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Servant
Servant is a supernatural fantasy novel that blends family drama, ancient mystery, and time-crossed storytelling. The book follows two threads that eventually begin to echo one another: Zach, a middle-school kid from the Keane family who vanishes from his house under eerie circumstances, and Akolo, a boy living centuries earlier whose life is marked by war, trauma, and the demands of kings. As Zach’s family searches for him in the present day, he finds himself wandering through stone hallways, oil-lit corridors, and a world that feels pulled straight from his dad’s archaeology stories. Meanwhile, Akolo faces his own captivity in a foreign palace controlled by a ruler who insists he will “need” him. Both boys are caught in places where power, fear, and destiny collide. By the time the book reaches its epilogue, the story has cracked wide open into something larger, hinting at deep magic, interwoven timelines, and a house that is far more alive than anyone wants to admit.
I found myself pulled in by the writing style. It’s simple on the surface but has this steady emotional current running underneath. The authors don’t rush. They let each moment breathe. Even the small scenes, a father making coffee, a daughter complaining about pizza for breakfast, or the house creaking in the early morning, carry a sense of “something is happening here,” even if you can’t name it yet. I liked that. It made me feel like I was sitting inside the Keanes’ home, overhearing bits of life while the bigger mystery brewed just out of sight. And then we cut to Akolo’s story, which feels raw and grounded and ancient. Those chapters landed hardest for me. His fear. His confusion. The way he clutches the jeweled stone in his pocket just to feel connected to something familiar.
I also appreciated the author’s choices around pacing and perspective. Switching between timelines can easily feel gimmicky, but here it feels purposeful. Zach’s modern confusion mirrors Akolo’s ancient disorientation, and that parallel makes the supernatural elements feel earned. I liked how the book doesn’t give its secrets away too quickly. We get hints, symbols carved into doors, fog in places fog shouldn’t be, Marshall knowing more than he says, but the authors trust the reader to sit in the unknown for a while. That kind of patience is rare, and honestly, refreshing. The emotional beats hit hardest because they’re framed by that tension: the Keane parents’ terror when Zach goes missing, Ariel’s mix of resentment and fear, Akolo’s grief for his family, Marshall’s haunted loyalty to forces he doesn’t entirely understand. All of it builds toward that late-book shake of the earth, where the house itself moves as though waking up.
Servant doesn’t wrap everything up, but it feels like a middle chapter that knows exactly what it is. I’d recommend this book to readers who love supernatural fantasy with a human heart, people who enjoy stories about families surviving strange things, or anyone who likes time-slip mysteries tied to ancient cultures. If you want something atmospheric, character-driven, and a little eerie without tipping into horror, this one will hit the spot.
Pages: 262 | ASIN : B0FQ5ZGH1R
Duty and Honor
Culgan follows a young woman on the verge of discovering her destiny as a direwolf shifter, and a seasoned warrior and heir to the Freki clan who find themselves bound by fate, ancient prophecy, and a rising evil that threatens the balance of their realm. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
A previous series, The Titanian Chronicles, inspired me to see and write about the Freki World. In fact, some characters in Culgan appear in The Titanian Chronicles.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
The secrecy imposed by universal decree on supernatural creatures was a critical aspect of the story. This helped me place and run their existence parallel to humans. Side by side, but the two shall never cross over.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes of duty and honor tied to power and abilities were part of the exploration. The gryphon comes into play, as the creatures symbolize purity, loyalty, and trustworthiness. They can’t accept an undeserving wolf. To ride a wolf must be worthy.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The next book is in the editing process. This story delves deeper into the consequences of sin, greed, and amorality. How far up will someone go, breaking all the rules before the fall?
I have two more stories planned. But I haven’t seen the road yet.
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Long dreaming of becoming a gryphon rider and training to defend her clan, Roisin Hati is impatient for her sleeping inner wolf to awaken. She never expected a choking cloud of evil magic to do just that. When she finally opens her eyes, a huge black direwolf with stunning cobalt eyes is standing over her—Culgan, son of her beloved godparents.
