Had to Share This Wonderful Review of The Rock Star & The Outlaw
Posted: February 6, 2024 Filed under: Action/Adventure, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Review, Time travel, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Book Review, Kaye Lynne Booth, The Rock Str & The Outlaw, Time-travel adventure, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentThanks to M J Mallon. Check it out on her Kyrosmagica blog site.
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Book Review: Neema the Misfit Giraffe
Posted: January 26, 2024 Filed under: Animals, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Fiction, Review, Wildlife | Tags: Animals, Book Review, Girraffes, Neema the Misfit Giraffe, Robbie and Michael Cheadle, Southern African Safari Adventures, Wildlife, Writing to be Read 24 Comments
About the Book
Neema is different from her fellow giraffes. Their lack of understanding make her feel unwelcome. Neema sets off on a journey to find a new friends.
Includes illustrations, photographs, and links to video footage of giraffes, as well as fun giraffe facts.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Misfit-Giraffe-Southern-African-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0CMCZ7G93
My Review
I requested an ARC of the latest children’s book by Robbie and Michael Cheadle. I’ve followed this mother son writing team for several years, and truly enjoyed many of thier Sir Chocolate book series for young children. (I’ve reviewed many of those and will direct you to them at the end, if you’re interested.)
Neema the Misfit Giraffe is the first book in their new Southern African Safari Adventure series, and I wanted to see how their talents have developed as they’ve grown together as authors. As in the Sir Chocolate series, Robbie has designed the cover and illustrations herself, but this series features, not fondant art, but a cover done in gorgeous water colors and breathtaking photographs of live animals in the South African bush illustrate the pages. Also like the Sir Chocolate series, the book’s message is delivered in delightful verse.
Neema the Misfit Giraffe features an eye-catching cover that is bright and colorful, beautiful illustrations and even links to video of the animals their characters are based on, and fun facts about giraffes. This series is going to be a lot of fun, but it is also very educational, and I just love it.
I give Neema the Misfit Giraffe five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: In the Shadow of Rainbows
Posted: January 12, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Collection, Poetry, Review | Tags: Book Review, In The Shadow of Rainbows, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Selma Martin, Writing to be Read 16 CommentsAbout the Book
In this dazzling debut poetry collection of over 60 carefully selected poems, author Selma Martin points the way to the beauty in the everyday, the shadow of the rainbow, and the silver lining at the edge of every cloud.
Favouring lyrical forms, and revelling in rhymes and musical language, the individual poems in this collection harmonise together in symphonic splendour to form an enlightening and delightful whole.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Rainbows-Collection-Songs-Presence-ebook/dp/B0CB5PLMB6/
My Review
I’m happy to be able to begin 2024 with the review of Selma Martin’s debut poetry collection, In The Shadow of Rainbows. Many of the poems in this special collection have a lyrical feel to them from the poet’s unique style, finding ways to celebrate life and the wonderful things found when you least expect them, lying hidden in the shadows. I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I see poems as personal reflections on love, life and nature. They express the unique way that each poet sees the world, and shares them, opening doors for others to view the world in a different way. Poetry can express some amazing things, and make its readers think of things in ways they’ve never before considered. Selma Martin has done just that, opening doors to reveal the hidden world which jumps out and surprises us from the shadows of rainbows.
I truly enjoyed reading through this collection, often going back and rereading poems which resonated with me personally. It is often amazing to view the world through someone else’s eyes, revealing what we might not otherwise see, and this journey offered in Martin’s collection is a truly wonderous one. This delightful collection of lilting, lyrical poetry offers special appreciation for life, love and the world around us.
As with most poetry reviews, the best way to describe the poet’s unique style and perspective is to share some of my favorite selections for my readers to judge for themselves. Because, after all, the poetry speaks for itself better than anything I could say to describe it.
(Martin’s form doesn’t transfer well on WordPress, so I hope I didn’t butcher them too badly.)
Slice of Life
Flanked between two warnings, I live you, planting the light hours with loving acts, for you, for us, for our menage,
and when I meet dusk, filled,
ready for our mingling at the table, where we swap slices of lived moments of the same day, hearts swell replete.
The Lore
Azure and unperturbed is the sky until a little
cloud perches high above me near sunset
I quit my book
glad Cloud stopped for me.
