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Sky Curse
In the year 2045, mankind has depleted the resources of Earth, and humans are looking to move off the planet in hopes of a fresh start. This is the setting for this thrilling young adult novel. The chosen five are Brian, Jamal, Alex, Kev, and Cecilia in Janet Kravetz’s titular series. Cecilia Miller is a teenage female protagonist in this dystopian future book. Titan is regarded as humanity’s last hope, but everyone can’t afford to travel there. Even more so, not everyone desires to. Duncan Macdougall, a Localist, wants Cecilia and the other four chosen candidates to stop the fulfillment of an old Mayan prophecy and save Earth and its inhabitants. Five Mayan crystals that contain the technology to save the planet are sought after by the chosen five who journey to Mexico in their search.
Sky Curse has a slow-burn beginning, but that gave me time to adjust to the world-building presented by Kravetz. It is futuristic hard science fiction, but it also contains aspects of fantasy and has a measure of reality mixed in. This teen novel is an exceptionally well-written, imaginative, and wholly original work. Along with Cecilia, I was transported to an unfortunate Earth. Cecilia is portrayed as a blonde with blue eyes, which is a little cliché. However, she still has her imperfections and is intelligent, and contributes well to the authenticity needed to make a protagonist come to life. And not to forget, Tony provides the humor and is Cecilia’s go-to companion.
The thought-provoking plot lines will get readers to consider climate change from beginning to end. Although it is hypothetical, nothing seems out of the ordinary or overly complicated. The reader starts to believe that what they are reading might very well be the kind of world we are leaving for future generations, which has a dramatic effect. The novel is written for older teens and younger adults, but Kravetz’s insightful developments and topics are broad enough to appeal to readers with more demanding tastes in literary nuances.
Sky Curse is the exciting start of a new young adult science fiction series, The Chosen Five. Filled with action, drama, paranormal, and fantasy elements there is something for all readers in this novel. Follow the chosen five as they try to save Earth and prevent the apocalyptic destruction of humanity. I can’t wait to see what the series has in store!
Pages: 395 | ASIN : B0B9638NC7
Solitude Of Light
In Solitude of Light’s not-too-distant future, Tomás Estéban Chen-Diaz engages in a heartfelt attempt to save his brother’s soul by joining him on a remote island. Believing himself to be following God’s will, Tomás spends years training at a facility for Christians hoping to travel to Mars before being ordained. He faces challenges to his faith along the way but none more difficult than his brother Francisco’s strict and aggressive adherence to atheism and his disdain for religious practices of any kind. Francisco’s attitude makes attempted reconciliations for past wrongs difficult, and if Tomás is to succeed, he must prove faithful to what he believes is right and just.
S. Kirk Pierzchala’s Solitude of Light takes place in a creative near-future setting with much to recognize from our own time and with the added fictional elements complimenting our own technology rather than appearing too far advanced to be realistic. Because of this, the fictional future seems plausible, perhaps distressingly so given some of its darker elements, as scientific advancements continue along the same trends they follow today.
With the narrative split into two parts, the first often seems slightly removed to the extent that it appears to be a lengthy prologue to the second part, which is where the real heart of the narrative resides. Despite this, part one is essential for the context, which gives part two much of its emotional weight.
With only two characters alone on an isolated island, there is potential for the story to become repetitive or drawn out. Still, Pierzchala manages it admirably with an excellent and often emotional portrayal of two diametrically opposed brothers engaging in a battle of wills. Interspersed between these moments are excellent scenic descriptions which lend their backdrop to this narrative of fraternal compassion, arrogance, and self-superiority.
Solitude of Light is a thought-provoking dystopian novel that takes readers deep into the emotional battle between two brothers. The suspense builds as the brothers battle for moral ground and examines their complicated relationship.
Pages: 474 | ASIN : B09WG4VY3N
Seven Steps to Heaven
Becoming Soul follows a soul that has journeyed to Earth to learn the seven lessons required in order to reach Heaven. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration for the setup of the story came through my interactions with the lives of my clients over many years. As a counsellor I attempt to base the story on our essential need of survival. I believe the first five steps of silence, hope, suffering, loss, and survival that I refer to in the book are cyclical events that occur throughout all our lives.
