Prepare to be captivated by “Terror in the Shadows,” a gripping paranormal, mystery, suspense novel that plunges into a world of hidden secrets and uncertain destinies. Kelsey, a tenacious young reporter known for chasing stories, suddenly vanishes, paralleling the puzzling disappearance of her mother three months ago. As time ticks away, the race to find Kelsey becomes a desperate pursuit for Detective Silverton.
Haunted by the mysterious photo of Kelsey, Lucy, a mysterious man with an intriguing connection to the supernatural, feels an unwavering urge to aid in the search. With his enigmatic powers, he reveals the missing pieces as they rush into the shadows to unearth long-hidden truths.
In a realm where secrets and lies intertwine, ancient powers stir from their slumber, ready to shape the fate of all involved. Within this realm, where the boundaries between light and dark blur, Kelsey’s fate hangs in the balance.
As Detective Silverton uncovers the truth behind Kelsey and her mother’s disappearance, he walks a treacherous tightrope between saving the young woman and losing everyone he loves. The stakes have never been higher as the clock relentlessly counts down.
With each page turned, “Terror in the Shadows” will immerse you in a world where gripping suspense and unexpected twists reign supreme. As the story unfolds, you’ll be held enthralled from the very first page to the heart-stopping climax. Will the truth set Kelsey free, or will she become another headline shadowed by darkness?
Prepare yourself for an exhilarating journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat, yearning for answers until the last word. “Terror in the Shadows” will leave you craving more, long after you’ve turned the last page.”
My Review
I requested a copy of this book from the author, Jupiter Rose, in exchange for an honest review, because the cover caught my eye. (Yes, I often consciously choose books by their covers.) The flaming pentagram with the figure of a man in it intrigued me and the title, Terror in the Shadows, promised a tale of dark fiction or horror to keep one awake at night. While this story has a lot of potential to be an excellent dark fantasy thriller, it failed to deliver on its promise.
It has an excellent premise, with witches and witch hunters, and even an appearance from the Dark Lord, himself, going by the name of Lucy. The mysterious disappearance of Kelsey’s mother starts things off, but we only get to learn about it through Kelsey’s thoughts before Kelsey herself disappears and it’s up to her two best friends Frank and Jennifer to find her before it’s too late. There are mysterious men stalking her, and a mysterious man who appears out of nowhere to help find her who has more information than he should, all building up to a climatic confrontation between the hunters and the hunted. I loved the tale enough to finish the book despite the problems that I found with it which included:
Massive head hopping. This story changes P.O.V. so often it’s difficult to know whose head your in – sometimes as often as every other paragraph.
Numerous typos, sometimes changing gender identifiers within a single sentence.
The characters were likeable enough, but they lacked depth, which could have easily been remedied by staying in P.O.V. so we could get more of their inner feelings and resonate with the reasons for their actions. There are too many extraordinary events that are reacted to by the characters as if they were every day occurrences, and no understanding as to why that would be.
Needed to be more realistic, and plot holes that need patched. The character of Frank, in particular, was hard to figure out. He is portrayed as a policeman, but his behavior is very un-cop-like. They all have massive time off of work to delve into mysteries, and after her abduction, they bring Kelsey home and report nothing to the police or the media, after her photo has been plastered all over to the public. Then her boss calls to demand her to come back to work before he has any way to know she’s no longer missing. These moments make the reader pause from the story to say, “What? When did that happen?” And there a many of them.
Too much telling and not enough showing. Told in past tense, it was too easy to fill us in later and just tell us something happened while we were out.
I never like to give less than positive reviews, but since I requested the book, I felt obligated to give an honest review as promised. The storyline was good enough to keep me reading despite the problems with craft and grammar. What makes it sad is that all of them could have been corrected by running it by a decent editor and giving it a good proofread. While I am a D.I.Y. author and publisher, I believe in putting out the best book possible, and I know how important it is to have a second, or even a third set of eyes go over the books that I publish. A book like this one just drives that message home.
A good storyline and characters, but hard to get through due to typos and problems with craft. I give Terror in the Shadows 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.
