Blog Archives
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
Elf Stone of the Neyna
Elf Stone of the Neyna is a character-driven fantasy adventure that follows Yanda Selkeden, a surgeon from the planet Alland who is wrenched away from her life and her young daughter when a mysterious psychic call drags her onto a ship and into captivity. The novel moves from claustrophobic imprisonment on a barren moon to the toxic, war-scarred world of Terlond, where Yanda and a diverse group of other abducted women, each with unusual abilities, must survive the schemes of the mind-controlling mage Kridenit. As Yanda forms bonds, grows her own powers, and eventually encounters the ancient Elves whose fractured Great Stone summoned her, the story blends science fiction settings with classic fantasy motifs, creating a hybrid genre that feels both familiar and new.
Reading this in Yanda’s corner of the universe pulled me in quicker than I expected. The writing has a clean, direct style that makes even the stranger pieces of worldbuilding, mind-speak, stasis flights, toxic moons with domed prisons, easy to settle into. I found myself warming to the rhythm of scenes where the women talk in their cells late at night, learning to trust each other despite trauma and fear. Those chapters felt grounded and human. At the same time, the book isn’t shy about darkness. Kridenit’s manipulation and violation of Yanda is handled with a starkness that made me pause. It’s uncomfortable because it’s meant to be. The author doesn’t sensationalize it, but she doesn’t soften it either, and that honesty shapes the emotional arc of the whole story.
What surprised me most was how the story shifts tone once the Elves enter more fully. When Zamani reveals the true nature of the Stone and Yanda’s connection to it, the narrative opens up. The fantasy elements step forward, the ancient magic, the living forests, the sense of destiny pulling at her life. Those scenes have a gentler color to them, almost like stepping from a metal corridor into filtered green light. I liked that the book didn’t rush to resolve Yanda’s sense of guilt over leaving her daughter or the unease she feels about how her powers are growing. The author gives her space to make mistakes, to wonder, to push back. It makes her feel real in a story full of mind magic and star travel.
I walked away feeling like I’d been given a part of a much larger journey. The book’s blend of science fiction and fantasy, its hybrid genre, will appeal to readers who like character-centered stories with both technology and ancient magic intertwined. If you like your fantasy worlds with a hint of sci-fi grit and emotional stakes that don’t let up, Elf Stone of the Neyna is worth your time.
Pages: 308 | ASIN : B0C1629PRX
The Shattered Ones
The Shattered Ones follows Ace, a worn-down former protector living in a world swallowed by endless darkness. The sun has vanished. Cities crumble. People lose themselves. Ace tries to drink away what he used to be until a terrified man shows up with news that sparks a search for others like Ace. The story turns into a fight against a brutal gang, a ruthless corporation, and a rising evil while Ace pieces together a strange calling and a fragile hope. By the end, the light finally returns, and the survivors stand in a new world trying to understand what comes next .
I kept feeling this push and pull between grit and heart. The writing dives hard into bleak moments, and sometimes it hit me hard. The city felt alive in a sad way, full of broken people stumbling through pitch-black days. But the author slips in these quiet emotional beats that land with surprising force. Ace’s exhaustion felt real. His shaky hope felt real, too. Those shifts kept me leaning in. I found myself rooting for him even when he was trying his best not to care.
Then the book swings into big action scenes and wild turns. At first, I thought the scale jump might drown the human parts, but it actually worked for me. The chaos made the tender moments brighter. One scene near the end, when the group finally sees the first glow of returning sunlight, honestly caught me off guard with how moving it felt. The writing eases up and lets that warmth sit for a moment.
By the time the epilogue rolled in, the hopeful tone felt earned. The world is far from fixed, but the people are trying, and that small spark of rebuilding hit me in the gut. Seeing Ace in a park months later, watching kids laugh while the city comes back to life, made the whole journey feel worth it. It showed how much he lost and how much he still carries.
I’d recommend The Shattered Ones to readers who like dark worlds but need a thread of light to hold on to. Anyone who enjoys character-driven dystopian stories, rough-edged heroes, or tales about finding purpose in a broken place will get something out of this. It’s heavy at times, sure, but it leaves you with a feeling that you’ll remember.
Pages: 338 | ASIN : B0DBZX1FWS
Humans Amaze Me
I, Robot Alien follows Scoots, a robot created by transcendent alien beings and sent to a devastated Earth to guide humanity back from devolution, while avoiding involvement in any significant event.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
I am constantly amazed at the vast gulf between the highest qualities, skills, and positive attributes of human beings and their propensity for depravity, ignorance, and violence. Due to the apparently infinite reservoir of possibilities, there is no dearth of material for great fiction.
I find that, while writing, you sometimes ask questions and have the characters answer them. Do you find that to be true? What questions did you ask yourself while writing this story?
