K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 36

Review: The Shelter by Sunhi Mistwalker

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The Shelter by Sunhi Mistwalker 3/5

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The world around ten year old Sunni Brown is crumbling. War, disease, and crushing poverty are every day realities. For a while? She counts herself amongst the lucky. But will she survive when she’s forced to live in an abandoned parking structure.

This is a scary future; but there are no werewolves, vampires, or zombies… in this future, human beings are the scariest creatures of all.

Review:

This story highlights the fall of humanity in every sense in a dystopian environment. Sunni’s experience is told in third person, but I reckon first person would have engaged me a little more. The author doesn’t shy away from the realities that the tenants face in the shelter, especially the women and girls.

This short story is a prequel to a novel. However, there wasn’t enough explanation and backstory for my liking. What happened to civilisation? Why are they in that hideous situation? I understand it is only a short story, but it didn’t tick all the boxes for a prequel.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

Review: Duplicate by Phoenix Ward

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Duplicate by Phoenix Ward 3/5

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Upon death, the neurological data that composes one’s personality is downloaded and installed onto computers in the next evolution of A.I.s. These programs are known as installed intelligences, or I.I.s, and they are the secret to human immortality. In recent years, the installation process has opened up for the wealthy public as a means to keep family members alive after their body has died.

Review:

The premise is intriguing and drew me in. The idea of the immortal soul is not a new concept, but mix it with science and tech and you have a fascinating story. The ethics and legal barriers to such a practice could be explored more in a longer novella or novel.

Although intriguing, I could have done with a little more explanation. Short stories don’t lend themselves well to in-depth back stories or info dumps, and that’s why I think this story would work well as a longer story.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

I’m Back… Kinda

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Can you believe that the new addition to our family is already over a month old?? The first few weeks have flown by, and I have not written a single page. Now we have established a routine, I plan to slowly get back into things.

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I gave myself permission to take time out, but I still had withdrawal symptoms. I stemmed them by writing notes when I had a little time to my myself. I started reading again this week. I am working my way through the short stories on my Kindle. I am lucky to have a bubba who likes to get long stretches of sleep in at night, so I shall read and write in the evenings where possible.

I shall be popping on here with project updates and book reviews, but I’m certain they will be less frequent than usual.

Oh, and on a side note, I have put my Sisters All series on hold. There are a lot of narratives to interlink in the five novellas ready for the novel, and I don’t have the time to concentrate on it fully quite yet. I am, however, dipping back into my 2017 NaNo work. It is another zombie novella… Zombie Playlist fans will hopefully enjoy this one too.

Content belongs to K.J.Chapman

My Writing Plans

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This post is more of an update to let you all know what is going on with my writing projects right now. I have three unfinished projects and one idea floating around in my head. That being said, I’m not planning on solely focussing on any one of them. I am a week overdue with a baby who seems very comfy where he is. I have distanced myself a little from my WIPs because the last thing I want to do is get even more invested in the narratives and have to take a big step back when baby number 2 arrives. Instead, I am organising my notes and research. This will be my process for the next few months: Notes and research and more notes and research. That way, I stay in touch with my WIPs, but don’t have to fully commit to any hardcore writing time. In truth, I desperately need to organise and sort the stories in my head.

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On a different note, I am pleased to say that all three covers for my WIPs are in the final design stages. It may be a long while before I reveal them, but just having them raring to go and looking awesome will be great motivation when I get back some writing time.

For now, I shall be taking a little blog hiatus and will try to persuade this baby to make an appearance. Take care, folks.

Content belongs to K.J.Chapman

 

CampNaNoWriMo: Final Week Update

[image error]I’m not a winner this month, but it was fairly obvious after week two that I was too far behind to catch up. I said to myself that I would be happy as long as I hit 10k. I made it to 10,015 words, so that was a small victory for me.

Congratulations to everyone who took part. Even if you didn’t win, any words written is progress and one step closer to that finished draft.

