Blog Archives
Nightwalker (The Demonic War Book 1)
Nightwalker (The Demonic War Book 1), by Nathan Manioci, offers a captivating entry into the realm of young adult fantasy thrillers, marking the inaugural installment of a promising series. At the tender age of fifteen, Ren Nightwalker endures the tragic loss of his mother under enigmatic circumstances, compelling him to uproot his life alongside his father to a distant corner of the globe. Now, three years later, the eighteen-year-old finds himself returning to his former high school, concealing a profound secret: he is not merely a typical student but rather the progeny of vampire royalty, his existence spanning centuries.
Within the pages of Nightwalker, readers are transported into a world brimming with magic, monstrous creatures, and supernatural intrigue. Manioci deftly weaves together elements of fantasy, adventure, and suspense, crafting a narrative that enthralls from its opening salvo to its climactic conclusion. Amidst the pulse-pounding action, the novel delves into profound themes of self-discovery, sacrifice, and the intricate dynamics of power.
Central to the narrative is Ren’s quest to secure the elusive Sun and Moon Stones, pivotal artifacts essential to the preservation of his kind and the thwarting of impending catastrophe. This quest serves as a magnetic force, propelling readers through a labyrinth of suspenseful twists and turns. Particularly compelling is Ren’s internal struggle against his vampiric nature, a conflict that imbues his character with depth and complexity. His steadfast refusal to succumb to the primal urges of his lineage underscores the high stakes of his mission, portraying him as a resolute figure contending against formidable odds.
In Nightwalker, Manioci masterfully constructs a narrative tapestry that transcends mere entertainment, inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of identity and the enduring battle between light and darkness. For aficionados of the supernatural genre seeking a spellbinding adventure, this book stands as a beacon of intrigue and excitement, promising a journey that will linger in the imagination long after the final page is turned.
Pages: 368 | ASIN : B0CDFCPFZQ
The Blood Inheritance Novels Series Two-Book Set: Endow and Resist
The Blood Inheritance Novels Series Two-Book Set: Endow and Resist is a captivating extension of a spellbinding saga rife with magic and adventure. It chronicles the extraordinary journey of Amanda, a character of notable strength and determination, who, despite a past laden with trials and tribulations, embarks on a quest to unravel her true identity. Alongside Amanda, an ensemble of diverse characters navigates through multifarious realms, working collaboratively to assemble a team of seven half-bloods, each possessing distinct characteristics and abilities rooted in their half-human, half-realm heritage. Their mission? To shield the realms from an ominous looming threat.
This tale delights with an engaging array of characters, each masterfully given the freedom to carve out their unique paths. For instance, as Amanda traverses one trajectory, her compatriot Kiami sets off on a divergent course. This approach to character development introduces a tapestry of distinct conflicts and viewpoints that breathe richness and depth into the overall narrative. Particularly captivating is the creation myth of the realms, crafted by three goddesses. This story-within-a-story unfolds a mesmerizing mythos replete with symbolic layers that ripple throughout the protagonists’ quests.
Authored by M. Ainihi, this enchanting tale is painted with vivid descriptions and reveals that circumstances are seldom what they initially appear to be. The seeds of doubt and apprehension planted in the minds of Amanda and her companions in the early stages of their journey evolve into transformative self-discovery.
Endow and Resist serve as both a testament to personal sacrifice and a maze of intrigue, nestled within a fantastical universe where the impossible becomes tangible. They illuminate the complexity of moral decision-making, casting a gray shadow over the binary concept of good and evil. Admittedly, the interweaving narratives of individual characters may initially confound the reader. Still, as the characters bloom and their stories converge, the plot’s trajectory clarifies, and the storytelling captivates.
The Blood Inheritance Novels Series Two-Book Set is a remarkable read for young adults with a penchant for intricate world-building and distinctive mythology. It’s a testament to the limitless potential of the fantastical genre, cementing itself as a must-read in its category.
Pages: 608 | ASIN : B0BWK7R2WT
Dane Thorburn and Nature’s Revenge
After saving Princess Vanessa from the City of Lost Souls, Dane Thorburn has to deal with another problem, because, of course, there’s no opportunity for heroes to rest—dragons. A significant threat follows our character throughout their journey, and it’s enough to keep your eyes glued to the page.
