Tag: book review

3 Mini Reviews of Christian Sci-Fi and Urban Fantasy Books

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Guest Post by Ted Atchley

Hi, I’m Ted Atchely, a geek who loves Jesus, and a professional computer programmer. Whether it’s crafting code or weaving tales, I’m always writing. I’ve been influenced by science fiction and fantasy written by fellow Christian authors, and am excited to share 3 mini reviews of my favorites!

  1. Book Review: Mercury on Guard by Steve Rzasa
  2. Book Review: Rogue Pursuit by B.L. Dean
  3. Book Review: Steal Fire From the Gods by Clint Hall
  4. Ted Atchley’s Debut Sci-Fi Novel: The Key to Reality

Book Review: Mercury on Guard by Steve Rzasa

Rating: 5/5 stars!

If you enjoy urban fantasy stories with snarky heroes slaying otherworldly beasts, then I give you my strongest recommendation to check out Mercury On Guard. This story has a lighter feel than The Dresden Files with less death and destruction, but similar stark and a bunch of monster fighting.

I’m normally a slow reader, but the pages simply melted away. The description pulls you into the action and the setting. Sometimes it feels like Mercury’s narration even breaks the fourth wall.

The characters are each distinct and feel like real people. They have their issues, but you are rooting for them the whole way. The twists catch you off guard in all the best ways, always cranking up the stakes. The story has a satisfying ending, but also leaves room for further adventures.

If this were a movie, it would probably be PG-13. There’s no adult language that I remember. No adult “situations.” There is plenty of violence, but it was never gratuitous, gory or stomach turning. A minor character consumes alcohol.

I look forward to delving into the rest of the Mercury series and Mr. Rzasa’s other works.

Book Review: Rogue Pursuit by B.L. Dean

Rating: 5/5 stars!

If you like Space Opera, you should definitely check this one out. It has great characters, creative worldbuilding, and plenty of conflict and tension on every page.

I loved how the author used color theory in the dynamics of how the wormholes work in this world. Each planet we visit is unique, with a fresh spin on familiar themes. It feels new, yet familiar.

Tai and Perrin are both well written with varying and conflicting goals and objectives. Their dynamic plus a great balance of micro and macro stakes makes for a rich and enjoyable story. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in future books by Dean. Even the side characters are memorable and I would love to see them starring in their own spinoffs in the future.

This was a fast read, and one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I’ve already purchased the next book in the series.

Book Review: Steal Fire From the Gods by Clint Hall

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I enjoyed the story and it kept me engaged to the end. It was a fun and creative adventure. The characters are fully dimensional and relatable. This is a great science fantasy book–a blending of science fiction and fantasy that goes together like chocolate and peanut butter.

This book kept me on my toes. The story never went in the direction I thought it was going to go. The “curse your sudden, yet inevitable betrayal” moment, I never saw coming.

The book did leave me with some questions, both about the magic system, but also about the main character. There seems to be a conflict introduced in the opening chapter that I felt could have had a clearer resolution. But these questions never detracted from the enjoyment of the story.

I’m a little bummed this was a standalone. While I look forward to future works from Mr. Hall, I do hope at some point, he will decide to revisit this world and these characters.

Ted Atchley’s Debut Sci-Fi Novel: The Key to Reality

If these books sound interesting, I invite you to try my debut sci-fi novel, The Key to Reality. It tells the story of a “white hat” hacker who attempts to strike a work / life balance and fails so cataclysmically it breaks the fabric of space-time.

Or get the short story prequel, “Finding the Key,” for free when you subscribe to my newsletter. Fourteen-year-old Brandon has bounced from foster home to foster home since losing his mother. All he wants to do is reclaim a part of his old life and return to the apartment he shared with her. But the old neighborhood has changed much since Brandon last lived there, and a nasty gang runs the streets. His search won’t just be for a place to call home, but for his very survival.

About Ted Atchley

Ted lives in beautiful Charleston, SC with his wife, children, and two cats.

When he’s not writing or reading, he enjoys schooling his kids at Smash Bros, and Mario Kart, as every geeky dad should.

