Blog Archives
New America Awakenings
In an America divided by race and religion, Colton Jenkins must simultaneously navigate the new war-like world as a young adult and a victim of oppression. He and his family found themselves in a community ruled by a heavy hand, where every form of treason, with or without evidence, leads to another head cut from a body stuck on a pike. With no one to trust and turn to, may it be the government, the religious, and even your neighbors, Colton must find a way to keep himself and his loved ones alive, all while finding ways to regain freedom and liberty for everyone.
New America Awakenings, by Tyler Davis, is a gripping story that depicts what our future might look like without democracy and the role the youth play in societal changes. From the beginning of the novel, the author makes sure to spare no details about the apocalyptic setting, from its origin and history to its ongoing severe, sadistic practices. With every page, readers anticipate and dread what is coming, for there seem to be no limits regarding the horrifying reality the characters experience, regardless of race, religion, and age. Yet, in the doom of it all, there are moments where one can see hope, whether in the scenes focused on family, the camaraderie between friends, and even times when authorities are defied and challenged. Because of these, readers are inspired to continue despite the cruelty to see if these moments can lead to somewhere positive.
Personally, the book was a page-turner due to the constant presence of crisis, intriguing me to wait and see if there is anything that will happen that is more cynical than the previous. Unfortunately, the book did not disappoint in that area, and I was left hanging by its ending because I was expecting more to happen. Still, the ending placement was clever, for it keeps readers on their toes and hungry for the sequel to come out. I have always been interested in dystopian novels, and this one earned its rightful place in my top ten. As for the characters, each one’s contribution to the story was highlighted, making it easier to remember them and either love or hate them. The author also made sure to keep all characters real, in the sense that they are all flawed, one way or another, which is integral to point out in a dystopian setting that calls people to act based on survival rather than morals.
New America Awakenings will keep its readers interested with the constant action, all while compelling them to reflect on what they are reading in terms of their ethics. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, which are famous for their young adult heroines and post-apocalyptic setting. I also recommend this to anyone who would like to ponder on the humanities, for the novel shows a different take on culture and society as we know it.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0BDBLJ9JZ
SMUGGLED
Smuggled by Angela Karanja is the story of Tuliana, a fourteen-year-old orphan from Kenya, who finds herself trapped in a world of human trafficking. Barely remembering her mother from childhood, Tuliana grew up never having a home of her own or a sense of stability. Then, one morning, she finds herself on a plane with a group of kids and has no idea where she’s going. When they arrive in London, Tuliana is separated from the kids and whisked away in a stranger’s car, which marks the beginning of her new life.
Terrified of her new life and unaware of her fate, Tuliana hangs on to what she remembers: Jonathan, a friend she made on the plane. He becomes her anchor in a way she would have never imagined and vows to find her. As she moves from one home to another, she is treated differently in each setting, though she is always a servant (slave). She later realizes that she’s a victim of human trafficking. Jonathan realized Tuliana was a victim of something uncanny as soon as she was snatched and began to investigate her whereabouts, concerned for his friend.
This emotional book does a fantastic job of diving into the bleak and often invisible lives of children and people who are victims of human trafficking. It’s a tragic reality that we often don’t associate with the modern world. The author brings the real story of one girl, who represents many children globally who fall prey to smuggling and slavery. Karanja carefully explores children’s different perspectives and trauma experiences during this process. Tuliana is a great character who displays great strength, intelligence, and resilience in her life.
I highly recommend Smuggled by Angela Karanja for the humanity it gives victims and survivors of human trafficking. It’s a great story about an important topic that deserves more attention on a local and global scale.
Pages: 189 | ASIN : B0BB1VZ4JG
Antunites Unite
Antunites Unite by Terry Birdgenaw is the third book in the Antunite Chronicles. This series is a great starting point for budding lovers of high science fiction. Warrior Cats meet Ender’s Game, and the characters are regular AND cyborg insects.
In Antunites Unite, we follow several different ant characters as they fight to keep and restore order among their colonies. Not only does the reader have to keep track of different characters and their plot threads, but those are also not necessarily chronological. The chapters jump in time often whenever current events need explaining, which is when we jump back in time to the events that caused the current situation. Luckily, the book starts with a helpful list of characters in chronological order and a quick recap of the story so far, and each chapter starts with the name of the ANT or BEE ruler at the time.
The story is great for younger readers, as it is fairly easy to follow despite the time jumps and different characters. I can see it inspire many new lifelong readers and lovers of complex science fiction to the likes of Dune. It is a pretty light-hearted read, and those that are mature readers should remember the target audience is young adults and teens. The series is filled to the brim with writing conveniences like paragraphs of exposition starting with a variation on the line: “As you know…”, always spoken by a wise character to a young character who is new to the job and has a new perspective on the world around them.