Dane Thorburn and Nature’s Revenge by Matt Galanos is a fantastical and adventurous story that deals with mystery and mythical beings and is a story that challenges the norms of certain archetypes, such as the hero and the Princess. Accompanied by Lord Frederick, Will, and other memorable characters, Dane needs to figure out precisely what these mythical beasts are doing, how they came to be, and what they want with the Princess.
Within this exciting story, there. It isn’t a moment where adventure isn’t happening. Every chapter is full of questions and excitement, and by the end of every chapter, events are happening in ways that will make you want to read the next chapter and then the next—it’s a book I didn’t want to put down. Though there are grammatical errors here and there, it’s nothing too bad to the point where you can’t understand what is trying to be said.
A large cast was introduced, all by name, in the first few chapters. Each was diverse in personality and appearance, and the author did a great job of keeping everyone distinctive. Every character mentioned, whether they stay throughout the entire book or are only there for a moment, has a striking personality that sets them apart from one another. It’s extremely impressive, and it takes a great author to distinguish so many distinct personalities.
Dane Thorburn and Nature’s Revenge is a captivating young adult and teen fantasy novel. Though some moments can be confusing, the exploration, adventure, and memorable characters do an even greater job of making such a fantastic book come to life. If you’re looking for a fantasy adventure, I definitely recommend this book.
Pages: 314 | ASIN : B0B8K22HS4
High Clowder Cats
Life as a feral cat is not easy. When you are alone without a colony, surviving is even harder. Bushytail is determined to have a territory and family of his own. So he sets off to find a territory away from humans where he can meet other tom cats. He finds a home with a group of toms, and they have great adventures together. That is until one of the tom cats, Watcher, Bushytail’s friend, meets a tragic end. Bushytail is shocked and sad that his friend has died. He decides to set off for another territory, hoping to start over. On his way, he is joined by Bristle, a wise, secretive, and strong tom cat. This chance meeting is the beginning of a story of hope, love, sacrifice, and adventure.
Ruby Knight has written an incredible fantasy story for teens and young adult readers that will also entertain and captivate adult readers. The protagonist Bushytail is resilient, sweet, and has hidden leadership qualities that are revealed as the story unfolds. He does, however, have some fascinating weaknesses that provide additional depth to his character. Bristle, Bushytail’s mentor, is a medicine cat; he is mysterious and reveals his knowledge and teachings to Bushytail whether he wants these lessons or not. The other characters in the story are detailed and add an additional layer to the overall story as you get to know them. Readers will find themselves cheering for them and frantically turning the pages, wondering what they’ll get up to next.
The pace of the story never lets up; readers are kept on edge, waiting to see what happens next to this band of cats. The drama in the novel is well done and commendable; readers can easily visualize the dynamics between the characters. The story’s setting is well written and makes for a pleasant reading experience as the reader can visualize the environment and feel like they are there with this colony of cats. The world-building is expertly woven with extra attention paid to the small details making for a memorable and immersive experience.
High Clowder Cats by Ruby Knight is a captivating young adult fantasy novel. The storyline is original, interesting, and easy to get lost in. This is a fantastic start to this new series about a group of feral cats and the struggles they face in order to survive.
Pages: 235 | ASIN : B0B62NSBFB
True Love Never Runs Smoothly
Fire & Magic is book two in The Younglings series. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that differed from book one?
Stakes are higher in Fire & Magic. The Younglings are under attack, and have some major trials and tribulations to deal with, as well as normal teenage life. The joie de vivre that teenagers have is inspiring. But most teens can experience many difficulties in their day-to-day lives, and—like Shadows & Magic—I feel this book is the messy, real deal. I wanted to show The Younglings mature and grow, and watch their bonds of friendship develop and strengthen. Would you give your life to save a friend?
I’ve also introduced some interesting new characters, into Fire & Magic.
Love is a huge thing for teens, and some unexpected relationships develop. Of course, true love never runs smoothly, and we have several relationship issues. Will they be resolved? You will need to read the book to find out.
Eve and Quinn have matured in this book. What were some obstacles in this book that you felt were important to defining their characters?
For Quinn, as a half-demon, he is constantly worried about becoming evil, and as a result, his self-confidence suffers. Can an angel truly love a demon? In this book, we watch him grow in confidence, and trust that Eve loves him unconditionally. As for Eve, she is a feisty, strong female lead, and this develops throughout the book. A badass half-angel who won’t tolerate BS.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
I think the final chapter. As well as being sensual, without being explicit, the coming together of Eve and Quinn is beautiful on so many levels.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Stranded spirits, rogue vampires and demons are bad enough, and now merciless witch hunters are stalking Millie.
