Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Shadows of Time: The Amulet of Alamin by Felix Alexander My rating: 2 of 5 stars Inanna has always protected her son, that’s why she made sure he always wore the amulet. But with her kingdom on the brink of war with another, he disappears, apparently because the amulet is protecting him - even from her. Can she find her way through a war torn Mesopotamian landscape, fighting both mortal and immortal to save her son? This is a long book. A looooonnnnng book. It has a lot of exposition and backstory, but really my formatting made it way longer than it needed to be - the font was huge to the point that there were only a few sentences per page, which made it really choppy. (I did get a review copy - maybe this is fixed?) I really enjoyed the plot; there was a lot of action and interaction between mortal and supernatural worlds, and honestly some interesting Creation myths that intertwined several cultures beliefs in a way that was actually somewhat believable. Unfortunately the a...

Afterlife by Aaron Burdett My rating: 4 of 5 stars Amber Blackwood has tried to put her past behind her, but the anniversary of her brother’s death always puts her in a foul mood. Especially this year, when all of her family members have left her alone with her grief. She thinks she might be crazy when she hears Toby calling her, but when she finds the present he left her - 10 years after he died - and she is chased into Afterlife by a horrifying masked man, she knows she must find him to save herself. Afterlife starts with a somewhat typical high school girl sucked into a dark, paranormal world that resembles purgatory, but ends up spanning more dimensions than the murky space between heaven and hell. I found this to be a fascinating and fast paced read, with a not totally shocking twist at the end but a good one nonetheless. I really enjoyed the interplay between the realms of the living and the dead, and found myself following the spiritual politics easier than I thought it w...

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...

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...

Edwin's Reflection by Ray Deeg My rating: 4 of 5 stars Tom Hartger is a successful business owner, but he can’t quite shake the feeling that he is missing something in his life, something he is supposed to accomplish. Randall Evans has the same feeling, but is a low level cog in the FBI and knows he is supposed to carry on his grandfather’s legacy, whatever that is. When both men come across the remainder of an estate available because a crazy old man took his own life next to a bizarre machine, their lives along with several others who have also been receiving the mysterious, unsigned letters from the past will determine the fate of humanity’s next evolutionary jump. Edwin’s Reflection is a brilliantly spun, if inherently technical, love story that gave my nerdy heart all sorts of warm fuzzies. I realize it is supposed to be more of a scientific thriller, but I was floored by the language of love underlying everything about the nature of the story, the machine, the humanity...

Awakening by Janet V. Forster Kate has always wanted to search for her birth parents, and now that she’s 18 it’s time to take the plunge. Her mom probably won’t like it, but every adoptee needs to find their roots if they can. However, Kate gets a lot more than she bargained for when she locates her birth father, Nick. His family history brings her into a world that she had no idea even existed, and one where she plays a huge role, like it or not. Full disclosure - I work for an adoption agency . I generally cringe when I read adoption stories because of all the misconceptions and myths. I am unashamedly pro adoption because I feel like it is an often underutilized alternative for tough situations that can work for everyone if you put the effort into it. Although not perfect, I was honestly okay with the adoption story in this one, although I’m wondering how it will play out with the supernatural element. I think that the portrayal of a desire to know your roots is accurate, bu...

Mother of Darkwaters: Book one of the Vessel series by Tony C. Skye My rating: 3 of 5 stars Dealing with your boyfriend’s tragic death in a car crash is one thing. Subsequently discovering that you are in line to be the mother of the antichrist as a result is something entirely irregular. Now Julianna must learn how to live with her grandparents and learn how to survive as the heir to the line of Lillith. I loved the concept of this book; it’s interesting to consider how the AntiChrist’s mother came to be, who she is, whether she embraced her role, etc. Unfortunately the execution was really underwhelming, particularly in terms of basic grammar and editing. There were a lot of spellcheck type errors, such as the word “quite” instead of “quiet” but there were also a lot of really basic errors, such as using “I seen” instead of “I saw” and the absolute most egregious use of the word “whenever” I have read in a long time. Not only was it regularly used instead of the word “when” an...

Bloodline Gypsy: Jook and Gypsies Vol. 1 by Shirley A. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Susannah has always known she was a little different. Her unconventional, nomadic childhood did nothing to prepare her for the death of her mother and grandparents in a terrible crash, or the home of her thus far absent father and his family. Finding out a mythical creature is after her and another is protecting her seems almost par for the course. She wasn’t sure how she was going to embrace her destiny, but it was barreling down in her in a live or die scenario. She was pretty sure life was the better option, but it isn’t exactly the life she planned. Yep, it’s a werewolf book. So far only one mention of vampires though, in case you were worried. I have to admit, I know almost nothing about werewolf mythology, so reading some of the history and backstory of the werewolf-gypsy relationship was pretty fascinating for me.It was well done and presented as a natural part of the story, which made f...

Church of Martyrs by Pete Fusco My rating: 4 of 5 stars Eddie, former priest and current sole occupant of the derelict Church of Martyrs in Cleveland is really not sure why he has garnered the attention of any assassin, but he’s grateful the creepy, over realistic statues of famous Church martyrs were there to save him. Now if he could just figure out what they want from him, and how to stay alive and maybe how to keep the pope alive, that would be awesome. I loved the somewhat sacrilegious humor coupled with the healthy skepticism of religion in general, although the Catholic Church was the prime target in this one. I also loved that it was a fast paced globe trotter and the added supernatural aspect, although as a social worker, I was a little frownie at the relationship progression. Still it is a great read, and anyone looking for a quick read should definitely pick this one up. View all my reviews Please note, while there may be affiliate links or payment for reviews, ...

Death and Disappearances by Richard Smiraldi My rating: 3 of 5 stars Montgomery Clark, a struggling author who is lucky enough to come from a family who can afford to support a starving artist, is frantically looking for his missing wife, Petula Beaujolais. She stormed out after a spat and hasn’t been seen since. On his way to find her we meet many characters, some from the present and some not so present. Will he find her and reunite or will the worst be discovered? Death and Disappearances reads like 1950’s film noire, with a bit of more modern sparkly vampire supernatural thrown in for good measure. The main characters, particularly the upper class socialite snobs, seem a little over the top to be believable, although terribly amusing. I have to admit the ending was a bit predictable, but I would have actually liked more monologuing by the eventual villain, particularly more about how/why Petula’s fate came to be. She reconciled the explanation a bit too quickly and cleanly w...

Pazuzu Unbound by Saurav Dutt My rating: 4 of 5 stars Supernatural horror pervades the story of the demon lord Pazazu, who has recently awakened from centuries long slumber and is building his army once again to spell humanity’s doom. Several seemingly unrelated people meet up unbeknownst in a hotel horror that they may not be able to escape. Pazazu Unbound is intense and has a lot of graphic imagery, so if you have a weak stomach it may not be for you. If you are a fan of Evil Dead style horror though, this is right up your alley. The characters are well developed and the supernatural aspects are very descriptive. The one thing I would have liked to see more of is back story on the actual demon and why he was unleashed now, and why he was bound in the first place. While I assume most people know that any slumbering demon will wake up hungry and bent on world domination, it’s nice to have a back story on this particular demon and maybe some vague notion of how to defeat him, eve...