Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Spinner by Michael J. Bowler My rating: 4 of 5 stars Alex has a secret hiding behind his reputation as the wheelchair kid in special ed. He has always been able to “spin” people. His current foster mom is exploiting that, and he is determined not to let her get in the way of his friendships with the other special ed kids in his class. But when their beloved teacher gets murdered, just the way Alex saw it in his dream, he realizes that the people after him may exploit him far more than his foster mother ever dreamed. Spinner is a paranormal story told from a special ed kid’s perspective, which does make it somewhat unique. I live the SpEd mom life, and I love seeing disabled children portrayed as heroes rather than useless. I also work in adoption, and enjoyed seeing that play a part in the story as well. Overall the story was a refreshing take on a relatively formulaic story - gates of hell have been unleashed and an unlikely band of misfit heroes must save the day - and the de...

Syphon: Guardians of the Fractured Realms by Chad Kunego My rating: 4 of 5 stars Samuel - or at least that’s what they tell him his name is - wakes up in a hospital with a fantastic headache and a mysterious vambrace as the only indicator of who he might be. The two detectives assigned to his case are trying to help him figure it out, but when he mysteriously disappears - apparently surviving a toss 15 stories down - they are pretty sure there is something wildly out of the ordinary about to surface. They have no idea that could include the destruction of the world as they know it. Syphon is a paranormal urban fantasy, that brings in some interesting historical and theological elements. I enjoyed the storyline although the memory loss was a bit overdone for someone of the power level of the main character, and there was a need for some more in depth editing (I started to think I should make a drinking game out of the typo “cloths” for “clothes.”) However the plot was interesting...

Vanessa Schierman PhD WITCH by Sandy Nathan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Vanessa Schierman cannot stand the cover of the magazine NetWorth, she looks like an old hag. Well she is old, and she is a witch, but that’s beside the point. She is the richest woman in the world, and while she was raised to never discuss money in public, it’s high time they stop giving the world incorrect information about Will Duane. Plus, maybe he will notice her if she gets the attention of the public…. This book contains three short stories about a witch who is much more than a witch, but a scientist. Vanessa is quite a character, and these stories provide some background for a minor character in some of Nathan’s other Bloodsong novels. I really like authors who provide a rich and detailed back story for every character, as it really makes me feel like I’m getting to know them and their motivations which makes the whole series flow so easily. I’m looking forward to reading more from Nathan, as I have no m...

Tiago by Reily Garrett My rating: 3 of 5 stars Brielle has just witnessed the brutal mother of her mother, and received cryptic instructions from her right before she died. Brielle and her mom have always loved traveling the Amazon together, but why is it so critical for her to go now? How is her destiny wrapped up in the jungle? And who is the strange, glowing protector she finds there? I have read other Reily Garrett books before, and while those were YA this is definitely a more adult romance, including sex. Disclaimer aside, if you like supernatural/paranormal romance this book fits well with Garrett’s succinct but deliberate style that unfolds a story into an adventure. Like her other books, I actually thought the book could have used a little bit more leading and tension rather than such a quick resolution, but it was still a great quick read, perfect for a beach book or surviving the airport. View all my reviews Please note, while there may be affiliate links or paymen...

A Secret Muse by Mandy Jackson-Beverly My rating: 4 of 5 stars Coco has always been artistic and independent, in part due to the tragic death of her parents when she was a small child. Her painting makes her feel close to her mother, who was also an accomplished artist. As she nears her 32nd birthday, though, she can’t shake the feeling that she is missing something, something that could give her some insight into her parents’ tragic death. Her brother has some connections through a secret society known as the Allegiance, but she wants nothing to do with them, believing them somehow responsible. Can Christopher convince her that they are actually helping rather than hurting? And can she accept their methods, not to mention their background? I’m not usually a vampire novel girl, but this one grew on me. It didn’t start out with the modern sparkly vampires, but the big reveal seemed far more realistic than some of the classics too. I enjoyed the inner character development of Coco...

Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess by C.E. Robinson My rating: 4 of 5 stars 35,000 years ago a war in heaven is just starting to heat up. King Joshua is desperate to save his Angels, who are being harvested and reconfigured into Nephilim, fighting for the Overlords. While he is distracted by this, a devastating political parlay is going down on Eden, as unexpectedly Lilith is taking shape as the newest, and fiercely dangerous planetary princess. I love a good origin story, and and it doesn’t get more original than Lilith in Eden. I liked that this story put a twist on what we generally think of for Earth’s origin, and all the characters were fascinating. You find most major religions and philosophies duking it out in several realms, often interacting in a way you would not expect. While in general I liked the story, I think that it was rather long and overly detailed. I understand this might be necessary to the series, but there were portions that I think could have been edi...

Zeal Master Way of the Warrior by Rahmel Garner My rating: 1 of 5 stars This world is full of constant battle between ordinary humans and the extraordinary zeal masters - those who carry the sacred zeal mark. Legend tells of a human who can rise up and defeat the evil zeal masters and bring harmony to everyone, but can it be true? Can Zirei embrace his destiny despite the rage in his heart? I like martial arts stories. And I like paranormal stories. You would think the combination would be a no brainer. But this was written like a 14 year old forgot to go to grammar class and stayed home to play Street Fighter instead, and then fell asleep while watching Yu Gi Oh. The grammar, punctuation and spelling was combined into run on sentences as commas just kept coming in rapid succession. The story seemed like it could have had at least some video game narration depth, but it was so hard to read and characters just kept getting killed off before we really ever got to know them that...

The Sensitives by D.O. Thomson My rating: 3 of 5 stars The power is out all over the world, and no one knows why. People are dying by the thousands, and only a few select people are figuring out that the origins might be not human. Race is charged with protecting his little crew of Sensitives, but together they might just have evolved enough to take on the Zul, but only if the Zul don’t find them first. The story is interesting - evolved humans taking out the alien equivalent of a drug cartel. Unfortunately, the writing depth does not do the story justice. The characters are shallow and stereotypical, such as the Canadian “Eh.” after every phrase, and the writing is curt to the point of staccato. The story jumps around in time, refusing to follow a linear progression, and goes into excruciating detail about several back stories. I really wanted to like this book because the plot intrigued me; unfortunately the juvenile writing prevented me from ever really engaging. Contest! ...

Dark Shadow of Babylon by Julian Speed My rating: 4 of 5 stars Spanning centuries, a dark shadow is buried beneath the ground, waiting for his chance to rise again. It comes in the form of naive college students who, guided by a dark hand, begin to excavate his tomb and let him out to feast once again. As soon as he reunites with his conspirators, a hell so tormented will be released that no one will be beyond his grasp, not on this earthly plane or others. Only those who put him in the ground once can put him back, and only if they can reunite reincarnated. Dark Shadow of Babylon is a paranormal chiller, and those with weak stomachs should note the gore content. While the bones of a good story lies in the book (hahahaha) it is really in need of editing. There are a lot of characters - some reincarnations of other characters - and there are so many types of paranormal activities that it’s hard to reconcile them all in the same space. In fact I think that a character named Pamela...