Culgan freezes when he hears the first snarl of Roisin’s rising wolf in his mind, feels her fear in his bones. As a warrior defending the hidden Freki stronghold, bonding has never been a high priority. But something about the white-haired, dark-eyed Roisin rouses an irresistible drive to: Claim. Mate. Possess.
As Roisin navigates battle training, Culgan is at her side, guiding every step. The pull between them grows stronger until it ignites in a glorious mating union. But dark forces are gathering in the desert. A daemon hungry for revenge bargains with a goddess for the power to destroy the Freki. And the gryphon riders may have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the kingdom.
A Sandbox of Possibilities
Vexed follows the outcast twin of a royal wendigo house, living in hiding, who is thrust back into a world that feeds on power and control, where her ability to love is seen as a weakness, and her greatest fear is becoming a monster like the rest of them. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of folklore—particularly wendigos and skinwalkers. For a while, I wasn’t quite sure how to approach them without falling into the usual tropes. But then it hit me: why not lean into what I already enjoy doing—taking something familiar and reshaping it into something unsettling, emotional, and new? That was something readers appreciated in The Orphan Maker (Book 1 of the series), and their response gave me the confidence to push further. With Vexed, I wanted to continue subverting expectations, not just in terms of myth, but in how we portray monstrosity, love, and identity. Emilia’s journey is my way of asking: What if the real horror isn’t the monster’s form—but what we’re willing to become to survive?
It seemed like you took your time in building the characters and the story to great emotional effect. How did you manage the pacing of the story while keeping readers engaged?
Pacing is something I take very seriously—especially in a series where emotional stakes evolve across multiple books. In The Orphan Maker, the protagonist Damien was strategic, composed, and emotionally closed off. So for Vexed, I wanted a complete shift. Emilia, while equally intelligent, is emotionally raw—her turmoil is deeply internal. That contrast was deliberate. I wanted to disorient readers, to make them feel the weight of her silence and her slow unraveling. Structurally, I made sure every chapter carried either emotional or plot-driven tension, weaving personal revelations with external threats. It’s a careful balance—letting the characters breathe while still turning the screws. That tension keeps the pages turning.
In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away with the magical powers characters have. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?
Fantasy gives you a sandbox of possibilities—but too much freedom can dilute impact. So from the very beginning, I set hard rules for the supernatural. In my planning process, I define exactly what each creature or bloodline can and cannot do, and I document these limits religiously—post-its, diagrams, notebooks, you name it. Power in my world always comes at a cost. If a character uses an ability, there has to be tension or consequence, either physically, emotionally, or narratively. That way, the magic becomes part of the story’s weight—not an escape from it. I want readers to feel that powers don’t make a character stronger—they expose who they really are.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
I’m incredibly excited for Book 3. Without giving too much away, I’ll say this: the stakes will rise, and the lines between human and monster will blur even more. Readers who’ve followed Emilia’s journey will see her pushed further—to the edge of everything she once believed about herself. Expect more secrets, more betrayals, and yes, more of the world’s hidden lore unfolding. The series as a whole is about identity and inheritance, about what we carry from the past and whether we can ever truly choose who we become. Even in a world of vampires, wendigos, and ancient bloodlines, I believe the heart of every story is still about the choice to be kind… or cruel. That tension will only grow as the saga continues.
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In a world where ancient dynasties feed on control, lust, and carnality, Emilia must survive a court of predators that sees love as weakness and hunger as strength. But the real threat isn’t the creatures around her—it’s the one awakening inside her.
Vexed is a dark supernatural thriller that expands the mythos of The Orphan Maker, diving deeper into a world of secret societies, brutal inheritance, and seductive horror. With relentless pacing and prose that bites like a wendigo’s teeth, this is a story that won’t let go.
The Son of Poetry
The Son of Poetry is a contemporary coming-of-age novel wrapped in folklore and urban grit. At its core, it follows Louis Song, a high-achieving and emotionally frayed teenager navigating high school in Edinburgh while being unwittingly drawn into a mysterious, supernatural conflict. The story spirals out from a single unsettling encounter with a trio of schoolyard bullies and unfurls into something deeper and stranger—intertwining ancient Celtic myth, school rivalries, emotional trauma, and questions of identity, fate, and power. With alternating character perspectives and a keen focus on inner conflict, Gill weaves together the ordinary and the uncanny until they’re nearly inseparable.
