REVIEW: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by Mike Johnson & Ryan Parrott, with illustrations by Derek Charm

****(4) out of 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this comic. I am a "Star Trek" fan from way back, and I always enjoy a new take on that world, even this strange new incarnation. The visuals here were bright and clear. It was easy to tell the characters apart; which is often not the case in graphic novels and is a particular pet peeve of mine. Of course, the fact that many of the main players were species other than human did kind of help in that regard. The storyline was unique, interesting and exciting, yet easy to follow. I did think that the insertion of the crew from the Enterprise was an unnecessary distraction and meaningless bridge to the storyline of the new academy cadets. But other than that, I really enjoyed the work; so much so that now I want to go out and find all of the others in this series so that I can read them as well!

REVIEW: Dust Bath Revival (Feral Seasons, #1) by Marianne Kirby

**(2) out of 5 stars

This story of 16-year-old Hank begins with her ordinary life in dust-filled, post-zombie-infected Florida.  She faces another normal, boring summer with her brother Ben on their Aunt Marty’s farm.  Or so she thinks.  Things change when an itinerant preacher and his followers rent a field from the family and set up their tent revival freak show.  From there, things take a turn for the worse and just become more and more sad and bizarre as the tale progresses. 

The account is basically broken up into three distinct sections: Hank’s life at home, during some travels, and when she reaches a temporary destination.  The only trouble is – nothing happens in this book.  And I mean – nothing!  The narrative is almost entirely comprised of Hank’s thoughts and feelings, doubts and insecurities, musings and suspicions.  But there is basically no action for the entire length of the tale.  The inertia of things is especially pronounced given that this is supposedly a zombie book.  There are only a couple of zombies in the whole story, both present just for a few moments, and one is in a cage.  The only true action does come from one of these zombies – but it involves him eating a live squirrel, which is sad, gross and disturbing, but nevertheless does not seem especially meaningful.  And we do get to hear all about Hank masturbating one time, but that definitely has nothing to do with anything, although I found it too rather weird and somewhat troubling. 

None of the different segments of the story seem to belong together.  Although there is some little-understood or figured-out, but much-thought-about, conspiracy theory that Hank concocts to explain everything.  This is an idea that may or may not actually be true, but that nonetheless doesn’t seem to be very coherent, let alone have any purpose or meaning.  This book is apparently the first of a series, so perhaps everything will tie together and make sense later on.  However, for now, it just seems like a confusing mess for no apparent reason.      

Basically, I just did not like this book, didn’t find it entertaining, and couldn’t wait to be done with it!  Yet… the writing was quite good and did make me continue reading, hoping for more.  The author’s words just flowed like molasses across the page, pulling the reader along into the story… that basically went nowhere.  It might be enough to convince me to try another book in this series, and I would definitely consider other works she might produce in the future.     

I received an electronic copy of this book free from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. 

REVIEW: un/FAIR by Steven Harper

****(4) out of 5 stars!

This is a very fun and enjoyable fantasy book!  I don’t tend to be a big fan of middle grade fiction, but this was a notable exception.  The writing was uncomplicated and the plot straight-forward enough for younger readers, but there were surprises at almost every turn.  New and different things were constantly happening that you wouldn’t necessarily expect.  Yet everything flowed together and the overall picture made complete sense. 

The fantasy elements of the story were very well developed without being overly complicated.  There were some things that were quite confusing at first, but as more is learned about the back story, things begin to make more and more sense.  And it all fits together wonderfully in the end.    

The characters were, by and large, very fun and quite believable.  Some of the mannerisms and speech patterns for some of them were a bit odd, but it just served to make them seem unique.

I loved that the story was seen through the eyes of a main character with autism.  This brought a whole new perspective and approach to the situation.  And as the mother of a son with autism, I appreciated just how real were Ryan’s many quirks, and how necessary his rules and order were to him.  Seeing things from his viewpoint helped explain some of his behaviors and decisions.  I especially enjoyed some of the methods that Ryan employed to overcome his more debilitating autistic tendencies.  Although I did find many of them to be rathe suspiciously mature for a boy of his age.  His most interesting cheat to me was his texting to his best friend Alison when he is unable to use his words to talk.

