self-publishing

Book Review: The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic

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The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic
by P. C. Smith

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

It’s 1941, and 7-year-old Annie Elizabeth Jordan (known as Cricket) is going to stay with her grandparents for the summer alone for the first time, since her mom is about to give birth. Amidst the uncertainty and confusion of the war that has already cost Cricket dearly, a tragedy rocks her grandparents’ small Pacific-northwest town.

Before I get into the actual review, I feel the need to give some warnings up front. From the synopsis and at least some early parts of the book, I got a kind of To Kill a Mockingbird feel, so I was completely caught off guard by the extreme language and sexual content. Specifically, there are multiple rapes described in varying levels of graphicness, at least one quite graphically. It’s really bizarre, in fact, considering the amount of prayer and references to God in this book. Cricket’s prayers are sweet and could make the story come across as Christian, but it’s not too hard to see that it’s shallow at best.

Now to the story itself—I have to applaud the author for the depth she put into it. The story is told in snippets of Cricket traveling to and then spending the summer with her grandparents, mixed with fairly in-depth backstories of different characters as they’re introduced. Some of these characters are seemingly minor, and at least at the time we read about their lives up until the point that we meet them, we have no idea why they’re important. It is an…interesting pacing choice. Then, as if because Smith understood the possible issues that would arise from this style, she ends a lot of chapters with a reminder that something terrible is coming to keep the suspense up. This might work for some people, but it was just a little strange to me. Especially since the official synopsis tells us what that event is going to be (though not all of the details, of course); it just takes quite a while to get there. I also feel like the title was fairly disconnected from most of the book.

There is a little bit of a twist near the end, which kept it from being as predictable as I thought it might be by the time the actual “event” happened. It was a little underwhelming though. Also, Cricket’s prayers seem childish in nature, but some of the words and things that she seems to understand are too grown-up for her age. I was also a little confused by the “present time” that the book starts with, at which point Cricket would have to be in her 80s, since she was 7-8 in 1941, yet her baby brother, who was born around 1941, says he’s in his 50s. So maybe the “present time” is actually supposed to be the 90s, yet iPods and iPhones are mentioned. It was a minor thing, but it really confused me. On the other hand, for a book that, as far as I can tell, is self-published, it contained barely any typos and mistakes, which is refreshing. In the end, though, it just wasn’t for me. I would say that enough of that was personal preference, though, so if you’re interested in the book, check out the other reviews, which are all positive so far, at the link below.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England

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Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England
by Diane Green

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Christian historical fiction

When Becky Chalmers and her new fiancé learn about a connection between their families they didn’t know existed, she reconsiders her relationship with the man. In the wake of this decision, Becky’s brother offers to take her to Boston to hopefully allow her to re-connect with man from her past, whom she’d very nearly married once upon a time.

This short read is, unfortunately, a little confusing and not quite what I had anticipated from the synopsis. The story is mostly about Becky’s various relationships during her life, past and present, including friends who have or have had crushes on her. Even though one of these men has a distinctly separate POV (and actually starts off the entire book), he’s no bigger of a character than the other man in Becky’s life at the start of this book. It all makes for some odd pacing and plot choices. There are some other questionable things that happen in the text, and I was left scratching my head a few times.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are several mistakes throughout the text; for example, there are quite a few missing opening or ending quotation marks. It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Overall, I think this book could benefit from an editor, both in style and substance. However, taken in the right context, this could be a book that others would enjoy. For example, it appeared to be a romance from the synopsis I was originally sent, but I wouldn’t call it that. It’s more contemplative of Becky’s life and the choices she has before her. If you’re interested in the book, please don’t let my lower rating keep you from giving it a try.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Free

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Free
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Rex was once a bodyguard whose career came to an end when he was crippled. His new life as a fruit picker isn’t fulfilling, but when he gets a chance to put his bodyguard skills to use again, he isn’t so sure that’s what he wants either.