In my graduate publishing classes, Kevin J. Anderson talked about how traditional publishers have tried to cut corners by providing minimal editing, and how they won’t even look at a manuscript that will require heavy editing, unless you are a big name author. Then he told the story of how Stephen King submitted something to a publisher who didn’t thinkm his work needed editing because he is a bestselling author, and Stephen King said something like, “What? No, wait. Part of the reason I’m a bestselling author is because I have fantastic editors to make me look good.”
Even bestselling authors need editors to help them make their writing the best that it can be. They don’t whip out stories that are grammatically correct and properly spelled right off the cuff. They work at it, and they have others input to help them improve their writing, and together, they turn out well written novels which then, become bestsellers.
For me, KJA’s story drove home a point. I’m an unknown author, and writing is a learning process which never stops. So, if bestselling author Stephen King believes he needs editors then, what makes me think that I don’t? Of course I do. I don’t claim to write as well as King, not by a long shot, so of course I need to have someone knowledgeable in all things writing to take a look at my works before I share them with the world.
Advantages of Having Your Work Edited
You’ll produce a better quality work that you can be proud of.
Readers will appreciate not having to struggle through poorly spelled, or poorly structured sentences and paragraphs, just to follow the plot of the story.
So, What Does an Editor Do That I Can’t?
There are many types of editing, but for the sake of this discussion, we’ll talk about line editing, or copyediting in the world of advertising and content marketing. For our purposes, we’ll use line editing.
A line editor sits down in front of your manuscript and goes through it line by line, marking misspellings, inconsistancies and grammar errors. If you’ve got a good repore with them they may also point out plot holes, but that really falls under the deep dive of developmental editing. And about now, you’re saying, “Well, I can do all of that.” And you can, but the thing is, they are not as close to your work as you are. And because you are so close to it, (if you’re anything like me, your stories are like your babies, so you’re biased toward your own writing), they may see things that you don’t, even though it’s right there in front of your eyes.
A Second, (and Maybe a Third or a Fourth), Set of Eyes
Editors are expensive, because editing takes a lot of time, when it’s done right. And I realize that not all authors can afford to hire an editor, especially when you are just starting out, and sometimes even years down the road, when you’re still trying to gain traction. I know because I’m one. I don’t make enough from my writing yet to give up my day job, as much as I would like to. Of course, I want my work to be its absolute best before publishing, so what is an author to do?
I’m a DIY author, but I believe that you really do need that second set of eyes that are distanced from your writing to get an objective opinion, but you don’t always need to pay a professional editor to get that. I don’t mean have Aunty Em give it a look, but someone who is knowledgeable about grammer and spelling, perhaps another author like yourself. I’ve found in the indie author and blogging worlds that there are many authors willing to trade services, or even pay things forward, if you just reach out and ask. The worst that can happen is they’ll say, “No.” If they do, try someone else.
You can try to find an editor on Fivver, but I would caution that you may get what you pay for there. Editors on Reedsy don’t usually come cheap either. But these are two options that are available to authors where you might find an affordable editor.
I utilize several of my author friends as a second set of eyes to beta read or edit my stories. When I can get them, I employ both. I know authors are busy people, so in turn, I must be willing to do the same for them, and I’ve also done a good share of paying forward. I’ve had some author friends turn me down because they were too busy at the time. I get that. Most of the authors I know have a lot going on. I happily move on, although I may come back to them latter.
Self-Editing Tools for Writers
I came across this great blog site, KD Did It Edits, which offers free editing tools for authors who can’t afford an editor, or those who just like to make their writing their absolute best before sending it to their editor, or second set of eyes. The whole site is filled with editing tips and tools, so drop in and browse around. I use many of the resources and tools that she has listed in my own work, including the Perdue Owl, and several of the style guides.
I also use Pro-Writing Aide in my final proof, before I upload my manuscript for publishing, which is basically an AI editor, similar to the one that catches my mistakes in MS Word. These AI tools catch errors which I may have overlooked on the first passover and point them out, so I can decide if they need correction, and how any corrections should be made. So, the AI tools are not writing for me, but they do assist me in catching as many errors as I can. I use them with my own writing and when I’m editing for others. I know I am human and can make mistakes or miss things, and they help me to make all my work the best that it can be. These tools are not a substitute for another set of human eyes on my own work, and I still use beta readers or my fellow authors to see other things that I might not have noticed. For the work of others, it goes back to the author with my comments and the author decides which corrections will be made, and which will be discarded.
