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Stone Dragons Kingdom
With the stone dragons as its new allies, peace returns to the Spires, but not for long. An enemy seeking the Spires’ destruction rises from within under the influence of the Xi’s mind-controlling magic and the Rock and Water gods. Seyra, Queen of the Spires, finds herself in mortal danger due to the actions of this enemy but escapes in a dramatic turn of events. The Spires Kingdom makes it out of this sticky situation only to face old enemies in the form of the Xi people again, but the brave dragon riders and their beasts secure victory for the kingdom. Elated by the destruction of the persistent Xi sorcerers, the Spires make a startling discovery that would pit them against their most brutal opponents yet in their battle for survival.
Author Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait (C.R.C.) returns with her captivating tale of dragons, humans, and magic in this fourth book in the Spires of Dasny series, Stone Dragons Kingdom. With just enough backstory and new challenges, you don’t have to worry about not having enough context to understand what’s going on. The book starts with a bang. There’s a high-tension and high-stakes scenario threatening to unravel right from the get-go. But Cowperthwait is also proficient in building anticipation as she thrusts readers right into the thick of things. She knows how to set the stage and slowly dial up the tension in anticipation for what happens next.
Cowperthwait also shows impressive control over her story as she swings from one story gap to the next but keeps things cohesive and engaging. The storytelling is also compelling as Cowperthwait expertly humanizes her characters, thus making them relatable and memorable. With a simple yet beautiful and expressive writing style, the Stone Dragons Kingdom makes for a breezy and entertaining read from start to finish.
The Spires of Dasny: 4 Stone Dragons Kingdom is a riveting young adult fantasy novel. With plenty of action and thrilling suspense, readers will be drawn into the battles and feel connected to the characters while following their saga.
Pages: 211 | ASIN : B09BTG9DLR
The Most Powerful Parts of Herself
EverGreen follows a high school girl that meets and falls in love with a faerie and explores the world of the fae with her new friends. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I didn’t have one specific thing that inspired me. Lily and Rowan came to mind, and the rest of the plot followed. I used inspiration from my own life, and tied in issues I care about. Parts of my own life play into my books. I use them to help make the characters seem more alive.
Lilly starts off as the quiet bookworm that’s new to the school and grows into a strong and determined character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Lily has always been strong and determined. When she was younger, she was too shy to show it. Being with Rowan made her acknowledge her inner strength. Her relationship with him brings out the most powerful parts of herself. Shy, nerdy girls can see themselves in Lily. Lily’s strength isn’t physical, it’s deeper than that. She is a feminine, beautiful, clumsy, strong woman. I hope that young women can look to her and see that they are strong, too.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I explored lots of themes within EverGreen including young love, friendship, eugenics, and self-discovery. They are all important to the plot of the book. I’m very passionate about the things I write about. I wanted to show what a healthy, teen romantic relationship looks like. Friendship and self-discovery are important parts of all YA novels. Tying eugenics into the book was important to me, too. I wanted to look at it from a fictional perspective so that teens and other young people can see the pain and harm it causes.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Moonlit Skies, my second novel, came out on November 23rd of 2021. Fallen Snow, Scarlet Whispers, and Ruby Tears will be released in 2022. Rosewood Dreams will be released in 2023. I’m currently working on Crimson Vows.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Lily Rhodes had led a perfectly normal life, up until the day she met Rowan Marx, an alluring, secretive boy who she’d never noticed before. At the end of her senior year, Lily’s world is turned upside down by the sparks of first love, the betrayal of her best friend, and the discovery of secrets buried long ago. Ultimately, Lily will learn a lesson she thought she already understood: never judge a book by its cover. Because if you do, you might just miss the magic hidden within.
Challenges That They Must Face
Spark follows a group of young adults that must make a journey inland in order to survive amidst an apocalyptic world that throws obstacles at each turn. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I was reading several books in a series and thought I could try to write a series as well. However, it soon became apparent that just writing one book is tough (laugh!). I decided to write my book as a standalone at that point. There are things that I care about, such as global warming and mental health, and I wanted to incorporate these things into the book. As Spark is my first novel, I want to make it straight forward for me to write, so I decided that my characters shall go from point A to point B with challenges that they must face along the way.