The thing that I disliked the most about this book, like almost all middle grade and young adult books, was how much Ryan and Alison hide from or neglected to tell his parents.  Usually, that is what puts the characters in a position to have the adventures that create the story, but as a parent I find it particularly annoying that many of their problems could be solved by simple communication with responsible adults. 

Nonetheless, I found the story delightful and would completely recommend it for middle grade readers on up.  The story was self-contained and complete enough that it could be a stand-alone book, but there was definitely a lot of material left unexplored that it could be developed into a series.  And I truly hope that the latter is the case! 

I received an electronic copy of this book free from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review. 

REVIEW: The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty & Thomas Docherty

*****(5) out of 5 stars!

I absolutely love this book! I am a big fan of books and reading in general, and I have a special affinity for a good children’s book. But this one definitely exceeded anything that I expected.

It has all the key elements of a great story: adventure, rhyming cadence, a knight in shining armor, a dragon and other fearsome beasts, gifts of books, etc. 

The small details - such as the pictures of the beasts in the stories that Leo reads to them - really made each scene seen unique and authentic. 

Despite his parents sending him out into the world (well equipped with a wooden sword, I might add) to make a name for himself as a famous knight, Leo is not at all interested in fighting. Instead, he wins over all the monsters with no violence at all. He even tames a dragon well enough to get him to clean up the mess he has made of a town.  (Even dragons can’t resist a good story…)  Leo accomplishes all of this simply by sharing stories with the creatures that he encounters, usually stories about creatures like themselves (with some changes, truth be told). 

In the end, his parents are forced to admit that knowledge and friendship have won out over brawn.  And so they leave Leo alone to read his books -- with all of the new-found friends he met along his journey!

I received a free copy of this book from Sourcebooks, as part of their kickoff blog tour, in exchange for an honest review.

You can join Leo’s Storybook Knights, pledge your allegiance and receive a certificate of membership and badge images at: http://books.sourcebooks.com/the-storybook-knight-join/

And download an educator or activity kit at: http://books.sourcebooks.com/the-storybook-knight/

You can also connect with the authors at:

Helen Docherty: www.helendocherty.com

Twitter: @docherty_helen

Thomas Docherty: www.thomasdocherty.co.uk

Twitter: @TDIllustration

#storybookknight

REVIEW: Max at Night by Ed Vere

***(3) out of 5 stars [for me]; ****(4) out of 5 stars [for the toddler in your life!]

Max at Night is a charming tale of a darling little kitten who wants to say goodnight to the Moon before turning in one night.  I wasn’t personally all that impressed with this book, but that isn’t to say that I don’t think it would be a good choice for a toddler. 

This is Max. Max is very sleepy. It's way past Max's bedtime. Max has drunk his milk. Max has brushed his teeth. Max has cleaned behind his ears. Now Max just needs to say goodnight...

Just in these first couple of pages I was highly annoyed.  First off, since most cats are lactose intolerant, I hate seeing books (especially recent ones) that perpetuate the myth of a cat enjoying a lovely bowl of milk – and not being sick afterwards.  Although kittens can tolerate cow’s milk better than adult cats, it still isn’t the best thing for them. 

Max is tired and all ready for bed, but when he can't find the moon to say goodnight to, he sets out to find it. But that's not as easy as Max had hoped... 

Max’s reasoning on how he might find the moon is actually quite sound, especially for a toddler.  But while I can see him climbing on top of the dog and even clambering up the tree, I have a hard time trying to figure out how he got on top of the house, let alone the skyscraper.  And I was a bit confused as to why the author chose to anthropomorphize the Moon but not any of the other inanimate objects with which Max (at least attempts to) interact.

Watching Max’s temper tantrum – when after much effort he is still unable to find the Moon – is quite amusing.  That it produces an answer to his dilemma is very fortunate indeed, for him and for the reader.

The actual interaction with the Moon is delightful, and it allows Max to begin the long journey home where he can finally go to sleep.  Children should especially enjoy that he takes almost the same route home – even walking over the sleeping dog – as he does when he sets out on his journey. 

The simple drawings are good in that there isn’t a lot for kids to explore or decipher in them, yet they are clear and concise enough to support the story.  The muted pallet is a nice touch for a book that is meant to be read at bedtime, as it keeps things from being too stimulating and provides a good segue into lights out. 