We stare at each other long, me, blanking out toils and troubles, Cloud turning orange and peach until she mauves herself,
Melding with Sky, and follows it.
When I can discern her no more I walk away from my tent-down to the small river that gurgles. I watch it gain speed, and as it snakes into the noble Pacific
I hear her babble me a goodbye.
A salacious wind blows warm air behind my ear but soon disowns me, a moth brushes on my temple and is gone much too soon.
Everyone’s on the move except me- I don’t mind, I have the chant of the river, the bustling of bugs,
puddles of moonlight, silhouetting the beauteous forms of things and best of all, and best of all the seven daughters of Atlas
clustered over me.
What else do I need?
For an Hour
when a colorless day let’s slip a rare irreproachable hour
take it and indulge it for a while sit with it, let it swallow you while
or paint it with shades alluring, dye each section with thoughts of hope
paint your steps from here to the seashore pigment the waves to humor the sun
taint the sun-no wait-don’t paint the sun we need Helios to stay as is
winnow the bulrush color-washed clouds that camouflage Mt. Fuji
and the hawk-just let the hawk be duly, a day will never beam
without bringing you recall
of the sea, laughing with you for an hour
A wonderful way to begin the new year with a lovely collection of poetry. I give In The Shadow of Rainbows five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Passing Through Veils
Posted: December 31, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Review, Thriller | Tags: Book Review, John Harrison, Paranormal Mystery, Passing Through Veils, Thriller, Writing to be Read 1 CommentAbout the Book
A fusion of Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn, Passing Through Veils is a gripping psychological thriller about Kathryn Fields who moves into a run-down Georgetown, D.C. townhouse in hopes that restoring it will be a metaphor for her own rehabilitation from the recent nervous breakdown that derailed her promising career.
But when she discovers a forgotten vanity behind a false wall in her bedroom and the secrets hidden there, the veil between the real and the surreal is abruptly pierced, and the ghost of a beautiful woman who was murdered in this very townhouse escapes to seek revenge.
Is this simply a fantasy of Katherine’s damaged psyche?
Or have her own demons finally escaped to torment her?
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Passing-Through-Veils-John-Harrison/dp/168057423X/
My Review
Passing Through Veils, by John Harrison is a perplexing paranormal thriller with twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Deceit and intrigue mark this cold case story delves into an unsolved murder that took place 30 years ago. But the dead don’t rest and may be out for revenge.
Kathryn is looking for a new start after a breakdown that sent her to mental hospital. Now she’s trying to pick up the pieces and build a new life, in a new job and a new house. But something in the house won’t let the past lie, driving her to search for the truth. But to solve the murder, she is forced to confront the demons of her own past, threatening to unravel her sanity. When she gets too close to uncovering what really happened in this house so long ago, she doesn’t know where the bigger threat comes from, the spirit that prompts her to learn the truth, or the murderer who is about to be revealed.
A paranormal thriller that will keep readers guessing until the final scene. I give Through Passing Veils five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Reviews: Lines by Leon & The Inyan Beacon
Posted: December 30, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Creativity, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Review, Short Fiction, Stories | Tags: Book Review, Dan Antion, Drawing, Flash Fiction, Leon Stevens, Lines by Leon, Poetry, Scieince Fiction, Short Fiction, Teagan Riordain Geneviene, The Inyan Beacon, Writing to be Read 6 Comments
About Lines By Leon
Lines by Leon is an eclectic mix of poetry, prose, and short stories that address the subjects of loss, struggle, human behavior, and environment in both humorous and thought-provoking ways. The author invites his readers to laugh, think, cry, and meditate on the wide variety of topics. Scattered throughout the book are sketches of various subjects, many that relate to the poems and stories they illustrate; others speak for themselves.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lines-Leon-Poems-Prose-Pictures-ebook/dp/B0BQCPP5WW
My Review of Lines By Leon
Lines by Leon, by Leon Stevens is an entertaining collection of creativity that showcases the authors talents in prose, poetr and drawing. The poems are lighthearted and positive, although I did feel a bit of sadness when reading “The Sock”. The drawings are well done, the sketches are amusing, and all offer the reader something to think about in a new or unique way.
It’s brief, but entertaining. One can’t help but smile. I give Lines by Leon four quills.
