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Seeker, David Noë and Laura Loolaid

Seeker, David Noë and Laura Loolaid

Aug 22, 2018 | Science-fiction

Seeker: A story in the ChaosNova Universe

Seeker is a heart-warming mix of sci-fi adventure and family reunion. When Jewel Harper, aka ‘Seeker Valkyrie’ drops off her latest bounty, she expects a brief stop-over before heading out on a new commission. However, when an unknown approaches her on-station with a private commission, her interest is piqued: not least because private commissions are looked on as nothing but trouble by the Seeker authorities. The more resistance Valkyrie meets, the more determined she is to look into the commission – especially when she figures out who the retrieval really concerns.

Seeker is an enjoyable read with a definite YA rags-to-riches flavour to the protagonist. While the underlying idea of the book was strong, I felt that it, and the characters, would have benefited from a little more depth and development. Aspects of the plot and the interactions felt shallow, and some of the reveals left me with a ‘that could have had so much more impact with a bit more foreshadowing’ sensation. On the other hand, the pacing was very good, and some of the detail of the world-building was excellent. This is definitely a book with a lot of potential, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light sci-fi read.

Meet the author:

Amazon author page, Laura Loolaid

ChaosNova website

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The Long Road to Missouri, Bowdoin

The Long Road to Missouri, Bowdoin

Aug 13, 2018 | Fantasy, Thriller

The Long Road to Missouri: The Pivot Papers Chapter One

The Long Road to Missouri offered an interesting combination of thriller and horror. Missouri is ‘retired’, otherwise and unofficially known as too much trouble, and too well-connected, to kill. He’s living in a trailer in the backwoods and enjoying his solitude when the police shake him down for information on the murder of a detective—which he didn’t commit. When Missouri finds out that the corpse had had its right hand hacked off, he realises that he is involved, like it or not…and that involvement is likely to jeopardise his retirement.

When I started reading this book, it came across as a standard crime thriller, and then the supernatural elements started threading in. To be honest I found the mix of the action and supernatural elements was very well done; the lack of fanfare, and the victims’ disbelief, were both very effective tactics to build the effect. To help all that along, the scene-setting contained just enough to provide a mental backdrop without spending pages on detail. Unfortunately the ending feels more like a pause than a conclusion, and I’m not desperately fond of that type of finale. However, the book was well-written and thoroughly edited, and very much an enjoyable read; John le Carre with flavours of Anne Rice.

Meet the author:

  • Any sign of author online gratefully received – The Snarky Bookworm
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The Rose Thief, Claire Buss

The Rose Thief, Claire Buss

Aug 1, 2018 | Fantasy

The Rose Thief

The Rose Thief has an upside down opening: quite literally, as Ned Spinks, Chief Thief Catcher, is suspended by his heels for questioning at the time. Someone’s been stealing the Emperor’s roses, and one of them embodies the force of love. Steal that, and the kingdom will lose all ability to care. Ned’s job is to track the rose thief…before he or she makes off with the rose of love. Between that, an undercover warlock, and the murder of a prominent figure in Roshaven’s underworld, Ned’s dance card for the day is getting full – and that’s without the diplomatic pitfalls of beetle cheesecake (spit or swallow?)

The Rose Thief is a light-hearted comedy fantasy, set in a world of magic and intrigue (and we aren’t going to mention the strap-on attachment that allows humans to talk with Sparks the firefly). The plot weaves politics, family feuds, and the power of love into a colourful adventure, underscored with a telling commentary on gender discrimination that forms a more serious sideline to the main story. The character of Jenni, Ned’s partner-come-nemesis, was one that particularly drew me – a sprite with an entertainingly foul mouth to match her customary aroma, Jenni is one of the most powerful characters in the story, a force of nature with no interest in being in charge. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys laughter and fantasy.

Meet the author:

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Vileness, Rowan Waters

Vileness, Rowan Waters

Aug 1, 2018 | Thriller

Vileness (Samantha Brooks Thrillers Book 1)

In a twisty tale of betrayal and good intentions gone bad, Vileness follows Samantha Brooks as she begins to work as an agent for her brother’s network, working with victims of domestic violence to help them disappear and escape their abusers. However, when Sam moves to small-town USA, she starts to break one of the rules of the network…she starts to get involved. And once involved, she can’t help but realise that the details of the escapes she facilitates simply don’t match up…

With a compelling plot and characters, Vileness made a very strong start to the Samantha Brooks Thriller series. Personally, I would have chopped the opening chapter, where the past of a journalist you barely hear of again in the rest of the book is covered, but the main story more than compensated. Sam is a particularly refreshing heroine to read about: she doesn’t expect a knight on a white horse to ride to her rescue, and she’s not afraid to chase down unpleasant facts. The romance is a pleasant side-line to the main plot, without any attempted take-over of the storyline, and the action is reasonably plausible and well-paced. I also found that the writing was, with a few exceptions, well-edited, which allowed me to focus on the story rather than wrestling down my inner editor. I’ll definitely be watching for more releases from this author – this was a really enjoyable crime / thriller read.

Meet the author:

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