I didn’t expect this book to affect me the way it did. It starts like a gritty YA drama with sharp edges and painful truths. Gill doesn’t flinch from the ugliness of teen angst, class tension, or casual cruelty. But then something slips into the cracks of the real world—an invisible force, a memory that doesn’t belong, a tug of fate—and that’s when I couldn’t look away. The prose can be raw and jagged. But it’s also lyrical in strange, surprising bursts. I found myself drawn to Louis not because he was brave or brilliant, but because he was painfully human. His quiet ache, his confusion, the moments he second-guesses himself all felt real. His voice, at times, hit me in the gut. And Collin Gannet is one of the most sharply drawn, unforgettable characters I’ve read in a long time.
That said, part of the book’s charm is how it doesn’t rush to explain everything. The pacing takes its time, often drifting into rich layers of lore and dreamy, metaphysical turns that feel more like an immersive experience than a straight path. Some of the fantasy elements are elusive. It adds mystery and atmosphere, inviting the reader to lean in and wonder. A few of the side characters appear just briefly, like passing spirits, and it left me curious and hungry for more. These unexpected textures gave the story a raw, unfiltered energy. It didn’t feel like a polished fairy tale—it felt alive, and brimming with pain, wonder, and a quiet kind of magic.
I’d recommend The Son of Poetry to readers who love literary fiction with a supernatural bent—people who can sit with mystery and don’t mind feeling a bit off-kilter. Fans of The Secret History, Skellig, or The Ocean at the End of the Lane will find something here to love. It’s a story that haunts, confuses, and occasionally sings, just like poetry should.
Pages: 526 | ASIN : B0DBV9XM4J
Vexed
D.A. Chan’s Vexed, the sequel to The Orphan Maker, plunges us back into a world ruled by ancient bloodlines, dark legacies, and monstrous truths cloaked in elegance. Emilia Vasa, the outcast twin of a royal wendigo house, is yanked from the fragile peace of a life she built in hiding. Forced back toward the cruel empire of her birth, she must navigate manipulation, political alliances, old wounds, and the ever-looming shadow of becoming what she fears most—a monster like the rest of them.
Reading Vexed felt like stepping into a gothic opera that never lets up. Chan writes with emotional urgency—his prose is sharp and immersive, always soaked in atmosphere. I was completely swept away by Emilia’s voice: bitter but vulnerable, regal yet scared. She’s a character I rooted for even as I wanted to shake her. The writing walks a brilliant tightrope—both lyrical and grounded, layered with real feeling. Every sentence carries tension. The emotions—grief, fear, longing—stab through in quiet, gut-wrenching moments, especially in scenes with Anja and Michael. I stayed up late flipping pages, chest tight, because I had to know what was coming.
But it’s not just the writing—it’s the ideas that stay with me. This book isn’t just about a girl caught between two worlds. It’s about legacy and survival. It’s about the cruelty of power disguised as tradition. The wendigo myth is used so smartly—not just horror, but metaphor. Chan explores the hunger for control, the rot at the heart of family, and the cost of being different. There’s a quiet brilliance in how Emilia’s “defect” becomes a kind of strength, even as everyone tries to strip her of agency. That conflict—between the lie she must perform and the truth of who she is—makes the book pulse with tension. It’s relatable, even when the characters are monsters.
I can’t recommend Vexed enough to readers who love dark fantasy with real emotional teeth. If you liked Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, or the political dread of The Hunger Games with a gothic twist, this will hit you hard. It’s intense and it’s cruel and tender in equal measure. This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you want something that cuts deep and lingers long after the last page, Vexed is it.