Check out his work at https://tedatchley.com/.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

3 Mini Reviews of Fantasy Books with OP Magic Users – Available on Kindle Unlimited

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Every reader has their “happy place,” returning to the same kind of story with similar tropes for the pure fun of it. I love books with over-powered magic users, spies and assassins, evil immortal kings, and groups/schools of mages with a system of leveling-up their powers. So here are mini* reviews of 3 quick-read fantasy books I enjoyed on Kindle Unlimited!

*I tend to write long, highly organized reviews, so these are casual/mini for me, but not suuuper short.

  1. Book Review: Powers of the Six by Kristal Shaff
  2. Book Review: The House of Fire by B.K. Cook
  3. Book Review: Rise of the Shadow Mage by Haddock James

This article contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Book Review: Powers of the Six by Kristal Shaff

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

Nolan has hidden his gift of Accuracy to avoid the King’s compulsory draft of magic users. But when his lord captures the leader of a group of runaway mages, his comfortable life as a scribe is uprooted. He, the rebel General, and several new recruits escape, starting a journey to uncover the secrets behind the King’s centuries-long rule and the magical undead who plague their land.

Book Review

This was a pleasantly surprising find! I was looking for pure entertainment and I love books about societies of magic users, especially when there’s an element of oppression involved. The main character, Nolan, is a young man, but refreshingly different from many hot-headed heroes. He starts out as a scribe, hiding his magical ability to avoid being drafted. He’s clever, cool-headed, compassionate, and untrained in martial prowess. I deeply related to his greatest desire – to heal the rift in his relationship with his brother and save him from the life he was forced to live.  

We get POV from a couple other characters too, including a more shounen-esque hot-headed male hero who Nolan pulls out of trouble. He annoyed me at first but grew on me as their friendship developed. I also loved the leader of the rebels they join, who’s an empath and former General to the King. It’s rare to see a military leader that’s depicted with more internal than external strength. 

Nolan gathers quite a bit of magical power as the story progresses. It was fun to watch him level up, though it happened a bit fast. I would have enjoyed seeing him test and develop his abilities more, maybe attempting some practice missions before we get to the big showdown.  

Content warning: The villain is known for sexually assaulting both male and female characters. The rapes happen off-screen but are an important part of the character arcs for two characters. I actually found this element one of the most compelling elements of the book and thought the discussion of how different people react to trauma was well-handled. 

The ending was wrapped up a bit too neatly for me. I thought the conflict might last over at least a couple books. This was a quickly paced book, taking place over only a few weeks’ time. If more of the conflicts had been left open, I would have wanted to continue the series. As it was, I didn’t feel a need to pick up the next one, though I really enjoyed it. 

Don’t judge it by its cover! 

Find it on Kindle Unlimited.

Book Review: The House of Fire by B.K. Cook

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis

Born to a life of drudgery and forced labor, Ward becomes the first commoner to every test positive for magic at his coming of age ceremony. Claimed by the elite military mages, he begins training for a life of protecting his country against the magical beasts who haunt their borders. But as he uncovers lies about the past, the true enemy becomes unclear.

Book Review

This book has one of the best training sequences I’ve read in a while! What a great origin story. Our hero Ward starts out as a peasant, essentially a slave, and to everyone’s shock, becomes the first commoner to ever manifest magic. Two types, at that. He and the other initiates set out at a run towards their secret training grounds (reminiscent of the Hunter x Hunter trials!) and spend months learning strategy, spy craft, hunting and tracking, swordplay, and more. High stakes “you fail one task and you’re out for good” vibe.  

There’s some satisfying character development here, with Ward having to overcome his hatred of the aristocracy that’s mistreated him his whole life, and the aristocrats around him slowly coming to accept and look up to him. 

There’s a mystery lurking in the background regarding the founding of their country, the motives of their immortal King and founder, and the source of the magically deformed beasts they are sworn to protect their country from. I enjoyed learning more as the story progressed, including information about Ward’s parents and the source of all magic.  

I didn’t feel much of an urge to continue the story, as it verged more into “the prophesized one who’ll save the world” territory, and I had been enjoying his story for the small-scale missions and close character dynamics. I might go back to it if the mood strikes, as there’s definitely more of a mystery to unravel around several characters! 