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About The Inyan Beacon
Part science fiction, part spaghetti Western, part speculative fiction, The Inyan Beacon is a short story set in the distant future. Earth’s moon, now called Maka, after a failed terraforming attempt, is the site of a lone stone tower. Tatanka (Tank) Cody, descendant of Buffalo Bill Cody, and his synth companion, Compass are determined to get inside the tower. Although they might not find what Tank is so sure will be there.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Inyan-Beacon-Teagan-R%C3%ADord%C3%A1in-Geneviene-ebook/dp/B0C3Z7G2C6/
My Review of The Inyan Beacon
The Inyan Beacon, by Teagan Riordan Geneviene and Dan Antion, is a brief tale that feels like a small piece in a much bigger puzzle. Teagan jumps right into the story, but it takes a moment for the reader to orient. Once there, it is easy to emmerse oneself into the story, but before you know it the tale has come to its conclusion. I think I would have preferred to know what they were looking for a bit sooner to give me a better sense of purpose for the characters. I applaud Geneviene and Antion for providing this story with a beginning middle and end, making it a complete story; something many shorts fail to do.
It caught my interest, but was too short. I wasn’t ready to stop, and would have been willing to follow the characters through to the next adventure. I guess I wanted more. I give The Inyan Beacon four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: “Bats in the Belfry” & “Heart of Clay”
Posted: December 29, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Humor, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction | Tags: Bats in the Belfry, Book Review, Dan Shamble Zombie P.I., Heart of Clay, Kevin J. Anderson, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout Bats in the Belfry
Ace Ventura meets the Addams Family!
A shambling horde of new cases hits Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. in the Unnatural Quarter. Dan and his gang—including his ghost girlfriend, feisty lawyer partner, cop best friend, and little vampire half-daughter Alvina—are out to seek justice, solve mysteries, and keep their heads on straight … or at least attached.Alvina’s singing lessons for the Banshee Tabernacle Choir end on a sour note when the troll choir director plunges to her death from a high belfry, and the only witness is a deaf-as-a-post gargoyle who sits too close to the loud bells.A frustrated imp, woefully unsuccessful in betting on the nightmare races, is dead certain that his bookie BatGN (GN for “gender neutral” to avoid copyright issues) is cheating him.Francine, the salty bartender at the Goblin Tavern, is worried when One Fang the vampire—her on-again, off-again suitor—disappears without a trace.A shady vendor discovers a market for living shrunken heads that are conversational as well as decorative, but the demand by far exceeds the supply.A heartless therapist has ulterior motives when she counsels zombies, distracting them from their woes to concentrate not just on brains, but on self-improvement as well.There is much at stake in the Unnatural Quarter, and it’s up to Dan Shamble to keep the streets dark and safe for monsters and humans alike. After all, the cases don’t solve themselves!This zombie detective puts the P.I. back in R.I.P.
My Review of Bats in the Belfry
I received a digital copy of Bats in the Belfry through author Kevin J. Anderson’s Bats in the Belfry Kickstarter campaign back in March. I love Anderson’s Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, so I jumped right in and backed this Kickstarter campaign. I knew right off that I wanted to read this book. In fact, I kept checking back to see if it was finished and my early digital copy ready, even though I had received other rewards already and had plenty to read.
I was not disappointed. Bats in the Belfry was one of Dan Shamble’s most intriguing cases yet. Dan Shamble is on the scene when the troll choir director plummets to her unnatural death from the church bell tower, and the only witness is a deaf gargoyle in the belfry, who claims to not have seen a thing. He’s also looking into a crooked betting claim at the Nightmare Races.
For tickle in your tummy and a giggle in your heart, Dan Shamble is always sure to please. He may have Bats in the Belfry, but he gets five quills from me.
About Heart of Clay
Heart of Clay was a short story in the Dan Shamble P.I. series which was offered soley as a Kickstarter reward, so it isn’t available through distributors. I’m including my review here to demonstrate the value I got from backing the Bats in the Belfry Kickstarter campaign at the $5 tier level.
My Review of Heart of Clay
Heart of Clay is a short story by Kevin J. Anderson, from his Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, which I received as a stretch goal reward in digital format. In the past, I have reviewed many books and stories from this series, because I truly enjoy the characters in the absurd world Anderson has created, post Big Uneasy. Perhaps because this is a short story, rather than a novel, I didn’t feel that it had the same depth as the other stories in the series. But there was plenty of the undead and unnatural humor which the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. books are known for.