Eve’s angelic blood is like a siren call—one a tenacious vampire tracker cannot ignore.
Are things for the Keepers about to turn messy?
It’s hard to know who’s the good guy and who’s the enemy. Monsters don’t always have claws or fangs, and they’re not always in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.
Can the Keepers protect their own?
Praise from The Younglings: Shadows & Magic
“Author Helena Craggs expertly crafts a brilliant young adult novel and navigates the reader through first loves, sexuality, friendship, and familial unity.” (Literary Titan)
“Craggs’ ability to pull me into the world she created and keep me turning the page and second guessing myself was just brilliant. If you love supernatural books. This is a must from me.”
“Whether you are into demons, angels, vampires, witches, or werewolves – or merely just teens being teens – this book ticks all the boxes.”
Fallen Snow
Athena Jackson has found herself in a predicament—she is twenty years old, pregnant, and stuck in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Silas. When Silas finds out about the pregnancy, he demands Athena end it and forces her to a woman’s clinic. Before the procedure can be completed, Athena reaches out to an old friend from high school, Lily Rhodes Marx. Lily comes to Athena’s rescue, spiriting her away from the abusive Silas. Lily and her husband Rowen graciously welcome Athena into their home, where she finds out that family isn’t always blood, and that faeries and magic are real.
Fallen Snow, by Abby Farnsworth, is the third book in the EverGreen series. Taking place after the events of Moonlit Skies, Fallen Snow picks up with Athena and her journey to accept her own pregnancy and save herself from Silas. With several twists and turns that will keep readers on edge, Fallen Snow explores relationships, how someone could continue to love their abuser, and how new love can bloom even without the help of faerie magic.
The author has a knack for developing interesting character personalities and giving them believable physical descriptions along with faerie powers. These traits allow each character to shine on their own. There are several twists and turns throughout this alluring young adult romance novel, making this an unpredictable but enjoyable read.
I always enjoy the quick pace of the EverGreen books. I think the story moves a lot quicker here because, this being the third book in the trilogy, the author doesn’t need to spend time developing the character’s background. The characters are already established and their relationships feel genuine and the reader can feel their love for one another. Farnsworth’s writing style has developed and grown just like her characters in the story.
Fallen Snow is a seductive paranormal romance story that fans of emotionally-resonant teen fiction will enjoy. I loved the way fantasy and reality are blended throughout this story and I think readers will too.
Pages: 170 | ISBN: 1956788468
This Ozarian Tale
The Good Witch of the South brings a new evil witch to the land of Oz that is amassing an army to overthrow the Head of Oz. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling story?
TC – The inspiration for the story came from the dust jacket cover art. I had just finished my memoir, Roads Over Brown County, which took me two years to write, and I was playing around with a fairy design and thought it would be a fantastic image for a book cover. I keep thinking how nice a fantasy book cover it would make but didn’t know what kind of story it should be, and I didn’t have a title. For some unknown reason, while I was working on the cover art, I was also reading Frank L. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz again.
After I added tattoos on the fairy’s arm and some glowing orbs behind her, it came to me. I knew exactly who this fairy witch was. It made perfect sense; she was a good fairy witch, Glinda’s daughter, the Good Witch of the South. I instantly knew what I wanted to write.
For reasons I can’t explain, the first chapter I wrote in my journal was the epilogue. Everything else about the plot instantly fell into place.
What were some ideas that you wanted to keep from the classic Wizard of Oz and what were some new ideas you wanted to introduce?
TC – That’s a good question. I decided to combine aspects from Baum’s original book and the 1939 MGM movie with Judy Garland. Not many realize that in Baum’s books, Glinda was the Good Witch of the South, or also known as Glinda the Good, and not the Good Witch of the North. For fun, I decided to give Glinda the last name Glinda Goodwitch. I also decided to have the main characters from Baun’s book and the movie, The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion play a part in my book. I also thought it would be fun to add subtle echoes from the movie within my book.
One of my favorite moments in the film is at the end when Dorothy is back home in her own bed, and she is telling her family and friends about Oz. I wanted to capture this iconic moment in the book.