I would like to thank my cabin for being motivational and just awesome. It made getting to 10k that little easier.

I may be participating in July’s Camp, but my target word count will be considerably less. I will probably still be working on this WIP at that point.

Excerpt:

  Walker Norman hobbles his way toward me using the wall as a crutch until one of his people offer him a walking stick. He shoos them away as he approaches, leaving just the two of us alone in the corridor.

  “Does this decrepit, old man shock you?” he asks. Without ceremony, he leans in and kisses one cheek, and then the other. “Can’t let the world see that Walker Norman isn’t the vision of strength and vigour, eh?”

  “Must be a hard act to maintain,” I state, coolly.

  His mouth twitches with a smile. “Act, pah! The body perhaps, but the mind is still as sharp as a blade. That’s all that matters when it boils down to politics. Our ideologies last longer than us politicians.”

Content belongs to K.J. Chapman

ARC Review: Taste the Dark by Nicola Rose

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Taste the Dark by Nicola Rose 4/5

[image error]Jess

I killed my parents. I didn’t mean to, I don’t think. I can’t really remember.

I can’t remember much from the years that followed either, other than an endless stream of bad decisions, generally involving alcohol, drugs and bad boys. My new job in a new town signified a turning point – time to sort myself out.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the 6ft package of brooding, inked-up perfection who started stalking me. And don’t even mention the equally hot brother crawling under my skin…

They radiate danger, it flows around them like a seductive spell; and danger is my favourite word.

Zac

I was doing a pretty good job at balancing on the fine line between light and dark, blurring the edges and living in the grey. But then dead vampires started piling up around me and the Bael gave me a ticking countdown to fix it.

Now she’s arrived. Four seconds – the moment I saw her – that’s how long it took to know that she’d simultaneously bring heaven and hell to my door. I don’t even know what she is, but I know I crave her.

Falling for a human girl has left me teetering on the verge of collapse. This could be just the ammo my brother needs to nudge me over the edge and into oblivion.

Taste the Dark is out 30-4-18! Preorder your copy here.

Review:

After reading Rose’s novella, Breaking the Gladiator, I had no fears about my liking this novel. The effortless writing style, steamy and dark scenes, and captivating narrative made this book a quick, enthralling read. The paranormal elements were handled with the right dose of darkness and believability.  Vampires have been overdone on the indie scene of late, but a fresh, exciting take on the mythical creatures is always a great find.

I can’t say I particularly liked Jess’ character at first, but her extroverted ways complimented the narrative and made her choices believeable. The love triangle was intriguing for sure. There is a Vampire Diaries vibe to this aspect of the story. It was a case of how dark is too dark in your chosen love interest. Well, I know whose team I’m on.

This is a lengthy read and a little slow moving, but the story is just as important as the romance.

Book two is out soon, so there is no need to twiddle our thumbs waiting for more from Jess and Zac.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

ARC Review: Raven’s Cry by Dana Fraedrich

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Raven’s Cry by Dana Fraedrich 4.5/5

[image error]A dark retelling of Swan Lake ~ Calandra is happiest when she’s surrounded by quiet, joined only by a book and a cup of tea, never around people and their insufferable need to make small talk. When Nicodemus, a magus with immense power, joins the royal court of Invarnis, Calandra’s life will change forever. As a terrible curse pursues her through the centuries, Calandra will have to overcome captivity, war, and loss.

In this standalone installment, set in Dana Fraedrich’s Broken Gears universe, readers will join Calandra in her battle for freedom, hope, and healing.

Raven’s Cry is out 1-5-18 !!!! Preorder your copy here.

Review:

After reading Fraedrich’s Out of the Shadows, I was keen for an ARC of Raven’s Cry. I haven’t yet read book two in the Broken Gears series, but it was easy to jump back in with this book as it is a standalone, yet still has links to Out of the Shadows for those who have read it. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the rest of the series, it won’t affect the narrative for you. Those links are only noticeable to readers of the other books.