Overall, even though my excessively critical adult eye had some issues with this book, I do think it makes a pretty good choice as bedtime reading material for a toddler.

I received a free copy of this book from Sourcebooks, as part of their kickoff blog tour, in exchange for an honest review.

You can discover more about Max at Night here: http://books.sourcebooks.com/maxatnight/

And download an activity kit here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx4ZhGcf82dneVdyYlBJUzdNMUk/view?pref=2&pli=1

You can also connect with the author at:
Website: http://www.edvere.com/
Twitter: @ed_vere
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ed_vere/

#maxatnight  

REVIEW: Destruction (The December People, #1) by Sharon Bayliss

**(2) out of 5 stars

The writing of this book is quite good. The author was able to give a fairly distinctive voice to each of several main characters, making each of them individual and unique. There was quite a lot of clever dialogue, much of it rather sarcastic (which I tend to enjoy). 

The underlying premise of inherent magic is intriguing, and learning about how it colors this world was interesting. Although I did have trouble with the concept that one was born with a certain type of magic (dark or light), and couldn’t do much to change what they were or would become. 

The ending was totally bizarre and extremely anti-climatic, making me wonder what was the point of the whole story.

Overall, I just don’t think that this series is for me. I could not get past the fact that one of the main characters is an adulterer who hides from his wife not only a years-long affair, but also a couple of secret kids - whom he then brings home and expects his wife to welcome with open arms. Another major player is a child molester who scars his conquests with cuts on their backs every time he abuses them. And a third person rapes his brother’s girlfriend - while their sister looks on. Overall, a very dysfunctional family, living in a world that I found highly disturbing.

I received a free eBook copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Stuck in the Game by Christopher Keene

**(2) out of 5 stars

Here again is yet another in the latest series of books I have read that I just have not enjoyed very much!  The premise of this book sounds amazing! But it just didn’t deliver for me. 

As the story begins, Noah has been in a car accident and is in a coma. Somehow, the doctors are able to hook him up to the Dream Engine, a virtual reality helmet that immerses him in an online fantasy game. The main premise is that he needs to stay alive in the game or he will go into a coma in real life. Except that he is already in a coma, so that doesn’t make any sort of sense at all. And regardless of this, Noah makes a lot of stupid choices and takes some ridiculous risks. 

The first several chapters were backstory, probably necessary for setting up the parameters of the tale, but boring nonetheless. The extensive tutorials were especially mind-numbing. And that’s from someone who is a non-gamer, who probably needed at least some basic framework for what was happening. For people familiar with gameplay, it would probably be even more tedious. There’s no way my teenage kids would sit through all of that in a tutorial, let alone read it in a book. They just jump right in and start playing the game. Overall, there really isn’t anything that pulls you into the story. 

Noah’s real life girlfriend, Sue, was also involved in the car crash, and she is near to death throughout most of the narrative. Not only do we learn hardly anything about her during the course of the entire book, but Noah doesn’t seem to have any real connection to her, even less so than he does for the other characters in the book, most of whom he has only recently met in a virtual setting. He actually refers to her as having a “mousy face.” Seriously?? That’s how he thinks of his girlfriend that he is supposed madly in love with? At the same time, he very minutely describes the face, hair, and especially body of every female character that he runs into in the game. He certainly doesn’t let his feelings for Sue stop him from getting involved in a very weird and awkward wanna-be love-triangle with a couple of girls in the game. And yet we’re supposed to believe that he is so in love with her that he’ll risk everything, including his virtual and real-world life, to try to save what he believes is a portion of her personality? It just doesn’t ring true for me.

At every turn in the story, there is the suggestion of a conspiracy. Some things do end up being part of a bigger agenda on behalf of the corporation running the game. But many others are just never explained or followed up on. 

And what in the heck is going on in the real world while all of the gameplay is happening? If the powers that be for the Dream Engine are so intent on finding information that they believe Noah or someone close to him has, why aren’t we hearing about them harassing his friends and family in real life? 

I really wondered why, if they can cut Noah off from being able to access his spells and possessions, as they do in one of the final battles, why couldn’t they have just haven taken the item they are seeking from his inventory long ago? Or even just deleted it, since it is, after all, just a virtual game.

