July -August Book List

 

July-August Reading List List 

Well not bad, could have been better towards the end.

The good news for my pocketbook anyway is that I have more regular clients resulting in more requests. The majority will be short nonfiction reviews so expect a few pages of those in the next couple of months. But there are some new full book clubs in which I am a member DP Books, Mocking Owl Roost Magazine, and Hidden Gems Books so I have some brand new assignments. Because of that the work on some of my other clients notably Voracious Readers Only will be greatly reduced to one review per month.

The Belgian Girls by Kathryn Atwood*

Mission Red Scythe by C.W. James*

Sense of Home: The Land of The Great Lakes 

by N.Z. Kaminksy

The War on Love and My Ex-Mother God Who Became a Mummified Corpse by Andrew -Ryan Profaci

The Last Ritual by Dragons Gazpar

Cerberus: The Sheriff, The Gimp, and The Queen of the Underworld by Chad Miller 

The Bellfontaine Haunting by Marie Wilkins*

The Bangkok Girl( A Lee Jensen Novel) by Sean O’Leary

The Hat Man by Greg Marchand

Hope in Paris (The Teddy Bear Chronicles Book 1) by Donnalyn Vjota

Icy Heart, Empty Chest by Holly Lee

House of Grace by Patricia M. Osborne 

The Mantis Corruption (The Mantis Gland Series Book 3) by Adam Andrews Johnson 

The Lindens by Barney Jeffries

I am also editing and proofreading Elyria's Journey by Rina Hodson

you have a book that you would like me to review, beta read, edit, proofread, or write, please contact me at the following:

Bluesky

Facebook

Goodreads 

Instagram

LinkedIn

LitPick

Reedsy Discovery

Threads

Upwork

Email: juliesaraporter@gmail.com 

Prices are as follows (subjected to change depending on size and scope of the project):

Beta Read: $50.00-75.00

Review: $50-100.00**

Copy/Content Edit: $100-300.00

Proofread: $100-300.00

Research & Citation: $100-400.00

Ghostwrite/Co-Write:$200-400.00

*These are books reviewed for LitPick or Mocking Owl Roost and will only feature a summary and a few paragraphs with links to the full reviews on their sites. 

**Exceptions are books provided by Henry Roi PR, LitPick, Reedsy Discovery, Hidden Gems, Mocking Owl Roost, Voracious Readers, and DP Books. Payments of short Nonfiction reviews are already facilitated through Real Book Review, Amazon Book Groups, Michael Cheng, Five Stars Books, and Book Square Publishing. 

Payments can be made to my PayPal, Payoneer, or Google Wallet accounts at juliesaraporter@gmail.com

Well that's it. Thanks and as always, Happy Reading.

The Art of Agony (The Nihilist Duet Book #1) by Amy Felix; Uncomfortable, Confusing and Thought Provoking Books About Being Mentally Ill in a World of Nothingness

 

The Art of Agony (The Nihilist Duet Book #1) by Amy Felix; Uncomfortable, Confusing and Thought Provoking Books About Being Mentally Ill in a World of Nothingness

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: There are two things that instantly help the Reader understand the type of book they are reading when coming across Amy Felix’s The Art of Agony. One of them is the name of the series, The Nihilist Duet. The second is the opening content warning which states in bold lettering that this novel is not a romance. You are instantly told this is going to be a strange, dark, uncomfortable, troubling, disturbing, critical, skeptical and pessimistic ride. Those early assumptions are certainly warranted. This is deconstruction of various genres such as Romance and Conspiracy Thrillers by focusing on the troubled souls that reside within them.

The Sinnenberg Mental Institution in Germany has two new patients, twins Eva and Isak Jager. They have been institutionalized under suspicious circumstances that suggest guilt more from those around them than their own. One of their fellow patients is Sebastien Guzman who has his own violent history and background of questionable guardians. Along with the story of their institutionalization, rebellion against authority, and desires of escape, we are treated to flashbacks of their lives before their institutionalization and what led them to this placement. Along with the three protagonists, we are also treated to chapters of dialogue that suggest that Eva, Isak, and Sebastian are being observed by some authority for some unknown and possibly nefarious purpose. 

There's something down right confusing and uncomfortable about The Art of Agony. Something that provokes the Reader by purposely getting under their skin. Something that stays within the dark recesses of their mind and subconscious like a bad memory that is suppressed but should be acknowledged.  

This book is one of the best but also one of the most disturbing books that I read so far this year. 

