Monty's Book Reviews

  Wings Unfurled BOOK 2 of the WINGS RISING duology Rebecca Gomez Farrell 5 Stars RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2022 GENRE: Epic Fantasy PUBLISHER: Meerkat Press Blurb The vicious claren that used to plague the reunited countries of Medua and Lansera are long gone. So what are the new dark patches appearing in Lady Serra's second sight? She rushes to King Albrecht to report the danger, only to discover that he's ailing and Vesperi, Prince Janto's wife, has fled far to the north to grieve her disappeared daughter. Vesperi still wields the silver flame, possesses all the authority she's ever wanted, but nothing can heal the wound of a missing child. When the silver moon Esye begins to fade, a gnawing fear preys on her for the first time since she escaped her father's cold rule. Ominous creatures once thought mythical are now rampaging through the countryside. Janto sends Serra to investigate. But without her friendship and Vesperi's love, he fears he cannot slay this ...

Day Unto Night TammyJo Eckhart Fantasy 4 Stars Blurb : A Sumerian child named Ningai survives the murder of her entire family and cries out to her people's gods, who answer her prayer in an unexpected way. Now, as the first of the Akhkharu, the living dead, Ningai embarks on a journey across the millennia to rebuild what she lost. The best of her offspring must maintain some shred of goodness to prove worthy to their Child-Mother while fighting the deadly impulses of their kind. Join their journeys across time in a series of interconnected stories from the earliest cities to a brutal future where humans are mere pawns in the hands of near gods. Like all of us, Ningai and the best of her children will stop at nothing to protect her family. Can they succeed before they lose what's left of their humanity, or will all of humanity become enslaved to the Akhkharu forever? Review :  Cleverly devised vampire story that weaves a good plot with interesting background detail Revenge, Deni...

The King & Kishar Timothy S Currey Fantasy 3 Stars Blurb :  Every word King Adzi Akkatha writes on sacred stones is binding, and lasts for all eternity. But how can he rule when he has been cursed to forget everything? His city is in chaos. Hinatsi rebels clash with his soldiers, and their mysterious leaders try to capture the King. With the help of High Priestess Idza and General Qanatha, he must relearn their laws and customs, and who he was as a King. His former self seemed cruel and cold, and he is plagued with doubts. He is an imposter in King’s clothing—do they even have the right man? They must flee to the great Temple of Mesopos where the King’s memory might be restored. The rebels are never far behind, and day by day the curse progresses. There is little hope they will reach the temple in time. Even if they do, will the King want to continue ruling as a cold tyrant? Review :  I found this to be quite slow and repetitious. The premise is sound but it just took too...

  Blood Trials Blood Tribe Book 2 Iris Kain 4 Stars Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 381 Published: 30 June 2022 Publisher:  Pirate Farm Books Publisher's Blurb Although the battle for Earth’s balance teeters on a precipice, Maysun, a powerful entity who maintains the world’s Balance, has stepped down from her role and blessed her lover, Eoghan, with her power. Days later, she realizes she may have made her decision much too soon. Charles Dunning, the head of the criminal global vampire tribe the Shévet ha Dam, is on the trail of Maysun’s only child, Amara. Amara lives half of her life awake and in fear, the other half in a shadowy world hardly remembered. She holds a power that allows her to resist the vampire curse, but only a select handful know of her ability. Even Amara is unaware of her gift. She believes she teeters on the edge of insanity, taunted by voices that have haunted her for years. She has no idea the voices are vampires trailing her every move. With Dunning determi...

S16 Simon Carr 4 Stars Genre: Humor, Sci-Fi Pages: 290 Published: 8 July 2022 Publisher's Blurb Probably the only thing worse than finding out that nothing you know is real is finding out that you are also not real. Well, that's how Sanjiv's day started, it did not get much better after that, truth be told. Review Struggling to run his own restaurant and having just set fire (accidentally) to a food critic, Sanjiv really needs a break. Finding out that the world he lives in is not real and is just a simulation is probably not the break he was trying to catch. Simon Carr sets his satirical writing skills on all things sci-fi and any resemblance to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is purely intentional. From the depressed robot to the lead character in a dressing gown, S16 gives nods to Douglas Adam's seminal novel and is a fun read all the way through. Author Website  https://mailchi.mp/57158efee1aa/simoncarr Simon Carr is, well he is me, hello, I write utter nonsense...

Short Stories For The Long Haul John T Buckley 4 Stars Genre: Short Stories Pages: 117 Published: 4 August 2022 Publisher's Blurb Short Stories for the Long Haul is thought provoking and fun. A book written in the spirit of Ernest Hemingway with a very readable writing style. Greater meaning is in the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the plot lines than over explaining things. A perfect book for the beach, the hunting camp, or your favorite recliner. Review Short Stories for the Long Haul is a deliciously eclectic collection that spans a diverse number of genre and themes. The stories range in quality as is only natural for a short story collection and those that appeal to one reader may be different to somebody else. These range from the mildly interesting at one end of the spectrum to the truly excellent at the other. The collection kicks off with a futuristic search for a serial killer in ‘The Billiard Ball Killer’ which sees two detectives being given the runaround ...