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Winter Comes in June
Winter Comes in June is a gripping and emotionally charged sci-fi survival novel that blends hard science with raw humanity. Set in a post-apocalyptic world scarred by the devastating Amira Event, a massive asteroid strike, the book unfolds through the voices of Sunday Rain and her parents, Oksana and Michael. The story moves between the sterile safety of the Moon’s Armstrong base, the grounded resilience of life on Earth, and the reflections of survivors trying to rebuild amidst ruin. It’s a chronicle of love, legacy, and loss as told by a young woman trying to understand the past by reading the diaries of those who lived through the unthinkable.
What struck me first was the immediacy of the voice. The writing is blunt, sometimes even crude, but in a way that feels honest and necessary. The characters speak the way real people might in a world gone sideways, candidly, with humor and despair all tangled up together. The author doesn’t waste time dressing things up. Instead, the rawness of the narration pulls you in. I felt like I was sitting beside Sunday or watching Oksana float down a Moon corridor. There’s something deeply personal in how the characters observe beauty, process trauma, and navigate love and fear. It’s not tidy, and that’s what makes it believable.
What also stood out to me was the heart behind the science. The book is packed with believable technical detail, from lunar base life to asteroid composition, but it never lets the science drown out the human stories. Michael and Jenny’s romance is sweet, grounded, and tender. Oksana’s guilt and pride as she watches disaster unfold from afar is gutting. The scenes between characters, whether they’re sitting at a breakfast table or staring up at the sky, hit harder than any explosion or battle could. The asteroid might be the monster in the sky, but it’s the people who give this book its weight.
Winter Comes in June is a story about surviving not just a planetary catastrophe, but the emotional aftershocks that follow. It’s not polished or flowery, but it’s deeply moving and hard to forget. I’d recommend this book to readers who like post-apocalyptic fiction with brains and heart, fans of Andy Weir or Emily St. John Mandel. If you want a sci-fi novel that feels less like a blockbuster and more like a diary, this one’s for you.
Pages: 294 | ASIN: B0F9VW85SH
Dry The Rain
Dry The Rain is a haunting and intimate novel told from the perspective of a girl who survived a prolonged and horrific kidnapping. As she recounts the trauma she endured at the hands of her captor, referred to simply as “He,” the story unspools through a blend of raw reflection, fragmented memory, and unfiltered commentary on how the world consumes pain for entertainment. The novel explores the aftermath of trauma, the commodification of suffering, and the tension between truth and storytelling, especially when a survivor’s life is turned into a streaming series. What unfolds is not a traditional narrative, but a personal reckoning.
Dry The Rain made me feel like I was sitting inside someone’s broken mind as it slowly tried to piece itself together. The writing is stripped down and jagged. It loops and circles back, never quite giving in to what most readers might expect from a story like this. I admired how much it refused to dress up trauma or package it neatly. The narrator doesn’t want pity. She wants control. The writing felt deeply personal, but also sharp, like it was daring me to keep reading even when it hurt. I found that power both upsetting and moving. And honestly, there were parts that made me put the book down, not because of gore, but because of the sheer, quiet intensity of what was being said.
Still, the voice of the book is what stayed with me. It’s messy. It repeats itself. But it also felt frighteningly real. The way the narrator talks about the TV adaptation of her life and how others misunderstand her survival resonated with me. She’s not asking for your attention. She’s telling you what it costs to get it. Some of the ideas in the book are brutal in their simplicity, especially when she talks about beauty, control, and the way society consumes victims.
I would recommend Dry The Rain to readers who don’t mind being uncomfortable. This isn’t a thriller or a trauma memoir with easy lessons. It’s a reflective, original story for those who want to sit with hard truths and aren’t looking for tidy endings. If you’ve ever felt that pain is something too often turned into content, this book will speak to that unease.
Pages: 223
Gangsters and Demons
Gangsters and Demons is a dark, pulpy, and strangely heartfelt novel set in 1920s Chicago. The story follows Jimmy Maloney, a dockworker trying to survive amid the city’s industrial grime, systemic poverty, and rising organized crime. What starts as a classic gangster tale gradually transforms into something much more unexpected, something deeply strange, even supernatural. As Jimmy gets drawn deeper into a criminal underworld, he confronts not just mobsters but literal demons, both personal and paranormal. The lines blur between addiction and possession, loyalty and survival, faith and fear. O’Neill stitches together Prohibition-era crime drama with elements of horror and religious myth in a way that feels both ambitious and unhinged.