The backstories of the characters are where a lot of the darkness lies. Eva recalls being molested by a religious family friend. She responds with verbal hostility and affects an arrogant demonstrative attitude. Her retaliation in the matter results in institutionalization. Instead of taking her side, her superficial mother has her committed as a means to silence her and get her out of her life. 

Eva strikes back at her captors and challenges them in various sessions by not participating and glowering in disdain. There are moments where she uses her sexuality as a weapon, as if inflicting her pain on others will somehow make her pain go away. She is a creature of understandable hurt and rage. She suspects ulterior motives from everyone so often strikes back at those around her before they strike her. 

While Eva lives in a dark cloud of suspicion, Isak’s hurts are less visible. It takes awhile for him to follow his sister’s path and when it does, the results are just as traumatic as Eva’s. Part of the trauma is because he spends so much time trying to be Eva’s polar opposite, much to his sister’s early chagrin, who derides him as the “family favorite” without realizing that he is no more loved or respected than she is. He acts like the perfect son and student but has hidden imperfections.

Isak is quiet, remote, and lives inside his own head. Eva’s hostility is known but his negative emotions are buried underneath a cold introverted surface. This surface analyzes his thoughts towards others before he acts. He has a troubled sexual history of his own, but it is one in which he thought that his logic and calculated thought could protect him. The pain that sends Isak to Sinnenberg is self-inflicted as though his head could no more protect him than Eva’s body could protect her. 

Sebastien, the third member to their triangle, comes from a different place than the Jager Twins. He has been at Sinnenberg for a long time, long enough to take active part in and lead group sessions. He gets to know and bond with the twins and becomes a facilitator in helping them face their own unhappiness while coming to terms with his. 

If Eva uses her body and Isak uses his mind, Sebastien uses his heart and emotions. Despite trying to be a welcoming presence to new patients, he has emotional violent tendencies. Before his institutionalization, he committed a violent act, one that came from fury, anger, and impulse. There are verbal and accusatory parts of his mind that tries to resonate his acts of violence with his current responsibilities. They remind him that his warm empathy towards his fellow patients can also burn and blaze with unfelt passion and potential homicide. 

Eva, Isak, and Sebastien are damaged individuals who have one way or another been hurt and respond by hurting others or themselves. Felix is very realistic with how her protagonists are depicted and that can be found in the lack of romance among them. They are capable of feeling. There are moments of familial love between Eva and Isak and companionship between them and Sebastien but that’s as far as it goes.

 Much of their issues are sexually related, Eva’s especially. They have naturally skewered outlooks at lust, love, togetherness, and partnership so they are not going to find a quick fix relationship that will heal all wounds. Instead, it is enough to find someone who might understand the insanity that surrounds them every day because they see it too. Sometimes it’s enough to have someone say, “No you’re not crazy. They really are after you because they are after me too!”

What makes this book so disturbing and unpleasant is the undercurrent of Nihilism, nothingness. Through their own individual experiences on the outside, Isak, Eva, and Sebastian are betrayed by those around them: friends, family, lovers, school, work, religion, home. The institutions that surround them become a mockery as they can't find comfort or protection in them.They are left unable to trust anyone, even themselves.

These characters are cold, barren, alone, numb, used, abused, and cast adrift.They used their body, mind, and emotions to gain back some feeling or control in their lives and ended up with more pain and less control than they had before. Sinnenberg becomes a microcosm of that world around them, the world in which they have no control.They were surrounded by nothingness before and nothingness afterwards but now only on a smaller scale.

There are hints throughout the book that there are larger conspiracies and plans involving the patients, particularly The Jager Twins. Once again like with the romantic aspects, it is dealt with realistically.

 In other books, the protagonists would get to the heart of the conspiracy, try to escape, and either burst it wide open or die trying. Here however, it just becomes yet another thing that traps the characters. Another link in the chains of captivity since their youth, possibly since birth. They may try to escape (and to their credit make a great attempt at escaping), but will in one way or another will always be captives.

Life inside and outside the institution is the same. They just have different ways of capturing, detaining, and holding a person. Sometimes the only meaning that can be found is to find understanding in others who have been through that experience and through oneself in surviving it.

The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan; Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes

The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan; Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes 

 The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan 

This is a short review. The full review is on LitPick 

The Assassin's Heart is an enthralling character driven Thriller about an assassin who begins to question her allegiances when her own heart and emotions are on the line.

 Delia Cahill seems to live a perfect enviable life. She's happily married to Mark, a government employee and has a great career as a high powered attorney with a noted list of rich and famous clients. She is actually a high priced assassin with a tremendous kill list and an excellent reputation as someone who gets the job done. Her latest assignment is Alexander Thorne, a tech genius who created an app that can penetrate any system, network, and defense. However, her heart gets in the way as Delia finds herself falling in love with her target.