Speaking as an Editor
As I mentioned, I do editing for others in a professional capacity through my Write it Right Quality Editing Services. Of course, I want writer’s to employ my editing services, but like I’ve said, I understand that many can’t afford an editor. I’ve always tried to offer my services at affordable prices, but today, I find my services offered at right around the going rate. I do offer discounted rates and special deals, at times. And of course, if you publish through WordCrafter Press, my line editing comes as a part of the publshing package, which is a 50/50 royalty split.
I do offer developmental editing services, but I don’t advertise it on my site and charge for them on an individual case-by-case basis, depending on how much work is needed. You can reach out to me for a quote on the contact form on my site through the link above, or at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com.
Conclusion
In my opinion, any author that is human will make mistakes, so every author needs an editor, or someone else knowledgable in writing, to go over their manuscript or story. I hope that authors will find my site and chose to employ my services, but I understand when they don’t. As a reader who enjoys good writing, I hope that they are striving for perfection in their work, and will find someone else to do it, so that whatever they put out into the world will be the absolute best that it can be.
Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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She has been called many things: murderer, madwoman, monster. She will become only one thing: a god.
The Crone. A woman of legend, a creature of blood. A Valkyrie. She has tortured, murdered, maimed — performing all the rituals needed to call forth the power of Odin himself and summon Ragnarok. She just needs one more thing: the staff of Skara Brae, and her plans will be fulfilled.
But the staff is already in the hands of Morgan Sierra. An agent of ARKANE, the British agency tasked with protecting the world from supernatural crises, Morgan knows that giving up the staff could spell the end of all things.
Now the Crone has taken dozens of staff members, visitors — even children — hostage at the British Museum, demanding that Morgan turn over the staff. Willing to kill, possessor of powers beyond anything ARKANE has yet encountered, the Crone seems unstoppable.
Morgan’s only advantages are her wit, her skill… and Blake Daniel (of the best-selling Brooke and Daniel crime thriller series). Cursed with clairvoyance, Blake’s powers may be just enough to help Morgan turn back the Crone and stop the end of the world.
But the Crone has her own secrets. Able to weave illusions, to wield fear, even to call forth the dead Vikings of old. She is the most powerful adversary Morgan has ever faced. But will she be the last?
The Crone beckons. Ragnarok looms. And it is up to Morgan and Blake to deny them both.
I received a free digital copy of Day of the Vikings, by J.F. Penn as a bonus from her newsletter. I am not very familiar with Viking lore, but I do like supernatural thrillers, so I thought I would give it a go, and I’m glad that I did.
Morgan Sierra is an ARKANE agent out to protect the world from ancient evils of the world. When she visits the British museum to examine the Viking Relics housed there, a group of well organized neo-Vikings seize the museum in search of the ancient staff of skara brie, in a fiendish plot to recreate the brutal ritual sacrifice, the Blood Eagle. The Blood Eagle ritual opens the power for them to locate The Eye of Odin and use it to summon Ragnarok and destroy the earth and it’s up to Morgan to stop them.
Day of the Vikings is a fast paced supernatural thriller with a solid plot, although the characters were rather unremarkable. Although allowed small glimpses into the characters, I never got a real sense of who they were. There is Blake Daniels, who holds the potential to become a very interesting character, if allowed, but then it sounds like he has his own series. Even Morgan’s character seemed a bit flat compared to the bigger than life Valkyrie and her terror mongers and their onslaught.
Keeps you reading. I give Day of the Vikings four quills.
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About A Thousand Fiendish Angels
Three dark short stories inspired by Dante’s Inferno, linked by a book of human skin passed down through generations.
Sins of the Flesh:
When the mutilated corpse of a wealthy author is discovered, the police officer sent to investigate finds a curious diary amongst the occult objects at the scene.
Will he uncover the author’s secret at the ruined chapel, and is he willing to pay the price that it demands?