Find it on Kindle Unlimited.

Book Review: Rise of the Shadow Mage by Haddock James

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis

Orphaned and poor, Robert’s luck changes when he saves the second prince’s life. Chosen as the prince’s personal vassal, Robert is educated and then sent to train with a group of brutal assassins, developing his magic in secret. But after foiling the eldest prince’s murderous plans, and placing the second prince on the throne, Robert runs off to start life as a businessman. Despite his newfound success and freedom, he can’t turn his back when a new threat nearly crushes their kingdom.

Book Review

This was a fun book to read in a night, but the main character was OP to the point of being flat. He had no weaknesses, made no mistakes, had no difficulty overcoming any of his problems, and picked up skills with little to no effort. His magic was extremely powerful but had no side effects or limitations. He could use magic seemingly endlessly, and he only got a headache and had to rest from exhaustion once. That would have been a good limitation to add, but it wasn’t consistent, even when he started using his magic more heavily. 

He picks up skills in such quick succession that we don’t get to enjoy them before he moves on to the next one. There is also an overuse of exposition as the author summarizes each stage of development. He doesn’t have to work at developing his magic. It all seems to come naturally, and suddenly he can kill hundreds of people back-to-back with magic without breaking a sweat. 

He doesn’t have any character flaws, which makes for kind of boring dynamics. He’s smart, physically and magically talented, kind, generous, and good at business. Money falls into his hands, a gorgeous, talented girl falls into his lap, and everyone seems to like him. That’s all awesome, but it’d be more realistic and interesting if he had any flaws that he had to overcome. As it is, there was no character development here. 

His magic is cool, but the fights are a letdown because no one stands a chance against him. If at least one of the enemy mages put up a good fight, and gave us a dramatic showdown, the ending would have felt more earned. Also, he spent years studying under the best spies on the continent, then immediately discovers magical items that allow him to disguise himself perfectly, so never needs his skills. What’s the point then? 

Still, I loved the leveling up feel, the details of how he grows his business, and the humor of how he deals with his enemies, coming across as almost a trickster mage at points. I also enjoyed his kindness – his past doesn’t turn him into a brooding grimdark character. A brain candy read for those who love progression fantasy Webtoons!

Find it on Kindle Unlimited.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

Book Review: Traitor Son by Melissa J. Cave

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Rating: 4/5 Stars

Traitor Son is a slow burn military fantasy romance with a satisfying civilization-building thread and a touching, relationship-focused ending. However, it ends rather abruptly without resolving any of the plot problems. The second book is scheduled to release only 6 months after the first, so I’m guessing it was split for the sake of length, and is really one story.

Synopsis

The Emperor slaughtered Remin’s family as traitors, and he wants Remin dead too, assigning him the impossible task of retaking the Andelin Valley from sorcerous invaders. But after 7 years of warfare, Remin triumphs and returns to claim his prize: the Emperor’s daughter as his wife. But the treacherous Emperor hands him a scrawny, neglected, illegitimate girl instead of the Princess Remin expected.

Ophele, who has spent her life hiding in the library from the abusive nobles who call her ward, is terrified by the new husband forced upon her. But an unexpected spark grows between them as they travel to the Andelin and begin to build the capital of Remin’s new duchy. As demonic creatures, summoned by Remin’s defeated enemies, plague the town, Remin and Ophele must decide whether or not to trust each other and face their problems with a united front.

Characters – 4/5 Stars

This is a character-driven story, based around Ophele and Remin and how they must overcome the abuse and traumas they’ve experienced in order to build a new city and life together. Basically her father, the Emperor, has ruined both their lives. Ophele is shy, sweet, and a total bookworm. It’s fun seeing her gain confidence over the course of the story and apply her book smarts to the efforts of building their new city. She’s the opposite of a morning person, which leads to many jokes I personally appreciated immensely.

Remin was a bit less interesting to me – he’s a brooding giant of a man, surly but loved by his men, distrustful and paranoid about the Emperor’s plots on his life (with good reason). He fits squarely into the “strong, silent type” who gets softened up by the girl. I felt more attached to all of his knights, who are very well developed side characters.