This is a short, well-crafted sci-fi story for kids. It took me only about 20 minutes to read it, but in that time, I managed to grow attached to Rex and appreciate his misgivings. Roshan doesn’t delve too deeply into the immoral nature of the man that Rex works for, but she shows enough that the age range it’s meant for can understand. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. One of the things I liked the most is the amount of creativity the author put into the different alien creatures, both in the foreground and the background of the illustrations. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Hold Back the Night

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Hold Back the Night
A Detective McDaniel Thriller #1
by Axel Blackwell

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Crime drama

When Detective Darren McDaniel is called in on a case involving a pre-teen girl found dead on a bus bench with a chain around her ankle, he knows it’s going to be bad. Child molestation and human trafficking feature heavily in this book, so let that be a warning to any who would prefer to avoid those topics.

Overall, this book reads like a typical police procedural story. It drags a bit as the lead characters wait for things to go through the proper channels, warrants to come through, etc., though it’s broken up some by the main character’s backstory being given to us in bits and pieces. There is some attempt at comic relief, but the book mostly stays dark and serious throughout. McDaniel’s relationship with his family is a breath of fresh air in this kind of story, and I really liked the way his wife pushes him to open up to her. There are some clichés, especially near the end, but it’s not overdone. There is a decent amount of language in the book (much of it even more unnecessary than usual), but no other content issues, other than the glaringly obvious one mentioned in the first paragraph.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are definitely some typos and incorrect word choices, things that probably would have been fixed by some research and/or more editing (for example, a character uses an M1 Garand, but it’s spelled “Grand” in the book). Things like this can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Overall, I enjoyed the book, even though the author left a pretty major loose end. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series, but I do recommend the book to fans of procedural crime dramas.

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Book Review: Unfixed

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Unfixed
Book #1
by Amy L. Sauder

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Urban fantasy

A mysterious circus in a barley field becomes a pivotal point for two intersecting storylines—one before the fire that destroyed the circus and one after. As Max looks for Julia, the last person to join the circus before the fire, the story of Julia joining the circus unfolds for the reader. This circus, though, is not ordinary. With living puppets, each of whom has a special power, there’s much more going on than meets the eye.

Urban fantasy is not my normal fare, but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by an “enchanted circus.” The author did a great job with the dark, mysterious atmosphere, and there is certainly some intrigue involved. Unfortunately for me, I struggled to follow the story most of the way through. Dialog between characters often felt like a peek into a longer discussion I wasn’t privy to. I had the feeling of “just hang in there until it makes sense” for a lot longer than I prefer in a book, and by the end, I was still left with a lot of questions and things that didn’t make sense. A cliffhanger or an open-ended book is fine sometimes, but not when there are this many questions, this many bizarre things that don’t get any kind of explanation. I won’t list them, because most could be seen as spoilers. Maybe these questions will be answered in the 2nd book of the duology, and I don’t mind some questions being left for a future book to resolve. But I really feel like nothing was resolved in this book, and some of what’s left hanging seems fundamental to the plot, which makes this first book difficult to enjoy.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that the narration tends to switch between past and present tense—Max’s sections are in present tense but switch to past, and vice versa for Julia’s sections. It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Also, there’s a torture scene, which is feels out of place to me and gets a bit graphic for my taste. In the end, I wish I liked the book more, but I think it’s just a bit too muddled and dark for me. Perhaps I’m the wrong audience for a story like this, but if you have any interest in the book, please still consider reading it for yourself.

I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Publication date: November 7, 2024

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Book Review: Wimpy, Weak, & Woke

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Wimpy, Weak, & Woke
by John L. Cooper

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian nonfiction

In this book, Skillet lead singer John Cooper dives into philosophies of the past that have led to the various mindsets of today, in which Christianity is reviled and immorality is revered. The amount of research and work put into this book is impressive, and I wish I could understand it better. As he says himself in the book, it’s deep stuff, but I was able to glean enough to follow his connections between ideas put forward by people like Hegel, Marx, and Freud and ideas that pervade society today. I wonder if some of what is in the book could have been summarized more, but Cooper does follow almost every direct quote with a more plain-speak paraphrase of what is being stated.

