Tag Archives: self published

timberwolf

Book Review of Timberwolf, by Tom Julian

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I received an Audible code for a free copy of Tom Julian‘s Timberwolf, narrated by C.J. McAllister.

Description from Goodreads:

Some want peace, some want war… he just wants the damned spider out of his head!

Humanity destroyed every alien species we encountered, until we met the Arnock – arachnids that drove us insane on contact. Timberwolf was captured by the Arnock and can now “hear” the Arnock in his head. Near madness, he’s gone on multiple suicide missions and come back unscathed – the alien forcing him to survive.

Emanuel Gray was Timberwolf’s commander and mentor. A former General, now religious fanatic – Gray sees our peace with the Arnock as a sin. He’s a wanted man and hell-bent on wiping the Arnock out.

Timberwolf chases Gray to the weapons factory world of Highland. When the Arnock arrive it becomes a battle for the deadliest weapons in the galaxy. Timberwolf will have to choose between getting the alien spider out his head or taking out Gray – all while millions of lives hang in the balance.

Review:

Not bad, but not a real winner for me either. Part of the reason is that it’s plot-driven instead of character-driven. So, I never connected with any of the characters. But part of it is also simply that I felt like the plot was just leading from one fight scene to the next. I swear a good 80% of the book is descriptions of battles. I got bored with them. I liked Timberwolf well enough, as well as the side characters. But I felt the duo Villians diluted the focus of the story. The narrator did a fabulous job, however.

lowcountry incantations

Book Review: Lowcountry Incantations, by C. J. Geisel

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I received a free audible code for a copy of C. J. Geisel‘s Lowcountry Incantations. It’s narrated by Sommer Hines.

Description from Goodreads:

Quinn Riley has just had her life turned upside-down. Life is about to get worse…and weird.

After losing her job, Quinn Riley goes on the hunt for another boring, nine- to- five when a split-second decision to save a dog turns into a nightmare. The ghost of a stunning young woman in a blue dress starts to follow her, she is forced to move in with a stranger named Caleb, and events in her life have her questioning everything she thought she knew. With the help of Caleb, a new Psychologist turned friend, and a magical root doctor, she navigates the blessings and dangers of her new life. What could possibly go wrong?

Review:

This was ok. The writing was fine and I liked the characters well enough. But I feel like I must have missed the memo that told authors they were only allowed to write one story, the one where sexually sadistic men kidnap, rape and murder women. Bonus points if they can force the woman to flirt or pretend they enjoy it. and, sure, throw a ghost or magic in if they want to stand out. But ultimately be sure to follow the script. The man has to prey on the women and then, after intelligently avoiding the police for a while, has to become erratic in the end. Am I really the only one who sees how frequently this SAME storyline is used and is completely bored by it? I literally finished this book by force of will. When you know exactly what the plot is, point by point, because you’ve read it so many times, it’s awful hard to stay invested.

I also thought there were some problematic stereotypical representations of black characters, especially around language. But I’m not entirely sure if this is in the writing or in the narrator’s choice of how to voice the characters. She did an ok job in general. She had a tendency to pause in odd places in sentences though. Otherwise, it was fine.

death wish

Review of Death Wish (Reaper Reborn #1), by Harper A. Brooks

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I received an Audible code for a copy of Harper A. Brooks‘ Death Wish. It’s narrated by Eugenie Danglar.

Description from Goodreads:

Life’s a b*tch—but what comes after isn’t much better.

Jade Blackwell, a paranormal reaper, helps supernaturals cross over after death. Her job comes with lots of rules—but not following them is kind of her thing…until it ends up involving her in something much deadlier than she ever imagined.

With the protective veil fading away, demons are crossing realms and impregnating humans, and Jade’s best friend is among their victims. She’s determined to save her friend, even if it means working with Cole Masters, a dangerous demon halfling and notorious gun-for-hire.

But time is running out to fix the barrier and find a demon cure. With supernaturals everywhere in danger, and the balance between good and evil tipped for the worst, Jade must choose between her own eternal afterlife…or the living world she so desperately wants to be a part of.

Spoilery Review:

At one point, I jokingly referred to this plot as “seeking magical means to a supernatural, medically necessitated abortion.” Seriously, the whole book is searching for a way to make a woman who is pregnant, not pregnant anymore. True, at the last moment the author tacks on that the baby can be saved, but that’s literally a line or two in a whole book of ‘how to save my friend from having this baby that she didn’t plan and will probably kill her.’

If I believed the author set out to write a parable about body autonomy and a woman’s right to choose, I’d call this a raging success. I don’t actually think this though. I don’t think Brooks had such didactic goals. Doesn’t mean it can’t be read that way if you want.

Beyond that, I thought the book was ok. I liked the characters and the writing was fine, but I also thought an entire book of the heroine being saved by magical powers she didn’t know she had, didn’t know anything about or how to use felt an awful lot like a whole series of dues ex machina (which is dissatisfying when it shows up once, let alone half a dozen times). I also thought a lot of Jade’s internal monologue got redundant.

All in all, not bad, but not a huge winner either.