Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
The Diary of an Immortal by David Castello (Book Review #70)
This review is written for Online book club
“I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.”
Steven is a combat medic. He provides first-aid to the wounded in the battlefield until he can get them to a real doctor. This twenty-one-year-old man is facing World War Two with many drama and death related issues. He happens to come across an immortality formula that if consumed once a day, keeps him alive for many years to come. The more he consumes, the more he will live. Alongside the unique feature this pill gives him, he also begins to see visions and gains the ability to have regenerating cells. I mean the ones you see in Wolverine (X-MEN) series.
A person named Dr. Otto Krueger originally designed this formula for Adolf Hitler. The pills are extracted from the liver of the tiger shark. Now that time does not have any value to Steven; he begins to do the things he always wanted, and that is to be a famous musician. As he pursues his dream, he meets a guy named Albert and his niece, Jessica. Albert knows about the immortal formula and where Steven can find the original recipe. They travel to China where the Buddhist monks are aware of the location of these pills. Steven discovers the truth about the tablets and where it originates from alongside the fact that he has to stop the Aryan Messiah from using the immortal tablets and for all the killings in Germany to happen again.
There are many things I would like to touch on. The first and probably the most thing that bothered me about the book was that Steven has a sick father that is dying. However, he does not insist on having his father take them. He instead offers it to his love interest. I believe, based on what he feared most, living an immortal life alone is probably the only reason why he does that.
The second thing that I believe is worth mentioning is that the story not only has in-depth references to the Buddhism, Dalai Lama, and monks, it also mentions Jesus. I believe that it was unnecessary and without it, the story would have been just as intriguing.
There is a really cool twist to the plot, and that is the third thing I would like to talk about. Steven meets someone earlier on in the story, and he not only meets this person at the end but also it comes with a big reveal and an even bigger announcement.
I liked the fast pace of the story and the fact that it was full of action. The concept of the tale was strong. Immortality, having no restrictions, having the world as your oyster being anything you want, doing anything you want is a fabulous notion. To live forever, never be sick or to heal as soon as you do would be something that anyone would love to have. On the other side, to outlive everyone and to watch them leave as you stay on is very hard. To be on a road where it never ends can be tiring.
I believe the story can take on a second series if the Author wishes to pursue the adventure as there were enough content for the reader to want to know more.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes historical fiction.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
The Everett Exorcism by Lincoln Cole
Book Description:
Something strange is happening in the city of Everett, Washington and Father Niccolo Paladina is tasked with investigating possible demonic activity. Nothing is as it seems, however, and things quickly begin spiraling out of his control.
When his path crosses with that of an old rival, they discover that things are worse in Everett than either of them could ever have imagined. As his world collapses around him, Niccolo will be left with one terrible question: what is my faith worth?
Author Bio:
Lincoln Cole is a Columbus-based author who enjoys traveling and has visited many different parts of the world, including Australia and Cambodia, but always returns home to his pugamonster and wife. His love for writing was kindled at an early age through the works of Isaac Asimov and Stephen King and he enjoys telling stories to anyone who will listen.
He has won multiple literary awards for his novels. He has also been a bestseller in multiple different categories.
Character Interview (Arthur Vangeest, the Hunter):
- Which living person do you most despise?
I most despise Bishop Leopold Glasser, the man who betrayed my family and is responsible for the deaths of my wife and daughter.
- What is the quality you most like in a person?
The willingness to do what is right. There is a lot of evil out in the world, and it isn’t all just evil creatures or monsters. As Edmund Burke said: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
- What or who is the greatest love of your life?
At one time, I would have said my wife, but then when we had our daughter she became the most important thing in the world for me. She was completely unexpected and a gift from God. Sadly, she was taken from me. I would have died then, but I found Abigail and she became a reason for me to continue moving forward.
- When and where were you happiest?
I didn’t know it then, but I was happiest when I was with my family. I never understood just how much of a blessing they were for me until they were gone.
Character Interview (Father Niccolo Paladina):
- What is it that you most dislike?
I dislike people who are unwilling to help those less fortunate than themselves.
- What is your greatest regret?
Never searching for my parents. I was abandoned as a child, left with the Church, and I never took the time to find out who my parents were or why they left me. Not knowing haunts me.
- How would you like to die?