Delia straddles the line between consummate professional and romantic heroine and plays both extremes rather well. She's like a praying mantis or a black widow spider, attracting her captive before destroying him. In fact she is so effective at her job that it would be nice to see more of this side of her as a remorseless killer.

Mostly we see her when she realizes that her job isn't what she thought. Her relationship with Alexander becomes a deal breaker between her and the Organization. After she falls in love, they go through extreme measures to break her, treating her just like she used to treat her targets. 

Delia lived a life of violence that overpowered her enemies and tried to live without a conscience. It worked until her conscience overpowered her. 

Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes 

It turns out the dead need just as much emotional and psychological help as the living. Just like the living, the dead sometimes meet in groups to talk about them. Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes is an entertaining, hilarious, and heartfelt look at life after death and the support groups that they form. 

Lexi died at age 28. She wakes up surrounded by other ghosts that have their own stories to tell. There's Billy, a soldier who died during the Vietnam War and finds Lexi very attractive. Vivian is the group leader and Team Mom who suffered loss and rejection in life. Malik appears to be the youngest as he died at 11 but since he's the first who died, he is the wisest and most experienced when it comes to rules of the dead. Dominic is a surly argumentative sort on the surface but has a hidden heart of gold. Maria is quiet but retains the insecurities and neurosis that she had in life. Finally, Chester is the oldest, dying at age 98 and has a lifetime of regrets and memories. The Dead People Anonymous group is there for each other.

The living impaired talk about their problems, discuss the circumstances of their deaths, and what they need to do to cross over to the next plane of existence wherever that may be.

The world of the dead is very detailed with all of the rules and standards that the dead follow. Like all good Fantasies, Hayes took great care in creating and planning her imaginary world and it shows in her writing. 

The ghosts are restricted to various rules. They feel emotions strongly and those emotions can be quite contagious among them. They can relive moments in their pasts as observers and maybe learn things about those moments that they suppressed on Earth. Yes Heaven and Hell exist and the choices that they made in life and after death could serve as gateways to either location.

The ghosts can touch each other but not humans.

They can leave and observe humans, but during times of stress or enlightenment, they find themselves transported back to the building where the group meets. It's also not a good idea to visit friends or family. It's not forbidden but it brings out the worst emotions and could lead to permanent relocation in one direction or another.

These rules are intriguing as Lexi navigates her way through being dead, making mistakes, and adjusting to her ghostly afterlife.

The book also has a strong sense of character development as we get to know each group member, what they were like in life, who they left behind, and what unfinished business holds them back. 

Each character's past is explored and we touch on various human experiences through the eyes of those who had to leave humanity behind. These are stories of lost loves, missing family members, unfaithfulness, anger, jealousy, age, grudges, unspoken words, regrets, and wanting to know if their lives had any meaningful impact and if there was some part of themselves that lived on in some way. 

In the end that's all anyone wants to know, dead or alive. If they actually mattered.

Altered Parallel by CT Malachite; Romance Turns Tragic in Magic Powers Fantasy

 

Altered Parallel by CT Malachite; Romance Turns Tragic in Magic Powers Fantasy 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: CT Malachite’s Altered Parallel is a powerful Romance Fantasy with some questionable attributes and flaws to keep from being perfect. However, it does tell an interesting story of two souls with magical powers whose love is passionate, emotional, empathetic, all consuming, troubling, and ultimately tragic. 

Skyler Aymon is a teacher who is concerned about the frequent absences, failing grades, and sudden bad attitude of her once promising student, Tate Morrow. After a confrontation, she sees a strange aura and feels a powerful surge of energy around him. Curious, Skylar follows Tate to a group whose members have the same presence. They are able to practice The Magic and live in a parallel universe similar to our own but whose residents can use those abilities. In fact, Skyler is revealed to also come from this universe and can access The Magic but needs to learn how to use it. Since she already has a connection with Tate, he decides to train her so the student becomes the teacher. She learns fast and proves to be quite adept and powerful as they become closer.

The book has an extremely slow and at times awkward start. The initial meeting between Skyler and Tate and the introduction of The Magic works well but it falters a bit. At least three times, the book follows the same scenario: Tate introduces Skyler to The Magic and the parallel universe. She is enchanted and practices some aspects like teleportation, mental telepathy, or clairvoyance. Then after a fun time, she returns to her apartment and wakes up with no memories of her adventures. Amnesia is given to her so she doesn't unintentionally blab The Magic’s secret. Finally, she and Tate get through that hurdle and she retains her memories as she embraces and excels in learning to use The Magic.

