Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
Melhara by Jocelyn Tollefson (Book Review #117)
This review was written for Online Book Club
“I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.”
This book was an “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day.”
The story begins with Kyra being a witch. She is happily married to James and has a boy named Xavier. Kyra is very close to her family. No one in particular besides a few that Kyra trusts, know about her real powers. Her brother, Axel and her friend, Alexis, also happen to be a witch. She constantly has these weird dreams and is not sure why. In an unfortunate event, Kyra is kidnapped alongside her family. She is then blackmailed to do as she is told by an immortal demon, named Alastor
The story begins with Kyra being a witch. She is happily married to James and has a boy named Xavier. Kyra is very close to her family. No one in particular besides a few that Kyra trusts, know about her real powers. Her brother, Axel and her friend, Alexis, also happen to be a witch. She constantly has these weird dreams and is not sure why. In an unfortunate event, Kyra is kidnapped alongside her family. She is then blackmailed to do as she is told by an immortal demon, named Alastor or else she will lose everyone in her family. Kyra makes an ever-lasting deal with him. Alastor has to protect her family from any possible harm, and so she joins him.
Alastor and Kyra begin this adventure of destruction, chaos and spread evil throughout the world setting they are in. Alastor teaches Kyra how to use her magic in ways she never knew before. Kyra changes and the powers she possesses is released onto Alastor’s ultimate goal, eradicating the government, changing good to evil, corrupting the system and, creating a new version of The Purge.
Kyra’s family have to save her from what is happening.
This is a thrilling ride of continuous events that sum up a very engaging science fiction story. Melhara, is full of surprises and the messages of love, compassion, sacrifice, and self-doubt is filled within the content of the book. The world setting is described very well, and the casting crew was relatable. Every character has a backstory and is connected with one another. I enjoyed the family orientation of the story and the hidden message within the book was admirable. Sometimes holding back on your abilities and potentials can really turn you inside out. Having self-control and making a choice to be what you are is better than being scared and hiding from it.
There is sexual content within the book making it not suitable for a younger audience. The ending was strong, and I found the plot to be novel.
I highly recommend this book, and it was a pleasure to read. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The City that Walked Away by Andrew Ravensdale (Book Review #340)
As I began reading this short book, I was a little taken back. The language and literature were unfamiliar to me. The use of profanity was abrupt, and every sentence almost started with “The Wooden God” or “The cat” or “The Arch Priestess.”
The content of the work was not so much of a story-telling but had a sense of poetic-telling. The narrator was in the third person and revolved around the statue. I believe anyone that enjoys a different style of literature would enjoy this book. The genre falls under dystopian Sci-Fi, and the story originates from Hattusa, capital of Hittites which situated on a hill in Anatolia. I liked the fact that the author had done such research towards creating this story.
The author has definitely attempted to create something novel here, and I appreciated the attempt. I believe readers that seek a unique approach to storytelling will find this book pleasing.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
Moristoun by Kevin McAllion (Book Review #111)
This review was kindly requested by the author, Kevin MaAllion.
Moristoun is a story about redemption, love and the enjoyment of living. There are times in life when nothing seems to be going your way. The feeling of loneliness, having no goals or ambition and failing to recognize the reason for living overwhelms the individual causing them to consider giving up living entirely.
This book takes you on a journey to an island called Moristoun where Scottish people who have given up on life travel there. William Buchan who is on this island has been stuck there for over 200 years. McSorely wishes to take his life and so William decides to convince McSorely to find confidence; love and joy back into his heart, in other words, rehabilitate his way of thinking by offering him a job. He and another person named Gail are the only two mortals on this Island. She was brought there after her mother had died from suicide. Things do not take long before they get more complicated and that is just the beginning of this black comedy tale!
At first, I thought that this is going to be a very depressing book discussing sensitive topics that I am not very eager to read about. The topic of death and taking your own life is such a contradicting emotion and thought in relation to my happy personality and joyful attitude, therefore, when I read books on this matter, I typically feel very out of touch and silly. Moristoun though had a sprinkle of humor within the subtext of its content. This lifted the mood of the book and provided novelty to the whole approach.