In service to my faith and to my Church.
Author Interview (Lincoln Cole):
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was little. Pretty much as soon as I started reading books by Stephen King.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book. Some of the books I’ve written (literary ones) took years to finish, but others take only a few months. I’ve gotten better at the process of forming an outline and writing a story, so each time I finish one it happens a little bit faster.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I usually do a little bit of writing and then work on something else. I also work full time as a software developer and relax with my family, so it’s hard to squeeze everything in together!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I honestly don’t know. I do things different each time and I don’t have any rituals, but I’m sure if you asked other people they would have a few ideas!
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
I was fourteen when I wrote my first book, and it was terrible. My parents printed copies of it to hand out, but luckily it never sold any copies because it was atrociously bad. I learned a lot, though, and the experience was worthwhile.
If you would like a book review click here
Fall to Earth by Ken Britz (Book Review #322)
The first thing I noticed in the story was its strong background story. This book is part of a sequel and therefore, needed a strong foundation, and I believe, the author did the job justice.
The plot surrounding the work and the scenes were beautifully executed. What I preferred was a little more character development and express of emotion. However, I don’t believe that the lack of it, took away much from the experience. Instead, the casting crew was likable.
The pace of the story was semi-slow, but I believe that was necessary to provide a solid foundation for the next books to come.
The literature standard was suitable for its genre and kept its professional style one would expect. I believe this book would be suitable for people that enjoy outer space stories and Sci-fi fantasies.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
If you would like your book edited click here
Need help getting your book published? Contact Me.
Beauty & Attention by Liz Rosenberg (Book Review #11)
Summary
“The riveting story of one brave young woman’s struggle to free herself from a web of deceit.
For misfit Libby Archer, social expectations for young women in Rochester, New York, in the mid-1950s don’t work. Her father has died, leaving her without parents, and her well-meaning friends are pressuring her to do what any sensible single girl must do: marry a passionate, persistent hometown suitor with a promising future. Yet Libby boldly defies conventional wisdom and plans to delay marriage—to anyone—by departing for her uncle’s Belfast estate. In Ireland, Libby seeks not only the comfort of family but also greater opportunities than seem possible during the stifling McCarthy era at home.
Across the Atlantic, Libby finds common ground with her brilliant, invalid cousin, Lazarus, then puts her trust in a sophisticated older woman who seems to be everything she hopes to become. Fraught with betrayal and long-kept secrets, as well as sudden wealth and unexpected love, Libby’s journey toward independence takes turns she never could have predicted—and calls on courage and strength she never knew she had.” – by Liz Rosenberg
Review
Nothing can prevent you from enjoying this beautifully well-written book about a girl, Libby Archer. She has experienced loss and is enforced with behaving in a way that is approved by social norm.
Just like any other human being, once you refuse to be subdued, such amount of pressure and expectations sometimes causes a person to make the wrong decisions or to be vulnerable towards prey. With not many people around her to guide her through this harsh path of reality, Libby has to make important decisions all by herself.
I want to congratulate this author for possessing excellent knowledge of vocabulary. The art of writing and correct references to geographical and historical places was truly admirable. Along the side of other accurately referenced landmarks in this book, the author made no mistakes in mentioning ‘Persian Gulf’ in its correct name.
“He acted like the sun; he could not help shining, and he wasn’t responsible if others naturally orbited around him, soaking in his warmth.”
“Just remember, if you have been hated, you have also been loved. Deeply loved, Libby…loved like fire. Blood and bone.”
These are just a glimpse of what this beautiful book offers to the reader.
My favorite character was Lazarus. He was funny, incredibly kind and his situation made you really warm up to him. If I had magical powers, I believe I would have made his life much easier and his future, more delightful.
I believe the author wished to express the nature of how it is nice to choose rather than, to be chosen in life. The message was very clear that life is what you make of it and every choice made has its rewards and consequences.
Written by: Jeyran Main
I was given this book by the Author & Lake Union Publishing for a review.
If you would like a book review click here
The First Five Days (of the Lionean Saga) by John O. & Archie A. (Book Review #60)
This review is written for Online Book Club.
“I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.”
