Linda Naughton's Blog: Self-Rescuing Princesses, page 5

Strange World - Movie Review

An underrated family adventure with strong messages.

Disney’s Strange World might be the least-hyped major Disney animated feature in recent memory. I recall a vague mention of it around Christmas, but totally missed both its theatrical and Disney+ releases until we stumbled across it while hunting for something for family movie night. Which is really a shame, because it’s a fun film with a good message that deserved more attention.

Set in the fantasy land of Avalonia, Strange World follows three ...

Sword-Bearer - Book Review

The latest return to Tiger and Del's world has a few stumbles, but finishes strong.

As I mentioned in the last blog post, the Tiger and Del series by Jennifer Roberson has been one of my favorites for decades. After Sword-Bound seemed to wrap things up in a neat bow, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Roberson had written an eighth book in the series (with a ninth reportedly on the way!)

Sword-Bearer picks up right where the last one left off, on the heels of Tiger and Del defeating their ne...

Ranking Tiger and Del - Book Series Review

In celebration of the latest Tiger and Del book, a review and ranking of the rest of the series.

The Tiger and Del novels are one of my all-time favorite book series. I read the first one when I was a teenager, and eagerly awaited the release of each subsequent book in the original tetralogy. The other volumes have come as unexpected delights, each time with author Jennifer Roberson saying it’s probably the last.

With the release of the latest installment, Sword Bearer, I thought it would be fun t...

The Rookie - Review

This police procedural about an older rookie has grown into a fine ensemble show.SPOILER ALERT! This review contains some character development spoilers for previous seasons of The Rookie.

I didn’t really like The Rookie the first time I watched it. I was willing to give it a try on the combination of Firefly’s Nathan Fillion and an intriguing premise (Fillion’s John Nolan as LAPD’s oldest rookie) that set it apart from other cop shows. But they lost me after just a few episodes. Rather than a t...

Blackout Trail - Behind the Scenes

My latest novel, Blackout Trail, has been out for a couple months now. I appreciate all the support, and thought I’d share a spoiler-free "behind-the-scenes" look at how the book came about and some fun tidbits about the story.

The EMP“Lauren went through a sort of mini-prepper phase after Lily was born, and we started bringing stuff up to the cabin when we visited: canned goods, bottled water, that sort of thing.”
- Blackout Trail

Like Lauren in my story, I also went through a phase where I becam...

The Devil's Ransom - Book Review

A timely threat is personal in the latest Pike Logan thriller.

The Pike Logan books by Brad Taylor have always ranked high among my favorite novels. The best of them feature ripped-from-the-headlines threats, memorable adversaries, and personal stakes for Pike, Jennifer, and their team. The Devil's Ransom has all three, making it one of the better entries in the series.

Conducting a routine cover development trip to Tajikistan, Pike and Jennifer learn that Afghanistan has fallen, and there’s a man...

Lost in Time - Book Review

A solid techno-thriller with a time travel twist.

It’s hard to make a good time travel story without tripping over a few paradoxes, and Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle has them to spare. Even so, it’s one of the more interesting time travel stories I’ve read in recent memory.

From the book blurb:

Control the past.

Save the future.

One morning, Dr. Sam Anderson wakes up to find that the woman he loves has been murdered.

For Sam, the horror is only beginning.

He and his daughter are accused of the crime. The...

Starlings on My Window Sill - Book Review

A Gripping YA Novel about a Resourceful Teen

Once again, I was scouting around for books for my kids when I came across Starlings on My Window Sill by Andi. J Feron.

Sixteen-year-old Eloise Harding dreams to rise into the sky and become the youngest person to ever go into space. In order to accomplish this, she has to win an essay contest and pass an agility test. These obstacles seem too high to climb when she has nothing--not even a home. And one thing is for sure, while she is making all her pl...

For All Mankind - Season 3 Review

A three-way race to Mars is the highlight of the alt-history space drama's third season.

I love Mars. I became infatuated with the Red Planet while researching my first novel (about a rebellion on a Mars colony), so I was excited when the teaser at the end of season 2  hinted that For All Mankind was going there next. In the course of my research, one book that stood out was the excellent The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must by Robert Zubrin. In it, he outlines con...

Keeper of the Lost Cities - Book Series Review

An exciting YA series that entertains the grown-ups as well as the teens.

After hearing my daughter rave about Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities novels for the past year and a half, I had to check it out for myself. I wanted to learn what kept her coming back to devour book after giant book (some topping 800 pages) in this young adult series. I just finished reading all nine(!) books, so I thought I'd add my own review to hers.

In the first story, twelve-year-old Sophie Foster is whis...