It's understandable that they wouldn't want everyone to know about The Magic and the introductions are secret tests of character to evaluate Skyler’s honesty and trust but it gets old. We only needed one trip and amnesia before returning to get the point. Three just stretches the concept too far before the narration really begins. 

There is also the discomfort in the age difference between Skyler and Tate and that they were initially a teacher and her student. It's obviously very uncomfortable when this shared experience creates a bond that veers towards romance. Thoughts of statutory rape and pedophilia might uncomfortably pound into Reader's heads. 

Thankfully, Malachite creates a time portal in which one can enter and emerge years older as Tate does and returns seven years older to Skyler after only one year passes in her world. That however creates another problem in the text. This incident happens so early that it's easy to forget that they started out as different ages. 

In fact their backstory becomes superfluous and unnecessary not to mention creepy which is made less so by a plot device. They not only didn't need the plot device, they didn't need that awkward introduction. They could have started at the same age, perhaps as work colleagues or neighbors and it would have had the same effect. It would also have made the rest of the book more comfortable when it comes to discussing how well written the rest of the Romance is and it is an excellent romance.

Once that hurdle is crossed and the plot fully takes hold, Altered Parallel excels at both Fantasy and Romance. Malachite captures The Magic and all of the strengths, weaknesses, and rules that those who have it would follow.

An intriguing concept is how different locations around the world are connected to sources of power. One place could carry an aura of positive Magic that helps practitioners feel welcome and rejuvenated. Another feels cold, negative, and drains Magic users. 

The locations retain the residual energy, actions, and motives left by the users. There are those who use The Magic to help others and those who use it for darker purposes. Magic itself is neither good nor bad. It just exists as a neutral force. The good and evil lie in the user.

In fact, this tug between the various motives becomes a barrier between Skyler and Tate. At first, they are magically in sync with each other. Their powers increase the closer they become. They can fly to different locations, create objects, and share a telepathic link. Their romance strengthens their magical connections and vice versa.

In The Magic universe, emotions are heightened so what they felt in the previous world increases, particularly the darker negative ones. This is especially true for Skyler. The Magic opens her mind but also opens stronger emotions like rage, insecurity, longing, envy, fear, pride, and terror. She tries to resist and bury them but they only become stronger. In some of the strongest chapters, Skyler and Tate give their separate alternate versions of various key moments that show increased uncontrollable power but a decreased personal relationship. This relationship becomes darker, confrontational, and more tragic as they come to terms with different views.

In some ways Altered Parallel is very similar to another book that I recently reviewed, The Fallen Dreamer The Seers: Storyteller Edition by Kevin G. Broas. They both are novels about people discovering inner powers and some characters explore the darker aspects of what having those powers can bring. The difference is in tone. 

The Fallen Dreamer is more introspective and philosophical. It shows the larger picture of how those abilities impact society around us. It makes Readers think about the process, the results, and consequences and how they affect reality, imagination, free will, and human connection.

Altered Parallel is more evocative and poignant. While there is an awareness of the larger picture, it's more interested in the details of how these powers affect the characters. It makes Readers feel the loss within trusting someone with a deep secret and then using that secret to betray all they once believed in and how that betrayal affected their personal connection. Both books tell the same story and do it well. They just use different words and meanings to describe it. 

Elegance and Evil: A Cleo Cooper Mystery Thriller Book 2 by DK Coutant; Average Cleo Cooper Mystery Lacks The Sparkle of The First Volume

 Elegance and Evil: A Cleo Cooper Mystery Thriller Book 2 by DK Coutant; Average Cleo Cooper Mystery Lacks The Sparkle of The First Volume 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I suppose it's ironic that my previous review in DK Coutant’s first Cleo Cooper Mystery novel, Evil Alice and The Borzoi began with the importance of setting and how it is intrinsic to literature but especially a murder mystery. Because setting is one of the issues that impair its sequel, Elegance and Evil.

The book moves Cleo from her Hilo, Hawaii home to a new life in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A psychology professor, she is on sabbatical researching information at a domestic violence center. She also broke up with her former boyfriend, Ben and is now involved with Luc, who recommended her for this new position. At a dinner party, Cleo meets the locals including domestic violence center directors, Ginger and Samia who have disagreements over how the center should be run, Matias, Samia’s frequently absent husband, Kyle, Ginger’s freeloading boyfriend, and Jon, Luc and Ginger's unlikable outspoken friend. Cleo's new life becomes complicated when Ginger is found in the desert dead from heatstroke. Someone tampered with Ginger’s car and sent her out of her way so she could get lost in the desert and die from the heat. The question is who?

