L.R. Braden's Blog, page 14

Review: A Glimmer of Ghosts

A Glimmer of Ghosts by Hunter J. Skye
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Part Ghostbusters, part Beauty and the Beast, A Glimmer of Ghosts is Hunter J. Skye's debut novel and promises to be the start of an impressive career. If you like ghost stories and paranormal romance, this book is for you.

The action starts off right away in a haunted graveyard, where main character Mel shows off her very unique talent. Mel suffers from narcolepsy, which causes her no end of trouble, but when in the stage between wake and sleep, she has the ability to see and sometimes interact with the spirits of the dead. This challenge-turned-strength was well thought out and expertly executed, both grounding the reader in the real world ramifications of her disorder and elevating it to the status of a superpower.

Aside from Mel, there is a cast of friends-slash-coworkers who work with Mel to produce a paranormal investigation reality show. I liked this group in general, but the fact that they were all male and all attractive made it somewhat difficult to differentiate them at first. They developed more distinctive personalities as the story progressed, but then they were notably absent from the climax. I was left a bit unsure whether Mel intended to interact with them in the future, and whether I should expect to see them in the next book of the series.

The final character on the protagonist side is the corporeal ghost of Colonel William Grayford. As Mel's main romantic interest, the scenes with Grayford are always charged and steamy. I will say that if you have triggers about forced physical contact, you may not appreciate the scene of their first meeting. Ms. Skye did a wonderful job portraying Grayford as a man from a bygone era. His demeanor, dress, and speech patterns make him easy to picture as a colonial man of grit and dignity.

On the antagonist side of the story, Mel faces both the straightforward villain of Madam Landry -- a beautiful, terrible ghost Mel meets in the first scene -- and the more elusive Shadow that stalks Mel when she enters the hypnagogic state that allows her to interact with ghosts.

The world of the story centers around the town of Portsmouth, Virginia, and the level of detail Ms. Skye put into her descriptions shows either a personal familiarity or a professional level of research. Either way, it was beautifully executed.

Ms. Skye's writing was clear, well edited, and engaging. There were a few sections that I felt dragged a little in the descriptions, such as the details of clothing and a drawn out sex scene near the end of the book. On the flip side, there were a couple scenes that didn't have quite enough detail to ground me, so I found the interactions or settings difficult to picture. But the writing was smooth and fast-paced enough that even if a glitch in the details knocked me out of the story I didn't have any trouble jumping back in.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and I'm eager for the next installment of the Hell Gate series.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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10 Best Moments of 2020

Looking back at 2020, there were a lot of difficult times, but it wasn't all bad. Here (in no particular order) are my top 10 favorite moments of the past year. 1. Hitting the #1 bestseller spot on Amazon 2. Winning the Imadjin Award for Best Urban Fantasy Novel 3. Winning the Eric Hoffer First Horizon and Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Awards 4. Being able to breathe again when the Colorado wildfires were finally contained 5. Camping with my family 6. Turning in the manuscript for Sorcerer's Gambit 7. When my cat started eating again after getting so sick the vet advised I put her down 8. Passing the 10,000 purchases mark on A Drop of Magic 9. Publishing books 3 and 4 of my Magicsmith series 10. Ordering a pizza after four months of preparing EVERY meal at home

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year, everyone! In 2020, the world was rocked by the Covid pandemic, Colorado's forests were devastated by rampant wildfires, kids were in and out of school, jobs were lost or redefined, and families and friends were unable to get together, but we survived. For me, the worst and best parts of the year both came at the very end when my kitty stopped eating right before Christmas and I spent the holiday fretting over the vet's advice to put her down as her health deteriorated. Luckily, after a week of careful care, I was able to coax her to start eating again and we seem to be through the worst of it. Who knows how long she'll last (she has cancer), but I'll take what I can get. Aside from all that drama, I published books 3 and 4 of my Magicsmith series and finished writing book 5. My aunt and uncle retired and moved to Colorado (from New Hampshire) with my cousin. My family (with the exception of my cat) has remained healthy, though we've miss getting to see each other regularly. Hopefully, with the distribution of the vaccine, we'll have a much more normal 2021. I know a lot of people had significant troubles in 2020, but today is the start of a brand new year that will offer its own challenges and rewards. Let's all try to make 2021 a great year!