The sixth step of ‘believe’ is dependent of our own point of reference and encompasses believing in a divine power or higher source that leads us to the seventh step of heaven and our eternal life as our soul. I was also inspired by my daughter when faced with her death. I questioned the purpose of life and queried death and what comes after death. I immersed myself in her life and in her passing to search for answers as to how to survive the suffering and loss and to uncover why we all must suffer.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Through the story, I explore the lessons the main character chooses to learn in this life as she meets each of the five steps. The story uncovers her self-condemning thoughts and actions and presents current self-help techniques, such as mindfulness, being in the presence of now, and silent and personal meditation.
At the sixth step the story develops the concepts of believing in freedom of choice, believing that our body decays and dies, that we are souls and we are eternal. At the seventh step of reaching heaven and becoming our souls, the main character chooses whether to live on earth as her soul or pass on to eternal life, with the choice of returning for another life.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading this book?
After reading the book, my hope is that readers will come to their own questions of whether our lives continue or not? Whether our consciousnesses continue? Whether we are our souls? Whether we are eternal consciousness? And most of all, whether there are constant interactions between the souls in the afterlife and our souls here in their earthly life?
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book is called Gentling Soul – A Legacy of Love.
I have used the main concepts I have uncovered in Becoming Soul, that of eternal life, and the eternal contact between souls on earth with souls in the afterlife to develop another fictional story taken from my own life with those who have neurogenetic disorders, who I describe as gentling souls. I am in the writing process of Gentling Soul – A Legacy of Love and the book should be ready for publishing at the end of 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website
There are seven stages that we pass through to arrive back to this eternal sacredness of ourselves. In each of us lies a quest to find our own soul’s purpose, and to find our way home by becoming soul again through Silence, Hope, Suffering, Loss, Survival, Believe, Heaven.
The story begins as a new Soul arrives on Earth to learn the lessons she has chosen for this lifetime.
As a child she experiences her steps by her Silence; in her Hope; through her Suffering; in her Loss; and throughout her Survival of abandonment, abuse, loss and her withdrawal into her Soul.
As a mother she experiences her steps of Silence, Hope, Suffering, Loss, and Survival as she comes to Believe her Soul, but she buries its profundity deep inside herself as she grieves the painful losses of her beloved ones.
Throughout the story of Becoming Soul she Believes she not only heals her own grief but travels through time and heals generations of grieving in those she Believes walks her journey with her.
She continues her own unique Seven Steps to Heaven by choosing to remain on Earth to guide others in their own journey through their Seven Steps to Heaven to Becoming Soul.
Becoming Soul
Becoming Soul by El Alma is an intriguing book that reminds us of the simplicity of life. Before the modern age and having technology at our fingertips, we as humans were connected to our god. Our soul is the one being reborn with a purpose that is chosen before we enter this earthly life. After we are born, we forget this purpose to learn from our experiences in an unbiased view; thus, we settle into our life here on Earth, unaware at the beginning of how we arrived at this point or why we are even here. The book starts with a striking opening, ‘We start our journeys long before we arrive on Earth, for we are eternal consciousnesses.’ This take on life makes readers think back on their past experiences and contemplate their beliefs on life and the afterlife.
The author describes seven steps to reach Heaven and be together with the mother of all. These seven steps are Silence, Hope, Suffering, Loss, Survival, Believe, and finally, Heaven. This process, however, is not as easy as it sounds. Comparing and contrasting with Jesus’ journey, the author tells the tale of Asina. She embarks on her journey, where she almost gives up her quest for reaching the mother. There are times she thinks of ending her life and pursuit, but with the guidance of her guardian angels, she climbs one step after another in her journey to Heaven. This complex novel gives readers hope that even in your darkest moments, you can pull through and find the light that will lead you to answers and enlightenment.
Throughout the book, we also follow the story of women connected to Asina. Ezara, her grandmother, and Nettie, her own daughter. Both of these women, too, live through their seven steps, and sometimes it’s heartbreaking to see them suffer, but it is unrealistic to imagine a life without ups and downs. Yet, these moments strengthen the soul and your courage and determination to fight and survive till the end. The realistic approach to life without sugar-coating one’s existence will allow readers to take with them seeds of hope that the darkest moments of your life are part of the lessons your soul came to Earth to learn.
Becoming Soul is a beautiful story, and El Alma’s style is relatively easy to grasp. The characters show substantial development throughout the story, and at the end, the reader is left wondering and reflecting on their own journey and existence on Earth. Readers of inspirational fiction, new age fiction, or religious spirituality will find this an inspiring and thought-provoking novel.
