Blog Archives
The Accelerates: Forty Days to Dust
The Accelerates: Forty Days to Dust is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel about a world collapsing under the weight of a genetic disaster. It follows Ethan, a teenager trying to protect his rapidly aging baby brother Leo, whose accelerated growth is part of a larger outbreak created by GeneCorp. As society unravels, the story weaves through multiple characters and timelines to show how the world ended and what tiny, flickering pieces of hope might still remain.
The writing is intense, sometimes brutal, but always meant to push you deeper into the emotional core of the story. I kept feeling pulled along by Ethan’s quiet determination and the surreal horror of watching children become both victims and agents of destruction. The author leans hard into sensory detail, and while some moments feel almost overwhelming, they also give the story its heartbeat. Scenes like the hospital sequence with Clara and her daughter are vivid enough that I had to pause and breathe before moving on.
The shifting viewpoints create a mosaic of grief, fear, and stubborn love, and even though the world is crumbling, the relationships feel grounded. I was especially struck by how the book treats childhood. The accelerated children aren’t simple monsters. They’re mirrors held up to human ambition, or maybe human negligence, and that choice keeps the story from slipping into a standard “virus apocalypse” plot. There are moments that feel almost mythic, especially later in the book as characters begin to understand what Leo represents, and those moments give the bleakness a strange, luminous edge.
This is a heavy story, but it’s also a hopeful one in its own quiet way. I’d recommend The Accelerates: Forty Days to Dust to readers who enjoy emotionally driven science fiction with dystopian and horror elements. If you like stories that explore both the collapse of a world and the fierce love that refuses to disappear with it, this one will speak to you.
Pages: 325 | ASIN : B0F6HMC3SW
The Soul’s Reckoning
The Soul’s Reckoning follows Charlotte Elisabeth as she passes through the Barrier into a vivid, confusing, and emotional afterlife. She travels through stunning flower fields, meets a strange calico guide, and collides with old wounds that stretch from her family to the spiritual beings watching over her. The story shows her struggle to grasp her new form, face the truth of her first death, and confront relationships she thought she had left behind. The book blends cosmic mystery with raw memory and pushes Charlotte toward a reckoning she never expected.
Reading this felt like being pulled into someone’s dream and sitting there with my heart in my throat. The writing swings between soft, bright moments and sharp emotional punches. I found myself leaning in during scenes where Charlotte battles her own disbelief because the author captures that messy mix of fear, awe, and irritation so well. I loved the strange charm of the world-building. The cat who talks in feelings, the towering flowers, the people who know her before she knows herself. It all surprised me and made me grin even when the story turned heavy. The pacing sometimes jolted around, yet that uneven rhythm matched Charlotte’s inner chaos, so I rolled with it.
The book tackles death in such a personal way that I felt myself tensing up, then softening as Charlotte pushes through each truth she avoided in life. I was moved by the mix of grief, wonder, and unexpected humor. I also caught myself getting frustrated on her behalf when Heaven came across as bossy or confusing. That tension hooked me. I wanted her to find her footing, and I wanted the people around her to stop lecturing her. The author’s voice carries a lot of honesty, and that honesty hit hard.
I walked away feeling like I had watched someone peel back the layers of their own soul. The journey is strange in the best way. I would recommend The Soul’s Reckoning to readers who enjoy emotional fantasy, introspective stories about life after death, and character-driven narratives that sit close to the bone. If you like books that make you feel a little off balance, a little curious, and a lot reflective, this one is worth your time.
Pages: 369 | ASIN : B0G3DW3DH9
Diverging Streams
Diverging Streams is a work of literary science fiction that blends time travel, alternate realities, and deeply human moments. The novel follows Haskell Yngren across multiple timelines, weaving together pivotal events from adolescence, adulthood, and parallel versions of his life. What begins as a vivid, often humorous barroom incident expands into a meditation on chance, memory, desire, and the small decisions that quietly fracture a life into many possible paths.
Author Earl L Carlson writes with a confident, old-fashioned storyteller’s rhythm, the kind that is unafraid to linger. He pauses to philosophize, to explain, to wander off briefly and then return. The prose is rich but not showy. He trusts long scenes and detailed observation, especially when he is writing about adolescence, embarrassment, longing, and those fragile moments when everything feels charged and irreversible. Some passages are genuinely funny, others almost uncomfortably intimate, and that contrast feels intentional.