Most of what I took away from this is that people who hate God will try to justify their sinful lives by making up outlandish, unfounded ideas about reality, nature, and the very existence of man. And other people who also feel that God or “religion” is too restrictive are all too happy to follow along with these ideas that to a rational thinker make absolutely no sense.

The truth is that there is no “good” without God. There will be no perfect happiness on this earth, and denying that absolute truth exists that that the Bible provides that for us doesn’t make it not true. Trying to establish a life or civilization on shifting truth is lunacy, and it will not last long before everything crumbles. That’s what we’re dealing with in America now (probably other places too, but I’m not qualified to speak on that), and it can be a little scary if we don’t remember that God is in control, is never taken by surprise, and will absolutely win in the end.

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Book Review: An Invitation to Murder

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An Invitation to Murder
by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Historical mystery

Lady Katherine has a deal with her detective father that she can solve a murder case before her 25th birthday, but she’s running out of time and her investigation into 2 recent murders is hampered by the premature shut-down of the season in Town, due to those same murders. Fortunately, her success matching her sisters with loving husbands, Katherine is asked by a desperate mother to help her daughter find a match with an earl whose mother is brave enough to throw a house party, thus giving Katherine an invitation to that party as the young woman’s chaperone.

The note from the authors at the beginning of the book set the tone for me, and it wasn’t in a good way. They explain that they have intentionally gone against historical accuracy to make their heroine less “ladylike” and “acceptable” to society simply because the authors don’t like that women were expected to act demure and leave certain things to men in that time period. Maybe they shouldn’t be writing about that time period, then, but I also tend to think there are ways to write “strong” female characters in the Regency period (give or take) in England without having them talk and act completely anachronistically, intentional or not. To be fair, though, I did still choose to read the book, knowing this in advance. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about the book, though, or I’m sure I would have given it more than 2 stars.

My main issue is actually Katherine herself as a character and as an investigator. She accepts the matchmaking job but completely ignores her charge most of the time, even at times forgetting all about the woman she’s supposed to be chaperoning. And ultimately, I don’t believe she has any idea what she’s doing as an investigator. She has terrible (and obvious) investigative techniques and no foundation for any theory. It all just sounds like complete guesswork. Even by halfway through the story, none of her theories seemed any more plausible than any of them did from the start. Each time she tried to advance a theory with new information, it would ultimately end with, “or maybe not…”

With a main character I don’t care for, an obnoxiously dogged rival detective, and some major coincidences, this book is definitely not for me. I’m not sure I can really recommend this for anyone, though if you’re a fan of the genre(s) and wouldn’t be bothered by the things I mentioned, considering checking out the other reviews at the link below.

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Book Review: Eléonore

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Eléonore
Iníonaofa Chronicles #1
by Faith Rivens

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Urban fantasy

Librarian by day, demon hunter by night, single mom all day, Eléonore has things under control until she finds out there’s a bounty on her head. Now she has become the hunted, but she’s going to face the trouble head-on so she can get back to her son.

This type of urban fantasy is not my normal fare, but I thought I’d give it a try to support a fellow self-published author. I appreciate the depth Rivens has given to her fantasy world, as it was developed enough that I felt like I was diving into the middle of an already-going story. This led me to feel a bit lost at times, but it also made me want to know more, keeping me engaged. Unfortunately, by the end, I felt like there was something majorly missing from the plot, and I think that’s because the answers will come in a later book. Or maybe some of them won’t.  I don’t think I’ll continue on, mostly due to what I mentioned before about it not being the kind of thing I normally read. It was also a bit more extreme than I expected in various ways. There’s a fair bit of violence and language and a sex scene (not particularly graphic, but more than I prefer). It was also weirdly religious—Eléonore prays to Mary (mother of Jesus) after stating that she isn’t religious at all, so kind of confusing. Fans of urban fantasy of this nature who don’t mind the things I mentioned above might consider giving this book a try.

