DB Books and Reviews

Since deciding to create this blog, I have found that there is currently no shortage of content for it. There are a bunch of reviews I have already done and need to be reformatted to fit my new review template, plus two brand new ones to do as well as more reading and more writing. The books I need to put reviews up for are: Napism.Info by Mik Hetu Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor The Devil's Playthings  by Melissa Silvey Your First 1000 Copies by Tim Grahl Technically I will be all caught up after the first two on this list since I just just finished the others. It will probably take a bit longer to chip away at these, but I'll get there. I'm also thinking about going back to the ones I have done and adding Amazon links in case someone who reads one of my reviews just has to have that book immediately [UPDATE: Links now included with reviews]. To that end, I may also be more specific about the medium I read something in as well as other editions ...

INTRODUCTION I love science fiction and fantasy novels. I love wild adventures with crazy characters and high stakes. This sounds like a simple enough set of criteria to satisfy, yet stories in this genre can so often fall flat for me. It's not enough that I'm reading a story about aliens and spaceships, or knights and dragons, I need to CARE about the characters and world. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of good stuff out there, but finding something that hits just the right mixture of all the things I like is a much taller order than the statement above would lead one to believe. HOW I CAME UPON IT What first drew me (aside from the unbeatable price of FREE) was the gorgeous cover. I try not to judge a cover too harshly because I know they're hard to get right, but this one is so good and makes me wish the book existed on physical form because it would look great on a bookshelf. Fortunately this book has a lot more to offer than just a pretty cover.  NO...

INTRODUCTION I’m the sort of reader that enjoys really gripping narratives that rip at my soul and make me think about life on a deeper level. As an avid fan of science fiction, fantasy, and every sub-genre under the sun, it’s probably fair to state that I enjoy a degree of escapism from the normal world. A good book for me has compellingly conflicted characters, a creatively contrived world, and creates an arena for deeper reflection on things that exist in our daily reality. While KLUBBE THE TURKLE AND THE GOLDEN STAR CORACLE by Philip Dodd certainly fulfills my need for venturing into a wild world of the imagination, it doesn’t actually meet any of the other things that I look for in a book. So why five stars then?! Why finish the book? Why even bother writing a review? Well, although this novel is not in line with what I typically read, I found that I loved every moment that I spent in this vibrant and whimsical world. HOW I CAME UPON IT As with Henry Fox, this author introd...

INTRODUCTION It is not often that I can describe a full-length book in a single word. Throughout my entire adventure within the Stonegate Sword’s digital pages (I read it as an eBook), the one word that continually resounded in my brain was “charming.” This is simply one of the most enchanting tales that I have read in a very long time. It brings me back to books like FINGAL’S QUEST, RED HUGH PRINCE OF DONEGAL, and THE HITTITE WARRIOR which is one of the highest compliments I can pay to a book. But what is The Stonegate Sword? That, it turns out is a little harder to put into words. HOW I CAME UPON IT This one arose out of a somewhat informal review swap. The author introduced himself and let me know he was reading my book, DIGITARUM. He did request that I take a look at his work, but didn't really ask for a review in return at least in so many words. I thought this was a really easy-going way of getting another author to give your own book a quick look-over. I'm sure a lo...

INTRODUCTION Vampires, werewolves, secret societies, classic boy meets girl romances, and some supernatural action sequences are the very foundation of what has come to be known as the Paranormal Romance genre. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and the fact that there are so many authors who have tried to cash in on the success of a certain saga does not help with gaining it any credibility for those that might still be on the fence about the genre. In a lot of ways, An Unexpected Bonding makes a conscious effort to try and take the popularized formula and mix it up in an interesting blend of different familiar things.  HOW I CAME UPON IT After publishing my own book, I wanted to become engaged in the indie author community. Lilly is one of the first members of said community that I met and engaged with. She's a lovely person with a deep passion for writing fiction and I found myself connecting with her really well when we discussed each other's books. We're both first t...

Creating the cover for any production is a daunting task. It is the first thing that a potential buyer sees and it is what they will make their initial judgments on. EVERYONE judges a book by its cover - you have to when there are so many books on the market, all begging to be read. The book cover is what a reader is going to use to make their initial selection of what goes on their  To Read  list and what gets left in the dust. When I started thinking about what to do for  Digitarum 's cover, I had all of these things in mind. This made the process of planning out a compelling design even more intimidating and it was unclear as to whether I should go for something really busy or favor a more basic design. While they might not look like much on their own, a well planned design starts with a REALLY rough and unattractive sketch. The first shows off a more elaborate plan that would involve a shot of the tower of the gods along with the village of Taran and an expansiv...