Book Review- ★★Out of Darkness★★ by Jason D. Morrow

Out of Darkness is the story of Mora, a teen from a small village struggling to survive in a dystopian world beset by zombies called greyskins. On a quest to obtain the protection of the group functioning as the regional government, she travels to meet with the leader, Jeremiah. Although Jeremiah’s protection typically comes at a very high price, Mora hopes to negotiate a favorable outcome.

This story was a bit slow on the start for me, and I was well into the third or fourth chapter before things started to pop. But once it did, the story did a fantastic job of pulling me along for a crazy ride through the author’s post-apocalyptic vision of Mora’s world. For example, the introduction of Mora’s powers initially seems awkward and contrived, but as her powers develop along with the story, they become an integral and entertaining part of Mora’s experiences.

The author does a great job of developing and introducing the characters and settings throughout the story, and manages to build a world that the reader can easily envision themselves in. Jeremiah is particularly well written, and conveys a subtle aura of menace and evil without being overly detailed in description.

Overall, this an interesting and entertaining take on the standard zombie story, with relatable characters struggling to survive in a harsh world. A well balanced mix of action, dialogue and backstory make this a must-read for any fan of sci-fi, and zombie lovers in particular!

Dark Luminance Relaunch!

After only a few short months, I'm really excited to announce the relaunch of my first novel, Dark Luminance with GMTA Publishing! The new release has an awesome new cover designed by Amber Rendon, which I think does a fantastic job of conveying the tone of the book. Beyond the new cover art, this release promises to expand Dark Luminance into other venues and formats including Barnes & Noble and paperback via Createspace on Amazon.

Stay tuned for upcoming information on blog tours as well as upcoming projects including my YA Urban Fantasy novel, a story in an upcoming SciFi Anthology, and of course, the sequel to Dark Luminance, Dark Nexus!

Thanks to all the fans that have read and enjoyed Dark Luminance so far! Mackland and the others have quite a bit more excitement in store for you soon!
E.M. 
Dark Luminance on Amazon
Dark Luminance on B&N

Rafflecopter Giveaway!!

Dark Luminance Giveaway powered by Rafflecopter!

Through the month of September, I am running a giveaway to promote my SciFi novel, Dark Luminance! You can enter three ways:

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3. The big one...Write an Amazon review for Dark Luminance! Just a few minutes of your time will get you 3 chances to win!! (If you haven't finished the book yet, don't worry, the giveaway runs for the whole month, so you have plenty of time to finish and write a review)

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Book Review- ★★The Cloudstone Key (The Rithhek Cage Trilogy: Book 1)★★

From the beginning, the author does a fantastic job of setting the scene. His descriptions of the world of Tholann are vivid and full of depth throughout, wasting no time in immersing the reader into this strange new world.

Likewise, his development of the races on Tholann is similarly detailed and imaginative; from the towering Jikhquae women, down to the tiny squirrel-like Rethe, Patrick shows you the planets population in vibrant detail. 

The premise is typical fantasy fare, with a protagonist that is pushed out of his normal life in order to fulfill a quest that is vital to the world.  The story moves at a steady pace, with a good mix of dialogue, action, and world-building. I found myself staying up a few nights to finish an extra chapter or two, which is one of my hallmarks for a good book, and I finished the whole thing in three days.

This brings me to the only area that left me feeling flat. This book felt too long to be a short story, but far too short to be the first book of an epic fantasy series.  As the first in a series, I can appreciate that more will likely be explained in the subsequent volumes, but several portions felt as if they weren’t fully fleshed out in this book, such as the different agates and how they are used to interact with the world around them.  Several of the supporting characters also seemed to be missing some detail which would have allowed the reader to connect with them more deeply.

Overall, the book was a very immersive and exciting start to what appears to be a great new entry into the epic fantasy genre.  If the next book fills in some of the details and continues to develop the world that Patrick has so deftly created, the entire series will definitely be one to add to your bookshelf!