Sins of Treachery:
On the death of their grandfather, twin brothers Simon and Gestas are left a map covered in alchemical symbols that could lead them to great wealth and power.
But they find more than they expected in the frozen wastes of the Arctic north …
Sins of Violence:
In a brutal post-apocalyptic world, a young girl is about to be taken to The Minotaur for a Blessing that will end her innocence.
Can her sister gain access to the fortified city of Dis in time to stop the ritual and avenge her own lost youth?
Purchase link:
My Review of A Thousand Fiendish Angels
A Thousand Fiendish Angels, by J.F. Penn is a triology of short tales with the common theme of sins. Written for a challenge to write three interlinking stories, using the symbolism of Dante’s Inferno, these short tales explore the depths of the human soul. Sins of Flesh, Sins of Treachery, Sins of Violence; each tale explores a different aspect of sin and the human abilities to resist and weaknesses to give in, and the consequences. These stories are well thought out and well written, leaving me with much to ponder.
Thought provoking short fiction with a theme, but there should have been seven, instead of stopping at three. I give A Thousand Fiendish Angels 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.
🌪️ Unleash the Storm of Suspense and Rebellion! 🌪️
Prepare yourself for a heart-pounding journey into a world of deception, determination, and daring courage in Silent Blue, the electrifying sequel to JD Steiner’s Wreckleaf series. The saga continues as the tempestuous aftermath of the Season’s explosive finale thrusts Nerissa John into a whirlwind of danger and discovery, where silence is no longer an option.
💥 Survival Against All Odds 💥
Awakening to a brutal reality after the gripping conclusion of the Season, Nerissa John finds herself ensnared in a web of captivity. The battle she thought was won has merely transformed into an even more treacherous struggle for survival. Witness as she evolves from a vulnerable captive to a fierce warrior, confronting manipulation, torture, and despair head-on.
🔍 Unmasking Shadows Beneath the Surface 🔍
Beneath the gilded surface of the opulent Panacea lies a labyrinth of dark secrets. Nerissa refuses to be silenced, determined to expose the truth that threatens to shatter the illusions of society’s elite. As the stakes grow higher, she races against time to unveil the corruption hidden behind the luxurious façade—even if it means sacrificing herself in the process.
Silent Blue, by JD Steiner is the sequel to the unique fantasy thriller novel, Wreckleaf. (See my review of Wreckleaf here.) The tale in Book 2 picks up where the Book 1 left off. Steiner has created a villian in Colonel William Banks to rival the worst of them in diabolical cruelty, but Narrisa won’t give up her quest to stop him, even when it seems all is lost. And Steiner has created a world in which it seems no one cares to stop him.
Even after destroying his laboratory compound, Banks manages to gain the upper hand and forces Narrissa to surrender to save her people, the Dulhuphemale, a hybrid breed that isn’t supposed to exist. Narrissa is a strong willed female Dulhuphemale, determined to uncover the truth, even it it means her own death. She rebels even as she cooperates, knowing that he holds the fate of her family, her people, in his hands. Along the way, she finds unexpected allies and learns she’s not alone, but by joining forces their lives are endangered as well. Filled with twists, turns and surprises, this YA fantasy is one you won’t want to put down.
You’ll be rooting for Narrissa all the way, in this delightful fantasy. I give Silent Blue five quills.
Katie Connell is happily married and living the island life on St. Marcos. Just when she thinks life is settling down with her dream man and their gorgeous children, they learn a stranger died at the front gate of their jumbie house. After the victim’s well-connected employer hires Katie and Nick to investigate, they discover a horrifying secret about the place they call home.
Before Katie can process the information, her husband doesn’t return home one night. As if that weren’t enough, the uncooperative police chief counters Katie’s plea for help with a threat to seize their home out from under her. Can Katie track down her husband alone before his trail goes cold, or will powerful forces at work send her to an early grave?
I listened to Finding Harmony, by Pamela Fagan Hutchins, narrated by the author. Finding Harmony is the third book in Hutchins’ Katie Connell Caribean Mystery. (I listened to another audiobook by this author, Fighting for Anna. and you can read my review here.)Her accents and island dialects are wonderful, making it easy to tell who is speaking from the dreadlocked island native Rashidi to her New York proper father-in-law, Kurt. I must applaud her.