Plot – 3/5 Stars

This plot feels almost identical to Under the Oak Tree, and I don’t know how much of a coincidence that is. After the couple gets married and travels to Remin’s new duchy, most of the book focuses on the minutiae of how they’re planning the town (which I love – leveling up vibe!) and defending it from demons summoned by the former occupants Remin recently defeated. Otherwise, the plot centers on their relationship, or lack thereof. There’s a lot of back and forth about Remin liking Ophele but thinking she’s going to kill him on behalf of the Emperor, and acting like a total brute toward her. Then Ophele sits around feeling terrible about herself, and the misunderstanding drags on despite them both actually liking each other.

This felt rather repetitive and miserable in the second half of the book. However, Remin’s behavior is clearly shown as problematic and the conclusion centers around how they resolve the conflict in their relationship. It was a satisfying ending, except that nothing came of the Emperor’s plots. It felt rather like Chekhov’s gun – a setup that didn’t deliver. But I’m deferring judgement because I really think that this was one story split into 2 books – I’ll definitely read the second!

Worldbuilding – 3/5 Stars

Fun, but nothing super special. They have a Renaissance-level society. I think the best part of the worldbuilding was all the accurate details about the process of planning a civilization from the ground up – infrastructure, labor, moving supplies, planning for sponsoring of the arts. All of this was clearly well researched and I loved seeing the characters achieve each new step in their goals! There’s definitely more to learn about the magic system of both the Emperor’s bloodline and the sorcerers who’ve been summoning the demons. But that was all setup, leaving mostly questions.

Writing – 4/5 Stars

Pretty good – nothing gorgeous, but clear to read and not bloated. I feel like it got better as the book went on! The first few chapters had a lot of passive voice, but I stopped noticing that as I read. I might not have guessed this was a debut – it’s well organized and enjoyable to read.

Content

There are 3 sexually explicit scenes in this book between the married couple. I almost wondered if someone else wrote these scenes because of how flowery the erotic parts are – I couldn’t help but laugh. But there’s good emotional content there too.

The rest of the book reads PG-13.

I received a free advance review copy from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

You can buy a copy of Traitor Son by Melissa J. Cave on Amazon when it releases on November 1st!

Book Review: Virtuous Sons by Y.B. Striker

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By Caylah Coffeen

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Virtuous Sons is a delightfully original Greco-Roman buddy story that thrills with its snarky dialogue, unusual action scenes, and deeply loyal characters.

Snapshot:

Griffin and Sol, young Greek and Roman patricians respectively, defy their elders and fates, running off to the city of Olympia to attain greater power and make their mark on the larger world. Faced with political upheaval at the center of the Greek world, demons on the Western front, and their own losses and regrets, Griffin and Sol fight alongside each other with wit and audacity on their virtuous path to fame and glory.

Characters: 5/5

This story is all about two reckless, ambitious, smack-talking young men called Griffin and Sol. They’re the best warriors of their generation and they know it. As a result, they’re unbelievably audacious, delighted in the equal competition each presents to the other, and at times completely and excellently ridiculous. I laughed so much while reading this story. They’re like oil and water and rib each other constantly. Griffin is cavalier, spoiled, restless, and desperately thirsty for a fight worthy of him. Sol is depressed, rigidly disciplined, aloof, and quietly confident in his own superiority.

They’re arrogant and violent, yes, but not unintelligent or too foolish (though I know a certain philosopher who’d loudly disagree). They’re sharp, strategic, passionately loyal, with a talent for drawing others to them. It’s really quite a delightful dance watching these two. And it’s not just fun and games either – they aren’t afraid to touch on deeper topics such as grief, fear, trust in the face of lies, and more. Their journey is rich.

Cool side characters too, but the dynamic duo steals the show. Except, we have our eyes on you Damon Aetos, for all the good it’ll do.