This book has some interesting characters particularly Cleo, Ginger, and some of the suspects but the setting is something of a letdown and the plot is predictable. It amounts to an average Murder Mystery which could be so much better. 

The characters are as well written as in the first volume. Cleo is not as positive and self assured as she was in the previous volume. She is out of her depth and element embarking on a new relationship but unsure about what she wants and how to express her feelings. She is more cautious and preoccupied but is still holding onto a good nature that instantly befriends Ginger and admires her for her work. Even though she just met her, she still feels grief at her death.

The other characters are rich in their usual roles of victim, suspects, leads, and so on. Ginger is a woman who is instantly likeable. She is dedicated to helping women at the domestic violence center and practices generosity towards friends and strangers. She puts on a show of kindness and empathy which makes discovering her murderer difficult because who would murder such a benevolent woman?

Other characters have their moments that show depth behind their initial assessment. In comparison to Ginger’s warmth, Samia is more business like and seems colder. Her backstory of being an immigrant from male dominated Saudi Arabia reveals her vulnerability. Jon is mostly a narcissistic thoughtless misogynistic creep but there are hints of a softer side. Luc has some tender moments where he introduces Cleo to his family and provides her with necessary knowledge about the suspects. He also is a worthy aid to Cleo while standing back and making sure that she is the main character. 

However, with her attention to character, Coutant falters in some aspects. One of the things that is really missing from this volume is setting. The original book was set in Hawaii and Coutant described it so beautifully. She knew the sights, sounds, and other senses of the place. She knew the culture, the terms, and colloquialisms, and how people referred to each other. She saw the beauty of Hilo but also the ugliness. 

She did not just describe the scenic spots and charming locals, she was well aware of the crime, domestic violence, poverty, and murder that can simmer in such a place that tries to maintain a positive facade to hide the negative aspects within. The type of setting where a body is not expected but is sure to be found. This loss is greatly felt with the news that a volcano has erupted in Hilo and many of Cleo's friends are displaced or traumatized. Cleo sends as much assistance as she can but is anxious for those that are caught in this situation. 

That is what is missing in the Santa Fe setting. It's not a bad place. The desert gives off a very tense atmosphere especially knowing the dry desert heat was purposely used to kill someone. But here isn't enough of Santa Fe. It could be replaced with any city and wouldn't impact the plot. There isn't really much about the character of the city or its locals. We are looking at it not as insiders just as visitors. The series went from someplace specific to anyplace anywhere making it more generic. 

The missed opportunities are also found in the plot. There are some genuinely suspenseful moments but some leads are very obvious. The resolution is all too easy to figure out and its execution is extraordinarily rushed. It isn't the type of conclusion that leaves you thinking about how it all came together so much as it leaves you wishing that another conclusion could have been met.

Elegance and Evil has some good qualities but not enough to make it outstanding. With this series, the first volume is the best. 

Britannia Rises by Russell Dumper; Involved Relevant AU Science Fiction Where Britain Still Rules The Waves

 Britannia Rises by Russell Dumper; Involved and Relevant AU Science Fiction Where Britain Still Rules The Waves

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I did not plan this but I suppose that it is most appropriate to review Britannia Rises by Russell Dumper for Independence Day weekend. This Alternate Universe Science Fiction novel has an involved and sweeping plot that is surprisingly relevant in modern United States where this once Democratic Republic is transforming into something else entirely.

In this timeline, The British Empire never ended. The United States lost the Revolutionary War and many other countries like India, Hong Kong, and South Africa are still under their leadership. In fact, they are interested in expanding by seizing more countries such as Venezuela and Nepal. They are faced with challenges from other superpowers like China, USSR (yes they are still around and intact), and The European Union, but are also feeling the pangs of rebellion from within. There are rebellious factions like the Dayak, a resistance group with which the Nepalese branch is highly active in this volume.

With a plot this wide reaching and complex, there are going to be various characters who are affected and this book covers such diverse characters and perspectives. Jamie Bayston is a university student who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and is forced to go into hiding. Edward McLaughlin is an American operative who crosses paths with young Bayston and ends up becoming his protector. Trevor Layttle is a German K6 agent whose security investigation takes him to higher and more conspiratorial levels. King Alfred is showing signs of mental decline and is preoccupied with potential foreign invasions, so his avaricious manipulative older son, Prince Leopold and his weak willed apathetic younger son, Prince Christian acquire the regency for the good of the kingdom and their father, so they say. Letitia Pearl leaves her native Canada for Nepal to enlist in the Dayak and is involved in key battles. Bob Royce is a career soldier whose assignment in Nepal allegiances with more violent soldiers cause him to question his own loyalty and humanity.