In addition to the storyline, the literary content was written with Scottish slang and references, which I believe not everyone, would understand but would appreciate. The book is not something you would find like others. I enjoyed the plot and the casting crew. The world setting and the flow of the story were easy to understand, and I believe demonstrated that the author had done an intense amount of reading towards researching the subject matter.
I recommend this book to all fiction- dark comedy readers and people that like to read on something different.
If you liked this review, please don’t forget to share and like!
Written by Jeyran Main
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Caught Inside: A Boys on the Brink Novel by Jamie Deacon (Book Review #94)
This review is written for Online Book Club
“I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.”
This book was an “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day”
Luke is ‘Caught Inside’ this confliction of sexual orientation. He is dating Zara and is on vacation with her. Zara has a cousin named Theo. The moment Luke meets Thoe, unfamiliar feelings begin to rise within his core being. Luke is falling for a guy and that scares him a lot. The feelings that he senses are unyielding, undeniable and no matter how much he tries to alleviate it to be a passing phase, it does not cure the problem.
As Theo and Luke get closer, Luke’s relationship with Zara becomes problematic. Luke does not wish to cheat on her and also does not know how welcoming the world will be once they know that he is into men.
The vulnerability of the case was written true to the purest of nature. Whether you were against or with his sexual struggle, the literary standard representing this conflict was beautifully written.
The Author fascinates you with his style of writing so much so that it was very easy to feel and to understand the exact emotions Luke felt when he realizes his true desires. The daunting nature of telling everyone about it is written so well. The chances of him losing all his friends, being mocked, left alone, abandoned, questioned or being looked at in a disgusting way were all brought into this novel tale.
Other characters in this story also partake roles alongside, for instance, Dean is Luke’s friend and does not take the news very well. However, the focus is more on Luke and his decisions.
I look forward to reading more by this Author.
Written by Jeyran Main
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GIFTS (The Spark Form Chronicles #3) by Matt Doyle (Book Review #339)
Things really sum up in this third book, and although I found the work to be shorter, it still remained sweet.
Wick by Matt Doyle (Book Review #240)
The author’s style of writing and literature standard was as always delightful. Things went back to the basics with John, and that was a nice touch to the story. This highly intelligent science fiction story is very well plotted and created. The world setting was just as picturesque, and the emphasis on the relationships between the characters was a nice addition to the story.
I recommend the whole series to anyone who really enjoys sci-fi books.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
The Helper by M. N. Snow (Book Review #91)
I was given this book by the Author & UnderratedReads for a review.
The Helper is a book written about three friends with three secrets. It takes you on a journey where friendship, relationships and the desire to help others means more than anything. They have the power to heal people, meaning they are a giver.
John Sloan is a marine and loses this generous ability. Since that is all he knows to be from the age of four, the loss takes on several tumbles and falls to figure out why and how to now carry on without it. Dusty Hakalla is a healer with a past. His powers were once abused, and he is not quiet over this ordeal. Deena Morrison is John’s love interest and is also a healer. She too has a past where she was adopted and does not know much about her biological parents.
The helper begins with an absolutely beautiful prologue. I highly recommend readers to start the book with that. It truly gives you an insight on what you are to expect walking into this story. I use the term “walking” because it was truly a walk-through rather than a read through. The use of accurate terminology, wording and the high-quality literature standard flying off the pages impacted my vision so much so that I was off my scale of conception.
There is quite a substantial amount of backstory to how everything begins for all three friends. The chapters are short and easy to read through. The connection between the characters and the bond between them was touching. All of them had relatable personalities and were written up to draw you in. The setting of the world and description was very well put together, and the plot did consist of enough twists and drama to keep you reading and feel engaged. I have also to add that there is profanity regularly used across the book.
I recommend this book to anyone that loves to read on magical realism, science fiction, and fantasy stories. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Blogger Recognition Award #1
I am honored to be nominated by THE MUNDANE TEENAGE LIFE. Thank you for this beautiful award!
RULES
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
- Write a post to show your award.
- Give a brief story of how your blog started.
- Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
- Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
- Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated and provide the link to the post you created.