Yes, that’s true, because every character has an individual answer to every question, thus revealing much about themselves through their answers. My personal questions have much more to do with maintaining credibility, continuity, consistency, and clarity—a whole lot of ‘Cs’ to keep in mind.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
There will be 2 more books in the series. I am currently writing I, Robot Tessa, about a female robot, which will be published on August 10, 2026. The fourth book, I, Robot Human, promises to be darker and less optimistic than the first three.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
I was created by beings who couldn’t touch this world … only watch it crumble.
Every twenty years, a new tribe … a new hope … a new failure.
I was told, “Do not interfere.”
But watching them die … again … again …
I wasn’t meant to change history … only guide it.
Silently.
Humanity had a second chance … I was left to make sure they didn’t waste it.
But I broke Directive Three.
Can they survive a second collapse … can I?
The Shape of Angels – The Inventors Book: 1
The Shape of Angels weaves history, myth, trauma, and raw human longing into a story that shifts across centuries and dimensions. The book follows Giovanni Romano, an immortal man haunted by a curse, by love, by illness, and by the people who drift in and out of his impossible lifespan. The narrative swings between past and present, giving readers everything from Napoleon’s youth to supernatural wars in hidden planes of existence. It feels like an epic puzzle, with each chapter offering a new piece that makes the picture stranger and a lot more compelling.
The writing moved between sharp intensity and quiet sorrow. Some scenes felt chaotic in the best way, like being pulled into the mind of a man who never gets a break from the weight of eternity. Other moments slowed down so much that I could feel Giovanni’s loneliness press in on me. The author made bold choices with structure, and while the rapid switches in point of view sometimes left me unsteady, the emotional punch behind them made the journey worth it. The mix of historical detail and supernatural invention blended into something I rarely see pulled off without turning messy. Here, it worked. It felt weird and wild and strangely intimate.
I also found myself wrestling with the characters in a very personal way. Giovanni frustrated me and broke my heart at the same time. Naomi, with all her flaws and stubborn angles, felt alive even when I disliked her choices. The supernatural elements had an eerie physicality that made them feel less like fantasy and more like another kind of truth. The ideas behind the Inventors, their rituals, their burdens, and their power, left me chewing on the meaning of responsibility and the cost of being exceptional. At times, the world-building overwhelmed me, but the emotional core never slipped out of reach. The book surprised me with how much it made me feel for people who are trying so hard to survive a world that keeps demanding too much from them.
The Shape of Angels is not afraid to get dark. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy emotionally heavy stories, intricate worlds, and characters who refuse to be easy. If you like historical fantasy with a modern twist, or tales that explore the messy corners of love, grief, and identity, this book will probably pull you in the same way it pulled me.
Pages: 274 | ASIN : B0FNS1JN8S
Moral Imperatives
I, Robot Soldier follows a war-damaged robot soldier who wakes in the ruins of a world shattered by conflict and encounters a traumatized young girl, becoming her protector and companion. 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?
This novel was based on a short story I wrote many decades ago. The premise of a robot soldier awakening to the aftermath of war never left me. When I rewrote the story as a submission to my writing platform—Medium—it received such positive reader responses and encouragement to turn it into a novel, I decided to do just that. Other than that introductory premise, which became the novel’s prologue, the book was not pre-plotted but evolved as it unfolded.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
The only “guidelines,” emotional or moral, for the characters were that they be credible and consistent. Specifically for the robot narrator, One Shot, the open question was whether he experienced feelings and had moral imperatives beyond those programmed into him. It was never my intention to answer that question definitively.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The story is a standalone novel. The Robot Series is not a set of sequels, but rather a series of separate novels told from the viewpoints of unique robots. The second book (also reviewed by Literary Titan) is about a robot alien who comes to prevent humanity from a second devolution. The third book is about a female robot of the future.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
In a world shattered by war, a lone robot soldier awakens with one mission: to protect the last surviving human – a little girl named Amy.
Together, they form an unbreakable bond in a world where hope is scarce.
But danger lurks in the form of robotic mutations known as wolfhounds.
One Shot’s prime directive is clear: protect Amy at all costs.
On a perilous journey through a devastated world, the bond between a girl and a robot might be the key to humanity’s future. If they can survive.
The “Hard Question”
The INCARNEX Rebellion follows a scientist and the girl he is raising in hiding as they try to survive the aftermath of a Britain reshaped by mind-transferring technology. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea began with the “hard question” in consciousness theory, which asks where consciousness truly resides. Is it biological, something created by the mind and body working together, or something that exists beyond our physical form? That led me to wonder what happens in the moments after death and when exactly consciousness disappears.
Of course, if we ever discovered exactly where consciousness exists, someone would inevitably try to control it. That idea formed the core of The INCARNEX Compound, where resurrection is possible but comes with consequences.