This is one of those books that scarily lines up with real life. I don’t know if Dumper was intentionally thinking of the current situation in the United States but it’s definitely suggestive of these times. Ironically as I am reading a book about a fictional British Empire strengthening their hold so other countries don’t gain their freedom, the United States may be in the process of losing theirs but not by outside forces but from our own government taking on a more Authoritarian Fascistic rule. 

This book shows what happens when the people surrender their will to a dictatorial society. It’s in the grand tradition of many Science Fiction works like 1984, Handmaid’s Tale, Idiocracy, CSA: Confederate States of America, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 and the various books that I reviewed in the past eight years. They take a far off future or alternate history to comment on the situations that are happening now. 

The parallels can be seen. King Alfred, an Authoritarian despot who is clearly showing signs of mental instability has a lot in common with Donald Trump (with a lot of King Charles thrown in). The actions by his inner circle notably Prince Leopold are similar to oligarchs like Elon Musk and the Heritage Foundation who use the current Administration, narcissistic President, and his gullible followers to feed their own ambition. 

The experiences from Jamie Bayston, Letitia Pearl, Bob Royce and Trevor Layttle can be clearly seen today by people who are suffering from these actions in one way or another. All anyone has to do is read or watch the news and find out what’s happening to various groups like immigrants. LGBT+ people, Liberals, academics, investigative reporters, and voters, even those who once followed the current regime and have grown to regret it. Of course the organized protests such as No Kings certainly causes one to think along certain terms. 

We can all see the similarities especially when we are living inside them. The actions of the characters might be how we would act in some ways. We might be Bayston just a naive part of things until it hits us personally. We might be people like MacLaughlin or Pearl, people whose grief transformed into anger and then action against the system that caused it. We might be Layttle who learn too much and become targets because we shared that knowledge with others. We might be Royce those who followed the system until our conscience got in the way. 

We might be many of the unnamed unknown characters on the outside, average ordinary people, immigrants and citizens that find our lives irrevocably changed by people who take sadistic unconscionable delight in the suffering of others. Even those who once voted for it and actively campaigned for this regime will soon suffer under it. We all will just some of us will realize it quicker than others. 

While this is a relevant novel, it’s not a political tract. It is filled with depth in characters and situations that tell a suspenseful thrilling story. There are plenty of moments that will make the Reader nod in sympathy, rage in anger, or applaud wildly. Royce’s transition from loyal soldier to potential rebel is very real as he mentally shows unease during other soldiers’s boastful dark humor over what they will do to their victims. It then multiplies as those words and jokes become depraved actions and he has to rationalize what they did with what he allowed to happen. 

MacLaughlin and Bayston’s relationship is also a highlight. MacLaughlin gives the younger man pointers on how to survive on the run so this naive sheltered middle class kid shows the potential to become a street smart gun toting fighter. The moment where Bayston learns that he lost everything that he once held dear is predicted but no less heart wrenching as the boy realizes that he is unable to go home. It will be a tough road with plenty of sacrifices, more violence, and may only result in mere pin pricks against those in charge. Bayston has to decide if he is ready for it. 

Britannia Rises is not only a great example of Alternate Universe Science Fiction. It is very relatable to this universe’s current events. 

Miles in Time: A YA Time Travel Mystery (Miles in Time Series Book 1) by Lee Matthew Goldberg; Time Travel YA Series Has Suspenseful Engaging First Volume

 Miles in Time: A YA Time Travel Mystery (Miles in Time Series Book 1) by Lee Matthew Goldberg; Time Travel YA Series Has Suspenseful Engaging First Volume 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Lee Matthew Goldberg has a tendency to give his Readers a wild ride. Slow Down was a drug trip about a Hollywood hopeful who gets involved with an experimental film that gets too experimental and deadly. Orange City is about a copywriter in a futuristic society who samples a drink that is used to drug and ultimately control the people. The Mentor features an editor who is stalked by an author who turns to violence and murder for inspiration. The Desire Card is a five volume series about several people who become involved with a nefarious organization that promises their deepest desires but with strict payments and penalties that are literally real killers. His latest, Miles in Time, is more conventional as it is written for a YA readership, but it still retains much of the suspense, tension, unpredictable chaos, and plot twists of its predecessors. 