The story of how my website started is here. I challenged myself to start reading one book a month as a new years resolution. My life and responsibilities, work and everything else had consumed what I loved, and that was to read. So I wanted to push myself back into a routine, and once I started, it was like giving back beats to my sleeping heart.
As part of the reward I am to give two pieces of advice so here goes:
1- Always be honest in what you post. By being honest, you attract the right audience & gain genuine love back
2-Be consistent. No matter what you decide with your blog or website, stick to it. Don’t flip flop between interests. Be organized and clear.
I nominate the following blogs. They deserve this recognition.
CARNIVAL (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 2) by Matt Doyle (Book Review #338)
Card games have never sounded this exciting. The characters and plot were yet again multi-layered, and filled with action battles. The pace of the story was fast and justified. Each character had its own agenda, path, fate, and personality. I personally enjoyed this aspect of the story. The science fiction and content was filled with highly thought out, plausible reasoning which gave the tale a solid foundation to its grounds.
I believe that if I had not read the first book, this one would have not made any sense. If you are interested in reading this book, then I would start from the beginning.
Wick by Matt Doyle (Book Review #240)
The international card battling uses holographic data, and that is how the competitors choose to battle it out depending on the combinations of the played cards. As each character’s agenda was pursued, they all came together for the big finale which made this story to be extremely appealing to read. I recommend this book to science fiction fantasy readers.
Written by Jeyran Main
If you would like a book review click here
Malignant Melanoma – A Potentially Deadly Skin Cancer by James Okun, MD
It is time for James Okun to pick our brain and inform us on some important medical matters. You can show your support by buying his books or leaving a comment here if you like- Jeyran Main
James D. Okun, MD is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is the co-author of The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine and of Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing.
Did you know that a mole can turn malignant, spread and lead to death if it is not diagnosed by biopsy and treated early? This condition is called metastatic malignant melanoma. Also, extremely important is prevention involving the use of appropriate sun blocks and avoidance of high-risk behaviors such as overexposure to the sun or improper use of tanning beds.
Malignant melanoma is a dangerous type of skin cancer and is what killed actor James Rebhorn of Showtime’s popular Homeland TV program at the age of sixty-five (www.dermacentermd.com).
Melanoma also killed famous singer Bob Marley at the age of 36 when a melanoma developed under one of his toenails. This type of melanoma known as “acral” or “hidden melanoma” develops in obscure areas of the body such as “the lining of the mouth, nose, and female genitals, and underneath or near fingernails or toenails.” (www.melanomaupdates.com/2014).
Per the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) melanoma is relatively rare and “accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.”
The three layers of the skin consist of a surface layer and two deeper layers. The top protective and waterproof layer of the skin is the epidermis. The next deeper layer is the dermis which contains hair follicles and sweat glands. This layer is followed by the subcutaneous layer which is the deepest layer of the skin and contains fat.
The epidermis contains the melanocytes which produce the dark pigment melanin that leads to darkening of the skin. In melanoma, the melanocytes become malignant (cancerous) and if not caught early this type of skin cancer can metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body and can lead to death as in the case of Mr. Rebhorn and Bob Marley.
Under normal circumstances, the melanocytes like other cells in the body, divide and grow under cellular controls that control the rate of cell division. Growth rate and cellular restraint on growth are normally in a homeostatic balance. When cancer ensues, out of control cell growth eventually forms a tumor composed of melanocytes which are known as a melanoma (See The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine Chapter 10). The cancerous melanocytes divide with abandon overwhelming the normal restraints against wild, out of control cellular growth.
One potential sign of a melanoma includes (www.cancer.org) the development of a new mole or spot not noticed previously. Additionally concerning is a mole that has changed in color, has borders which have become irregular, has become asymmetrical, has increased in size, or is in the process of changing or “evolving” in terms of size, shape, color, “feel” or borders, or is bleeding or cracking.
Common sites of distant spread or metastasis of melanomas include the lungs, liver, bones, and brain (www.melanoma.org).
Treatment options for melanomas include chemotherapy, radiation, surgical excision, and new types of targeted therapies in which drugs are specifically targeted to affect molecules in the tumor which control cell division and growth, based on genetic profiles, hopefully without affecting normal cells.
James D. Okun, MD is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is the co-author of The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine and of Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing.
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