Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
Codex of Light (Tenets of Exile Book 1) by E. P. Stein (Book Review #422)
At first, I was a little confused with the backstory and the Silver Empire. Dallet’s personality being a student with no skills was very interesting. He has a huge responsibility carrying a Codex in shape of a book with powers. The story was intense, and I believe the confusion for me was more towards the diverse and dynamic race, religions and cultures that was embedded in the story.
This comment was not to state anything negative about the story but to say that it would suit people that are into fantasy novels and appreciate rich and complicated stories.
I believe the story had enough content in order to carry the reader into wanting more from the second book. I recommend this book to young adult readers.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Riapoke by Bryan Nowak (Book Review #212)
This book was kindly requested by Bryan Nowak.
Riapoke is a fiction thriller written about a mother and son taking a trip to Riapoke. When they arrived they ignore any suspicious and unusual thing they see or hear, little do they know their lives are in danger. Serial killing is a norm in Riapoke and Kyle has to work with his mother to save themselves out of this mess.
The interesting thing about this book was its world setting. Without a successful built up of the town, it would not have been able to be as good as a story it was. I believe the author managed to succeed in creating a very suspenseful and creative world where paranormal activities engage in producing this thriller novel.
I also enjoyed the dynamic between the mother and son. A small vacation before Kyle heading off to university became something way more than they anticipated. A vacation they will never forget, I am sure.
The character development was good enough to make them relatable. The pace was steady and there was an easy flow of what appeared to be the built up, in the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author and recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading fiction thrillers.
Written By Jeyran Main
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Terrorism by Michael Mansell (Book Review #229)
Terrorism is a non-fiction history short book. The book consists of a quick summary and explanation on how terrorism started, how many kinds exist, and compares certain ideologies such as comparing Jihad with terrorism or comparing Al Qaeda with ISIS. According to the book, terrorism started from the 14th century and they were mostly religious related.
Cyber terrorism is, for example, something we are facing today. Viruses, stealing information, abusing the systems are just some of the things mentioned in this book. I was intrigued in reading that Holy wars did not just take place in the Islamic tradition, they also had been in Christianity and Judaism and that recent holy wars are not religious related and are more politically based.
I enjoyed the fact that this book was written by someone that was biased. The author lays out everything in a summarized format and everything is very crispy clear. The work provides references to historical events. The author clearly has knowledge on the subject matter and has created a solid work for anyone that does not know much about the topic.
I did not think that I was going to like this book, but I did. I recommend it to people that wish to understand the issue.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Chocolate for Lilly by Caroline Clemens (Book Review #421)
Somewhere Beneath: A War of Rain Novel by H. W. Vivian (Book Review #226)
This review was kindly requested by H. W. Vivian Â
Somewhere Beneath is a beautiful young adult book written about a 17-year-old boy, Alan, with the powers to create anything from his imagination. As he suddenly wakes up and finds himself in an underwater metropolis all alone; he does not recall why he is there, or where everyone else has disappeared to. Instead of pursuing his current situation, he decides to ascend to the surface to see the blue sky, only to be stopped by a couple of boys. The kids ask his help in finding the lost Terra-Marrans and make him feel like it is his destiny. As Alan sets off with the kids he discovers more than he bargained for. True intentions reveal what is going on and how his powers are not so beautiful as he thought.
This is the last book of the War of Rain series. Following the two other books are written by the same author, I already knew what quality I was going to face and how perfect the story was going to be. The author did not disappoint in her last trilogy.
The character development was spot on and the world setting was superbly put together. The fantasy takes on a different angle with Alan having powers. The story was special in a sense that it grabs the readers emotions and entices it to a different dimension. The plot was novel, the story was easy to read and to visualize in the mind. Once again, the story is in parts and everything had a nice steady pace to it. I believe this author is one to look out for.
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Having now read all three of the author’s books. I believe that the books can be read as a standalone. This book is suitable for fantasy lovers and young adult readers.