Antunites Unite (The Antunite Chronicles Book 3) is a young adult science fiction novel with a dystopian theme. The story is rich and complex while still keeping the story accessible to readers not as well-versed in the depth of sci-fi.
Pages: 373 | ASIN : B0BCT1SFJY
Boone and Jacque: Cytrus Moonlight
Boone and Jacque are back again in Boone and Jacque: Cytrus Moonlight! It has been 15 years, and they are living their best lives. Boone got married to Shammy, and they have two amazing children together. Boone and Shammy just want to live a life of peace and quiet. Jacque, on the other hand has become a detective and loves his job and his woman named Xantia, who happens to be a detective as well. Boone and Jacque still have a very strong friendship, but their lives turn upside down when a new mysterious murder happens. This throws Jacque and Boone into a new quest that they never wanted. They just want to live their simple lives.
The new book in the Boone and Jacque series is stupendous! Readers that have enjoyed prior books in this series will be blown away by the new characters and adventures. AG Flitcher takes readers on a magical and fantastical adventure that surpasses prior novels, going in a completely different direction and showcasing the growth of Boone and Jacque. In addition, this an inclusive novel. Jacque, Xantia, and Coralie are all part of the LGBTQI+ community.
Jacque and Xantia are a wonderful couple. Xantia was a great addition to the group and is a strong woman. Her character is well developed and fits perfectly into the story. Coralie is new as well, and I learned a bit about her, but I do hope to learn more about her in the next book. Reading about Boone and Shammy’s children is delightful; they add a new demension to the storyline. Boone’s character is still growing and figuring himself out, but I can say he is a loving father. It made me happy to see his character get some happiness after the childhood readers learned about in past books. Having Shammy to share his life with gives his story the joyful component he had been missing.
I still have some questions, but I imagine the next book will answer them. AG Flitcher seems to be very good at wrapping up loose ends. The story overall was well written. While I have my questions about Dr. Button and Jacque’s aunt and uncle, I am sure I will get my answers over time.
I give Boone and Jacque: Cytrus Moonlight 5 out of 5 stars. This novel felt very different from the others, but I can tell it is leading up to similar adventures with an extra twist. I look forward to the next book in this amazing series!
Pages: 350 | ASIN : B0B5SBNQ27
Power and Control
Bully Boy follows a teen boy who has been bullied and abused for years, now he decideds to fight back and get retribution for those that caused harm directly or indirectly. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My idea for Bully Boy basically came from watching the constant real-life stories of physical and verbal abuse still plaguing our school systems. This abuse is being given the reason for a lot of kids acting out emotionally and sometimes tragically through shootings and suicides. And I’m asking myself why is this still happening in 2022? This was going on when we were kids and seems to continue from generation to generation without end, mostly because the adults of each generation can’t seem to control the problem, which is very controllable. It is a problem, admittedly a complex one, that can be resolved. What happens a lot is that the adults blame the kids and the kids blame the adults. Many schools today are doing a better job today addressing the problem, but others are not. So, thinking of all this, I decided to write a story about it.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
I took a look back at my own school years, ages ago, when bullying was part of growing up and only addressed if something very serious happened. I wasn’t a victim as much as Henry Wilton was, but I remembered being a little bullied as a kid and seeing it as well and teachers not doing that much to stop it. But I also remember doing a little bullying, too. I think that’s normal growing up–getting bullied, doing some bullying. We all can take a little bullying. But it’s the constant, consistent harassment and belittling of one person or a group of people, daily, weekly, that leads to the emotional damage. And I find it hard to believe teachers and administrators don’t see some of that. I believe that after researching the subject and writing it for a while, my own anger about this ongoing problem worked its way into the writing.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Several important themes easily relate to this story. Power and control is certainly one of them. Who has the power and who doesn’t and how those dynamics work themselves throughout the school. We all know how that works, don’t we, and we never forget it and take it into adulthood. The themes of injustice and feigned ignorance are important in this story, as Henry tries desperately to bring some order to his life against people trying to avoid the real problem. The theme of how anger and rage can tear a kid apart. The theme of life and death is played out in the book, about how tenuous and uncertain both can be in the teenage mind. But, most important, accountability and responsibility. Who’s responsible and accountable for the abuse problems in a school system? Not just in a school, but the workplace, the home, and anywhere else.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Right now I’m in the planning stages of a novel, so nothing will be available for a while.