With so much drama and disasters striking the characters, how did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
There were as many external obstacles and misfortunes as internal struggles that the main character, Becky experienced. Simply put, as the characters need to go from point A to point B as soon as possible, the story is always moving along. I tried to have characters that are relatable to keep the story grounded. Becky, the mean character, is by no means perfect. Some of her decisions are even questionable, but I think readers can understand her. Tommy, her brother, is a drug addict. He uses sarcasm to cope with his depression and pain. The siblings don’t get along but they are close and care about each other. Their friend, Connor, who tags along with the siblings, is levelheaded and rational. He provides stability amid all the crises.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some of the themes that are important for me to explore in this book include effects of climate change, survival after disasters, personal growth, dysfunctional families, self-harm, and drug addiction.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Although I mentioned Spark is a standalone book, there is potential for a sequel (laugh!). It’s not the book I’m currently working on though. I’m currently working on another young adult / new adult book that involves the main character being convinced she’s haunted by a ghost. It will explore the themes of science vs. superstition, expectations from others vs. self-fulfillment, and the courage of letting go so change can happen.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
A massive earthquake ignites widespread panic, and people start to run in fear of a tsunami. Becky and Connor are separated from Meghan and Robert. Forced to leave the area, Becky and Connor find her brother, Tommy, and they make their way back to the siblings’ home in hopes that Meghan and Robert are going there too. But as they wait for their friends, Langley goes up in flames and the trio must flee by car.
With nowhere else to go, they decide to head to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Becky’s parents are staying. En route, they learn that a deadly new virus, with horrific symptoms, is tearing through British Columbia. They will have to make it to Manitoba before the borders close. Meanwhile, Tommy suffers severe drug withdrawal and shares a devastating confession with Becky. Tension rises as fear grips the country and more disasters impede their way. How will they possibly survive?
Changing The Rules Partway Through
Bellocaro follows a teen girl that is trapped on a magical island where she becomes the target for an evil vampire. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Like many writers, I’m also an avid reader. I liked the idea of creating a new magical world where Skye’s story begins. From an imagination standpoint, there’s something freeing about a fictional world where I’m in charge of the landscape and can alter it ‘at will.’ The island of Sceadu is like a mysterious character in the story. I knew that I wanted Skye to be a fish out of water; a human girl trapped on an island full of supernatural beings, but I muted their powers so that she could feel safe – at least in the beginning. I wanted her to deal with her frustration of being trapped, while still possessing the knowledge that even the supernatural kids were struggling with similar challenges. I knew that by changing the rules partway through the novel it would keep readers guessing, and hopefully rooting for Skye.
Skye’s personality comes out as her relationship with Thatcher grows. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Skye’s character is actually a combination of several people I know, people with strong beliefs, some who have been hurt by other people in their lives. Young people who live through that kind of trauma develop a kind of emotional armor. That armor can keep them shielded so they don’t get hurt again, and allows them to develop a no-nonsense attitude. Since they’ve often encountered difficulties or things that didn’t live up to their expectations they can be quite cheeky and wonderfully direct. I didn’t want Skye to be fragile. She’s been a caregiver at a young age, and lived with real uncertainties, she’s got backbone and a dry wit that makes me laugh. It usually takes three passes to write for Skye. One to sketch out the action or dialogue or inner monologue, then a second to give the dialogue or inner monologue some attitude, and the third pass is where I find ways to allow her sense of humor to shine through.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted the reader to get involved in the mystery and wonder about why Skye is on the island? Will she get home to her mother? The book answers those questions. And I wanted Skye to have a slow-burn romance. Too many novels are filled with ‘insta-love.’ Two strangers meet on page 3 and they’re madly in love by page 6. Bellocaro is not like that. If it was, the book wouldn’t be so long! There’s a mystery, there’s action, and there is a nice romance. One of the things I love hearing from readers is, “Holy cow! I didn’t see that coming.” Or, “Wow, I thought it was going in a different direction and I was so wrong, but I’m glad.” A reader gets bored if they can easily guess what’s coming. I like to set events up like they’re going to go a certain way, to carry the reader along, lull them into thinking they know what’s coming and then completely surprise them.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Dugo, book 2 in the Bellocaro series, is now available on Amazon. I’m currently working on book 3, which will take readers back to Sceadu for more adventure. But it’s still a ways from completion. I tend to be very descriptive about the action in my novels, which is why they’re long. But I do it because I think anyone who selects one of my books to read deserves to be entertained, and I do my best to give them a good story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Website
“TWILIGHT” meets “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE”
Bellocaro will transport anyone who loves a gripping romance to a new world.