Katie Connell is a strong female protagonist who is very relatable. All she wants is a happy life in their haunted island estate with her wonderful husband and beautiful children, and she’s pleased to extend her family, including her in-laws in the household. She’s used to Estate Annalise communicating its needs in poltergisty ways and comforted in the knowledge that the house will protect her and her family.
What she isn’t used to is a man dying in her driveway, her husband’s plane disappearing with him in it, and the local law enforcement threatening her children with harm instead of helping her to locate her husband. With no one else to count on, and convinced that her husband is still alive somewhere, Katie sets out to find him with her father-in-law, but it looks like they’re on their own. The task grows even bigger as they learn that a Mexican drug cartel is involved and is determined to stop them from uncovering the truth, but Katie holds her own.
Throughly entertaining, from the first page to the last. I was rooting for Katie all the way, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I give Finding Harmony 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.
All through the month of November, I was busily working on Sarah, the second book in my Women in the West adventure series. I have a Kickstarter campaign planned for this book in January, and it will be released through distributors in March. I have to say that I was on a roll during the first three weeks, only missing the daily goal of 1667 words on all but three of those days. On the 21st, I registered over 35,000 words, with nine days left to reach the overall goal of 50,000.
Then, my computer screen gave up the ghost, and I had no image to work with, bringing me to a grinding halt. I couldn’t retrieve or back up my document, let alone write more.
Fortunately, I have a guardian angel and life long friend, who values my writing and may very well be my biggest fan. She made sure I had a new laptop coming as soon as she heard about my dilemma, in the hopes of saving the day. She is my oldest and dearest friend, and I always seem to hear from her just when I need her. This Thanksgiving session I made sure to offer up special thanks for her friendship.
WordCrafter Holiday Book Extravaganza
You won’t want to miss the WordCrafter Book Extravaganza when you’re looking for those perfect holiday gifts. December 1st – 22nd all books on the WordCrafter Press backlist will be available for under $3 each. The perfect prices for the perfect gifts, because we all know that books make wonderful gifts! Or, you can pick up those titles that have been sitting on your tbr list for yourself, so you’ll have plenty of stories to entertain you during the holiday season.
Books included in the Extravaganza:
Doubling Down on Book Reviews
Starting in November, I’ve posted extra Saturday Book Reviews to get in all the reviews I’ve committed to done before the end of the year. But I discovered that I had so many reviews that I was behind on, that one extra review a week wasn’t enough. So, in December I will also be posting Sunday Book Reviews as well. And I may even post some random extras, if I get all the way caught up. That’s right. All through December you can catch at least three book reviews per week, and just in time for the holiday season, because we all know books are the best gifts for friends and loved ones, or even just to treat yourself.
Her touch could save multitudes. But even with superhuman powers, will one high-school senior survive a battle with almighty deities?
Seventeen-year-old Hope wishes she could heal every wound. But after a heartbreaking ordeal during a hospital visit, her walk home turns into a fight for survival when she’s attacked by a two-tailed demon cat. And though she tries to shake off the incident, the sudden arrival of a pair of overly curious new classmates sets off the miracle-worker’s alarm bells.
Working hard to keep a low profile, she’s horrified when one of the handsome duo tricks her into mending his wounds after a schoolyard brawl. But when the two boys reveal their divine origins and her fated destiny, Hope plunges into a race to unlock her mystic potential before hellish forces turn them all to ashes.
As the veil between life and death unravels, can she claim her future and shield humanity?
The Healer is the action-packed first book in The Healer YA fantasy series. If you like empowered heroines, Asian gods, and romance that lasts through the ages, then you’ll love C. J. Anaya’s stunning coming-of-age tale.
Buy The Healer today to take a wild supernatural ride through history!
The Healer, by C.J. Anaya is a delightful Y.A. paranormal fantasy novel about Hope, a 17-year-old girl with healing abilities which is intricately woven into Japanese folklore. Hope would heal the entire world if she could, or would she?