Review: Claws of the Cat

Claws of the Cat by Susan Spann
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Claws of the Cat was a fun "who done it" mystery. This was very much the type of story where the protagonist, and by extension the reader, follows a trail of breadcrumb clues that lead back and forth between suspects in an intricately woven web of lies and secrets. I did not at any time feel like the solution was obvious, and while I sometimes got annoyed that the protagonist came to a realization that wasn't revealed until the next encounter, I never felt lost.

The main character in this story is a shinobi/samurai named Hiro who serves as a bodyguard and translator for a Portuguese priest doing missionary work in ancient Kyoto. This in itself lends a measure of conflict to the story, because during this time period foreigners were not allowed in Japan except by special permission, so they were quite rare. As such, Father Mateo and Hiro stood out wherever they went. However, the fact that the priest was a foreigner allowed him to ask questions and receive answers that would have been totally inappropriate for a member of polite Japanese society. Father Mateo also acts as a catalyst because it is his ignorant intervention that places his life, and by extension Hiro's mission/honor/life, on the line.

There is not a great deal revealed about Hiro other than that he is a trained shinobi posing as a samurai bodyguard, yet there is enough depth to his character and hints at backstory that he seems well-rounded and real. I would like to read more about him, which is all you can ask for from a character.

The world-building in this story was spot on and totally immersive. As someone who's done some research on Japanese culture, I was thrilled by all the details Span used to really ground the reader in historic Japan. The writing style was beautifully descriptive, and paired perfectly with the story's atmosphere. This phrase for example: "Discomfort flowed through the social strata like water running down a hill." shows both a wonderful turn of phrase, describes the current situation, and gives insight to the hierarchical social structure.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and well-woven mystery.

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Review: Zombie Parade

The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade by Max Brallier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second installment of Last Kids on Earth was all about disappearing zombies and the appearance of not-evil monsters. Jake and his friends get in way over their heads, but there's a very "united we stand" vibe that sees them through.

I liked the author's attempt to give Jake an internal conflict about keeping his friends safe, though it felt a bit stretched at times.

Overall, it was a very amusing read and my daughter is certainly eager to continue the series.

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Review: Sometimes the Magic Works

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life by Terry Brooks
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book didn't have a whole lot of actual writing advice. It was more a collection of personal anecdotes about how the journey to success went for this one man. From what I learned, much of that success was due to being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people -- a tactic that others cannot hope to duplicate and is therefore not particularly useful. This is not to say that Terry Brooks isn't a great writer, I love his books, but he was lucky.

There were some amusing parts, but overall the book left me with a bitter taste because it was centered around the idea that sometimes, for some people, things just magically work out, which implies that sometime (for most of us) they don't.

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Review: Trapped

Trapped by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was a bit disappointed in this installment of the Iron Druid series. The writing was good, and the humor was there, but this book lacked a cohesive plot. I feel like it existed solely to tie the previous book and the next book together.
As per usual, Atticus is being targeted by every conceivable type of supernatural being, from vampires and Greek gods, to his own deities. Unfortunately, these battles take the form of a series of loosely strung together action sequences that reach no resolution. There was no satisfying ending. In fact, I spent most of the book confused what the main plotline even was.

The one event that runs through much of the story is that Granuaile needs to be bound to the earth as a full druid, but that feels like more of a sub-plot to me than the focus of an entire novel. Especially since large chunks are glossed over. The binding is mostly notable for the fact that it keeps getting interrupted.

There were several sections of dense info dumps decorated as lectures or third party story-telling that failed to hold my attention. I didn't see much character growth, though the interactions between Atticus and Oberon remain endearing. Granuaile is without a doubt one kick-ass woman, but she's also a bit flat.

All in all, not a stellar story, but a good enough read that I intend to continue. Hopefully the next book will have a little more meat.

