Monty's Book Reviews

True You 101 T.J. Eckhart 3.5 Stars Pages: 146 Genre: Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age Fantasy Published: 20 Oct 2020 Publisher: Liminal Books Publisher's Blurb If one class during high school could help you become the person you were meant to be, would you take it?  At the Reinholdt Institute of Sortilege Arts, sophomores are required to take True You 101 no matter whether they live in the mortal or magical realm.  Over the course of a year, each student must confront all possibilities until their outer form matches their inner self. Blake Trudeau has always just wanted to be normal and hopes the class will make that a reality, but will the final spell conjure Blake’s fondest wishes or worst nightmares? Review True You 101 is the subject that every pupil has to take at the Reinholdt Institute where the sophomores use magic to explore the full range of body shapes, eye/hair colour and finally gender to find out what matches their inner self. Blake Trudeau is different. B...

  The Trauma Pool John Kennedy 4 Stars Pages: 295 Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Murder, Police Published: 22 Sept 2020 Publisher: Sharpe Books Publisher's Blurb DI Will Ashcroft saved a boy from drowning in the London Docklands. But the incident still haunts him. Now Ashcroft is back in the Pennines, where he started out. There has been a murder – and a twelve-year-old boy is missing. The deeper Ashcroft delves into the crimes, the clearer it becomes that he cannot solve the cases on his own. Samira Byrne is a black police officer, battling against prejudice both in and outside the force. Yet she is smart and tenacious – and becomes an ally. Faced with incompetent superior officers, witnesses who are withholding information, and the suspicious behaviour of the missing boy’s parents, Ashcroft and Byrne must risk everything to unravel secrets the valley has been keeping for over ten years. Can Ashcroft outrun his past long enough to solve the cases? Recommended for fans of Ian Rankin, Pe...

  A Puppet Scorned Jamie Kort 4 Stars Pages: 32 Genre: Horror / Humour / Short Published: 20 Dec 2021 Publisher's blurb A dark-comedy, sock-puppet horror written by Jamie Kort Enter a world where needles are sexy and knitting is deadly... Camille and Brad are sock-puppets that live in a dusty old attic. They fill their days exploring the storage boxes in their small world. One day they find yarn and needles and they create something that causes a nightmarish series of events to unfold... and Brad has been hiding a secret from Camille... a terrible secret! Review Two sock puppets who live in an attic have their world upturned when, in the throes of passion, they knit themselves a new member of the family. A highly original piece which blends horror with dark 'knitting based' humour and keeps you crochet hooked until the mad macabre end. Inspired by a dead bat found in the author's loft! This is my first experience with this author and the book description, whilst not bei...

  Space Operatic Dale E. Lehman 3.5 Stars Genre: Sci-Fi / Space Opera Pages: 246 Published: 16 July 2021 Publisher: Red Tales Publisher's Blurb Hopeless optimist Roberto Maccarone has staked his fortunes on a bold move: he's brought grand opera to the Oort Territories, where there isn't enough culture to fill a petri dish. But it's a tough sell here in the cold dark of the next to last circle of hell, and soon Maccarone is up to his mephistophelean eyebrows in corporate greed, rebellious miners, bloodthirsty mercenaries, outrageous lies, intense loathing, inane conversations, and more unintended consequences than you can shake a baton at. Really, how hard can it be to stage a performance? One thing alone can save Maccarone and his company: the most fabulous theater in the solar system slumbers nearby, mysteriously shuttered without having once been used. But the keys are held in the icy grip of the local Culture Minister, and nothing–not Maccarone, not obscene amounts o...

  Sheeple Goblin Queen Pie-Eyed! Galactic Wars Administration Bob And The Blob Spice, Zombie, Apocalypse Sheeple 4 Stars Another gigglefest from Simon Carr that this time takes a sideways look at the world of conspiracy theories and turns the whole subject on it's head An excellent plot with interesting characters that keeps you entertained throughout Goblin Queen 4 Stars Angry that his new born child is a girl, and not the male heir he was expecting the king disposes of the baby as if she never existed. Rangalan is rescued by a goblin woman, is raised in a goblin village and eventually rises to be goblin queen. When she finds out that the king is out to enslave goblinkind it is time to take revenge. Well written and full of humour, the story follows Rangalan’s quest to rid the land of her despotic father and bring peace between the human and goblin people The characters are nicely drawn and the dialog is designed to make you chuckle. Pie-Eyed! 4 Stars A strange encounter i...