Pages: 335 | ASIN : B0FBV1PJ1N
Emotional Free Fall
The Scald Crow follows a Canadian news anchor who loses her job and the last of her family, leading her to move to Ireland to claim an inheritance from a man she has never met. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I knew I wanted the story to be set in Ireland—it’s a place that pulses with history, myth, and an atmosphere that feels almost otherworldly. But I also wanted a protagonist who had a compelling reason to go there and never look back. That’s where Calla came in. She’s a Canadian news anchor who loses not just her job, but the last of her family. That kind of emotional free fall gave her the perfect motivation to uproot her life and start fresh. The idea of her inheriting something mysterious from a stranger in Ireland just clicked—it opened the door to secrets, magic, and self-discovery. It was the setup I needed to launch her into a world where reality and myth collide.
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
Absolutely. I spent ten days in Ireland with my family, and every location mentioned in The Scald Crow is a place I actually stood. The cliffs, the pubs, the winding roads—all of it left an imprint on me. But it wasn’t just the landscape. It was the people. Bits and pieces of the locals—their warmth, wit, and mystery—found their way into my characters and dialogue. So yes, there’s quite a bit of me in this story. It’s woven with real moments, real places, and the kind of magic you can only feel when you’re truly present somewhere that stirs your soul.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the most important themes for me was bringing to life the magic of the land, the folklore, and the people. Ireland is rich with stories that feel older than time, and I wanted that deep-rooted sense of myth and wonder to pulse through every page. I was drawn to the idea that the land itself holds memory and mystery and that the people—whether mortal or magical—are deeply connected to it. Exploring how place shapes identity, and how folklore can both haunt and heal, was at the heart of writing The Scald Crow.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
In the next book, Resurrection, Calla journeys into the otherworld and meets the magical family she never knew she had—including twin sisters who are opposites in every way and a father with a dangerous glint in his eye. As old powers awaken and a ruthless prince threatens the realm, Calla discovers abilities she never imagined—shifting into other beings in moments of fear. Meanwhile, Colm must reach back through bloodlines and legend to save her, even if it costs him everything.
The future of the series? Let’s just say the veil between worlds is growing thinner… and not everyone who crosses it will return the same.
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Colm fled from Clonmara seven long years ago, but now it’s his father’s birthday, and the clan has gathered to celebrate the ould one. Each day brings back the memories that ruined him.
Saoirse dwells in the shadows of a lost love, unwilling to move on and unable to forget. The crystals say one thing, but the cold, hard truth tells another.
Ciarán walked away from the woman he loved for the fun, for the craic. He didn’t realize that one rash decision would impact the lives of so many, least of all his own.
Four broken hearts, brought together by the thread of love.
The Scald Crow
The Scald Crow doesn’t waste time with hand-holding. Author Hanna Park kicks you straight into the Irish bogs, car troubles, and uncanny vibes before you can even unpack your suitcase. It’s a ride—mud-splattered, magical, and way more emotional than you’d expect.
The story follows Calla Sweet, a Canadian news anchor who crashes—literally and figuratively—into the Irish countryside. She’s reeling from a career implosion, haunted by a mysterious ability to foresee death, and tangled up in an inheritance from a man she’s never met. What follows is a trippy, slow-burn unraveling of secrets, fae folklore, and personal reckoning, all soaked in atmosphere thicker than a pint of Guinness.
Calla’s voice is hilarious, sharp, and often heartbreaking. One minute she’s cracking jokes about bog stench and bees, the next she’s reliving trauma or spiraling into a vision. The tone swings wildly—and that’s the beauty of it. Hanna Park writes like she’s sitting across from you at a pub, telling ghost stories between pints. Sometimes poetic, sometimes blunt, always immersive.
Then there’s Colm O’Donnell. Former military, current tree farmer (ish), and the brooding mystery man you didn’t ask for but definitely needed. He’s got secrets. Big ones. The tension between him and Calla hums through the pages—not in a cheesy rom-com way, but in a “this could get really messy” kind of way. And it does.
What makes this book stand out isn’t just the Irish folklore—it’s the way Park blends it into the everyday. Faerie beliefs, ancestral ties, and supernatural tinges creep in slowly, almost casually. You’re never sure if you’re in a fantasy or just reading the most magical slice-of-life novel ever written. Either way, it works.