I felt like I was being pulled into an old noir film that slowly melted into a fever dream. O’Neill’s writing is rich with mood and texture. The way he builds atmosphere, from fog-drenched alleys to crowded tenement kitchens, is immersive and unflinching. But it’s not just about setting. The dialogue is sharp and believable, especially when tensions rise between dockworkers and mob bosses. At times, the narrative veers into melodrama, especially when introducing the more fantastical elements, but somehow, it works. The raw emotion in the scenes with Jimmy’s mother or his deteriorating friendship with Nathan hits hard. You feel the weight of hopelessness, the creeping dread of losing control. It’s messy, and that’s what makes it feel real.
What surprised me most were the ideas buried beneath the genre trappings. Addiction, exploitation, poverty, faith, these aren’t just backdrops, they’re the bones of the story. There’s something gutsy about blending demonic possession with union strikes and rent hikes. It’s as if O’Neill is saying the real horror isn’t the supernatural, it’s the everyday grind that breaks people down. There were a few moments where the themes came through a little strongly, as if the story had something meaningful to share and leaned into it with intention. A couple of plot threads faded into the background, and a few characters seemed to serve more symbolic roles. Even so, the story gripped. I kept turning the pages, eager to see where it would go next.
I’d recommend Gangsters and Demons to anyone who enjoys stories that punch you in the gut and don’t apologize. If you’re into gritty historical fiction with a twist of horror, think Peaky Blinders meets The Exorcist, you’ll find something to love here. It’s bold, honest, and haunted.
Pages: 255 | ASIN : B0F48TS4R5
Imogen and The Silent Depths; The Sea Ghost Comes Book 1 of the Accursed Carnival Series
Angel Dunworth’s Imogen and the Silent Depths: The Sea Ghost Comes is the first book in The Accursed Carnival Series. It’s a whimsical and eerie tale that begins in a mysterious seaside town where a traveling carnival sets up camp against local warnings. The story spirals into a magical clash between mortal joy and ancient curses, led by a wicked sea witch named Omenthia. At the heart of the novel is Imogen, a carousel horse brought to life by accident, and perhaps fate, who must discover her true self to break the curse and restore the carnival. Alongside vibrant characters and a dash of folklore, the book charts a journey of identity, courage, and the deep magic hiding in forgotten places.
Dunworth’s prose has a sing-song lilt to it, often reminding me of a classic fairy tale, but with a sharp, modern twist. I liked the mood she created. It’s wistful one moment and spine-chilling the next. Imogen’s journey is emotionally honest, especially for a character who isn’t human. I found myself rooting for her in a way that surprised me. The dialogue could sometimes be overly expository, but the rhythm and tone carried it. I appreciated how the story never talked down to younger readers. It assumed they’d rise to the language, the mystery, and the moral weight of the tale.
There were moments where the pacing slowed, especially when side characters were introduced and quickly dropped. The narrative sometimes bounces between Maggie, Jove, the sea witch, and various side plots. Still, I never felt bored. If anything, the book seemed to burst with too many ideas rather than too few. Dunworth’s imagination is big, maybe even a little wild. And while not every idea landed for me, I admired her commitment to telling a big-hearted and deeply magical story.
Imogen and the Silent Depths is a story I’d recommend for readers young and old who still believe in hidden magic, talking horses, and the fight between good and evil. It’s ideal for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline or Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant. This book is a reminder that even overlooked things can become heroes.
Pages: 182 | ASIN: B0F8KVZWC4
Side Quest: Stories
Jalyn Renae Fiske’s Side Quest is a spellbinding short story collection that threads together the fantastical, the bizarre, the sorrowful, and the hopeful into a vivid tapestry of speculative fiction. Each tale feels like its own little world, yet they all orbit the same sun. Stories about transformation, identity, and the human ache to find meaning in magic, or at least something just beyond reach. From haunted boxes that hold hearts to candy that can bend reality, Fiske’s writing thrives in liminal spaces where myth rubs up against memory and childhood wonder is soaked through with grown-up grief.
Fiske writes like she’s pulling you by the hand into each scene, whispering truths you’re not sure you’re supposed to know. The imagery is lush and often strange in the best way. Raw, dreamlike, sometimes grotesque, but always beautiful. Her story “Soul Candy” was one of my favorites. It dances between sci-fi satire and horror with a slow burn that leaves a pit in your stomach. It’s not just about mood-altering sweets; it’s about how easy it is to surrender yourself to illusion when reality offers so little warmth. And then there are stories like “Heart Box” that broke me open quietly, like a poem with a knife tucked between the lines. Fiske writes grief with a tenderness that hurts. She captures children in these moments of impossible emotion and makes them feel completely real. And she never talks down to her characters or her readers.