The story leans into digressions and omniscient commentary, sometimes stepping well outside the action to reflect on culture, sexuality, or human cruelty. Still, those same detours are also where the book’s personality lives. The speculative elements are never flashy. This is not a fast, gadget-driven science fiction novel. Instead, the genre functions as a framework for asking what might have happened if a single moment tilted another way. The alternate timelines feel less like puzzles to solve and more like emotional echoes.
I felt that Diverging Streams is best suited for readers who enjoy reflective, character-driven speculative fiction. If you like science fiction that behaves more like literary fiction, are curious about time but deeply invested in memory, desire, and consequence, this book will likely resonate. It rewards patience and a willingness to sit with discomfort, humor, and nostalgia all at once.
Pages: 172 | ASIN : B0FP5TSF7T
Promise of Mercy
Promise of Mercy pushes the Dreamscape Warriors saga into darker, sharper territory as the long-idle Utopian Founders wake after six centuries and move to seize power by force. Their plot spirals outward fast. Liam O’Connor is kidnapped and flung through an ancient portal into the unknown, the Temple priestesses are drugged and held hostage, and the O’Connor children are thrust into a frantic rescue operation that tears across worlds. The book mixes political upheaval, telepathic warfare, and tight family bonds in a story that never stops moving.
While reading, I found myself pulled in by the heart of the book, which is not the action, but the relationships. Springs writes family moments with a warmth that caught me off guard. A quiet conversation between Liam and Deirdre over pastries feels as gripping as any firefight. Even scenes of chaos keep circling back to loyalty, fear, duty, and love. I liked how the story makes room for softness inside a hard universe. The writing itself is straightforward, sometimes almost plain, but the plainness works. It lets the emotions land without dressing them up.
I also caught myself getting fired up during the more intense chapters. The Founders’ arrogance, their cold talk of “genetic purity,” and their plan to eliminate Liam or “correct” his children stirred real anger in me. On the flip side, the fight inside the Temple hooked me completely. Seeing Bayvin take a hit, Aisling and Deirdre charging in, Celinia steadying herself even while drugged, and the arch priestess trying to hold everything together made the stakes feel personal. The author writes these scenes with a quick rhythm that kept me flipping pages and muttering under my breath. The book might lean heavily on lore sometimes, but even then, I didn’t mind. It felt like being swept into a world that genuinely believes in its own history.
By the end, I walked away feeling surprisingly moved. This is a story where the characters’ courage matters more than their weapons, and where mercy is treated as a kind of power. The book would be a great fit for readers who enjoy sci-fi adventures with real heart, for fans of military space opera with family drama baked in, and for anyone who likes telepaths, portals, and rebellions, all mixed with warmth and humor. If that sounds like your style, Promise of Mercy delivers.
Pages: 446 | ASIN : B0DBBBNN5P
The Dreamer (The Black Stone Cycle Book 1)
The Dreamer follows Ash Bennett, a teenager drifting through space with her parents until her life is split open by terrifying visions, mysterious strangers, and an attack that shatters everything she knows. The story blends sci-fi adventure with a deep emotional undercurrent as Ash realizes she may be connected to powers and histories she never understood. The tension builds fast. The quiet opening on the family ship gives way to vivid danger on Phobos, then to loss, rescue, and a strange new path that forces her to decide who she is meant to be. It feels like the start of a much bigger saga.
When I first settled into the book, I expected a familiar space-opera vibe, but the writing surprised me. Scenes snap together in quick bursts. The images are sharp and sometimes dreamy, and they made me feel like I was walking through Ash’s memories and fears rather than just reading about them. I liked that the story never waited around. It pushed forward with a kind of breathless energy, and even the quieter moments carried this low buzz of anxiety that kept me hooked. I found myself caring about Ash morwe quickly than I expected. Her mix of sarcasm, loneliness, and curiosity felt honest. I appreciated that her voice didn’t get swallowed by the big world around her.
As the story unfolded, I felt a tug in two directions. On one hand, I loved the ideas: the fractured past between humans and other species, the mystery around her abilities, and the sense that Ash is tied to something ancient and powerful. On the other hand, the worldbuilding sometimes hit me like a sudden gust. New terms and cultures arrived fast, and I occasionally had to pause to catch up. Still, I liked the rawness of it. The author took risks with emotion, especially when Ash witnesses what happens to her parents. That whole sequence hit harder than I expected. It left me feeling unsettled in a good way. I could feel the shock in my chest as she tried to understand what she’d seen.