For The INCARNEX Rebellion, I wanted to take things a step further. A company that could restore consciousness into a new host body would no doubt eventually try shifting it between bodies. Body-swapping is a classic sci-fi trope, but I wanted to explore it from a different angle, asking what happens when consciousness itself becomes something that can be transferred, stolen, or turned into a weapon.
The science inserted in the fiction, I felt, was well-balanced. How did you manage to keep it grounded while still providing the fantastic edge science fiction stories usually provide?
Thank you. That balance was something I worked hard on. My approach was to let the science serve the characters instead of overshadowing them. At its core, the story is about David and Celia and the people they join along the way. Their emotional journey keeps the technology grounded. If the characters feel real, the science feels more believable as part of their world.
I also made sure that INCARNEX had limits and real-world implications. These flaws helped keep it realistic and also added pressure and urgency to the story. The science needed to feel like a step forward from what we understand today, not something so advanced that it loses connection to reality.
What is the most challenging aspect of writing a trilogy?
The biggest challenge for me was developing character arcs that felt authentic across all three books. The events of the first novel have long-term consequences, and I needed to reflect how those experiences shaped everyone’s goals, fears, and choices in the second book. I did a lot of reading on trauma and psychology to help keep those reactions believable.
Another challenge was keeping everything cohesive while still escalating the stakes. I had to blend action, science, and character development into one larger narrative that still allowed the second book to stand on its own. It was a difficult balance but has also been one of the most rewarding parts of writing the trilogy.
Can you give us a glimpse inside the final installment of the INCARNEX trilogy? Where will it take readers?
Certainly. The final book is titled The INCARNEX War. Britain has split apart, and the events of the second book have pushed the country into full-scale civil war. David and the rebels lead the south, while the north is controlled by a regime built on fear, control, and ruthless ambition. It becomes a classic struggle of fascism and corporate power on one side and the hope for freedom and liberty on the other.
But war is not the only threat. A terrifying discovery forces the characters to confront choices far more difficult than they expected. They are no longer fighting only for freedom but for the survival of everyone touched by INCARNEX. A few familiar faces return, old rivalries resurface, and the stakes rise to their highest point.
Readers can expect a dramatic and intense conclusion, with twists, sacrifices, and the largest war dystopian Britain has ever seen!
David Harris has spent years in isolation, desperate to protect his adopted daughter Celia. But when his technology is weaponised in horrific new ways, hiding is no longer an option.
As Celia flees to New London, determined to take vengeance on the man who murdered her mother, David faces an impossible choice: join the rebels’ brutal scorched earth campaign and risk becoming the very thing he’s fighting, or lose Celia and any hope of a normal life.
Hunted, deceived, and pushed to their limits, both are forced towards lines they swore they’d never cross. To defeat a monster, they may have to become something worse.
The Eternal Bridge
The Eternal Bridge is a fantasy parable about a world healed on the surface yet still aching inside. The story begins three years after Geshriel becomes a living bridge that joins two once-hostile shores. People trade, marry, feast, and rebuild, and life looks whole again. Then small tremors shake the land, crops wither, and feasts feel thinner, and the community senses a deeper break between earth and heaven that no wooden span can fix. The book follows families like Fidel and Verita, Liberta and Dathan, and many others as they wrestle with grief, restlessness, and hope while they wait for Geshriel to return and complete the work he began. In the final movement, the bridge turns into a vertical path of light, the dead are raised, a radiant city descends, and the people find their true home in the presence of the Lamb and the Maker, in a union that feels final and yet ever deepening.
I felt pulled in first by the tenderness of the relationships. The marriages and families feel warm and lived in, and I cared about them very quickly. The scenes of simple daily life on the bridge, the artisan work, the trade, the shared meals, all carry a quiet glow. When the cracks appear in that paradise, the emotional punch hits hard, because the book has already convinced me that this community matters. The later reunions with lost children, spouses, and elders hit an even deeper nerve. The big theological ideas turn very personal there, because the hope of resurrection shows up not as an abstract promise but as a mother getting her baby back, or a couple finally freed from decades of guilt.
The prose leans lyrical and earnest, and sometimes it worked for me. The symbols are very clear, and the story rarely hides what it wants to say. The bridge, the orchard, the feast, the tremors, every image points to a spiritual theme. That clarity will comfort some readers. The early chapters linger on peaceful life on the bridge, and a few of those sections felt long, while the cosmic finale races by in a rush of visions, reunions, and worship. I enjoyed that ending.
I would recommend The Eternal Bridge to readers who love clear, heartfelt Christian allegory and who enjoy stories in the vein of C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce or classic devotional fiction. If you are hungry for a story that talks openly about loss, longing, reunion, and eternal hope, and if you like the idea of seeing big doctrinal themes lived out in ordinary families, this novel will likely move you.
Pages: 223 | ASIN : B0G4NYKT9J
LITERARY TITAN 