Someone is killing golems, the legendary Excaliber is missing, and Dan Shamble vows to find it. Dragons, ogres, werewolves, ghouls, vampires, mummies, trolls, and more. A walk through the unnatural quarter offers more than a few chuckles as Dan Shamble looks for clues to solve the case.
Short, but funny. Heart of Clay fun quick read with some of my favorite unnatural characters. I give it four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: The Light is Dimmer
Posted: December 24, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Fantasy, Dark fiction, Fiction, Mythology and Legend, Review | Tags: Book Review, Dark Fantasty, Mythology, Samara Katharine, The Light is Dimmer, Writing to be Read Leave a commentAbout the Book
Embark on an unforgettable journey in The Light is Dimmer, a captivating blend of literary fiction and fantasy that will leave you breathless. In a world where corruption runs deep, Lucky Barlowe, an orphaned teenager, finds himself caught in a web of deceit and treachery that even the gods are entangled in.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Dimmer-Samara-Katharine/dp/B0C4WMV12M/
My Review
The Light is Dimmer, by Samara Katherine was a very different kind of book for me. I don’t remember how I came by this ebook, but I know it was the cover that drew me to it. A burning crown. Somehow that image raised my curiosity and I wanted to read this story.
It turns out to be à journey into mythological fantasy, with god’s and goddesses who are all too human in many ways. When gods and humans mix, there’s no telling what will happen. But, these gods are not infallible and they make their share of mistakes in god-sized proportions. And when they go mad, they do that in god-sized proportions, as well.
Lucky is an orphan, living in the streets when the Siren chose to bless him, turning his poor but simple life upside down. A god and a mortal, both seeking love and family, both injured by losses. Can they each learn to trust again and let themselves be loved?
The writing style of this author was off-putting to me. This might just be a personal thing, but I found it hard to discern who was speaking a lot, and found myself having to reread to keep things straight in my mind. I also found it a bit puzzling when the character whom I thought was the protagonist was killed off not even halfway through the book. I later could see why the author had structured the tale in this manner, but I still thought it an odd choice.
A story with unusual structure and style, which unravels nicely in the end. I enjoyed reading The Light Is Dimmer. Quite different from anything that I’ve read before. I give it three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Truth
Posted: December 23, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Erotica, Fiction, Horror, Psychological Thriller, Review, Thriller | Tags: BDSM Erotica, Book Review, Erotic Thriller, James Crow, Thriller, Truth, Writing to be Read Leave a commentAbout the Book
TRUTH … nothing but the truth
Locked away in the dirty bin – that’s what they called it – a big metal box for the criminally insane. The no-hopers, left to fight for scraps. And fight for their lives.
I thought I would die in that place. Until the priest arrived.
Father John said he believed in me. And that he believed he could save me.
All I had to do was be truthful – the whole truth and nothing but.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/TRUTH-James-Crow-ebook/dp/B086764D1K/
My Review
I reviewed this book’s counterpart, Dare, back in 2018. (You can read my review of Dare here.) I only gave it four stars, because I quite frankly, wasn’t sure what to think of it. At the end of book 1, our heroine, Danielle, is headed off to prison for at least three murders. I picked up a copy of the sequel, Truth, by the same author, James Crow, because I couldn’t imagine where this tale could possibly go from where we left off. Crow had my curioustity raised just by the fact that the sequel exists. Both books venture past erotica into bizarre, and they are definitely not for the faint of heart, with sex, violence and really kinky BDSM stuff floating over the pages like a tantalizing main course, followed by a scrumptious dessert, with more than a few bites in there that are really tough to chew.
There are no lengths Danielle won’t go to in order to gain her freedom, and enemies may become allies faster than you can blink. A prison break that exchanges one kind of cage for another, dragging Danielle into a bizarre world where nothing is sacred, murder seems to be an everyday occurance, and everything revolves around sex. Trapped, it seems there’s no where to escape to, except to the deepest chasms of her mind, and that, my friends, can be a very scary place. Once again, as readers, we’re faced with decifering the unimaginable truths, from horrifying fantasies to determine what’s real and what isn’t.