Trapped on a mysterious island and fleeing the school jock who thinks she should be his, Skye Moon encounters a strange boy in the woods. After meeting the captivating Thatcher Blue, she is dragged into a nightmare. Skye is targeted by a vampire who wants to kill her just for being near the alluring Thatcher.
With a target on her back, she doesn’t know if she’ll survive. Skye has known fear before, helping her mother battle a life-threatening illness but never has she had to deal with a vampire stalker.
Skye hopes that the dark-eyed boy from her premonitions will keep her safe, if he ever reveals himself.
She is astonished when Thatcher and his family come to the private academy on the mysterious island run by an equally enigmatic headmistress. Thatcher has managed to keep the secrets of his monster family hidden for more than a century, but not from Skye. She rightly suspects the new kids are something other than ‘kids.’
Complicating matters is the way Thatcher looks at her, like she means the world to him because he has visions too. The pair find themselves caught between danger and longing.
Will Thatcher save her?
Or like his visions have predicted －kill her?
Profoundly thrilling, Bellocaro captures the life and death struggle for these teenagers on an island that isn’t as dormant as it appears. Award-winning, best-selling author P.S. Meraux brings humor and heat to this novel that will drive fans of vampire love stories wild with enthusiasm.
Five Stars for Bellocaro from Readers’ Favorite. Bellocaro is the winner of the Literary Titan Book Award, is a Semi-finalist in the 10th Annual Kindle Book Awards, and received honorable mention in the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards.
The Younglings
Destined to be Keepers – the Protector of innocents in the mortal realm, Quinn and his team of supernatural friends must safeguard their town of Portaville from all the mystical energies that come their way. When a teacher’s heart is torn out of their chest and students start to go missing, the friends combine forces to reinstate the safety of those closest to them. With their freshly discovered powers, the teens can sense something isn’t all that it’s made out to be. All it takes is Mrs. D – Quin’s demon nanny – to confirm their suspicions and their plan to stop the murderer begins. All while Quinn is coming to terms with the fact that he is the demon king’s son!
Author Helena Craggs expertly crafts a brilliant young adult novel and navigates the reader through first loves, sexuality, friendship, and familial unity. Readers will find the characters in the story to be entertaining, full of personality, typical teenage moods, and dedication to their cause. In addition, the author injects humor in the story which lightens the mood of some of the darker drama that they face, and the twists and turns of the storyline as they discover more information about the town, paranormal activities, and themselves, making this an unpredictable urban fantasy novel.
Craggs has done well to create realistic characters and an easy-to-follow storyline with enough action to keep readers engaged. There is a character for everyone to relate to with demons, angels, ghosts, witches, magic, and teenagers. I enjoyed reading about Quin’s character especially as we followed him on his emotional journey of discovering his own powers and learning the truth about his family.
The Younglings: Shadows & Magic is a fast-paced, jam-packed paranormal fantasy novel that is perfect for younger readers looking to be taken on a fantastical journey that is filled with supernatural beings and teen angst.
Pages: 401 | AISN : B09C6JLDQW
Omniscience
Omniscience takes the reader into a world that seems straight out of George Orwell’s 1984. A world ravaged by a war between two superpowers, where the citizens are subjected to total surveillance. Democracy is suspended, and AI robots are tasked with controlling the masses. The story starts with the protagonist’s family being broken up and their lives turned upside down over a travel permit. Refusing to accept that their life can be ripped apart by this authoritarian government, Shareen Miller takes action to protect her children and family.
Author Janine Frances creates a story that revolves around various themes, not the least of which is presenting AI as a force for good. This is in contrast with most of the contemporary literature in which AI is presented as evil. In Omniscience, on the other hand, humans are shown to be much more cruel and heartless than AI. Similarly, another seemingly oxymoronic term used in the story is eco-terrorists, a group of people bent on killing most of humanity to restore the balance of nature.