On the one hand, Hope is an average teenaged girl, with average teenaged problems. But Hope has a side which she keeps secret, even from her best friend, Angie. Only she, her father, and the young leukemia patient whom she’s been trying to heal unsuccessfully and has built a friendship with. But when two students show up at her school, who seem to know of her healing abilities, things begin to get weird.
Hope finds herself strangely attracted to both Tie and Victor, although she doesn’t trust either. They are not your typical high school students. Only by discovering her true past, will Hope uncover the mysteries of her abilities and learn of the prophecy regarding her fate. When she does, she is faced with a decision. Is it really her destiny to save the world, or will Hope choose to follow her heart and chose her own fate?
A beautifully crafted coming of age story. I give The Healer 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.
Imagine a community full of rainbow families where everyone comes together in the spirit of equality and fraternal love.
Shy pastor’s daughter Marceline and her new husband Jim Jones found Peoples Temple in the face of rampant hostility and aggression in 1950s segregated AmeriKKKa.
They give hope to the poor, the miserable, the alienated and disenfranchised of all colors, and build a commune in the jungle of British Guyana.
But this Eden too has its serpent. One who is also jealous of God, and where he goes, everyone must follow, even to the grave.
I was 14 years old in 1978, when the Reverend Jim Jones ordered the members of his congregation to drink a poisonous mixture and follow him to their deaths. He ordered them to give the same mixture to their children, and they blindly followed after him. I remember hearing about it on the news, and as a teenager, I couldn’t understand how something like this could happen. I wondered why a holy man would sacrifice his flock; why someone would follow aan like that, even when they had to realize what the results would be. What makes a man like Jones? Why would he lead those he claimed to love down a road to death? And why would all those people follow him blindly down that road? Were they deceived? Did they go willingly?
It bothered me, but time went on and other sensational events replaced it as the top story, and I didn’t think too much about it. Every once in awhile it would be mentioned on the news, such as when Waco was compared to Jonestown, and I’d think about it then, and it still bothered me. I still didn’t understand. And there was a part of me that needed to understand.
So when Annie Dawid asked me to review her novel about Jonestown, Paradise Undone, I jumped at the opportunity. Dawid has been working on this book since the event occured, so I knew it had been thoroughly researched, because I reviewed her collection of essays, Put Off My Sackcloth Essays, back in 2022. Her need to understand, to make some kind of sense of this horrendous event, was akin to my own, except hers drove her to act. And to make her offer even sweeter, she offered to send me a print copy. Yes please.
In Paradise Undone, by Annie Dawid, the author has written fictional accounts of a factual event. Her characters were all real people, although some of the names have been changed. Dawid offers up several perspectives of the event, sprinkled with actual quotes made by Jim Jones. She offers a glimpse into the minds of those involved, and their stories are told based on the facts that she uncovered through decades of research.
The plot for this story was written back in 1978, and the author doesn’t veer from known facts, all though she sets the records straight in some respects. Much of the tale she weaves is spun from actual Jonestown documents. Dawid presents the events through the eyes of those that were there or were members of The People’s Temple, and the aftereffects of this unthinkable event.
It is a sad and tragic tale, and there are no happy endings. We all know how the story ended. 918 people dead in the jungle of Guyana. But Dawid has offered us a glimpse into the humanity of the situation, enabling us to see that there were real people involved, people who loved and had hopes and dreams, although perhaps misguided.
I found myself relating to the character of Marceleine Jones, who hid behind behind a veil of feined ignorance as events spiraled out of control as a means of denying culpability. I think it is a common reaction of many women to ignore the traits in their partners which they otherwise could not tolerate in order to maintain the status quo and hold onto the lives that they’ve built for themselves. Marceleine ignored the intolerable until it had spiraled out of her control. The realization of what she’d allowed to happen and her inability to stop it was enough to motivate her drink the Fla-Vor-Aid.