Book Review- ★★Kindreds An Alliance Of Bloods★★

After the first few chapters, this dystopian novel grabbed me by the lapels and wouldn’t let go!  

I only exclude the first few chapters, because for some reason, the introduction to Raine, Jem, and Leif didn’t resonate with me.  It wasn’t that it was bad, or boring; it just didn’t pull me along for a ride I didn’t want to get off. That is the only reason I am giving this four stars, instead of five.

Once Raine and the others embark on their journey to fight with the resistance against the evil king, I was hooked though! The author maintains a fantastic balance between action, description, and dialogue, so that you are always immersed in the story. All of the characters are well developed and interact in a believable and realistic manner.  I particularly liked the fact that the main character was a strong woman character that didn’t get bogged down in a romantic relationship. While she has a few flirting scenes, and the reader can see a possible relationship building, it is very much a secondary plot point. 

The plot is well designed, with a good helping of surprise twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, and highly recommend this to any science fiction fans out there!

(I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.)

Book Review ★★A Prescription For Delirium★★ by Noree Cosper

Overall, I thought this was a very good book, with only a few minor issues keeping me from giving it a five star rating.

The overall storyline was a fresh take on the vampire hunter plot by adding in demons and demon hunters, with the added bonus of extending the Van Helsing family into the present time! I admit I was a bit thrown off at first by the combination of the cursed demon huntress who was also oathbound to the Van Helsing clan, but once I was about halfway through, it started to gel nicely. Another pleasant plot twist was the demon-creating drug used to spawn a new generation of terrors in the asylum. Very creative and surprising!

The action and pacing was evenly spread throughout, with fantastic action sequences interspersed with emotional and fluid dialogues. A few slow spots popped up in the middle of the book, but they weren't enough to bring me out of the fiction.

The characters were a mixed bag for me, and the only real reason I dropped one star for the review. As an overall cast, they worked well together, and balanced each other out without being too over the top about it. Gabbi was well developed, although her back-story seemed a bit confusing to me, at least from the flashbacks used to tell it. But she made a great protagonist, and you felt for her throughout. The Van Helsing brothers were good characters, but I wished they could have been a bit more developed, although since this is the start of a series, that may have been intentional to leave room for subsequent novels.

Overall, a very good book, and I will definitely be reading the sequels as they come out!

Book Review ★★First World★★ by Jaymin Eve

Fair warning: Although this is a YA Urban Fantasy novel, I’m a guy. This review is from a male perspective. Ok now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you about this fantastic book!

I came across this author and her book on a Goodreads indie author forum (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review), and I admit my first reaction was “Oh no, I have to review a chick-lit paranormal romance”. Needless to say, this isn’t my normal genre, but I decided to risk my testosterone levels and make it to the end so I could give a fair review. And I’m a better man for it.

From the opening scenes with Abby the orphan struggling to make it in a post-apocalyptic New York I was hooked.  The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene and quickly introducing you to the main characters in a fluid and well told story.  Abby and her best friend Lucy make a great team throughout the novel, providing complementary personalities that strengthen and support each other when they need it most.

The action really starts to pick up as they are whisked away to the First World, where Abby finds out about her past, her family, and eventually, her future. Along the way she meets several men, including Brace, the dark-haired, brooding hunk who she pretty much falls for immediately, no matter how much she doesn’t want to. I think the author did a fantastic job of putting the romance and emotional bonds between the characters in without going overboard. There are plenty of scenes with smoldering looks and latent sexual tension, but they developed naturally throughout the story; they don’t feel forced or crowded in as with some of the current crop of YA Urban Fantasy genre.  Overall it was a perfect blend  of romance with action throughout the story.

Jaymin Eve has written a terrific YA Urban Fantasy story that can easily appeal to older audiences as well, even the guys out there. The storyline, pacing, and characters all make it a book that will appeal to just about any fan of Science-Fiction and Fantasy novels. Definitely worth the read!