The lesson in Truth is that it’s okay to sin as long as you do pennance, and Danielle quickly finds the truth in that. Although I found the events in this story extremely shocking, (and I don’t shock easily), for some reason I couldn’t seem to put it down. I give it four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Roll
Posted: December 22, 2023 Filed under: Adventure, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Review | Tags: Book Review, Fantasy, Kevin J. Anderson, Roll, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout the Book
It was supposed to be just another Sunday night fantasy role-playing session between friends…
But after years of playing, the game had become so real to David, Tyrone, Scott, and Melanie that all their creations now had existences of their own.
And when the four outside players decide to end their game, the characters inside the game world—warriors, scholars, and the few remaining wielders of magic—band together to keep their land from vanishing.
Now they must embark on a desperate quest for their own magic. Magic that can twist the Rules enough to save them all from the evil that the players created to destroy their entire realm.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hexworld-Roll-Portal-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B091G3MJCB
My Review
Roll, Book 1 in Kevin J. Anderson’s Hexworld series is an intriguing fantasy about a roll playing game from the other side of the board. I acquired this book as a Kickstarter stretch goal reward from the Dragon Business campaign.
A world was created for the game, and Hexworld takes on a life of it’s own, with the players sending characters on perilous quests for their amusement. But when the players grow bored with game and one decided to end it, destroying the world, three characters vow to fight back and protect Hexworld from total destruction. Delreal, a strong warrior, Vailret, a near-sighted historian, and Bryl, a half-sorcerer set out on a quest to save Hexworld, and their stronghold after a band of marauding ogres take it over. To do so, they must travel long distances, meet interesting peoples of each hex they travel through, battle a cyclops, and outwit a dragon, all while staying within the rules of the game and their own personal limitations, making new and interesting friends along the way who join them in their quest.
I received a digital copy of Roll as a stretch goal reward from one of Kevin J. Anderson’s Kickstarter campaigns. I found this story and its unusual characters to be enchanting, drawing me back again and again. I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: Ivory Trees
Posted: December 17, 2023 Filed under: Action/Adventure, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Ivory Trees, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Science Fiction, Writing to be Read 5 CommentsAbout the Book
Ancient tech draws dangerous unwanted attention in New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Ivory Trees, the thrilling new standalone novel in her award-winning Diving series.
When the discovery of a bunker reveals a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, interested parties throughout the Empire—from collectors to academics to researchers—want a piece of the action. But the finds draw attention from outside the Empire as well. Attention from someone willing to do whatever it takes to outmaneuver the Empire and secure the collection.
Set in Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s expansive Diving Universe, Ivory Trees introduces exciting new characters and events to this powerfully written series, while also offering some tantalizing Easter eggs from previous Diving novels.
As suspense builds to a fevered intensity, this tantalizing new novel mixes the best of heist fiction and space opera and proves Rusch’s place as a master of science fiction.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Ivory-Trees-Diving-Universe-Novel-ebook/dp/B0CKBF9X6N/r
My Review
I received a digital copy of Ivory Trees, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, as a reward from the Ivory Trees Kickstarter campaign at the bottom tier. Ivory Trees: A Diving Universe Novel was not what I expected. Somehow, the series title lead me to believe that the story would take place under water. However, as the cover portrays, this story is a science fiction tale taking place in the vast reaches of space.
Rush has created an intriguing universe, where it’s difficult to tell who the good guys are, with complex characters which are likable and relatable. Multiple points of view allow this story of action and intrigue unfold. Everybody has an angle and lives are at stake. Honestly, I wasn’t sure who to root for in this story, as the alien race whom I believed to were supposed to be the good guys seem to be the aggressors, while the Enteran military on the planet of Wry, whom I think are supposed to be the bad guys, seem to just be defending the items that they find in their possession.
When ancient artifacts are discovered, including the legendary and valuable ivory trees, there’s profit to be made. But the people who have possession of these precious artifacts have no idea what they really are; dangerous weapons from an alien technology which are highly unstable, and the race that created them is determined to get them back at any cost.
As a part of a series, this complex, multiple character, multiple storyline tale is one that science fiction and space opera fans are sure to love. I found many of the storylines seemed to just drift away, hopefully to be picked up in future volumes. Because many things were left unresolved for the series, as a stand alone, I found the ending less than satisfying. I give Ivory Trees four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