The pacing’s a little uneven at times. Some scenes go on longer than they probably should, especially in the quieter middle sections. But the dialogue sparkles, the emotional weight lands, and the sense of place is absolutely nailed. By the time the last page rolls around, you’re left wanting more—in a good way. It’s the first in the Beyond the Faerie Rath series, and you’ll be itching to follow Calla deeper into the rabbit hole.
The Scald Crow is a moody, magical, and wonderfully weird debut that sneaks up on you. It’s not about saving the world—it’s about finding your place in it, even if that place happens to be at the edge of two worlds.
Pages: 260 | ASIN : B0DS3TKLDM
Hidden Behind a Screen
In DON’T MESS WITH ANNA, an online troll meets his match after leaving a one-star review and antagonizing an author. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
About ten years ago, I had actually found a 1-star rating for one of my books on a reader site and there was no written review to explain why this person thought it was so bad. For a new author, it was gut-wrenching. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the person’s page and was astonished to see they had given close to a hundred 1 stars with no written explanation to a bunch of high-profile authors all within a matter of minutes and all on the same day. I could only laugh and say, “Wow! Mad at the world or something?” What’s an author to do but shrug and move on. I comforted myself by being included with these illustrious authors. Late last year, a newly minted author friend of mine received a 1-star with no explanation and gave him a little comfort over my own experience. In an instant I had this image of this irritating author troll down in his mom’s basement cackling like a loon while wreaking havoc in his anonymity. Then I laughingly wondered what my characters would think of someone so carelessly bashing their very existence. Milton was born that day. I let my characters have at him.
I found Milton Smith to be such an interesting character. What was the inspiration for his traits and dialogue?
Instead of presenting Milton as a comic book villain, I knew full well that the person who started this journey for me was just a simple human and probably had some sort of character flaw where he was only happy when trashing someone else’s day. What power they must have felt for causing me to hope for a boatload of 5 stars to offset what he’d done to the book in one click. It took me years for that 1-star to slowly get swallowed up by those who actually enjoyed the story. I envisioned Milton as very intelligent, yet socially ignorant. Something had to have caused him to lash out at the world in the only way he knew how. He had to have a way to explain himself out of the mess he caused. He had to have enough brains to finally catch on that you cannot stay hidden behind a screen forever. Karma always comes knocking at some point.
What was your favorite scene in this story?
Without giving too much away, it has to be Godric and Milton by the ‘wall of weirdness.’ I believe this is where the reader will fully understand the emotional pain Milton caused to others he’s never met. It’s chaos theory’s butterfly effect in a nutshell.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have a sequel to Don’t Mess with Anna in mind, but that might be a while before I can get it out. I want to adapt this first one into a screenplay. I did that with Visiting Darkness, my mystery thriller, and it made it to the semi-finals in the Hollywood Blue Cat screenplay contest. I basically freaked myself out when realizing I had gone up against close to 3,000 entries from seasoned veterans and placed in the top 3%. Even making it to quarter finals had been a shot in the dark, so going further was mind blowing. Just my luck, Hollywood went on strike shortly after and things in the works died on the vine. I’ve now gotten Visiting Darkness’s sequel screenplay in a lot of contests this year and fingers crossed. I’m also in the middle of completing book 16 of my romance series. My fans there are asking where the heck did I go and when’s the next one, so I surely don’t want to disappoint. Love my readers!
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Anna DeMarco’s creative world shatters when a remorseless stranger tears it apart—no blood spilled, just her spirit broken. He thinks he’s won. He’s wrong.
Dragged into a realm where karma wields a jagged edge and magic fuels vengeance, Milton Smith faces a brutal reckoning. How dare he make her cry.
This modern-day critic obsessed with medieval lore crossed the wrong writer—and finds himself hurled into a brutal world of his own making. In a land where curses sting sharper than steel and shadowed by magic he can’t comprehend, his arrogance becomes his chains.
Hard labor, spilled blood, and the wrath of those he wronged awaits. But in the end, even the damned might find redemption—if they survive the reckoning.
‘Don’t mess with Anna’ isn’t a warning—it’s his fate.
LITERARY TITAN 