Miles Hardy is a teen with a fascination for mysteries so he opens up a private investigation service. Unfortunately, serious mysteries and crimes are hard to come by in small town Frontier, Iowa and he can search for missing cats for so long. However, he is hit with a very serious crime when his secretive older brother, Simon, dies in what was originally believed to be suicide but evidence points to murder. Devastated but determined, Miles receives coded messages that SImon sent him in advance that leads him to a mysterious lab which holds Simon’s secret project: a time machine. Miles must use the time machine to travel to a week before his brother's death to save his life and find out who wants him dead.

Because Miles in Time crosses genres with Science Fiction and Mystery, it combines tropes from both to create an interesting amalgam of two separate tones and styles. In some ways both genres rely on curiosity. Science Fiction asks “What if?” and involves imagining possibilities and procedures to lead to the answer to that initial question. Mysteries often ask “What happened and who did it” and involve seeking clues and leads to come to a credible conclusion. Mysteries asks that you look around you while Science Fiction asks that you imagine what lies ahead but both are genres which involve discovery. 

That is what is at play here. Both Hardy Brothers go through their own individual quests of discovery to come to their conclusions. Simon spends his time in his lab, testing his theories about time travel, experimenting by sending his guinea pig Stinkers into the past, writing messages in code, and transcribing his notes into book form so Miles can understand and follow it. His goal is to prove that time travel is possible and that the past can be changed. His quest requires thought, intellect, and analysis of data.

Miles however is more physically than mentally active. He spends his time observing his surroundings for any changes in normal patterns, asking open ended questions that lead to potential leads, sneaking into forbidden places, and gathering clues in a way that ties all of the evidence together to draw conclusions. His goal is to find his brother’s murderer and to defeat potential enemies. His quest requires strength, courage and attention to detail. 

There are many suspenseful moments that occur during Miles’s trip to the past. No one is above suspicion. Miles investigates the school bully, Simon’s clique, his detached father, his mentally ill mother, a teacher who appears to have encouraged Simon’s pursuits, and a curious and attentive girl that Miles is attracted to. There is also a mysterious organization that hampers Miles’s investigation, seem to know a great deal about Simon’s experiment, and aren't afraid to get violent if need be even towards kids. It’s a tight plot with plenty of dangerous situations that Miles has to use his wits to escape from. It’s the kind of book that keeps the Reader fascinated with the various questions and Miles’ pursuit in answering them. 

There is also plenty of emotional depth in the book that thankfully doesn’t get in the way of the overall suspenseful and inquisitive tone. There are a lot of soft emotions in Miles’ relationship with his mother for example. She is a haunting presence as someone who lives in a semi-catatonic state in which she is awake and is able to move but is mentally separated from her family. She says very little except the occasional non sequitur rages and moves so seldomly that she has to be fed and given medicine by hand. She is like a dependent frightened child but occasionally she seems to know or understand more than she can admit. The brothers and their father clearly love her but are overwhelmed and anxious about her slipping away from her family. 

Miles and Simon's fraternal relationship is the real soul of the book. The chapter where Miles discovers Simon’s body is heartbreaking as is his anguish and remorse over the distance between the two brothers. During his time travel adventure, Miles stays by his brother’s side pretending that he is interviewing him for a school assignment and is able to see the world through Simon’s perspective. The time travel and the investigation gives Miles and Simon an opportunity to understand, empathize, and bond with one another. 

Ironically, Miles’ time in the past is the longest most pleasant experience that the two brothers shared in years. They are able to repair a relationship that was once close when they created imaginary worlds and secret codes but has become distant when maturity, puberty, and different interests and perspectives got in the way. Miles may have traveled through time to save Simon, but it was clear that the brothers needed to save each other. 

As with many ongoing series, Miles in Time leaves some questions unanswered and some plot points unresolved for the next volume. This first volume is a strong sharp start and hopefully the next volume will continue to be that way. 

The Fallen Dreamer: The Seers Storyteller Edition by Kevin G. Broas; Philosophical and Metaphysical Themes Are Highlights of Magical Kids Novel

 The Fallen Dreamer: The Seers Storyteller Edition by Kevin G. Broas; Philosophical and Metaphysical Themes Are Highlights of Magical Kids Novel

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Okay yes, Kevin G. Broas’ The Fallen Dreamer: The Seers Storyteller Edition, is another book in which teenagers obtain supernatural powers and explore the consequences and responsibilities that are tied to them. But there are some deep philosophical and metaphysical questions, details, and themes that are intrinsic to the book and keep it from being a hoary superhero/magic user plot.