Author Links: GoodReads
The First Buds of Spring
High schooler Azalea Wood leads a double life. By day, she is a mean popular girl. By night, she morphs into a lonely artist. Ever since her family perished in a car accident, Azalea feels lost and can’t seem to fit in with her group of friends. So she forgoes her role as the “alpha” female when she meets Bruce Green, a mysterious transfer. Bound by their mutual love or creating art, they find themselves falling in love. But as their relationship blossoms, Bruce’s veiled past worries Azalea. Who is Bruce, and what is he hiding from her?
Author Hermione Lee’s The First Buds of Spring is a beautifully written story with likable characters. Lee has done an outstanding job using language and sentence structure to build suspense and tension. You can’t help but be intrigued by the plot and characters. Lee’s descriptions of Azalea’s phony friends added substantially to the plot development and helped showcase how Azalea doesn’t fit in with their crowd.
The lighthearted, effortless dialogue between Bruce and Azalea contributes to their budding relationship and allows readers to fall in love with their love. Azalea’s dual identity is perfectly written as we see her character’s internal struggles to mask her loneliness and her need for someone to like the real her. I enjoyed watching Azalea’s character change and develop for the better throughout the story. Her character embodies what many teens feel in high school and how we put on a façade to hide who we really are out of fear. Lee’s writing shines in her character development, making this a relatable read and book that is hard to put down.
Lee has constructed a wildly entertaining love story with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a fantasy YA novel that will take them on a whimsical adventure.
Pages: 311 | ASIN : B0B4MX4J9L
This Was Never About Basketball
This Was Never About Basketball by Craig Leener follows a young teenage boy named Zeke whose entire life revolves around the game of basketball. Unfortunately, due to past experiences, he finds himself attending a school for children who have been expelled or are deemed problematic; thankfully, this includes his friends. Unfortunately, this also means he now has to miss out on playing his beloved game at college, almost having to begin again. His luck does begin to change when he has a chance to play in a tournament; however, this is when things start to get a little strange, which is made clear by another boy from school, Lawrence.
The imagination that has gone into this story is impressive; combining an uplifting story of a person trying to play basketball and the life lessons he faces along the way with elements of an unusual adventure works wonderfully and definitely keeps the reader intrigued. But, of course, this is assisted by how the story is told.
Using a first-person narrative to get the full story from Zeke’s perspective works well. I especially liked the story’s opening, where he addresses the audience directly, ‘Great way to start a story, right? But that’s exactly how it happened…’. It is an excellent hook that immediately grabs your attention and leaves you wondering what will happen.
This Was Never About Basketball by Craig Leener is a fantastic coming-of-age teen and a young adult novel. I was able to read one of the books in this series from another character’s perspective and I personally enjoyed it a little more due to how intriguing the writing was; however, this book is definitely one you can read repeatedly. The way the story flows with the short chapters and the constant build of tension and mysterious events will keep anyone on the edge of their seat.
Pages: 221 | ASIN : B08QXYWY53
Music In Darkness
Music in Darkness, by Exona Moll, is a short fiction that revolves around the lives of Lucy and Eldritch. Lucy is a young and lonely woman whose curiosity leads her to meet a masked man named Eldritch in a rather unusual way. How these two people get to know each other and how they cruise through different circumstances are the highlights of Music in Darkness.
Moll has an engaging writing style; from start to finish, she weaves her story beautifully- and lets the readers get occupied with her imagination. Since the book is short and sweet, it is not difficult to finish it in one sitting.
The plot begins with someone narrating the story, and in no time, the author masterfully lays out the spiral journey of Lucy and Eldritch before us. The choice of words is plain and simple. I enjoyed the characters so much that I wanted to know more about them, but that didn’t take away from the story. As a reader who likes suspense in an account, I am pleased with Moll’s approach to writing.
Music in Darkness is filled with suspenseful and surprising events, and there are so many times a reader can feel the fear of the unknown. The author includes dialogues that make her characters more appealing and make it even more likely readers will be consumed by the plot. The story is modern, yet it has the feel of good old times. A big shout out to the author for keeping Music in Darkness short. It is easy to move from one chapter to another.
The budding love between Lucy and Eldritch is so precious. As they embark on an unknown journey, both show their vulnerability and strength. Eldritch’s passion for music is beautiful, and Lucy’s faith in Eldritch feels so real. This story certainly moves a reader and makes us think about how society/people treat people based on their appearances. With a unique storyline and a thrilling plot presented as a quick read, it will attract readers across genres.
Pages: 64 | ASIN : B09WXGSTM5
LITERARY TITAN 