Sotto Voce's Blog

BOOK REVIEW: The Christmas Getaway (Flavia Labre)

 

The Christmas Getaway tells a story through two POVS: Brunoand Laura. They decide to spend Christmas in Bruno's family's holiday house,where Bruno plans to propose.

I think the author did a good job portraying the characters'body language and expressions, showing how they feel and what they thinkinstead of telling them. The writing flows, and these two are the strongestfactors of the book.

I can't decide whether this book is too short or too long,because by the time I have read 50% of t...

BOOK REVIEW: Hypocrisy vs. Mysticism, Wisdom, and Morality (LInda Meris)

 

It’s great if others find this book inspiring, because themessages are great and thoughtful.

I love to think that I’m an open-minded person, and thereare many things we can’t explain and justify. Things that have been experiencedand told by people I trust, and those I have read. Still, for me, I would haveto exercise a lot of suspension of disbelief for this book. Many non-fictionparanormal and spiritual stories I know have similar things in common, one ofthem is the need for heavy commu...

BOOK REVIEW: Ten Tiny Tales (Gene Kendall)

 

Ten Tiny Tales is a collection of short stories that varyfrom the light-hearted ones to those that pull your heartstrings. The tales areboth about ordinary people with their ordinary problems and the more fugitiveand hardcore ones. I’d say I prefer the first.

Sometimes I see the ending coming, but on others it makes meraise my eyebrows. My favourite tale is Save the Cat because of the mundanesituations that are realistically relatable in real life, both in the problemsand the frustrating...

BOOK REVIEW: The Borealis Queen (Henry Guard)

 

The Borealis Queen is a delightful read that exceeded myexpectations. It follows Nin's transformation into the Borealis Queen.

Yes, there are some possible plot holes that raise myeyebrows and knock half a star for me, I still round it up. Although theysignificantly distracted me, fortunately, the rest of the book still makes upfor them. For example, why would two prisoners have access to her weapon beforeher battle when the enemies know well what she is capable of? The otherprisoner, ac...

BOOK REVIEW: A Quick Spin Around the Galaxy (J.A. Freely)

I had my own quick spin around the galaxy by reading thisbook. It introduces itself in the beginning as a non-fiction, a statement thatgets better and better as the book goes on. We start by meeting one of the mostunremarkable humans (although I’d admit he would make a better candidate thanme, even in the beginning, as I would just suggest, “Do it, but do it quickly,please.”

The beginning feels a bit clunky to me, and I was afraid Ihad to suffer through the mediocre, predictable jokes, ex...

BOOK REVIEW: Children of Jotunheim (Mehmet Caliskan)

 

Children of Jotunheim explores an idea that is a reflectionof many aspects in real life. It's not unique, as there have been many booksand stories that touch this subject. The presentation, however, is unusual. Itreads more like a detailed exploration and expedition report that stretchesthroughout time. While there is a standout character, most of the books stayaway from it, as if we readers observe the situation from far.

The ideas and plot, especially about how the colonization isrevea...

BOOK REVIEW: Afterlife (Ed Morawski)

 

I rounded up my rating to 5 stars, butnot because the book is without flaws. In fact, I can list them, but I can alsoexplain the rating in this review. 

Afterlife is an acquired taste. Ittouches on sensitive subjects and is very daring in exploring the topic. I haveread multiple books from this author, and one thing remains consistent: thereis always a burst of creativity and original ideas. Ed always prods deeper intounusual topics and delivers them with a bang.

The best part of this b...

BOOK REVIEW: The Eye of Ebon (P. Pherson Green)

 

 

The Eye of Ebon is a rich fantasy with two strong women as the main protagonists, navigating in a world dominated by men to fulfill their purposes and duties.

The author has woven a beautifullywritten story that promises many adventures to come. It doesn’t shy away fromheavy subjects and intricate world-building. Readers are introduced to one ofthe main characters, Samiare, through the darkest moment of her life, which isvery powerful.

I understand this is the first book ofmany, and t...

BOOK REVIEW: The Millennial and the King (Miriam Schwellnus)

 

The Millennial and the King is not the book I thought itwould be. From the title, it could be an awesome fantasy. When I found outabout the actual content, I was ready as well.

As a late Gen-Xer, I can relate to the time period. AlthoughMichael Jackson was not at the top of my preferences, I had one of his albums,which says a lot for a broke teenager who could only afford a few cassettetapes throughout the years. The quality of his music was mostly undeniable, andhe was the greatest show...

BOOK REVIEW: Bird Streets Vampire Murders (Ed Morawski)

 

This is a creative book, and itquickly pulls my attention from the start. There are many characters, butalmost all of them are distinctive enough. We follow the story from the mainprotagonist, Janice, who investigates bizarre murders after joining her newteam. Unfortunately, some of the victims are famous, which escalates thesituation and media attention.

I enjoy how this book doesn’t botherin being politically correct, and it’s both strange and cliché in a certainway. Although the reve...