Johnny is a teen who emerged from a cave collapse possessing extraordinary abilities such as flight, precognition, and clairvoyance. They are activated by Johnny manipulating clusters of invisible blue energy strands around his body. Excited by this discovery, Johnny shares the news with his best friend, Jake and girlfriend, Brooke who also gain those abilities. As the trio become more powerful, they discover darker purposes for these powers. Not only that but others become involved. Other people also possess these gifts. Supernatural creatures, called Spooks and another creature called The Taker absorb their powers by destroying the human body. Then there's Johnny who is acting stranger and more unpredictable the longer he has these powers.

This is a Contemporary Fantasy about kids discovering magical powers that isn't afraid to get deep and touch on various themes such as the ego, human nature, dreaming, the subconscious, the notions of good and evil, and what it means to truly have godlike powers inside a human body with its vulnerabilities, frailties, and best and worst personality attributes.

Johnny explains that they have to shift the blue energy strands that surround their clusters to harness these abilities. The key he says is in learning control and not letting worries, distractions, and anxieties or other thoughts and emotions drain their energy. Most importantly, it involves killing the ego and foregoing material and physical trappings. That includes relationships which feed the ego and binds the soul to the illusion of the physical world. 

Once the ego falls, so does the energy that holds them to the physical world. They are able to then access a higher metaphysical existence and manipulate forces outside their limited experiences. It requires a lot of self-examination and reflection before the strands can be accessed and those powers can be used.

Once Johnny, Brooke, and Jake become acquainted with the idea of seeing and using clusters, they see them everywhere and in everything (though because of their practices, theirs are stronger and brighter). Seeing the clusters surrounding other people gives the trio a rare opportunity to control others. In one chilling chapter, Jake tests his powers by moving a bully’s strands so he is severely injured with headaches, nose bleeds, and temporary loss of breath. This causes a slippery slope as they discover that they can use these powers for nefarious purposes like creating hallucinations or telekinetically fight someone. 

Johnny, Jake, Brooke and the other characters are teenagers. Teenagers by nature are argumentative, surly, emotional, unpredictable, immature, and intolerant. Now give someone with that attitude the powers of a god or goddess and it makes sense why they do what they do with their strands. 

Many people like to think that if they had any type of magical superpowers they might do good things with it like stopping crime or helping people. They might but more than likely they would use it to their advantage the way these kids do to defend themselves against bullies, receive a passing grade, or to win a football championship. In a meritocratic society where we are told to use our talents and win at all costs, many would use whatever advantage that they have to succeed even if it is an otherworldly advantage. 

As they control their strands, they gain higher perspectives. The usual teen talk, high school social hierarchy, dates, and material possessions that once identified their placement in society become mere distractions. It’s practically an ascension into a higher plane of existence. 

Part of this elevated ascension involves altering time and space. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the continuous references to dreams and astral travel. The characters explore The Dreamer's World which is exactly what it says in the title. It is a vast endless land of silver sand dunes and aurora borealis filling the night sky. This land exists out of time and space and looks like a world before awareness and consciousness. It appears to be barren as though waiting to be filled with memories, fears, moments, the things that dreams store and decode.

The land in the Dreamer’s World shifts as they are faced with challenges like climbing cliffs, fields of grass, and seemingly endless seas. The world is connected to their subconscious and alters itself accordingly. 

The Dreamer’s World is also where The Spooks and The Taker emerge from. They represent their fears, insecurities, all of the ego trappings that had been removed from them. They haunt the protagonists so they can torture them psychologically before they ruin them physically. The fact that they strive to drain Johnny and the others of their powers before destroying their bodies is highly significant. They weigh them down with the egos that they once held so they descend into their human states before they are faced with their mortality. 

In one terrifying chapter, The Taker becomes so powerful that it becomes a natural storm that obliterates Johnny, Jake, and Brooke’s school. This happens during a very key moment as the characters are questioning their own loyalties, allegiances, and self worth. The Taker is fueled by their worst emotions and this threat spills out into the world around them. It changes the physical as well as metaphysical world and creates schisms within both.

Besides the supernatural creatures that threaten the protagonists, they also face threats from within. Some characters take frightening turns with their strands and become intoxicated with power. They use different means from violence to mental manipulation to sway events in their favor. Because of their detached ascended nature, they no longer respond to emotions like empathy, trust, understanding, friendship, or love. They may have removed their egos but they also stripped themselves of their humanity. 

The Fallen Dreamer may be a Fantasy about kids embracing the magic around them, but it also reveals a lot about the constant struggle to achieve awareness and enlightenment while also retaining one’s humanity and the reason that they began this ascension in the first place.