I hope that through her research, Annie Dawid found the answers she was searching for. And me? Well, I’m still in awe that a catastrophic event such as this could occur. Although I’m not sure why it shocks me so much, when madmen are shooting up schools, theaters, and churches, or bombing public events so often that it has nearly become a part of normal life for many. But there is something even more disturbing about Jonestown for me, because Jim Jones gained the trust of his flock and then turned that trust against them. That, in itself, amplifies his crimes tenfold above the shooters of Columbine, the Aurora movie theater killer, the Boston Marathon bomber, with their random acts of violence.
Dawid has done her research and recreated this horrific event for us in stunning vividness. I give ParadiseUndone 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.
A whole new series from the world of the Echo Trilogy.
Three years ago, the gods abandoned us. We’ve been alone ever since.
Kat Dubois is immortal, and she’s retired. She’s long since hung up her sword and left assassinating immortals to someone else…anyone else. She’s now a hard drinking, sass-flinging Seattle tattoo artist with the innate ability to read people’s fortunes using her charmed deck of tarot cards. Her days of bloodshed are over, and she has nothing but time – an eternity, in fact – to hide from her past.
Until someone from her past shows up on her doorstep with news that her beloved older brother and mentor, Dominic, has gone missing. Kat may be the only person with the right skills – and access to the right magic – to track him down. She must confront her past if she’s to have any chance of finding and saving her brother. She must fight her demons. She must embrace the power within her.
I listened to the audiobook, Ink Witch, by Linsey Farleigh. Julia Whelan does a smashing job of narrating this urban fantasy novel about an immortal tattoo artist, Kate Dubois, whose magic is in her ink. Well, not really. The magic is inside of her, but when Kate inks up, watch out. Kate plays the reluctant heroine, coming out of retirement to find and save her brother, who has gone missing, along with others, both magical and mortal. But there’s more to it than at first meets the eye, and the danger ratchets up as Kate uncovers the pieces that will uncover an evil and diabolical plot to take unchallenged control of the magical realm. Her inky magic is just what’s called for to battle the forces of evil, but can she stop her adversaries before their plan can be carried out?
Original and entertaining to the utmost. A fun urban fantasy adventure. I give Ink Witch five quills.
Gio Fortuna, a boy spurned by his parents for being “slow,” is raised by his grandfather in the ways of the Practice, a rich esoteric discipline drawing upon mystic traditions passed down over thousands of years from a multitude of cultures. Written in five parts chronicling Gio’s life, The Shaman sees Fortuna embark on a journey from initiate to adept, young boy to old man, as he navigates a network of teachers, each with their own unique lessons and challenges. Steeped in wisdom applicable to all, The Shaman is an inspiring story that proposes a unique path to self-discovery and growth unlike anything written before.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Shaman, by Joseph Carrabis is an adventure into the human coondition and beyond. I’ve learned more about myself from this book than I ever have from any work of fiction. A journey into the magical worlds of world cultures, this tale uses magical realism to guide us through an amazing adventure. As always, Carrabis is a master at lining his fiction with valuable lessons for all of us.
The magic of shamans lies within Gio Fortuna and Shaman is the story of his journey to discover the magic within himself, learn to use it, and teach others who are eagar to learn. But as he learns, others don’t understand, and they fear him for what he does. Feeling outcast and trying to find his place in life, Gio is on an amazing life-long journey of self-discovery. He learns something new with every interaction, whether they be teacher or student. For Gio, the incredible is ordinary, although most everyone else is left in awe.
Carrabis skillfully crafts his tale into life lessons learned by his character, Gio. As Gio ventures through life on a soul searching journey, each lesson is portrayed in a way which leaves them open to interpretation, for the reader to attach their own meanings. If you read this book, you will, too, without even realizinng that you’re doing it. I read chapters over repeatedly in order to grasp the meanings that were waiting there for me, although sometimes differing from their meanings for Gio.
I have always been interested in the mystical, but it hasn’t come naturally to me. I’ve never truly been able to meditate, and often fallen asleep during my attempts at it. Gio shows me what I need to do, but I need to learn to do it: lower – center – relax -breathe. The lessons which Gio learns and teaches are within the grasp of us all, and the author kindly lists them at the back of the book, where they can be referred to easily. As for the rest, we must each seek out our own path in our own way.
A spiritual oddesy in human nature, with so many lessons inside. I give The Shaman 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.