The world building in Cali’s tale is just as thought out and imaginative. Cali’s story is tragic for centuries, but she somehow keeps her head and makes it through the torture and imprisonment at the hands of a powerful, evil magus.

Fraedrich has mastered the retelling well. I am not usually a fan of retellings, but as long as the narrative carries its weight in its own right with hints to the original, then I am a happy reader.

If you enjoy retellings, this dark retelling of Swan Lake is for you, and while you’re at it, why not get book one in the Broken Gears series?

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

Update: CampNaNoWriMo Week Three

[image error]Meh. That’s the word I’d use for my writing motivation this week. I’m not going to be too hard on myself, though. My body is getting ready to birth a human, so that comes first. However, I have managed to write 2455 words. I was hoping to break the 10k milestone this week, but it wasn’t to be. My current word count stands at 8681 of 15k.

I’m not sure how the next week is going to pan out for me. I’m not putting myself under pressure to be a CampNaNo winner. A few more words here and there would be great. If I could hit that 10k mark, then I’ll be happy. That’s 10k more than I had to work with on April 1st.

Excerpt:

   There’s nothing more I can ask of him. A lot is at play here that I don’t know about, and there are secrets covering up secrets. I have to trust Topher when it comes to the Pyazamite. He is in the know whereas Marco isn’t. All we can do is hope that Marco doesn’t get himself killed passing on worthless information.

Content belongs to K.J. Chapman

Update: CampNaNoWriMo Week Two

[image error]I wrote some words… Not enough to catch up, but I wrote some. I lacked motivation toward the beginning of the week and family life took precedent, but once I decided to write out of sequence, I got my mojo back.

I have made it to 6226 words of my 15k target. That means I wrote 3190 this week. I was hoping to have more written in the first two weeks of CampNaNo because my due date is creeping ever closer.

The funniest part of my writing routine is the birthing ball I now bounce on whilst writing. I must look a picture, but as I spend a lot of time writing on my sofa, (not an optimal position to try and get baby into a good labouring position) my midwife instructed me to get a birthing ball to use as a seat whilst writing and watching tv. It has been interesting.

Excerpt:

  Marco sits straighter and runs his hands over his unshaven face. “Now it makes sense. I came here tonight to give you this. You need to pass it on to Topher.” He hands me a piece of paper with coordinates on it. “There is a big mission tomorrow before dawn. This is the location. I overheard talk about the extraction of something big. They have inside help on this.”

  I push the paper back into his hand. “You give it to Topher. This is proof that you’re not who they think you are.”

  “I am who they think I am, Sweetheart. I betrayed them, my job, and you.”

Content belongs to K.J Chapman

Review: Turning Grace by J.Q. Davis

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Turning Grace by J.Q. Davis 3/5

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Life or death?

It all seems to be the same for Grace…

Some of us have been there before — falling for the hot, popular jock who just so happens to be dating the hot, popular girl in school.

Your snarky-but-always-right bestie insists you make a move, but you’re not so much into putting yourself out there.

Then it happens, and suddenly you find yourself eating a cat on your neighbor’s porch.

No? Never happened to you?

Well, Grace Watkins can’t say the same. Her hunger is growing with each day that passes and her urges are getting harder to control.

No one can explain why her body is changing, except one man.

Review:

A zombie book that follows a teen injected with a untested serum as a child and the deterioration of her body and mind ever since.

It’s unusual to find a zombie book that doesn’t have an ‘outbreak’ or a virus that can be passed on through a bite. It was interesting to see the methods Davis thought up for Grace’s mother to use in order to maintain her daughter’s ignorance to what she truly was, and the repercussions of not explaining the situation to Grace when things start going severely south.

Some niggles I had were Grace’s naivety and Tristan’s utter acceptance. Insta-love is a well used trope in some YA stories, and maybe teens will find this book and the relationship dynamics more believable.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review