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2020 Imadjinn Awards

Last weekend the winners for this year's Imadjinn Awards were named at the closing of the Imaginarium Convention, and I'm so excited to say that A Drop of Magic was named Best Urban Fantasy Novel! Below is a list of the winners and finalists in the various categories. Congratulations to everyone who placed! WINNER: Harvest Day, R. Kyle Hannah (Jumpmaster)

Things They Buried, Amanda K. King & Michael R. Swanson (Ismae) Best Fantasy Novel
WINNER: Things They Buried, Amanda K. King & Michael R. Swanson (Ismae)

The Amulet of Elements, Rose Marie Machario (Seventh Star)
To Kill a Fae, Jamie A. Waters (self-published) Best Horror Novel
WINNER: The Crymost, Dean H. Wild (Blood Bound)

Squirrel Apocalypse, Josef Matulich (Hydra)
The Immortal Force, Stephen Paul Sayers (Hydra) Best Urban Fantasy Novel

WINNER: A Drop of Magic, L.R. Braden (Bell Bridge)

Wolf Dreams, Aimee Easterling (self-published)
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Betrayal, Lydia Sherrer (Chenoweth)
Tattered Men, Michael Williams (Seventh Star) Best Steampunk Novel

WINNER: Black Recluse, Anna Bowman (Rivet Wing) Best Paranormal Romance

WINNER: The Guardian, Amy Leigh McCorkle (Healing Hands) Best Young Adult Novel

WINNER: Persnickety Jones and the Pirates of Undertoe, Robert Ottoman (Wicked Clever)

The Evil Within, Karen Kasey (self-published) Best Anthology

WINNER: Mayhem In Memphis, Carolyn McSparren, ed. (Dingbat)

Tales of the Lost, Volume 1: We All Lose Something!, Eugene Johnson, ed. (Things in the Well)
Dark Tides, John J. Questore & Eugene Johnson, eds. (Gestalt) Best Short Story Collection

WINNER: Terror in Time, Melodie Romeo (Past and Prologue), tied Best Short Story

WINNER: “Woman off the Grid”, Sandy Lender (TulipTree Review Spring ’19)

Water of Life, Kathy L. Brown (Otter Springs)
Kill Me When You Can, William Allen Webb (Last Brigade)

Review: Wild Country

Wild Country by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Anne Bishop has created an amazing world in her Others series. The consistency and depth of detail bring the world to life, while the fascinating "others" who populate it give it character.

Wild Country explores life in a border town that is perched on the brink of collapse. The town's previous residents were exterminated during the events of previous books in the series, and it is now an experiment in whether humans and others can find a new balance that will allow them to live together. Both sides have a vested interest in the outcome.
Probably my favorite part of this book, and this series in general, is the skill with which Bishop writes from the perspective of the others. She is able to create characters that are at once totally alien in their thinking and yet completely relatable. One thing I will mention is that people who don't like large casts probably won't enjoy this story as it is populated with dozens of secondary characters that pop up and disappear at a somewhat confounding rate.

My one complaint about the book is that there wasn't much in the way of plot driving the story. I one hundred percent enjoyed reading about the characters and the world, but I didn't find the thread of the strangers who come to town and disrupt the peace to be very compelling. The antagonist "Balckstone family" felt secondary to the more "slice of life" story of just characters trying to build a community, and the way the story wrapped up left me a little . . . meh. So if you're a very plot-driven reader, be warned. That said, the character and world exploration coupled with the compelling prose was quite enough to keep me engaged.

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Review: The Last Kids on Earth

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fun middle grade adventure with a quick pace, lots of action, and irreverent humor. I read it as a multi-night bedtime story with my eight year old, and she absolutely loved it and begged me to buy the next book in the series. Which I did. Not only is the story great for kids, the writing is high quality and the story line is engaging enough to keep adults entertained as well. There are also lots of fun illustrations and comic-like cut scenes.
The basic plot is that the world has been decimated by a monster-slash-zombie apocalypse, meaning not only did almost all the people turn into zombies but a collection of strange monsters also appeared. Our protagonist, a young teen named Jack, is having the time of his life. He was an orphan before the apocalypse, so he doesn't have the drama of a missing family to weigh him down, and against all odds his best friend and the girl he has a crush on have also managed to survive, so he's all set. The final character in their group is an ex-bully who provides the muscle to round out their team.

I love Jack's personality, mostly because he comes at the monster apocalypse from the direction of a video game -- which in my opinion is totally the right mindset for a teenager facing a monster apocalypse. In order to make the trials of daily survival more interesting, Jack has created a list of achievement badges he can earn by doing things like stealing the hats off five zombies, exploring fifty different abandoned houses, or taking a photo with someone he knew before they were zombified. And at the top of that list is the Ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success: To find and rescue his love interest, June Del Toro.

While none of the plot twists were particularly surprising (remember this is a middle grade book) they were entertaining and well-executed. I would absolutely recommend this book for kids 8-12 years old who like somewhat grim humor and geeky pop culture references.

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