Story: 5/5

This plot isn’t what I expected from the blurb, and it’s all the better for it. The description made it sound like a quest story, with two young men wandering around killing monsters and climbing a mountain – a plot you may very well expect from a Greek myth about a demigod or other talented hero. I don’t like quest stories much, and based on the blurb alone, I wouldn’t have picked up this book myself (it was a birthday present). To my delight, this was a character piece which evolved into political (& action) fantasy.

The entirety of the story takes place in 2 Greek city states and the characters run around kicking hornets nests for the heck of it while seeking to prove their prowess to themselves and each other. As they stretch themselves in such a furnace, we learn more and more about their families, pasts, traumas, and dreams – and of course enjoy as they bond (beat each other up and talk trash). The discussions and situation are more “mature” than I initially expected. Navigating a political hellscape takes a lot more brains and nuance than traveling from point A to point B killing monsters. I hope other readers aren’t misled by the blurb, but are willing to give this quite unique story a try.

That said, the plot did rather jump all over the place. These characters don’t really have a plan, so most of what they did felt incredibly random. It seemed like the author was making up a lot of it as he went along (this was published first as a web novel). At times it felt like I was suddenly reading a different book from the one I’d picked up. Sometimes, this is enjoyable as it leaves readers feeling continuously surprised, and I think it works because of who these characters are. But reader expectations are important, and if not for loving these characters so much, it might have been a bit too much of both whiplash and meandering. But not all books need a tightly woven series of events to be great – and you bet there is a master plan deep in the background…

Worldbuilding: 5/5

The author has clearly steeped himself in classical literature. It goes beyond his use of Greek and Roman words or his accurate inclusion of popular philosophies and trends of the time – he gets it. After a certain threshold of absorbing a culture’s art, myths, history, and literature, a person begins to intuitively understand what makes that culture tick. Their fears, desires, aspirations, jokes, and more. It’s a delight to encounter a book so immersed in the classical mindset.

But Striker doesn’t stop there. He presents an alternate version of Mediterranean history – the gods are dead and their names have slipped from the minds of men. And what did you just say about Rome? He also weaves in an alternate magic system based upon the Chinese concept of chi cultivation. He incorporates the popular tropes of progression fantasy perfectly into the realm of Greco-Roman heroes. Because demigods and Roman legionnaires would absolutely love the concept of leveling up! And so do we.

Writing: 4/5

The place this book shines most is in the dialogue. Witty exchanges, perversely convoluted (aka Greek) discussions, and lots of hilarious B.S.-ing and grandstanding by our two endearingly reckless protagonists. However, almost every single chapter begins with an exposition dump, which grows rather tiresome. The prose is written well enough, though it can feel a bit dense at times. And it slows down the pacing when, despite the exciting shenanigans of the previous chapter, the next one almost always steps back with an omniscient voice to explain some element of history or culture. But the action scenes and emotional moments are presented and punctuated exceptionally well.

This story alternates between Griffin and Sol’s perspectives, but they’re both written in first person, which led me to experience quite some confusion when switching chapters. Their voices are incredibly distinct – everything from their manner of speech to attitude and energy – but it’s still mentally difficult to change who “I” is when reading, even when each chapter title names the POV. It didn’t help that I tore through this book in 2 days, so perhaps I just didn’t give myself enough time to mentally shift from one character to the other.

Impact: 5/5

It’s been a long time since I had so much fun reading a story! I went and devoured the next two books in the series immediately after finishing this one. I am ALWAYS on the hunt for stories about rivals and blood brothers, but it’s a strangely difficult itch to satisfy. My sister searched for ages to find a book for me for my birthday, and she is rightfully smug to have gotten it so right! These two, Striker absolutely nailed on the head. I light up talking about them. Now I’ve gotten my mother to read it out loud to my father and youngest siblings back home, and I Facetime in to listen to them all chuckle. I’m in withdrawal waiting for the fourth book! I miss Griffin and Sol!

In the end, there could only be one word to describe that unique quality. That special characteristic that allowed a man chained and robbed of all control of his life to lunge fearlessly at a far stronger opponent.
To disdain me with his eyes and strike my face with his clenched fists.
“The audacity!” I exclaimed in purest joy, and I struck him right back.

Y.B. Striker, Virtuous Sons

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…