So when the main character, Samantha Goodwitch, Glinda’s daughter, is recuperating from a terrible injury from fighting the vicious red alpha dragon. She wakes up in an unfamiliar bed and looks up at her companions, and tells them about a dream she’d been having. She points a trembling finger at each one and says, “You, and you, and you . . . . . and you were there.” I also had the new Wicked Witch taunt her victims as she did in the movie, using some of the barbs the Wicked Witch of the West used. All of these small touches made the story special and fun for me when I was writing. It made me smile.
I added one piece of imagery at the beginning of the book when Sam is crouched on the roof of the castle looking out across the land of Oz that has been with me since I was a child. I am almost sure it started from the very first time I watched the movie. It happens when the Munchkins escort Dorothy to the center of Munchkin City to show her the Yellow Brick Road. Where the Yellow Brick Road spirals out from the center of the city, there is another spiraling brick road, but the bricks are red. That always fascinated me, and I have ever wondered what kind of adventures one would find following the Red Brick Road. To this day, when I watch the movie, I whisper, “Dorothy, take the Red Brick Road.”
Sam is an intriguing character that I enjoyed watching develop. What were some obstacles you felt were important to the characters development?
Mainly believing in herself and proving herself to her mother, to her sister, and to everyone she loved. Every time I start a new book project, I struggle with it, from my children’s picture books to my novels – especially my novels. So, I say to everyone, “Believe!”
Do you plan to write other stories within the land of Oz?
When I first started writing this Ozarian tale, I said to myself, “What am I think writing a book based on a classic like Oz!” Doing another book? Well, I will tell you this: I have already written an outline. But to be honest, the two years it took me to write The Good Witch of the South knocked the breath out of me. I am not sure I have it in me to write another adventure in the Land of Oz. But one never knows.
I have to admit. Now that this Good Witch story is finished, I find myself genuinely missing my daily visits to the Oz.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Soon to be sixteen-year-old Samantha Goodwitch, the daughter of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, knows she is disobeying her mother’s wishes when she leaves the castle to search for dragons, but she’d rather have an adventure than follow her mother’s command. When one of the Shadow Mountain Cats, Akasha, unexpectedly saves her life, the adventure turns deadly and a friendship grows between them.
But the rumors soon become real, and the freedom that had captured the hearts of the citizens of Oz is quickly unraveling. As the tensions mount and battles begin, Sam and Akasha find others who join them in the last Great War of Oz, to fight against the darkness that is devouring a once peaceful land.
*** A spectacular Ozarian adventure in the land of Oz ***
To the Top of Greenfield Street
Ryan Standley’s To the Top of Greenfield Street follows Eric Daniels as he spends a brief yet formative summer in Freeport, a small northern Illinois town hundreds of miles away from his childhood home in Iowa. The text is written in an autobiographical fashion, with many musical and cultural references that indicate that the events take place in the 1980s or 1990s.
Standley does a superb job at recounting the nostalgia of youth. Eric’s adventures with his (mostly) newfound neighborhood friends – from their nighttime rendezvous to the drive-in theater to the Fourth of July festivities, all the way down to Eric’s surprise going-away party hosted by his mates – feel absolutely real and capture the freedom of any summer in the life of a Midwestern teenager. Nate, Matt, Billy, Melissa, Jen, Rachel, and Declan each make their own contribution with their easy-to-distinguish personalities.
To the Top of Greenfield Street is ultimately an engaging coming of age story. Eric has two major experiences that take place in a short amount of time, but leave an indelible mark. It is also through these turning points that Eric learns that resolutions aren’t always happy events – nor do they need to be. One, he comes to grips with the reality of his ties with Donna, his estranged and drug-addicted mother. Two, he experiences through Jen what it is like for a young man to share feelings of affection and chemistry, however fleeting, with another young woman.
Above all, the author showcases the finite nature of young relationships in a way that resonates with readers as young as their twenties. By the end of the text, Eric walks away cherishing the friendships and good times that he has had, but also accepts that just as summer inevitably turns to fall, he must accept what is and begin his next chapter of life alongside his dad. Endings do not need to be finite in nature – and very often in life they are anything but.
This is a solid read for readers of any age who want a well-written, teen-centered coming of age story. To the Top of Greenfield Street is a young adult novel that I heartily recommend.
Pages: 286 | ASIN: B08GFQCVH8
LITERARY TITAN 