A couple of the stories leaned into allegory or felt like exercises in style rather than fully lived-in worlds. But even then, the writing kept me in it. Fiske knows her craft. She’s playful, she’s weird, and she’s sharp. I also loved the way she framed the whole collection as her “side quests,” which made me think differently about short stories, not as detours but as power-ups, each one leveling up the voice of a writer who’s still growing and pushing herself.
I’d recommend Side Quest to anyone who loves speculative fiction with a soft heart and a sharp edge. Fans of Kelly Link or Carmen Maria Machado stories will feel right at home here. If you’ve ever wanted to disappear into a story that feels like it a dream, this collection is a must.
Pages: 227 | ASIN : B0DKCYY7LG
New Star
Lana Christian’s New Star is a deeply immersive and imaginatively told journey into the world of the Magi, the ancient priest-scholars of Persia. Set one year after the birth of Jesus, the story follows Akilah and his fellow Magi as they risk careers, reputations, and lives to investigate a mysterious star that could fulfill ancient Hebrew prophecies. Intertwining historical intrigue, political tension, and spiritual longing, the novel reimagines what led the Wise Men to embark on their fabled journey to Bethlehem. With richly detailed settings and layered characters, Christian blends biblical history and scholarly imagination into a fast-paced, thought-provoking narrative.
Reading New Star felt like stepping into a world I thought I already understood, only to discover how much more there was beneath the surface. I was surprised by how invested I became in Akilah’s pursuit. Not just of the star, but of meaning, legacy, and truth. The writing is clean and poetic without trying too hard, and the dialogue feels genuine. What stood out most to me was how Christian managed to make the inner world of ancient scholars, research, prayer, doubt, and conviction so emotionally engaging. The religious themes unfold naturally through the characters’ inner struggles and choices, making the journey feel as much spiritual as it is historical.
What I liked most was the courage these characters showed in a time when even asking questions could cost everything. The book is full of quiet moments that land like thunderclaps. There’s beauty in the smallest scenes. An old scroll, a firelit conversation, a whispered prayer. The novel doesn’t rely on action to drive tension, though there are plenty of intense scenes. It’s the emotional stakes that carry the weight. The book made me reflect on the cost of conviction and the bravery it takes to search for something bigger than yourself when the world says “stop.” Christian doesn’t shy away from that tension, and I admire that.
New Star is for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with heart and depth. It’s especially for readers who’ve ever wondered what really drove the Magi to leave everything behind. I’d recommend it to lovers of biblical fiction, of course, but also to skeptics and history buffs, anyone open to a story about risk, faith, and finding light in the dark.
Pages: 376 | ASIN: B0D9T1PW9W
The Phantom Affliction
The Phantom Affliction is a gripping noir-style mystery set in post-WWII Chicago. The story follows Jack Kelly, a wounded veteran and son of a slain cop, who returns home only to stumble into a dangerous web of lies, disappearances, and old ghosts. When a former flame’s mother asks for help finding her missing daughter, Jack gets swept up in a messy case involving crooked families, lost identities, a fake milkman with a knife, and secrets tied to his own father’s death. What starts as a favor spirals into something bigger, more sinister, and deeply personal.
Reading this book felt like watching a smoky detective movie. Parker’s writing has bite. The voice is raw and full of personality. It’s sarcastic, wounded, cynical, but strangely warm. Jack Kelly is no hero with a shiny badge. He’s bruised, bitter, and limping, literally and emotionally. What I loved most was how real he felt. He’s the kind of guy who’ll joke about his fake leg even while bleeding from the head. The dialogue crackles with grit and wit, and the prose never overreaches. It’s straight talk from a street-smart vet who’s seen too much. I found myself grinning one second and wincing the next. The pacing slows in a few spots, sure, but never enough to kill the mood. You just want to follow Jack, even when he’s clearly in over his head.
The ideas Parker digs into hit hard. The novel looks at loyalty, corruption, trauma, and the loneliness of coming home to a world that moved on without you. There’s something tragic in how Jack wants to do the right thing but keeps getting burned. The people he trusts most, his uncle, his ex, even his late father, carry secrets that gnaw at the edges of the truth. The story swerves from mystery to thriller to something almost tender, and I didn’t expect that. It’s violent in places, but it never feels flashy. Every punch, every lie, every bloodstain means something. That’s what kept me hooked.
If you like a dark mystery that feels like it crawled out of a forgotten alley in a black-and-white film, this one’s for you. The Phantom Affliction is perfect for fans of Raymond Chandler or James Ellroy, but with a softer gut and sharper grief. It’s messy, bruised, and crawling with heart. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a hard-boiled story with a twist of real emotion and a lead character you can’t help but root for.
Pages: 364 | ASIN : B0CTCQ4YPQ
LITERARY TITAN 