Although the story is well-crafted it provides a lot of the time for the characters to interact before pushing the story forward. There is a lot of information provided in the book, which adds depth to the world rather than advancing the plot. There are some interesting characters in the book that I would have enjoyed seeing developed further; an example of this would be Nisha, who seems like the type of character that is an unlikely leader. Nevertheless, most of the characters are quite memorable and realistic, and readers will enjoy following them on this adventure.
Omniscience is a thrilling novel that asks the question of what is really best for humanity. The suspense created will have readers on edge following the family as they fight for survival. This young adult book is excellent for all readers of science fiction and dystopian genres.
Pages: 332 | ASIN : B09S32YXMG
Hanging Cloud (Polish Dragon P. I.)
When a sports celebrity hires Tom Sipowicz, of Polish Dragon P.I., to find his missing father, the protagonist of author Steve Zimcosky’s Hanging Cloud commences an investigation that will see him working to uncover a wide-ranging conspiracy against the Native American population of Cleveland. As the American government, the Catholic church, and a local medical practice are all revealed to be colluding together, Sipowicz finds himself embroiled in a cruel scheme that stretches back to the mid-nineteen hundreds and ripples through generations to the modern-day. Facing threats from old friends, Sipowicz learns about American history, and about his own family.
Hanging Cloud by Steve Zimcosky can be described as short, sweet, and simple. This mystery novel is written for middle-grade readers and up. From very early on in the story, the reader can quickly work out what has happened, the greater question that Tom Sipowicz must solve is how it has happened. In this respect, Zimcosky does an excellent job providing the necessary information required to solve the intriguing mystery, while withholding the vital links to put the pieces of the puzzle together into a whole that can be understood. Just like Tom Sipowicz, the reader quickly becomes aware that someone is lying, and they join Sipowicz on his investigation to discover exactly what, or who is amiss.
The mystery is straightforward and the author does not make it too challenging to follow the clues, which makes this crime fiction story perfect for young adults that are just getting into the mystery genre. The pacing is done well and keeps the storyline moving without too much extra information, allowing the reader to focus on facts and not get overwhelmed.
Hanging Cloud is a creative mystery novel that combines elements of historical fiction and Native American culture into the plot. This well-written novel writes about the Native American community with respect for their culture and beliefs, using facts to enhance the story. Middle-grade and young adult fans will enjoy this light-hearted mystery that takes readers on a stimulating journey to reveal the truth.
Pages: 202 | ASIN : B09MC5CH2P
A Study in Terminal
At only 19, Sean Brogan already knew more than his fair share of hardships. Childhood trauma, poor life choices, and the burning need to just feel loved had led him down a path that twisted and turned until it became a maze he could no longer escape. Now, faced with the tenth anniversary of the event that had shaped every current facet of his life, Sean makes the decision to face the demons he’s always avoided in a battle he has no expectations of winning. As he rides into a home he hasn’t seen in years, he is forced to realize all over again that life won’t always follow the path you laid.
A Study in Terminal by Kara Linaburg is a story about lost childhood, guilt, regret, depression, and the redemption that can possibly come from confronting each of them head on. The book pulls no punches from the very first page, opening with Sean as he prepares himself for death, then continues on to illuminate his journey to that point, often in a tone of gut-wrenching honesty. Linaburg uses frequent flashbacks to build tension and mystery about Sean’s life, teasing the events that have brought him to the present moment in time and giving the book an air of intrigue that makes the heavy subject matter take less of a mental toll.
At its core, A Study in Terminal explores the theme of death and all the associated traumas that come with one that is both unexpected and violent. However, it doesn’t neglect to shine a light on the other side of the coin and eventually also touches on ideas of self-love, acceptance, and the power that comes from forgiveness. It manages to pack a lot of layers into its pages without creating confusion or slowing down the action. As a result, Linaburg has created a tightly wound and efficient story where even the most minor characters play an important role to the plot progression and have an impactful place in Sean’s life.
If I have any criticism of the book, it’s only that Linaburg was so good at building tension and pacing her reveals that I almost expected something more nefarious and scandalous to be in Sean’s past. I loved the references to his famous, distant family relation and I would have enjoyed more of an exploration into that, although I completely understand why it would not have made sense in the context of the narrative. This book gets a an easy recommendation from me!
Pages: 211 | ASIN : B09PMK43V7
LITERARY TITAN 