Written by Jeyran Main
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A Different Kind of Lovely by Petra March (Book Review #230)
This review was kindly requested by Petra March.
A different kind of lovely is a romance fiction novel written about Mina and Neil. Mina is an aspiring dancer and lives in a cottage her grandmother left for her. Her ambition is to turn the cottage into a dance studio. Neil is grieving a terrible loss and wishes to buy Mina’s cottage as the property has sentimental value to him. Mina refuses to sell but allows Neil to stay temporarily as she sees how hurt and depressed he is. As fate has it, Mina’s dream becomes a farfetched idea and as she has to now come to terms with reality, Neil is there to help her.
This is a beautiful story about love and healing. One’s character’s body is broken and the other, his mind. Both find comfort and relief over their individual ordeals. The author’s style of writing is smooth and very eloquent in unfolding emotions and sentiments. The character development is outstanding. The story is appealing from the start and takes you on this journey of loss, self-discovery, and healing.
I believe the world setting was also done in a superb way. Places, feelings, surroundings, emotions, and everything is written in a way that you can visualize standing there as a third person, watching the story unfold. I think the author has great potential in writing similar style storylines.
I recommend this book to romance and fiction lovers.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Prize by Geoffrey M. Cooper (Book Review #420)
I really enjoyed reading this book since it reminded me of the bone curse from Carrie Rubin. The author uses his knowledge in the field of science, and medicine in order to produce a thrilling story.
I found the literature to be strong and very compelling to read. The subject matter focused on being a thriller as well as combine medical references without creating any loopholes in the storyline.
What matters here is that the author manages to pull off a really intriguing story and for that, I recommend it to people that like to read medical stories and thrillers.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Limpet Syndrome by Tony Moyle (Book Review 231)
The Limpet Syndrome is a science fiction novel about John Hewsen. John is pronounced dead, however; his soul is somehow still alive. He is in limbo and is in a form of a ball of electricity that still has sensory perception and can experience, emotions, characteristics and possess memories. This condition is called the Limpet syndrome. John is sent on a mission to locate Sandy Logan, the minister of homeland security for the British government. Sandy is a lost soul and if John is able to retrieve him then he will be rewarded with either having his soul positively charged in order to travel to heaven or he can be housed next to father’s soul, in hell. John is left with a harsh predicament and his mission becomes a not too easy one.
Although the story consisted of a dominant afterlife perspective, it was not a doom and gloom kind of novel. The author managed to create this backstory of life and death, accompanying scientific and logical reasoning, for the possibility of what the plot had to offer. The clerk in the story was like the person giving all the information needed for the reader to understand the position and situation John was under.
The character development was done superbly. I believe that is one of the strong aspects of this book. The dialogue had a British slang to it which was nice and the literary standard was in good quality. Everything was easy to understand and the pace of the story was steady enough to keep the interest going. I particularly enjoyed the heaven and hell concept of the plot. I believe, with all the world building and the settings provided in this story, the author can easily create more work and added storylines to this book.
I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in reincarnation, corruption, the human condition, OCD and talking pigeons.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Fitness Powered Brains by Chong Chen (Book Review #232)
Fitness powered brains is a short book revolutionizing the field of physical fitness and brain science. The book provides strategies to strengthen the brain and by doing so, increase productivity. It also subsequently, assists with the coping methods and reduces stress.
The intention of the author, I believe, is to assist the reader in achieving a better life and providing a more successful way of living. He believes that fit people are more effective, possess an efficient brain, have a higher stress tolerance, and create more neurons.
What I enjoyed about this book and believe it to be different than any other self-help book is that it identifies various forms of counteracts that prevent you from exercising. It pinpoints that factor and then resolves it with providing methods to resolve the problem. For instance, if you have a work-family conflict or if your life is a never-ending struggle and you feel like burning out, it assists you in overcoming it.
This book is short but very sweet for the people who are in need of a direct and successful method in overcoming their problems by exercising.
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a better life.
Written by Jeyran Main
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