By the time I reached the later chapters, I realized I was rooting not just for Ash but for the strange little group forming around her. The mix of loss, found family, and growing danger pulled me in. I liked that the book didn’t wrap things up neatly. It left questions hanging in the air, teasing a bigger truth waiting on the other side. I enjoy stories that don’t talk down to me, and this one trusted me to sit with the unknown.
I walked away feeling both satisfied and eager for the next piece of the story. I’d recommend The Dreamer to readers who enjoy character-driven sci-fi, especially those who love fast pacing and emotional stakes. It’s a good fit for teens and adults who want a world that feels lived-in and messy, with a heroine who is still figuring herself out. If you like stories that blend danger, heartache, and a spark of wonder, this one is worth your time.
Pages: 328 | ASIN : B0G32FG96C
Panacea: The Age of AG
Panacea: The Age of AG drops readers into a glossy, engineered utopia in the 31st century, where humanity lives inside massive domes run by an all-powerful artificial superintelligence called AG. Dolthea Thorpe, a sharp and restless teenager can’t shake the feeling that perfection isn’t what it seems. As she questions everything from her society’s genetic design system to the mysterious fate awaiting citizens at age one hundred, readers watch cracks spread through a world that insists it has no flaws. It’s a science fiction dystopian tale that blends sleek futurism with that intimate, unsettling feeling that something is deeply, silently wrong.
Author Richard Carson Bailey’s writing is easy to sink into, especially when he focuses on Dolthea’s sharp observations. The world is bright and carefully built, almost too polished, which seems like the point. I found myself irritated right alongside her when the adults around her shrugged off every uncomfortable truth. The book uses simple scenes to raise big questions, like why no one ever sees a body after someone “goes to sleep” at age one hundred or why teenagers suddenly bolt through the dome in a chaotic stampede. Those moments land not because of spectacle but because they disturb the rhythm of a world that claims to have eliminated disorder.
What I enjoyed most was how the story lets curiosity feel dangerous again. The author doesn’t rush to answer big questions. Instead, he lets tension build through conversations, gestures, even the way a robot tilts its head. Some choices feel intentionally claustrophobic, like the ever-present androids and the parents who seem more like products of their environment than people with thoughts of their own. At times, I wanted the prose to linger longer on emotional beats or dig deeper into the strange beauty of the dome, but there’s something effective about its straightforward style.
I was hooked by both the worldbuilding and Dolthea herself. This is the kind of science fiction that works well for readers who like dystopian stories with clean lines, unsettling questions, and a character who refuses to accept the world she’s given. If you enjoy YA-leaning sci-fi that mixes bright surfaces with creeping unease, you’ll find Panacea: The Age of AG very entertaining.
Pages: 364 | ASIN : B0F5WQ8RMK
Women Pushing Back
Bound in Flames follows a young woman whose long-buried magic rears its head during a moment of fear and fury as she copes with her particularly brutal life. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The Savage Hearts series has been taking shape in my head for nearly ten years. I wanted to explore the darker side of an oppressive kingdom, specifically what happens when a single religion is allowed to control politics and power, and how easily that leads to cruelty being justified as righteousness.
I also wanted to flip a familiar fantasy narrative. In this world, humans are the villains, while the “monsters”—the orcs—are largely peaceful, and once lived in harmony with them and their magic before the war. At its core, the series is about resistance, especially women pushing back against systems designed to control and silence them. Each book follows a different FMC who represents a different way of fighting oppression, and despite not being warriors, they continue to stand for what is right.
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 setting was actually fairly solid before I ever put pen to paper. A lot of my early thinking focused on how magic would manifest differently for humans and orcs, and how those differences shaped where and how each culture settled.
The Wild Lands became a space where I could fully embrace the raw and untamed side of the magic system, which naturally led to questions about economics, trade, and survival. From there, I sketched a map, planned trade routes, and used the geography itself as a storytelling tool. I’m a complete nerd when it comes to worldbuilding, so figuring out how everything fits together was honestly my favorite part.
From there, it was a matter of working through where I wanted to have this story start. The initial story that I saw in my head is actually 3rd in the series! I had to back it all the way up to tell the important beginnings of this world.
What was the inspiration for Cleo’s traits and dialogue?
I was getting tired of fantasy heroines who are barely out of their teens, always knew the right thing to do, and were somehow always victorious. I wanted to write a story for me, to create a character where readers sit inside Cleo’s fear and uncertainty as her magic spirals beyond her grasp. She’s 26, anxious, and carrying trauma that seeps into everything she does. Her power is unpredictable at times, and every time she reaches for it, she knows she doesn’t have any control over the consequences.
