all controlled by the Goddess. Each commune has a task to do every day and Clara has the task of disposing of waste. The story is again divided into parts. Each part evolves into the next one creating this intertwined, thrilling story. Clara’s destiny and faith can save the people and for that reason, her personality needed to be strong and relatable. The author succeeds in drawing out multi-dimensional characteristic virtues, creating this epic story of self-discovery.
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The literature was strong but easy to understand. The book is very suitable for the young adults and the message embedded within the content of the story is beautiful. The pace and the layout were smooth and connected. The story is shorter and more compact. I believe the author has great potential in writing similar style stories and look forward to reading more of her books.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist’s Tale by Charles C. McCormack (Book Review #235)
Hatching Charlie is an autobiography and a quest story. I normally tend to provide a brief summary of the books I review. However, in this case, I believe the author does such a great job that I am going to quote him instead.
“It interweaves the life of Charles McCormack with his becoming a psychotherapist. Born into a violent home, Charlie is then abandoned in a French boarding school at age eleven. There he is again abused. Unable to speak the language, isolated, and confused he struggles to make sense of the world and his place in it. He fails high school, is expelled from college, and goes on an odyssey to Mexico. He then pursues a career as a psychotherapist, suffers PTSD following the suicide of a patient, begins writing, becomes published, and encounters professional success. He is invited to join the faculty of the Washington School of Psychiatry and named the Clinical Social Worker of the Year in Maryland. Yet, his personal life is in shambles. He divorces twice, confronts mental illness in his family, and begins to recognize and confront the impact of his early years on his capacity for love and loving, fathering and grandfathering. He wonders, “What is life about? What is love and loving?” His answers will surprise you.”
The story is written with an exceptionally well and thoughtful manner. It is deeply insightful and humorous. The literary standard is outstanding and the story is written with such lyrical form to entice you emotionally with the main character.
The book consists of 7 parts which hold 38 chapters. The story is written with a smooth pace and layout. The connectivity between the storyline and the setting is very well put together. I particularly enjoyed the core truthfulness of the approach. In no way does the author sugar coat anything and that makes this work genuine and different to others. I believe anyone majoring in psychology or is interested in reading on similar topics will enjoy this book.
Written by Jeyran Main
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