The ending had to be the dumbest part for me. Noah knows that his friends are in danger, and that the culprits won’t stop going after them, in the game, and quite possibly in real life. But he just proceeds to leave them, with hardly even a farewell or explanation. Is this really the end of the story?? Or is there a sequel in the works? Either way, I found it to be a totally lame ending. 

If you enjoy monotonous stories with extensive descriptions of gameplay, and if you have a very strong ability to engage a willing suspension of disbelief, this may be the book for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t really recommend it. 

I received a digital copy of this book from Future House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Naming the Stars by Susan Koefod

**(2) out of 5 stars "16-year-old Mary-Louise comes home from swimming lessons one day to find she is absent from family photographs, her bedroom has turned into a linen closet, and all of her possessions have disappeared. More troubling, her family goes on as if she never existed. The only person in town who can actually see her is a boy she calls Fish, a YMCA swimming instructor, but Fish is hiding from a troubled past and the person he sees is entirely different from who she thought she was. The girl he sees is entirely different from the insecure, unattractive girl Mary-Louise thinks of herself. The teens discover the photo of a spirited, beautiful young woman photographed many years before—Pearl—who exactly resembles the girl Fish sees. The truth about Pearl’s identity is the key to discovering why Mary-Louise has disappeared and why Fish left home, but his fears of being discovered are preventing him from helping Mary-Louise, after all, no one can see or hear her." I just do not get this story. At all. I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi; I especially like all of those far out concepts like time travel, quantum flux, temporal anomalies and the like. But this book just did not make any sense to me at all. There was so much back and forth, mixing and matching, shifting around, of characters and times and places, that it all just made me dizzy. I felt like I was reading at least three different stories that wanted to make a coherent plot all fit together, but that just never quite made it.

I received a free eBook copy of this title from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Jennifer Project by Larry Enright

***(3) out of 5 stars!

There were so many, many things about this book that totally irritated me!  First of all, it is set in the year 2096, so (currently) 80 years into our future.  The author created a world where the power structure and living conditions were marginally different than now; but there will probably be more technological advances in the next six months than were displayed in the novel.

Probably the single most irritating part of the narrative, was that the main character, Deever, used hippie speak throughout the entire work.  It was, like, so totally annoying, dude.  How he could even pick up 130-year-old vernacular enough to make it part of his speech pattern is beyond me.

Deever supposedly creates all of these brilliant inventions that can do amazing things, but he has totally inane names for them, like “the Wiggler.”  Also, the book goes into rather exhaustive detail about some of the technical aspects of various science related happenings.  But on the topic of the creation of the main character – Jennifer – it is basically mum.  Of course, you wouldn’t expect a writer to be able to explain how a more advanced species than humans is actually created, but something more of an attempt at it would have been appreciated.

If you could get past some of those negative aspects, the story itself and the main premises of this novel were very intriguing.  There were a lot of twists and turns that I did not at all see coming.  The juxtaposition between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human free will, what is right and what is wrong, and who gets to decide, were all very intriguing.  The take-away-the-grape philosophy was quite brilliant.

Overall, I’d recommend this book as a good read for all, especially those interested in AI and sci-fi in general, not to mention exploration of how to interface those technologies with our human society.  Just for me personally though, the negative aspects were almost too overwhelming for what would otherwise be a rather brilliant story.

As I nominated this book in Kindle Scout, when it was chosen as a winner, I was provided a free eBook copy, with the request to provide an honest review.

REVIEW: Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call? by Erik Burnham

***(3) out of 5 stars

This book is in much the same vein as Ghostbusters International, except that it is set in the groups' regular hometown. I still do not like the artwork style at all. The characters had strangely pointy facial features that are really annoying. And I couldn’t ever tell Peter and Ray apart. The cover photo appears to be of a Slimer with a female Ghostbuster from the recent gender bending movie. But there were no such characters in the book, so I'm not sure what that was all about. There did seem to be more of a storyline to this installment, which was a welcome relief from International. But there were still too many side plots and characters that didn't seem to fit in or be going anywhere.  Okay enough for a light read, but definitely not a lot here.

I received a free e-book galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.