Yosi Sint is the leader of the military for the nation of Lionea. This nation is confronted with wars on a regular basis, and its military leaders have the tendency of being killed mysteriously. When Yosi takes his place as the new man in charge, he has to be careful to not end up with the same fate. He also has to defend Lionea. The story consists of many dramatic scenes and magical enchantments, which is a nice addition to the plot.
Yosi is strong and is much more alert with what is going on around him. The backstory and the retelling of emotions are well written and clear. The first five days are essentially revolving around Yosi’s life. The backstory and character building were good but towards the end did not grow. This leaves the reader to wonder, and that may be a good sign if the Author has the intention of picking where he leaves off in book two.
This is a great fantasy novel, one that many like to read if they are into epic battles and warrior themed stories. The first five days has you sink into the book and not let go until the end. The book does contain sexual content and references to rape, sexual exploitation, and abuse. The format and rate of the material are similar to what you may have heard or seen in The Game of Thrones.
Another thing that I liked about this book was that it was not just written from one perspective. Normally this can be confusing for some readers. However, the authors successfully managed to separate the telling’s and maintain the adventure and drama within the tale.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read on fantasy and warrior style stories.
Written by Jeyran Main
Here is where you can purchase this book:
If you would like a book review click here
Being Accountable by Danica Genova (Book Review #321)
Studies have proven that logging your daily things allows you to measure and better see where you are going wrong.
I particularly enjoyed the part where you can even track how much you have given back to earth.
The author is fully aware that there are many journals out there. Hence, she has created something different. The journal is divided into 12 weeks. Each week begins with a metaphysical part, providing education to the reader before they start the week.
I strongly believe that when one keeps a journal like this and evaluates their behavior and mental state of mind, one can easily improve and increase their quality of life.
Only when you take life in your own hand and be in charge of what happens, can you better your life and chances in getting what you want.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
Keratoconus – A disease that can blind
The cornea is the clear outer layer of the eye (consisting of 5 individual layers) which acts to bend light to help focus it back onto the retina. It also acts as an important outer protective layer of the eye.
Keratoconus is a progressive, degenerative disease of the cornea in which the cornea thins and bulges form a cone-like shape which causes distortion of vision and in severe cases, even perforation of the cornea. The name Keratoconus is derived from the Greek (“kerato” meaning cornea and “konus” meaning cone).
Symptoms of this disorder include distorted night vision, the seeing of light “halos,” decreased distance vision and scarring of the cornea. Vision in glasses in Keratoconus patients is usually very limited often affecting their ability to drive especially if they can’t tolerate contact lenses.
It is thought that Keratoconus has a possible hereditary component and it has been related to conditions like Down’s syndrome, chronic eye rubbing and atopy (the tendency to develop allergic conditions). It usually occurs in both eyes and begins in puberty developing gradually over a period of from 10 to 20 years.
There are about 136,000 cases of keratoconus in the United States (1/2000 Americans). One of these is Emmy and Tony’s award winning actor Mandy Patinkin who plays a doctor on TV’s Chicago Hope and who was diagnosed with Keratoconus in 1982. He had started to notice changes in his vision which led to an evaluation with an Ophthalmologist and his eventual diagnosis and prescription for gas permeable hard contact lenses.
These types of contact lenses can often help improve vision as they flatten the corneas back to a more normal contour. Mandy was able to wear contact lenses for fifteen years but suddenly one day when driving to LaGuardia Airport in New York, he developed extreme pain in his right eye.
He was forced to suddenly stop the car and was rushed to a local hospital. It turned out that his right cornea had ruptured and he urgently needed an emergency corneal transplant.
In Mandy’s case, the corneal graft worked improving his vision in his right eye, but 3 1/2 years later he needed another corneal transplant this time in his left eye. Possible risks of corneal transplants include infection, development of glaucoma, the breaking of sutures and rejection of the transplant. Also, occasionally, there is no improvement in sight.
Two new advances in the treatment of keratoconus are “corneal cross-linking” (CXL) where specialized vitamin drops are applied to the cornea to increase the collagen crosslinks (anchors in the cornea). This increases stability and decreases bulging and INTACS (a procedure where 2 “arc like plastic segments” are inserted into the middle layer of the cornea to help flatten it). Clinical trials are currently ongoing using gene therapy to try to alter abnormal corneal cells.
Written by James D. Okun
James D. Okun, MD is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is the author of Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing and of The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine.
Review Tales 