Her sass is also her armor. It’s the shield she uses to hide her anxiety and keep the world at arm’s length. But around Dex, that edge softens, her defenses dull, and she allows herself to be seen. Even terrified, even knowing her future is uncertain, Cleo chooses to stand with the orcs and protect those she loves. I wanted to remind readers that bravery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s being terrified and choosing to act anyway. Trauma is real, and it’s something I know personally. I wanted to write a character shaped by it, but not defined by it—and to give readers who relate a place to belong.
Where will Book 2 take readers? When can we expect to see it released?
Kneel in the Ashes releases June 1st, 2026, and takes readers deeper into the Wild Lands and deeper into the rot at the heart of the kingdom. When Rowan saves an orc from Ostelan Knights, she’s pulled into the middle of a brewing war, but this time on the opposite side. Trained by the Church of the Silver Hand in her youth to be a weapon, Rowan was meant to become a monster in the name of righteousness, but she ran instead. 11 years later, she’s seeking redemption for the cruelty carried out in the Church’s name, and vengeance for everything they stole from her childhood.
The book expands the world, revealing the motivations of the Ostelan Crown and the Church, and how deeply corruption has poisoned the kingdom. Each installment in the series offers a different female perspective on life under oppressive rule, and how even the smallest action can turn the tide of war.
No masters. No mercy. No surrender. Welcome to the rebellion.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
When Cleo is rescued by Dex, a ruthless orc chieftain of the Blackfoot Clan, she’s thrust into a world ruled by savage loyalty and primal power. For centuries, the humans and orcs have been locked in brutal war after the Ostelan Crown broke the ancient treaties, driving the orcs into hiding. Now, Cleo’s untamed magic is the key to saving the orcs—but it also tempts her with a darkness she may not escape. As her power grows and her bond with Dex deepens, she faces an impossible choice: choose to fulfill the prophecy, sacrificing herself, or surrender to the seductive magic and risk everything to be with the one she loves.
Dex has vowed to protect his people at any cost, even if it means using the woman fate has bound to him. But Cleo’s fire stirs something primal in him—something far more dangerous than war. As tensions rise and the stakes grow higher, Dex must decide whether his duty to his clan outweighs the undeniable pull of his heart.
Bound in Flames
Bound in Flames follows Cleo, a young woman trapped in a brutal life until her long-buried magic erupts in a moment of fear and fury. Her escape pushes her into a violent world shaped by prejudice, power, and ancient conflict, and her path soon crosses with Dex, an orc chieftain who is far more dangerous and far more compelling than she expects. The book blends dark fantasy with intimate character work, vivid trauma, and a slow-burning bond that blossoms amid cruelty, captivity, and war.
I was pulled into Cleo’s pain in a way I didn’t expect. The writing hits hard. The author doesn’t flinch from the ugly parts of Cleo’s life, and that honesty hooked me right away. The scenes of abuse are raw. What kept me going was the spark beneath it all. Cleo’s voice has this stubborn edge that refuses to die, and I found myself rooting for her even in the worst moments. The worldbuilding unfolds through emotion rather than long explanations, and I liked that. It felt natural. It felt lived in. And the moment her magic breaks free felt huge.
The introduction of Dex adds a shift in tone that I didn’t know I needed until it arrived. The banter between them carries a bite. It feels risky and strangely warm at the same time. Dex has this mix of humor, menace, and quiet conviction that drew me in fast. Their chemistry doesn’t rush. It simmers. The writing leans into that slow build, balancing danger with curiosity in a way that made me grin even as the situation around them stayed grim. I liked how the story lets them challenge each other. There is a sense of two people learning their power in a world that wants them crushed. Some moments made me laugh. Some made my chest tighten. The blend felt messy and human and honestly pretty addictive.
I walked away thinking about the bigger ideas running under the story. Power that comes at a cost. Survival in a world built to break you. The strange tenderness that can bloom between two people who have every reason to mistrust each other. The writing doesn’t hide its darkness. It leans right into it. But it also offers hope in these sharp, glowing little shards. I felt that more strongly than I expected. It made the whole experience land with a weight that surprised me.
If you enjoy dark romantic fantasy with emotional depth, brutal stakes, and complicated characters who fight for themselves even when the world tells them not to, this book will hit the spot. Readers who like morally gray heroes, slow-burning tension, trauma-to-power arcs, and a world that feels rich with conflict will get the most out of it. It is intense, bold, and highly recommended.
Pages: 366 | ASIN : B0F16V46X6
LITERARY TITAN 