Pages: 103 | ASIN : B085DHJC62
The Sound of Wings
Three women from different social backgrounds, united by their shared interest in the creative arts, have their fates collide at an auction. Bound by their insecurities, their encounter reveals the dark secret they have buried inside themselves. The secrets slowly come to light as their friendship solidifies. However, it is not only the bond they share that proves therapeutic to those women, but also that flutter of wings, signaling the everlasting presence of the vital forces in their lives.
The author of the book, Suzanne Simonetti, expertly depicts the anxieties and uncertainties of the human mind through the voices of women of various ages, experiences, and circumstances. From the struggling writer who fears losing his son’s legal custody to the ‘real-life Cinderella’ of Cape May Krystal Axelrod. Each character in this women fiction novel is on the hunt for their individuality. The motherly affection contributes an important part in the story, cropping up through Jocelyn, Goldie, and Pearl, the housekeeper.
In addition to focusing on its human characters, this psychological thriller also explores and depicts animal faculties. The statement “Her babies always knew where to find the love and could easily decipher whether they were in companies of allies and foes” provides the reader with an interesting glimpse into animal nature observed by the author. In titling The Sound of Wings, which begins and ends with the arrival of monarch butterflies, the author does an excellent job of conveying the sentiment behind the work’s subject matter. The concept Suzanne Simonetti has associated with butterflies and their arrival will fascinate readers.
The Sound of Wings, by Suzanne Simonetti, enumerates the practicalities of life with its mystical elements. The theme of self-belief, or lack thereof, runs throughout the book and the characters. Characters displayed courage and determination through their interactions with each other. The pace of the narrative will appeal to people who enjoy slow-paced novels that spend time really developing their characters and telling their stories. This women’s fiction novel will prove to be a page-turner if you enjoy mystery fiction, with plenty of drama and a drizzle of occult and spiritualism.
Pages: 297 | ASIN : B08F2BJP1N
The Prophet and the Witch
The Prophet and The Witch by James W. George is a historical fiction book, continuing on from the first book, My Father’s Kingdom. The year is 1675, and four years have passed since readers joined popular characters such as Brewster and Linto in New England. The signs of war have been steadily brewing since, with so many individuals struggling to hold the peace. Inevitably, all efforts have proved futile, and the battle now begins between the English and the Indians. This is one of the most gruesome wars many will be privy to, but one which numerous people are determined to end, preventing further bloodshed and restoring peace to both sides.
The Prophet and The Witch is divided into three parts, covering the summer of 1675 to the summer of 1676. Within each section, the chapters are short and focused on some wonderfully developed individual characters as they contend with the implications of this war.
I was genuinely shocked at the obvious association between war and religion in this account. A huge proportion of the story focuses on the beliefs of the men fighting, highlighting how their personal religious understandings act as an explanation of why war is a necessity. The English see things, such as the turbulent weather, as the wrath of God’s displeasure, but then condemn what they see as mere pagan superstitions of the Indian tribes. However, if they were to reflect, they would soon see more similarities than differences in that both sides look for signs, albeit just of a different type!
As a reader, it is difficult to pick a side of this battle. The English Christians rely on the word of God, trusting they are doing his work in ridding a blasphemous tribe who butcher innocent civilians. Yet, to the Indians, the English and their own actions are similarly threatening! The reader never fully feels they can condemn either side, for each are doing what they see as their duty to survive. The question of religion therefore lingers throughout the book, quietly encouraging you to question whether man or God is responsible for this creation of war…
Israel Brewster and Linto are firm favourites throughout the story. Their portrayal is refreshing and their actions commendable, in an otherwise fraught and harrowing period. These two are both the savours of the story for me personally as they question man’s motives and speak out when they feel an injustice is occurring.
For those who haven’t read the first book, there is an extensive summary at the beginning of book two, instantly bringing readers up-to-date with the action so far. You never feel like you are at a disadvantage because of this.
The Prophet and The Witch is expertly written and instantly engaging from the first few pages. An exceptionally drawn historical fiction account. I was captivated by this very well-structured book, and would recommend as one of the more intellectual of reads.
Pages: 375 | ASIN: B0755QL6CR
LITERARY TITAN 