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Book Review: Elizabeth’s Playground

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Elizabeth’s Playground
Abby’s Letters #3
by Dana Romanin

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Christian YA romance

After losing her dad and then her mom and being lied to by her older sister for months about her mom’s death, Abby doesn’t have a lot of capacity for trust. She also can’t quite keep herself from shoplifting whenever she’s stressed and doesn’t feel worthy of love. But when she meets the new kid, Ian, she can’t stop herself from liking him any more than she can stop herself from snatching items off the store shelves.

I wish I had liked this book more. I think I get what the author was going for throughout, but it just didn’t really work for me. Though Abby has had some rough stuff in her life, I think she is more traumatized than makes sense to me. Yes, her mom was an alcoholic, but in the first book, we’re shown that Abby still had a decent relationship with her. That was the whole point of her letters that showed her older sister Jane that Abby and their mom were close, while Jane only thought of her mom as a mess. And yes, Jane lied to Abby for a while about her mom being dead so that Abby wouldn’t be taken away, but since then, Abby has been in foster care with a loving family. So why is she a prickly, self-destructive klepto who feels like she doesn’t deserve love?

Right off the bat, I didn’t care for the cliché of instant attraction between Ian and Abby (more on his side than hers, but hers wasn’t far behind), nor the cutesy nicknames they give each other and use almost exclusively throughout the book. In fact, the whole book feels like a lot of clichés or tropes mashed together, starting with Abby being really rude to Ian when they first meet, yet him being drawn to her because there’s “just something about her.” There is some light sexual innuendo I didn’t care for, and Abby’s friend Louisa has a sort of “wise older person” persona, despite being a fairly typical-seeming teenage girl otherwise. Then there’s the moment near the end of the book when Abby’s foster dad tells her that she needs to stop living for others and do something for herself, which led me to ask…when was she ever living for others? In the end, I liked the idea of this series of novellas more than I liked the execution, though I think that the middle book could stand alone as a decent read.

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Book Review: Lightkeepers

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Lightkeepers
by Kennedy Plumb

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA romance

In this modern Rapunzel re-telling, Rapunzel (Zella) has lived in isolation all her life, one of the first “Children of the Lighthouse,” an organization her mother founded. Though she understands her mother’s reasons for keeping her shut away and has always done her best to obey, it only takes one small crack to make her wonder about the world outside the stone walls. When a young man bursts into her room looking for refuge from the cops, Zella sees a way out.

This book was overall okay, though not really my thing. The set-up of Zella living in a lighthouse as part of a cult, and having been lied to her whole life about the world outside to keep her complacent wasn’t bad, but I think it was all quite shallow for being something so dark and potentially deep. Based on what we’re told about her isolation, she knows more things about normal life than I would expect. And once she starts getting out into the real world, she doesn’t really seem as naïve as I feel like she should be.

Ryder’s foster situation is also fairly interesting to start with, if a little cliché, but again, it wasn’t explored as deeply as I might have preferred. Instead, the focus is mostly on Zella’s freedom or on Ryder and Zella’s burgeoning relationship. And their relationship advances fast enough that it doesn’t seem stable to me. I mean, he’s a foster kid whose every action is defined by his need to belong and she’s…well, she’s a cult child who’s been isolated her whole life and is presented with the opportunity for freedom by an attractive teenage boy. It’s probably not unrealistic that they become chummy so quickly, but to me, that’s not exactly romance.

One other thing to note—this book was self-published, and is overall one of the better self-published books I’ve read. It wasn’t terribly obvious, other than maybe the shorter length to the book, which seems to be a common thing with self-published books. In the end, I think this book is aimed at 2 things that I’m not: a teenager (specifically female, I assume) and a fan of Tangled (which I’ve never seen). However, my daughter is a 14-year-old girl who is a fan of Tangled, and after I read this book, she did as well, and she liked it. So if you’re in that audience in some form, you might do well to check out this book or at least other reviews at the link below.

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